A large liner draws away from the quay, but where is she headed?
This two-shot sequence of a large steam passenger ship pulling slowly away from the quayside was presumably part of a longer film, which might have allowed us to identify the ship and its location. Alas, the rest is apparently lost, and thanks to poor picture quality we are left only with the haunting images of passengers waving at their loved ones on the quay and the crew bustling about on deck.
Britain in the early 20th century was a society in a hurry - and transport was changing fast.
The era of mass transportation launched by the Victorians gathered pace in the Edwardian age. Mitchell & Kenyon’s films feature countless trains, buses and trams, as well as horse-drawn coaches and bicycles, though cars are still a rarity.
People where the duo’s stock-in-trade, but transport could also take a leading role. Films feature boats, ferries and ocean liners, but much more common - and frequently magical - are those which take us on a journey by train or, especially, by tram, gliding through space and time into the heart of the towns and cities of our ancestors.
27 videos in this collection
Tram Ride into Halifax (1902)
Halifax
1902
Liverpool As Seen from the Front of an Electric Car from the Pierhead to the Circus (1901)
Liverpool
1901
Tram Ride through Sunderland (1904)
Sunderland
1904
Cunard Mail Steamer Lucania Leaving For America (1901)
Liverpool
1901
Phantom Ride on the Furness Railway (1901)
Furness Abbey
1900
Panoramic View of the Morecambe Sea Front (1901)
Morecambe
1901
Beautiful Panorama of Railway Ride from St. Germans to Millbay (1901)
Plymouth
1901
Scenes at Egremont Ferry (1901)
Egremont
1901
Panorama of the River Avon to Portishead (1902)
Portishead
1902
Ride on a Tram Car through Belfast (1901)
Belfast
1901
Over the Tay Bridge on an Express Train (1901)
Tay Bridge
1901
Tram Ride through the City of Sheffield (1902)
Sheffield
1902
Lytham Trams and Views Along the Route (1903)
Lytham
1903
Ride from Blarney to Cork on Cork & Muskerry Light Railway (1902)
1902
Rochdale Tram Ride (1905)
Rochdale
1905
Douglas Harbour Paddle Steamer (1902)
Douglas
1902
Snowdrop Ferry at Seacombe (1901)
Seacombe
1901
Cattle Market in Derry (1902)
Derry / Londonderry
1902
Opening of Accrington Electric Tramways (1907)
Accrington
1907
Tram Ride from King Street to Patrick's Bridge, Cork (1902)
1902
Tram Ride from Port Soderick to Douglas Head (1902)
Port Soderick Glen
1902
Ship Departing from Port (c.1901)
1901
Electric Tram Rides from Forster Square, Bradford (1902)