Buxton Skyline (1901)

Buxton
1901
Silent
2m

A striking panorama of the Peak District town and its magnificent Georgian Crescent.

The imposing sight of Buxton's Georgian Crescent and the 18th century Devonshire Dome behind it is as familiar to locals today as it would have been to this film's Edwardian audience. Commissioned from travelling filmmakers Mitchell and Kenyon by exhibitor Mr Tweedale, the film was shown in February 1901 in the Pavilion theatre, part of the then unfinished Buxton Opera House.

For Buxton Skyline, Mitchell and Kenyon made a relatively rare departure from their more typical scenes of bustling crowds. The long, slow panning shot is unusually ambitious for this early period in film's history, and it's not surprising that keeping the camera steady proved a challenge too far given the technology available.

The Victorian World

Vivid portraits of everyday Victorian life, thanks to the first generation of filmmakers to take to Britain’s streets.

Some of the most fascinating of early films are those which are content to watch the world go by. Numerous filmmakers parked their cameras on street corners, in parks, on seaside promenades or outside workplaces or churches to capture fleeting moments of everyday life.

In their own day, these films held a mirror up to Victorian society. Today, these images of our ancestors – relaxed, smiling and laughing, gazing at us through the camera lens - are a gift of moving history. The offer us extraordinary insights into a lost world, more vivid than any still photograph or written account.