YORK CIRCA 1920 (c.1920) film no: 821
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This film outlines York's history and its monuments. It includes scenes of York railway station as well as images of York taken from around the city walls.
Title: York, Ideal Films Ltd.
Title: ‘No town in England has a more ancient history than York. Three Roman Emperors visited it and one, Constantine, the first Christian Emperor, was probably born there.’
The film opens in York railway station and includes many passengers walking along the platform. The city can be seen from the top of the Royal York Hotel showing the Railway Institute, a tram travelling along Station Road, the statue of Leeman and the York Minster.
Intertitle: ‘Some of the old Roman walls, repaired by Edward III, still remain.’
From the wall, the city can be seen and includes a steam-powered vehicle travelling across Lendal Bridge as well as trams, a horse and cart, and a car. This is followed by more scenes of the old city walls.
Intertitle: ‘Its ‘bars’ or gates are among the finest examples of medieval fortification.’ ‘One of these, Walmgate Bar, was erected by Edward I, and did good service in the many sieges of York.’
Walmgate Bar is shown followed by views of Micklegate Bar with its coat of arms.
Intertitle: ‘The heads of rebels were exhibited over |Micklegate Bar: that of Hotspur in 1403 and of the Jacobites after the battle of Culloden in 1746.’ ‘It is surmounted by the arms of England and France – a reminder of the days when kings of England claimed to be kings of France as well.’
Further scenes of Micklegate include the crowded street full of pedestrians and traffic coming into the city centre being directed by a policeman.
Intertitle: ‘Bootham Bar dates from the end of the 13th century. It has steps leading up to the City Walls.’ ‘Not far away is St William’s College, built in 1453. It was a centre of activity in the days of the Civil War.’
The Minster and some houses can be seen in the background of Bootham Bar. There is also a scene of St. William’s College.
Intertitle: ‘But the glory of York is the Cathedral – the largest of English medieval churches.’
The western front of the Minster is shown with an open-top car driving towards the camera.
Intertitle: ‘Through a beautiful approach you reach the South Side, the usual entrance. Just overhead is a remarkable circular light known as the ‘Marigold Window.’
Intertitle: ‘Over the splendid West Door is carved in stone the story of Adam and Eve.’
At the south side of the Cathedral, the Marigold window can be seen as well as exterior shots of the Minster, the towers, the west door, and carvings which show the story of Adam and Eve.
Intertitle: ‘And facing it, beyond the choir, is the gorgeously ornamented altar.’ ‘With the building are preserved the Ulphus Horn by which, according to tradition, an Anglo-Saxon prince transferred his lands to the Cathedral . .’ the horn is held up ‘ . . and an ancient coronation chair, used by many Saxon kings, as well as by Edward IV, Richard III and James I.’ ‘The north transept contains five lancet windows each 54 feet high, known as ‘The Five Sisters’.’
The interior and altar are shown. The Anglo Saxon Ulphus horn and coronation chair are followed by the north transept and the five sisters windows.
Intertitle: ‘Not far from the Cathedral is the King’s Manor. Once a royal residence it is now a school for blind children. (The arms and cypher [sic] of James I are still above the entrance).’
There is a brief shot of the entrance way as well as scenes of the rest of the building, some of which is covered in ivy.
Intertitle: ‘In the courtyard the boys, conquering their affliction, play at skittles and cricket.’
At the school, students are playing cricket and skittles, and in a playground children are playing on swings and a large see-saw.
Intertitle: ‘Others make wicker baskets…..’ ‘….while one of them reads a book by the Braille system.’
The boys are lined up in a row weaving baskets, while at the head of the line, a boy sits in a chair and reads to them.
Intertitle: ‘We next proceed to the market place and . .’
There is a brief shot of the open-air market in Parliament Street crowded with shoppers.
Intertitle: ‘...then through some of the quaint streets. The ‘Shambles’ is so narrow that neighbours can shake hands across the street from their top stories.’
People walk along the Shambles with carts and pushchairs, a boy turns to look at the camera.
Intertitle: ‘But ‘Petergate’ is much wider.’
There are more shoppers on Petergate, and a car passes by. The York Minster can be seen in the background.
Intertitle: ‘The River Ouse flowing through the town…’ ‘…affords healthy recreation in the summer months.’
The River Ouse is shown from Ouse bridge and facing towards Lendal Bridge and includes images of the Guildhall. The films ends with crowds watching rowing races from the river bank in Museum Gardens near the end of Marygate.
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Unfortunately nothing is known about who made this film or exactly when it was made. The film was acquired by the YFA from the York Civic Trust, who in turn obtained it from the National Film and Television Archive, held by the British Film Institute (BFI). The BFI was set up in 1933 initially to promote British film, but from 1948 it specialised on collecting and documenting British films, whilst promoting film appreciation. The BFI were donated the film by the Archives of the Barnes Museum of Cinematography set up by John Barnes, the renown early cinema historian. Barnes did not have any information on the film or where it came from. Unfortunately the film has also deteriorated over the years and suffers from flashing.
Like so many films the YFA has acquired, the absence of information means that we can only speculate on who made it and for what purpose. It appears to be a promotion of York and its architecture; perhaps an early example of a tourist film. Certainly after the First World War US tourists in particular were doing the rounds of the British Cathedrals. The information the film provides is the kind of thing to be found in one of the Baedeker guides, originating in Germany many years before. Their first edition for Great Britain goes back to 1887, and this acquired an English editor during the First World War. Famously, the maps included as part of the handbook were used by German pilots in their bombing missions over Britain. York was one of the cities targeted in April 1942 and the Guildhall, the Assembly Rooms and St Martin-le-Grand were among the places hit - but fortunately York got off rather lightly. It is somewhat ironic that allied planes later in the war destroyed the Baedeker headquarters and archives.
The York Cathedral is a focus of the film, and in particular the stained glass windows. It may be no coincidence that work started on cleaning up the three quarters of an acre of medieval stained glass in 1919. (More can be found on the Cathedral in the Context for The West Riding Of Yorkshire). The YFA has several related films that show York at various times during the past 100 years. The first goes back to 1911, and there is also one of a visit by HRH Duke of York to Rowntree's Cocoa Works in 1920. A more recent film that makes for an interesting companion to this film is History of York, made by Patrick Olsen in 1974. This provides an audio commentary that runs through York's history.
Those who know York will see how little it has changed since this film was made. One notable place where it has changed is in the area near the Railway Station - this can be seen clearly if compared with another film on YFA Online, English Children, made in 1949, which shows the same place. But the uses of some of the buildings has changed. One such is King's Manor which became the Yorkshire School for the Blind in 1833. It stopped being this in 1958 and was acquired by the City of York Council, who leased it to the University in 1963, and which used it to house the Institute for Advanced Architectural Studies. It is now home to the Department of Archaeology, the Centre for Medieval Studies and the Centre for Eighteenth Century Studies of the University of York.
The intertitles provide information on each of the aspects of York and its architecture that the film covers. However, one piece of information that needs correcting is the statement that St William's College was built in 1453. In fact it was founded in 1461 as a residence for chaplains, or chantry priests - opening in 1467. The confusion in dates may come from the fact that it was named after Saint William of York, who was Archbishop in 1153, and whose tomb lies inside the Minster. St William's College was often a base for escapades against the Scots, and when Charles I was excluded from Hull in 1642 he used the College as a base with a printing press for his propaganda during the civil war. It later became a town house, and was divided up with shop fronts in the eighteenth century. Now it houses a restaurant and rooms for conferences.
References
Alberic Stacpoole et al (eds), The Noble City of York, Cerialis Press, York, 1972.
The Rev. Charles C. Bell, The Story of York Minster, Raheal Tucker and Sons, London, 1931.
Victor Middleton, British Tourism: a remarkable story of growth, Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann, London, 2005
For more information on the BFI and its history
Duration:
9 mins 21 secs |
 16mm |
 Silent |
 Black & White |
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2 Comments
Fantastic, I attended school in walmgate and now live in Australia, again fantastic.
I have just found this site and its fantastic! I lived in Walmgate in the late sixties and early seventies and typically although the town centre was my playground, I paid little interest to its history , its only now 40 odd years later and having left York some 35yrs ago I am now discovering its past. This site is marvellous and well done to those involved in creating it.
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