Liverpool Victorian Days 1897 – 1920s

Liverpool Victorian Days 1897 - 1920s - including the Lumière film of Liverpool taken 100 years ago and reminiscences of the First World War.

The first public cinema show on the big screen was given in Paris in December 1895 by the Lumière Brothers. In 1897 Lumière cameraman Alexandre Promio came to film in Liverpool and record, what are now, the earliest movie records of Liverpool in existence. The original film is held in France by the Lumière Archives. 'Pleasures Past' has now obtained the rights to use the film in this video production and make it available to everyone in the area. After the Lumière film we move forward 10 years to 1907 as Liverpool celebrates 700 years with the Liverpool Pageant.

The late William O'Donnell (91) and the late Joseph Wyatt (87) recall their experiences in 1985 as two Liverpool soldiers during the First World War. The rest of the video includes rarely seen films of Liverpool in the first quarter of the century.

Narrator: Ray Dunbobbin late of the Liver Birds and Brookside