Factory Exit in Wigan (1901)

Factory Exit in Wigan (1901)


The largely female workforce of an Edwardian Lancashire factory parades past the camera.

Mitchell and Kenyon's 'factory gate' films typically feature large crowds, but the workforce at this unidentified factory is relatively sparse. Most are women, many in shawls and straw hats, suggesting that this was a textile mill. One woman, caught eating with her mouth open, seems embarrassed and swiftly runs off. At the end, several young women peer closely at the camera as if scrutinising us.


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Edwardian Enigmas

Who, what, where? Calling amateur detectives - can you help us solve these mysteries?

We've learned a lot about Mitchell and Kenyon since hundreds of their films were rediscovered in 1995. Research by the University of Sheffield and the BFI revealed a wealth of background detail about the films, the events they depict, how they were commissioned and shown. But a few films have so far stubbornly refused to give up their secrets.

So now's your chance to play amateur detective. Do you recognise this town, that street, those factory gates, that football team... even a face in the crowd? If you can, please let us know. And if you can't, you can still enjoy these heady slices of Edwardian (or Victorian) life.


18 videos in this collection

Intriguing fragments of Victorian and Edwardian footage left behind by Mitchell and Kenyon
1

Mitchell and Kenyon Miscellaneous Offcuts

Victorian industrial workers leave their factory after a demanding day.
2

Factory Exit in Lincoln (1900)

How did these Chinese gentlemen end up in a Blackburn basement?
3

Unidentified Chinese Men (c.1900)

Can you identify this street corner, or perhaps a young face in the parade?
4

Parade of Schoolchildren (c.1902)

An assortment of Edwardian workers, including many mischievous children who are far from camera-shy.
5

Textile Workers Leaving a Factory (c.1901)

Well-heeled Edwardian workers head home after work.
6

Workers Leaving a Factory in Wigan (1902)

7

Scene Outside a Factory (c.1902)

Could the newspaper boy tell us where this factory was?
8

Employees Leaving a Factory (c.1901)

A mysterious but vivid snapshot of Edwardian life.
9

Street Scenes in North of England (c.1902)

An unidentified workplace is the scene of a vivid slice of turn-of-the-century life.
10

Factory Gate Exit (c.1901)

It's home time for men and women at an imposing but unidentified workplace - or two?
11

Exit of Clerical and Factory Workers (c.1901)

A diverse workforce make their way from the factory, perhaps a Lancashire cotton mill?
12

Unidentified Factory Gate Exit in Lancashire (c.1900)

Victorian factory workers head for home, dodging puddles along the way.
13

Workforce Leaving a Factory in the North of England (c.1900)

Mystery workers hurry through cobbled streets
14

Unidentified Factory Gate (c.1900)

An unidentified factory is the setting for some lively Victorian characters.
15

Workers Leaving a Factory (1900)

Two tantalising fragments of Mitchell and Kenyon's fiction films - but what do they tell us?
16

Mitchell and Kenyon Unidentified Fiction Offcuts

A large liner draws away from the quay, but where is she headed?
17

Ship Departing from Port (c.1901)

The largely female workforce of an Edwardian Lancashire factory parades past the camera.
18

Factory Exit in Wigan (1901)

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