A blog about the Edwardian era in the UK - objects, buildings, people, literature, film and all other aspects of the Edwardian era (covering 1901-1919)
Monday, 27 February 2012
Wolseley Siddeley Coppa Florio Racer, 1907
This is the Wolseley-Siddeley 'Wolsit' Coppa Florio Racer dating from 1907, seen at the 2011 Edwardian Race at the VSCC Mallory Park Race Meeting. The Coppa Florio was an Italian motor race, starting in 1900 but renamed in 1905 to Coppa Florio. Unfortunately this lovely 1907 Wolseley didn't win the race that year, it was instead won by an Isotta-Fraschini
Sunday, 26 February 2012
Watch the SS Terra Nova Leaving Harbour Towards the South Pole, 1910
2012 sees the 100th anniversary of the deaths of Captain Robert Falcon Scott and the rest of the Polar Party after reaching the South Pole, beaten by the Norwegian team under Amundsen. This film clip shows their ship, the SS Terra Nova, leaving harbour in New Zealand in 1910, the last the world saw of Scott before hearing of what happened two years later
Saturday, 25 February 2012
Vauxhall Hansom Cab, c1905
This experiment featuring an early Vauxhall motor car, designed to replicate the traditional horse-drawn Hansom cab position of having the cab driver sat behind and above, controlling the vehicle from there, whilst the passenger sits at the front, lower position with a clear view forward, was not a success
Friday, 24 February 2012
Always Warm and Bright, 1912
London Underground poster from 1912, extolling the virtues of the London Underground - simple, but a hundred years later somewhere warm and bright sounds a good place to spend the time!
Wednesday, 22 February 2012
North Eastern Railway Head Office, 1906
Designed by Horace Field, an architect from London, under the guidance of the North Eastern Railway's own architect William Bell, this 'huge palace of business' was completed in 1906. Situated in York, a short walk from the railway station and just inside the medieval city walls, it is now the Grand Court Hotel, but the exterior is still in original condition. Close by is the Memorial to the 2,236 men of the North Eastern Railway who lost their lives in the First World War, completed in 1923. The postcard at the bottom is an original image in my collection
Monday, 20 February 2012
'A Visit to Peek Frean and Co.'s Biscuit Works', 1906
This film, produced by Cricks and Martin in 1906, is an actuality film like 'A Day in the Life of a Coal Miner' (follow link for my previous blog post on that 1910 film), commissioned by Peek Frean and Co's of Bermondsey, London, to publicise the famous biscuit firm and show how their biscuits are made. Special arc lighting was brought in for this film to show the production of their biscuits from start to finish.
The film starts with men preparing the steam engines which power the factory.
Then, the milk and flour arrives - the vital ingredients for the biscuits
A general view of the factory is shown - dough being flattened and cut into sheets.
The production of Brighton biscuits are then shown - two men rapidly cut them out of a sheet of dough using a biscuit cutter stamp, while female workers collect them and put them on baking trays ready to be baked. A large 'biscuit machine' and entrance to the ovens is then shown.
A small boy is seen working under the 'biscuit machine', a common sight in the Victorian and Edwardian era but one that would probably shock modern audiences. Not much in the way of safety guards etc either. The biscuits are then shown at the other end of the ovens, being taking out on their large trays.
An overview of the packing area is seen, almost entirely staffed by female workers.
The scene then cuts to outside, with a false alarm of fire - it is not clear if this was staged for the camera's benefit, it is most likely the case. A man pulling a hose reel cart is seen as the workers assemble outside.....
....and then a large wheeled ladder is seen. Many large works had their own fire brigade, in my previous blog post here you can see a 1912 Dennis Motor Fire Tender from the Great Western Railway's Works at Swindon.
The ladder is propped against a building, and a worker ascends to the supposed source of fire. On discovering there is no fire, normality resumes, and a large crowd is shown as the workers leave for lunch break. A wide variety of people are shown - men and women young and old, whole local community's would almost entirely work at a large local works such as Peek Frean and Co's
Old metal biscuit tins are then shown, being washed clean, and new paper labels stuck on - who says recycling is a modern concept? The cleaning is entirely done by males, and the sticking on one new paper labels entirely done by females. Tins are then shown being packed into larger wooden boxes for delivery.
The yard is then shown, with horse drawn vans (and some motor vans) being loaded up ready for delivery.
A mixture of horse-drawn and motor vans are then shown leaving the Works, delivering Peek Frean and Co.'s biscuits. I don't know the manufacturer of the motor vans, at least two types are shown, so if anyone knows I would be very grateful.
The film is a great diary of the day in the life of not just a biscuit factory, but a typical large works of Victorian or Edwardian Britain. The film can be seen on the British Film Institutes' 'Early Cinema - Primitives and Pioneers' DVD
The film starts with men preparing the steam engines which power the factory.
Then, the milk and flour arrives - the vital ingredients for the biscuits
A general view of the factory is shown - dough being flattened and cut into sheets.
The production of Brighton biscuits are then shown - two men rapidly cut them out of a sheet of dough using a biscuit cutter stamp, while female workers collect them and put them on baking trays ready to be baked. A large 'biscuit machine' and entrance to the ovens is then shown.
A small boy is seen working under the 'biscuit machine', a common sight in the Victorian and Edwardian era but one that would probably shock modern audiences. Not much in the way of safety guards etc either. The biscuits are then shown at the other end of the ovens, being taking out on their large trays.
An overview of the packing area is seen, almost entirely staffed by female workers.
The scene then cuts to outside, with a false alarm of fire - it is not clear if this was staged for the camera's benefit, it is most likely the case. A man pulling a hose reel cart is seen as the workers assemble outside.....
....and then a large wheeled ladder is seen. Many large works had their own fire brigade, in my previous blog post here you can see a 1912 Dennis Motor Fire Tender from the Great Western Railway's Works at Swindon.
The ladder is propped against a building, and a worker ascends to the supposed source of fire. On discovering there is no fire, normality resumes, and a large crowd is shown as the workers leave for lunch break. A wide variety of people are shown - men and women young and old, whole local community's would almost entirely work at a large local works such as Peek Frean and Co's
Old metal biscuit tins are then shown, being washed clean, and new paper labels stuck on - who says recycling is a modern concept? The cleaning is entirely done by males, and the sticking on one new paper labels entirely done by females. Tins are then shown being packed into larger wooden boxes for delivery.
The yard is then shown, with horse drawn vans (and some motor vans) being loaded up ready for delivery.
A mixture of horse-drawn and motor vans are then shown leaving the Works, delivering Peek Frean and Co.'s biscuits. I don't know the manufacturer of the motor vans, at least two types are shown, so if anyone knows I would be very grateful.
The film is a great diary of the day in the life of not just a biscuit factory, but a typical large works of Victorian or Edwardian Britain. The film can be seen on the British Film Institutes' 'Early Cinema - Primitives and Pioneers' DVD
Saturday, 18 February 2012
Premier Motorcycle, 1913
The Premier Cycle Company started to branch out into motorcycles in the Edwardian era, and this is their top of the range model motorcycle from 1913. It is fitted with a single cylinder 3.5hp engine with a three speed gear box. When new it would have cost £54 when new in 1913, with a small car costing around three times that amount
Thursday, 16 February 2012
Payne & Bates 7hp Car, 1901
This is a rare early example of a small Coventry based manufacturer - this 1901 built Payne & Bates is a Godiva model, named after Lady Godiva who famously rode through Coventry on a horse, naked (although the term 'naked' is most likely to refer to her not wearing any jewellery, as opposed to being unclothed). It is now in the Coventry Transport Museum
Tuesday, 14 February 2012
Horse Drawn Parcel Van, c1910
This horse drawn parcel van, built around 1910 for the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway, is typical of horse drawn vans used in the thousands around Britain in the Edwardian era before motor vans became more commonplace. They were typically staffed by two - one to drive it and to make the deliveries, and the other to keep an eye on the van to make sure no one stole anything from it whilst the other staff member was away!
Sunday, 12 February 2012
Friday, 10 February 2012
Sunbeam Coupe de L'Auto, 1912
This Sunbeam Coupe de L'Auto is the same as featured in my previous post here http://electric-edwardians.blogspot.com/ , but photographed at the 2011 Edwardian Race at the VSCC Mallory Park Race Meeting last August
Wednesday, 8 February 2012
Monday, 6 February 2012
South Eastern & Chatham Railway D class Locomotive, 1901
This 1901 built express passenger locomotive is number 737, a D class 4-4-0 built for the South Eastern & Chatham Railway at their Ashford Works in 1901, and was often used to haul Pullman services, such as the one in my post below
Sunday, 5 February 2012
1917 Govanhills Baths reopen
Yesterday, on February 4th 2011, the Govanshills Baths which originally opened in 1917 were reopened by actor Peter Mullan (who among other films starred in 'Warhorse', set in the Edwardian era and the First World War)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-16873557
http://www.govanhillbaths.com
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-16873557
http://www.govanhillbaths.com
Saturday, 4 February 2012
Pullman Railway Carriage 'Topaz', 1913
This is 'Topaz', a 1913 built Pullman railway carriage, built in Birmingham. Pullman's were a very luxurious form of railway travel, offering a higher standard of comfort and service than even the First Class product offered by the railway companies. Pullman services were operated over various railway lines, with the Pullman company entering into contracts with the owning railway company who would provide running rights and a locomotive to haul the train.
The London, Brighton & South Coast Railway was the first company to run entire Pullman trains over it's system, in the late 19th Century, This particular carriage, 'Topaz' (all Pullman carriages were named - naming of railway rolling stock was usually only reserved for passenger locomotives, and usually large express ones at that) was used on the Boat Train route operated by the South Eastern & Chatham Railway, where the train would carry passengers from London to Dover, where there would be the rude interruption of a ferry journey, then back on a Pullman service in France for onward travel to Paris. Entering service in 1913, 'Topaz' wasn't retired until 1961, and is now in the National Railway Museum, York, attached to a typical Edwardian express passenger steam locomotive that would have hauled it originally
Thursday, 2 February 2012
Wednesday, 1 February 2012
North Eastern Railway Station, 1913
Rebuilt brick-by-brick at the Beamish North of England Open Air Museum after relocation from Rowley, the entire Rowley Station complex depicts a typical North Eastern Railway Station serving a town in the Edwardian era, 1913 to be precise.
Interior of the booking office
Toilet in the Ladies Waiting Room - compare it to the one in this post! http://electric-edwardians.blogspot.com/2011/09/edwardian-bathroom_19.html
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