Loreburn School, Dumfries (c.1901)

Loreburn School, Dumfries (c.1901)


Dumfries schoolchildren take their turn in the spotlight.

One of three films shot for Mitchell and Kenyon - possibly all on the same visit - in the market town of Dumfries, this charming item captures children, the youngest around five, from a local school. Despite miserable weather, the children's smiles are wide, and the cameraman crams as many as possible into the frame, in the hope of encouraging local parents to see their offspring on screen later.

The strict formality of the Edwardian education system is reflected in the separate lines of well-behaved young boys and girls. At one point the film's showman sponsor is seen throwing something - probably sweets or pennies - into the throng to provoke a good-natured scramble. This kind of technique was often employed by the filmmakers to generate excitement and entertainment for the audience. It certainly brings some energy to what might otherwise have been a slightly stiff scene.


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From the collection

The Old School Yard

Children – unsung stars of so many Mitchell & Kenyon films – take the spotlight.

The more-or-less formal school parades (plus the odd sports day) collected here present a more regimented Edwardian childhood than the one which so often bursts into M&K's other films. The films capture a transitional moment in British education, with classroom provision extended in 1902's Education Act. 

With a variety of educational models on display - local authority and church-run (Anglican or Catholic) - some schools are more formal or relaxed than others. As we watch them parade, it’s hard not to be reminded that much of this new generation, so full of life and hope, was destined for the trenches of World War I.


17 videos in this collection

Dumfries schoolchildren take their turn in the spotlight.
1

Loreburn School, Dumfries (c.1901)

A small battalion of Yorkshire schoolchildren lines up for a playground photograph.
2

York Road Board School, Leeds (1901)

The proud winners of a Blackburn school football match pose for posterity.
3

Football Match Between St Stephen's Football Club and Moss Street School (1904)

Jubilant schoolchildren spill out of a Catholic primary school in Edwardian Preston.
4

Schoolchildren at St. Ignatius School, Preston (1904)

Deprived Edwardian kids of Burnley enjoy some midsummer fun in the park.
5

Treat to 5000 Poor Burnley Children (1905)

Lancashire children perform physical education exercises in (almost) perfect unison.
6

Audley Range School, Blackburn (c.1905)

Edwardian primary schoolchildren are marshalled along the streets of Blackburn in strict formation.
7

Children at St Barnabas School, Blackburn (1905)

Barrels of laughs and sackfuls of fun at a school sports event in Edwardian West Yorkshire.
8

Day School Sports at Park Avenue in Bradford (1902)

Scottish primary schoolchildren parade for the camera in well-regimented groups.
9

Schoolchildren at Dalbeattie Public School (c.1901)

Edwardian boys and girls leave school, shuffled along by their earnest teachers.
10

Children Leaving Tyldesley Catholic School, Lodge Road (1901)

Waves of children fill the frame in an Edwardian school parade.
11

Procession of Children at Tyldesley Church School (1901)

A continuous stream of children dash joyously past the camera in the Scottish town of Annan.
12

Public School in Annan (c.1901)

A lively group of Scottish primary-school children plays up for the camera.
13

Scholars Leaving St Andrew's Roman Catholic School, Dumfries (c.1901)

Can you identify this street corner, or perhaps a young face in the parade?
14

Parade of Schoolchildren (c.1902)

Female graduates and gents sporting spectacular Edwardian whiskers take part in Birmingham's first Degree Day ceremony.
15

Birmingham University Procession on Degree Day (1901)

The Coronation of Edward VII is celebrated by thousands of Coventry Sunday school children.
16

March Past of 20,000 Coventry Children (1902)

Thousands march up Old Elvet in Durham to mark the Coronation of Edward VII.
17

Hollow Drift Children's Procession, Durham (1902)

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