This film is part of Free
Manchester Street Scenes (1901)
A rare glimpse of early Edwardian Manchester when the horse-drawn tram still reigned supreme.
Overview
These scenes of Market Street, still Manchester's busiest shopping area, encapsulate the bustling energy of the city centre in the Edwardian era. 1901 saw the inauguration of the city's first electric tram route, which would soon replace the horse-drawn method depicted here. Showman A.D. Thomas is seen distributing tickets for the forthcoming travelling film show to pedestrians.
The film was included in a programme of films titled 'Life in Manchester' shown daily at St James’s Hall throughout the summer of 1901. It offers rich insights into various aspects of urban life, including the growing confidence of women, who are shown wandering freely around the city centre. The inclusion of the long-take of the Boer soldier and the blond-haired boy (probably the soldier's son) reflects contemporary public interest in the ongoing Anglo-Boer war, which was widely covered in contemporary media and in popular literature such as comics.
Related
Sheffield Street Accident (1902) Sheffield Street Accident (1902)
Non-Fiction 1902 2 mins Silent Location: Sheffield
The aftermath of an accident on the streets of Edwardian Sheffield.
Whitehaven Street Scenes (c.1902) Whitehaven Street Scenes (c.1902)
Non-Fiction 1902 3 mins Silent Location: Whitehaven
Lively scenes in Edwardian Cumbria.
Buxton Skyline (1901) Buxton Skyline (1901)
Non-Fiction 1901 2 mins Silent Location: Buxton
A striking panorama of the Peak District town and its magnificent Georgian Crescent.
Scenes at Monument Bridge in Hull (1900) Scenes at Monument Bridge in Hull (1900)
Non-Fiction 1900 2 mins Silent Location: Kingston upon Hull
A melee of traffic, carts, trams, bicycles and people of all ages squeeze past the camera in Victorian Hull.
Jamaica Street Glasgow (1901) Jamaica Street Glasgow (1901)
Non-Fiction 1901 3 mins Silent Location: Glasgow
A flood of pedestrians and horse-drawn traffic in Edwardian Glasgow.
Liverpool Street Scenes (1901) Liverpool Street Scenes (1901)
Non-Fiction 1901 4 mins Silent Location: Liverpool
Traffic and pedestrians - including an early motor car - in Edwardian Liverpool.
Manchester's Welcome to the Imperial Yeomanry (1901) Manchester's Welcome to the Imperial Yeomanry (1901)
Non-Fiction 1901 4 mins Silent Location: Manchester
A volunteer cavalry regiment is enthusiastically welcomed home after active service in South Africa.
Shuttered Windows Shuttered Windows
Charity appeal 1934 8 mins Location: Southport
Windows of opportunity: how a charity aimed to improve the lives of blind and partially sighted people.
Education of the Deaf Education of the Deaf
Documentary 1946 51 mins Location: Manchester
A brisk look at the tests and education practices for deaf people in 1940s
Heaven Opens Heaven Opens
Amateur film 1968 29 mins Location: Manchester
Faith in the inner city - the mission of the Sharon Full Gospel Church in Manchester.
Apprentice Training Apprentice Training
Promotional 1958 13 mins Location: Manchester
Earning and learning, as an apprentice begins his working life.
Manchester Tickled Pink Manchester Tickled Pink
Amateur film 1993 2 mins Silent Location: Manchester
Manchester is 'Tickled Pink' with this annual celebration of LGBT life.
China O'Brien: The Reunion China O'Brien: The Reunion
Documentary 2024 60 mins
Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Norton and Keith Cooke reunite three decades on from the groundbreaking martial arts classic.
Women in Action Panel Discussion Women in Action Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 28 mins
Action Xtreme - the UK's leading action film studio - hosts this panel discussion with four leading women in action cinema - Soo Cole, Jo Rolison, Jadey Duffield and Ioanna Karavela.
Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 24 mins
Daniel Kokotajlo talks to Nia Childs about Starve Acre, his folk horror about a couple digging deep into grief in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.
Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 30 mins
Sky Peals director Moin Hussain and lead actor Faraz Ayub talk to Tomisin Adepeju about their magic realist drama.
Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell
Documentary 2024 42 mins
Documentary exploring the BFI National Archive’s role in rediscovering and remastering the early films of Michael Powell.
Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels
Short documentary 2024 12 mins
Bryony Dixon, curator of silent film at the BFI national archive, explores the origins of a series of comic travelogues, and Michael Powell's involvement in making them.