Edwardian London Comes to Life (Amazing Movie footage from 1904)

Powerline ^ | 10/24/2008 | John Hinderaker

[mojito]

This is one of the coolest things I've seen in a long time: movie footage of London shot in 1904. This clip is an excerpt from a 12-minute long video that was made as a travelogue to lure visitors from Australia. It is a fascinating and all too brief glimpse into the vibrant, teeming London of Sherlock Holmes:

[Lurker]

I am looking at a “special pass” for the 1893 Chicago Worlds fair or the World’s Columbian Exposition

If you want to read a great book about that Expo, I highly recommend "Devil In The White City". It's a fascinating look at how they pulled off the Expo juxtaposed with the true tale of one of the most prolific mass murderers who ever lives.

I literally couldn't put the book down.

L

[Question_Assumptions]

Bump for later.

[AnAmericanMother]

Confirmed the location of the intersection.

This is from a slightly different angle, but the same view. Ludgate Circus, looking up Ludgate Hill to St. Paul's.

[hunter112]

Wow, I had to keep reminding myself, "these are not sets, these are not actors or extras..."

Thanks for sharing!

[dfwgator]

If you haven't seen this yet, check this advert for Hovis Bread:

122 years of British History in 122 seconds

[Kirkwood]

bump for viewing tonight

[pabianice]

Wonderful. And note how filthy the air was before there were any cars!

[ansel12]

I read it and liked it.

[JZelle]

It’s a fake, I didn’t see any asian youths or mosques.

[my_pointy_head_is_sharp]

I also heard a recording of Tennyson from 1890 - The Charge of the Light Brigade - which blew me away. His hypnotizing way of reciting the poem - the rhythm and flow - was totally unexpected. Read the poem along with him as he recites it - it's awesome.

[Tucker39]

Those marketplace scenes could have been from “My Fair Lady.” Loverly! Thanks.

[Joe 6-pack]

Quite familiar with the poem. I've always been fascinated by history, but there are some periods that draw my attention more than others...and the high Victorian and Edwardian eras are among those.

My grandfather was born in the Russian Empire in 1888, and although I was only five when he passed in 1974, just knowing that he was alive during this era gives me a palpable connection to it. I went to Gettysburg College, and one of the most prominent buildings on campus, Glatfelter Hall, has a cornerstone emblazoned with "1888" and every time I walked past it, it reinforced in my mind how very much we are a product of our histories.

[Nowhere Man]

Victorian/Edwardian bump!

[The Chid]

Here's why:

See? Simple.

[Peter Libra]

Double thanks for your posting this.

Expatriate Londoner here. I have friends coming over Sunday. One from Camberwell, south side of the river. Next step is to try to access the whole 12 minutes.

Many is the time in the late 1940's as a lad,trot up to St Pauls and the Old Bailey Assizes. Fortunately it was not me being tried.

Going to play this over and over.

[AnAmericanMother]

London "pea-soupers" were famous.

It was because everybody was burning soft coal.

And in dry weather (as somebody noted up-thread), the horse manure was pulverized under feet, hooves, and wheels, and became airborne.

There's a lot less lung disease than there used to be!

[Covenantor]

Here’s a link to more historical films.

There are two sections, pre-1914, which starts with a short clip of Otto von Bismarck. http://www.firstworldwar.com/video/pre1914.htm

And many more at this 1914 plus.http://www.firstworldwar.com/video/1914.htm

Back when the divx film experiment “stage6” was active there were quite a few historical videos posted. I managed to snag many. Seeing czar Nicholas and Kaiser Wilhem in color prior to the Great War was amazing.

[AnAmericanMother]

I did see that, top center!

The artist (Millais) had a fit over his painting being used for the advert . . . with a bar of Pears's soap thrown into the foreground!

The model later became an officer in the Royal Navy and was known as "Bubbles" -- even when he became an admiral!

[AnAmericanMother]

Somebody has SOMEwhere on line a whole series of color photographs of French soldiers in WWI.

Hard to believe, but real.