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Obstacle Race

Obstacle Race

It's sports day for the passengers on this ship, which means an assault course that's harder than it looks

For larks, these passengers on a Victorian ship have gathered on deck to run an obstacle race, clambering over and under bars then wriggling underneath a tarpaulin. It's the final hurdle that proves the toughest to overcome - hopping through a lifebelt. If you look closely, you'll see that one hapless chap gives up altogether. Watching the race, you can see the captain of the ship and other officers, as well as more passengers, cheering on their friends.

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From the collection

Topicals

The distant ancestors of today's TV news, 'topical' films captured news of their day - though typically that meant public events like parades, royal occasions or sporting fixtures rather than, say, politics.

It was a lucky filmmaker who managed to be on hand to capture real 'hard news', as in the disastrous launch of HMS Albion. The second Boer War, the biggest international story of the late-Victorian era, lured several cameramen to South Africa. Others responded to audience demand for moving pictures of such events by dramatising them for the camera.

96 videos in this collection

The magic of a real solar eclipse filmed by a famous magician
1

Solar Eclipse

  • 1900
The launch of H.M.S Albion, which was marred by the collapse of a gangway which resulted in many spectators drowning.
2

The Launch of H.M.S. Albion

  • Blackwall
  • 1898
A cricket legend celebrates his half-century
3

W.G. Grace Celebrates at Lord's on His 50th Birthday

  • 1898
A veritable Victorian Towering Inferno.
4

Factory Chimney Fire

  • 1900
5

Blackburn Rovers V. West Bromwich 1898

  • Ewood Park, Blackburn
  • 1898
A beatific image of Victorian childhood
6

Me and My Two Friends

  • Worthing
  • 1898
7

Bumping Race (Cambridge May Races)

  • Cambridge
  • 1900
A light-hearted parade makes a wonderful charity appeal - and film
8

Charity Costume Parade, Salford, c.1900

  • 1900
Lots of local colour as the town and its tots turn out to put on a show in the spring
9

Children's Procession

  • Cockermouth
  • 1897
A vintage day at the races for Victorian gentleman - and a few ladies
10

County Gathering

  • 1901
Members of a South African performance troupe arrive for an Earl's Court date
11

Savage South Africa - Savage Attack and Repulse

  • 1899
A particularly fine filmed demonstration of cutting-edge fire-fighting kit by the Dewsbury brigade
12

Dewsbury Fire Brigade c.1900

  • Dewsbury
  • 1900
Spurs prepare to clash with The Blades to decide the winner of the 1901 FA Cup - the earliest surviving final on film
13

Football Final - Entry of Teams

  • 1901
The 1901 FA Cup final replay between Spurs and The Blades sees William 'Fatty' Foulkes' ample backside in action
14

Football Final - Play in Progress

  • 1901
Stunning footage of a lifesaving demonstration
15

Launch of the Worthing Lifeboat Coming Ashore

  • Worthing
  • 1898
16

Launch of the Worthing Lifeboat Emerging from the Boathouse

  • Worthing
  • 1898
Seaside festivities captured by one of the world's earliest amateur filmmakers.
17

Morecambe Parade

  • Morecambe
  • 1898
18

Obstacle Race

  • 1898
One of the earliest surviving films from pioneer producer RW Paul.
19

Hyde Park Bicycle Scene

  • 1900
A hard-fought early filmed match
20

Rugby Football Match

  • 1901
21

Stockton Races

  • Stockton-on-Tees
  • 1896
The simple hilarity of donkey racing escalates with the rapid arrival of clowns - and a very loose-limbed jackass
22

The Donkey Derby

  • 1900
Two for the price of one! Two items were joined together on this reel, discovered among a small haul of early films and fragments discovered and donated to the BFI in the 1990s. The first is believed to be Birt Acres' A Corner of Barnet Fair.
23

A Corner of Barnet Fair

  • Barnet
  • 1896
The annual championship meeting of England's premier athletics association.
24

AAA Championships at Fartown, Huddersfield (1901)

  • Fartown Ground, Huddersfield
  • 1901
25

Country Sports

  • 1897
26

Drill of the Kansas City Fire Department

  • Crystal Palace
  • 1899
An exciting finish suggests that this is one of the very earliest British films
27

The Derby 1895

  • 1895
The circus comes to town in wintery Carlisle.
28

Algie's Circus in Carlisle (1901)

  • Carlisle
  • 1901
Climax of the big race
29

The Derby 1900

  • 1900
The Bicycle Infantry train for action
30

Cycle Corps Exercise

  • 1899
The Cambridge crew practising for the University Boat Race.
31

Practising for the Oxford and Cambridge University Boat Race

  • 1897
32

Royal Photographic Convention - Glasgow

  • 1898
33

Street Scenes and Salvation Army Meeting

  • 1900
The boys of the London Fire Brigade turn out for the cameras.
34

Turn-out at Metropolitan Fire Brigade Headquarters

  • 1899
Marching bands and local volunteers fill the streets of the Lancashire town.
35

Accrington Parade (1901)

  • Accrington
  • 1901-03
Classic Victorian Punch and Judy show against a magnificent view of Buxton skyline.
36

Bailey's Royal Buxton Punch and Judy Show (1901)

  • Halifax
  • 1901
Female graduates and gents sporting spectacular Edwardian whiskers take part in Birmingham's first Degree Day ceremony.
37

Birmingham University Procession on Degree Day (1901)

  • Birmingham
  • 1901
An Edwardian Bolton Wanderers football team file onto a threadbare pitch.
38

Bolton Football 1 (c.1900)

  • 1900
Spectral images of a football match at Bolton's Burnden Park.
39

Bolton Football 2 (c.1900)

  • Burnden Park, Bolton
  • 1900
Fun on Rhyl seafront as E. H. Williams and his troupe entertain crowds with much ducking and diving in this hectic act.
40

E. H. Williams's Merrie Men: Double Dance and 'The School' sketch

  • Rhyl
  • 1899-01-01
Classic early fire brigade turn-out film sees engines emerge from fire station
41

Fire Brigade Turn Out

  • 1896
Slightly leisurely fire turn out from the volunteer firemen at Shere, Surrey
42

Fire Brigade turn-out in the Country

  • Shere
  • 1899
Fire drill champions of the world
43

Fire Drill: Crystal Palace

  • 1900
A Cumbrian fire brigade demonstrates its readiness
44

Fire Turn Out

  • Cockermouth
  • 1899
45

Gosport: Camper and Nicholson Boatyard

  • Gosport
  • 1900
Crowds gather to watch hundreds of Edwardian policemen marching through a Liverpool street.
46

Liverpool Church Parade and Inspection (1901)

  • Liverpool
  • 1901
Traffic and pedestrians - including an early motor car - in Edwardian Liverpool.
47

Liverpool Street Scenes (1901)

  • Liverpool
  • 1901
Early league football, with the team who will become Birmingham City losing at Anfield in a relegation year.
48

Liverpool v Small Heath (1901)

  • Liverpool
  • 1901-09-28
Durham Light Infantry veterans collect their medals for valour in the Boer War.
49

Lord Durham at Sunderland (1901)

  • Sunderland
  • 1901
Dumfries schoolchildren take their turn in the spotlight.
50

Loreburn School, Dumfries (c.1901)

  • Dumfries
  • 1901
Great fashions, hefty livestock, horse jumping and a few spectacular falls on display at an agricultural show.
51

Magnificent Reproductions of the Great Yorkshire Show in Bradford (1901)

  • Bradford
  • 1901
A small boy impersonates military hero Lord Roberts, much to the delight of the crowds.
52

Manchester and Salford's Harriers Procession (1901)

  • Manchester
  • 1901
Young orphans march through the streets of Edwardian Manchester with heads held high.
53

Manchester Catholic Orphanage Boys (1901)

  • Manchester
  • 1901
Exponents of Britain's newest religion don their Sunday best for a parade through Edwardian Manchester.
54

Manchester Spiritualists Procession (1901)

  • Manchester
  • 1901
"London's Burning, London's Burning"... A dynamic early film of horse-drawn fire engines 'turning out' at Southwark Bridge Road.
55

Metropolitan Fire Brigade Turn Out

  • Westminster
  • 1899
Larking about during Church Lads' Brigade drill and parade in Morecambe.
56

Morecambe Church Lads Parade at Drill (1901)

  • Morecambe
  • 1901
An Edwardian football match at Newcastle's St James' Park ground.
57

Newcastle United v Liverpool (1901)

  • Newcastle upon Tyne
  • 1901-11-23
Easter Monday festivities in Avenham Park, Preston.
58

Preston Egg Rolling (c.1901)

  • Preston
  • 1901
Members of this Friendly Society stream past the camera.
59

Oddfellows Procession in St Helens (c.1901)

  • St Helens
  • 1901
Worshippers stroll out of church after the Sunday service.
60

Old Poulton Parish Church, Morecambe (c.1901)

  • Morecambe
  • 1901
The evolution of Rugby League in a top of the table match between rival Lancashire clubs.
61

Oldham v Swinton (1901)

  • Oldham
  • 1901-01-12
A multitude of Lancashire schoolchildren is ushered past the camera.
62

Parade of Widnes Schoolchildren (1901)

  • Widnes
  • 1901
Edwardian visitors promenade in front of the camera on sea-side pier.
63

Parade on West End Pier Morecambe (1901)

  • Morecambe
  • 1901
Fore! Clear the way for the earliest golf footage from the world's oldest course at Musselburgh.
64

Park V. Fernie at Musselburgh, 1898

  • Musselburgh
  • 1898
Edwardian Manchester bobbies are put through their paces.
65

Police Annual Inspection at Birchfields Park (1901)

  • Manchester
  • 1901
Accrington locals parade in their Sunday best.
66

Procession in Accrington Park (1900)

  • Accrington
  • 1900
Girls gut herring on the quay at North Shields while a Showman tries to stir up trouble.
67

North Sea Fisheries, North Shields (1901)

  • North Shields
  • 1901
A continuous stream of children dash joyously past the camera in the Scottish town of Annan.
68

Public School in Annan (c.1901)

  • Annan
  • 1901
Batley go down to Lancashire rivals Salford in the very first season of the Northern Rugby League.
69

Salford v Batley (1901)

  • Salford
  • 1901-11-02
Exciting scenes of amateur cycling's 'Race of Champions' at Manchester's Fallowfield track.
70

Race for the Muratti Cup at Manchester Wheelers' Annual Meet (1901)

  • Manchester
  • 1901
The future King of Siam takes a trip across the Mersey.
71

Prince of Siam in Liverpool (1901)

  • Liverpool
  • 1901
Runcorn, Lancashire Senior Competition winners in 1900 and third in 1901, face a fierce challenge from visiting St Helens.
72

Runcorn v St Helens (1901)

  • Runcorn
  • 1901-02-16
A lively group of Scottish primary-school children plays up for the camera.
73

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

  • Dumfries
  • 1901
Scottish primary schoolchildren parade for the camera in well-regimented groups.
74

Schoolchildren at Dalbeattie Public School (c.1901)

  • Dalbeattie
  • 1901
The camera captures the sense of being part of the audience at this Victorian sporting event.
75

Show Jumping

  • 1900
Remarkable scenes of St George's Day celebrations in early 20th century Merseyside.
76

St George's Day Procession in Liverpool (1901)

  • Liverpool
  • 1901
The crowds at Knowsley Road await a Rugby league match between the Saints and the Lions.
77

St Helens v Swinton (1901)

  • St Helens
  • 1901-01-19
Waves of children fill the frame in an Edwardian school parade.
78

Procession of Children at Tyldesley Church School (1901)

  • Tyldesley
  • 1901
Scenes in Leeds city centre as Edwardian firemen roll through on drill.
79

Turn Out of the Leeds Fire Brigade (1901)

  • Leeds
  • 1901
Glistening brass and galloping horses thrill the crowds at a municipal Fire Brigade drill.
80

Turn Out of the Newcastle Fire Brigade (1901)

  • Newcastle upon Tyne
  • 1901
Fine images of a mighty ship's launch - but missing a crucial bit of the story...
81

Launch of H.M.S. Albion at Blackwall

  • Blackwall
  • 1898
A fire drill for the benefit of residents of Edwardian Rochdale - and the camera.
82

Turn Out of the Rochdale Fire Brigade (1901)

  • Rochdale
  • 1901
A sports day gives the young residents of the Foundling Hospital a chance to let off steam
83

Foundling Hospital Sports Day

  • London
  • 1899
Edwardian crowds enjoy a fancy-dress swimming race.
84

Tynemouth Swimming Gala in the Haven, North Shields (1901)

  • Tynemouth
  • 1901
Gatlee More romps home as part of his 1897 Triple Crown
85

The Derby

  • 1898
Match action and scenes of an Edwardian rugby crowd at Warrington's Wilderspool stadium.
86

Warrington v St.Helens (1901)

  • Warrington
  • 1901
A team demonstrate their skills in the increasingly popular sport of water polo.
87

Water Polo Match (c.1901)

  • 1901
A small battalion of Yorkshire schoolchildren lines up for a playground photograph.
88

York Road Board School, Leeds (1901)

  • Leeds
  • 1901
A stunning seaside snapshot of Edwardian high-fashion on Morecambe's West End Pier.
89

West End Pier, Morecambe (1901)

  • Morecambe
  • 1901
90

Peter Papworth Collection No. 6

  • 1900
The streets of the Cheshire town are lined with spectators to see their fire brigade.
91

Turn Out of the Winsford Fire Brigade (1901)

  • Winsford
  • 1901
92

Football Match at Preston C.1900

  • Preston
  • 1900
Locals line the streets for the fire brigade's procession through Edwardian Preston.
93

Turn Out of the Preston Fire Brigade (c.1901)

  • Preston
  • 1901
Lively example of a popular early film genre
94

Fire Brigade Turn Out

  • 1900
Two horse-drawn fire engines gallop past the camera.
95

Turn Out of the Dundee Fire Brigade (1901)

  • Dundee
  • 1901
Leeds' policemen on parade - on horseback and in marching bands.
96

Parade of the Leeds Police

  • Leeds
  • 1900
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