The year is 1902and this short film taken outside St James Church, Hull, is full of interest.
The year 1902 saw the end of the Second Boer War and the British Army adopt Khaki Serge instead of Red Coats, Vladimir Lenin was spending a year at the British Museum reading room, a man named Harry Jackson was convicted this year on fingerprint evidence, the first man to be caught this way. During that year the Royal Navy introduced its first submarine HMS 'Holland,' a device some thought ungentlemanly, then too Arthur Balfour became Prime Minister for a short while, his education act enabled local councils to build and run schools while Elgar's 'Land of Hope and Glory' had its pompous premier. That year saw Hibernian win the Scottish Cup and failed to win it again for 114 years, and the Ibrox disaster occurred when wooden planking gave way and 25 were killed falling through the gap with over 500 injured. A new King was crowned at much expence, Edward VII became monarch after many years of waiting but I suspect he did not give up his many other women just because of the job. The citizens of Hull would have flown flags and banners, decorated the buildings and had a party to celebrate this great event, and drink a great deal I expect.
This appears to be a well populated church with those from all classes in attendance. In 1902 people dressed in their best for church and it is clear many here have the funds to dress well. Many 'top hats' sit on heads, only the higher classes wore these while the middle class managers wore bowlers or similar. Note how long it took all those to dress in the morning! Service at 10 or 11 must have meant getting up at least three hours beforehand for the women. Just think of the fuss in the morning as they struggled to get ready.
Vast numbers of children tumble out, all as obedient as kids today I note, each one desperate to be in front of the camera. Again it appears they are very middle class but behave as all young ones do. I wonder how many were to read Kipling's 'Just So' stories that year or possibly E Nesbit's 'Five Children and It.'
Almost all the men wear waistcoats with watch chain showing, some carry sticks, useful in rough areas, but all also wear those itchy 'Long Johns' and 'Granddad' vests as well as shirt, tie, jacket and overcoat! How comfortable in the sunshine was that? Most also had moustaches or beards, the 'Gillette Safety Razor' had only recently seen the patent application applied for and would not arrive for four more years. Some say it was his success in supplying troops during the Great War that saw these razors become standard, most men in the picture would have used an open blade while shaving, hence the beards!
Would these upright people have read Arnold Bennett's 'Anna of the Five Towns,' or Sherlock Holmes adventure 'The Hound of the Baskervilles?'
The church was full but how many were there because of social convention? How many were true believers? Social pressure ensured full churches and the teaching, if good, affected the way society behaved. The churches were less full after the Great War when faith was tested to the nth degree.
The church itself was demolished in the 1950's.
How interesting to look at people who no longer exist! I wonder if they ever saw the film of themselves, what did they make of this new contraption that captured you on film moving about? The young ones were all interested at the novelty, some old ones clearly disapproved of being filmed, was there a fascination with the wonderful new inventions that kept arriving in those days? Did they see the future of the world as a glorious experience? Could they imagine it all going wrong a few years later?
The Blurb on YouTube is this:-
Gy Jones.
This is a congregation leaving St. James Church in Hull, England in 1902. A rare view right into the turn of the century (most of the films from this time are in extremely murky condition). Set at a natural speed with some added sound ambience to give it the feel of a looking through a time machine. The film is from the Mitchell and Kenyon collection.
