Metadata
WORK ID: YFA 5239 (Master Record)
| Title | Year | Date |
| STREET LIFE | 1935 | 1935-01-01 |
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Details
Original Format: 9.5mm Colour: Black & White Sound: Silent Duration: 12 mins 33 secs Credits: Filmmaker Henry Foster Subject: Urban Life Sport Family Life Architecture |
| Summary Made by Henry Foster in 1935, this film documents an important and often unseen part of York’s history and areas which no longer exist in present day York. This film includes Jubilee street parties in Hungate, the slum area of York, and walking races from York to Bishopthorpe. |
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Description
Made by Henry Foster in 1935, this film documents an important and often unseen part of York’s history and areas which no longer exist in present day York. This film includes Jubilee street parties in Hungate, the slum area of York, and walking races from York to Bishopthorpe.
The film begins on Victory Street and Nunnery Lane where four people in fancy dress pose for the camera. They hold collection tins. Following this, the walkers line up to pose for the camera as well. The race...
Made by Henry Foster in 1935, this film documents an important and often unseen part of York’s history and areas which no longer exist in present day York. This film includes Jubilee street parties in Hungate, the slum area of York, and walking races from York to Bishopthorpe.
The film begins on Victory Street and Nunnery Lane where four people in fancy dress pose for the camera. They hold collection tins. Following this, the walkers line up to pose for the camera as well. The race begins, and the walkers are cheered on by the crowd who has gathered close by. The men leave from the finish line in pairs or small groups. Some of them are dressed in everyday clothes while others are in athletic wear. Men of all ages have come out to compete, and there are a few policemen are on hand to keep the crowds back from the starting line.
The men make their way from Nunnery Lane to Bishopthorpe, past the palace, and back towards York city centre. Different sections of the race are filmed, and officiators can be seen waiting as the walkers approach Bishopthorpe.
At the end of the race, the winners line up and pose for a picture. The crowd of onlookers stand behind them. There remaining competitors cross the finish line as the crowd cheers them on.
Title – Jubilee Celebrations at YORK
Title – Hungate, Garden Place, Haver Lane, Dundas Street Jubilee Celebrations
Title – Garden Terrace celebrations Ald. Hutchinson presides
There is a brief shot of a boat followed by the Jubilee celebrations in Hungate. All of the terraced streets shown are heavily decorated with Union Jack flags and bunting for the occasion. A group of children are seated on a stone wall where they pose and smile for the camera. This is followed by footage of many different houses along the street, and some of the residents stand in the doorways. Children are seated at a long table in the middle of a narrow street. Adults are crowded around close by, many of whom wear paper hats. There is also a man with a large tea dispenser. There is extensive footage of the residents who smile and wave for the camera, and there is an overall feeling of celebration.
Additional Info:
Charles Thorburn Hutchinson who had been Lord Mayor in 1937/8. When Alderman Hutchinson was elected in 1937 one of the first things he did was to distribute food parcels to the unemployed who had to queue in Exhibition Square. Alderman Hutchinson had a special interest in the Groves and attended and taught Sunday School at Groves Chapel.
Context
Street Life is one of a large collection donated to the archive by Henry Foster of Holgate, York. Over 50 films were deposited as part of this collection, many of which were filmed during the mid to late 1930s. Some of the films are documenting big events in York; for example there is footage of flooding on Holgate Road, a Military Tattoo, various sporting events, processions and street celebrations as well as some commercial films and fictional films made with York Cine Club.
The film...
Street Life is one of a large collection donated to the archive by Henry Foster of Holgate, York. Over 50 films were deposited as part of this collection, many of which were filmed during the mid to late 1930s. Some of the films are documenting big events in York; for example there is footage of flooding on Holgate Road, a Military Tattoo, various sporting events, processions and street celebrations as well as some commercial films and fictional films made with York Cine Club.
The film begins with footage of a walking race. The race starts outside what is now Bishophill Community Garden which is close to the Nunnery Lane area of York. The race then passes through Bishopthorpe, past the archbishop’s palace. York has always been significant in the history of race walking; the finishing line for the first ever British amateur race was in the city. Pedestrianism, as the sport was first known, began in the 19th century and was a popular spectator sport, even crossing the Atlantic and gaining popularity in the United States. Race walking was particularly popular in York, with many working men’s clubs forming their own team. The popularity of this peculiar sport is evidenced in the video, with crowds of people showing up to watch. More information can be found on race walking in the context for the film Walking Race. The film then shows a very quick clip of HMS York, a heavy cruiser of the Royal Navy. She was built by Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company of Jarrow in 1927. The ship mainly served in North America and the West Indies until it was disabled by Italian explosive motorboats in 1941. The film then switches to show us footage of street celebrations throughout York for King George V and Queen Mary’s Silver Jubilee in 1935. Street dressing had been a tradition in Victorian and Edwardian Britain, with residents taking to the streets to decorate them as part of national celebrations. 1919 was the first time street parties were organised on a mass scale, as part of the Treaty of Versailles celebrations. The parties were formal sit-down affairs, and were mostly organised as a treat for children. Street parties have continued ever since that first “Peace Tea”; some noticeable examples are the VE Day celebrations, the 1977 silver jubilee for Queen Elizabeth II (10 million people participated in street parties this year), the 2011 wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton and the Queen’s 90th birthday in 2016. One of the streets visited during the film is Hungate, which was one of the slums of York. Between 1801 and 1901 the city’s population increased threefold, increasing the demand for housing and by the 1840s, Hungate had become an area of densely packed working class housing. Living conditions left a lot to be desired by today’s standards, and was considered one of the main slum areas of York by philanthropist Benjamin Seebohm Rowntree. Health reports from the late 1800s and early 1900s show high infant mortality rates and high rates of infectious disease caused by overcrowding, poor sanitation, hygiene and nutrition. Many people living in this area simply could not afford to buy decent food or clothing. Despite these problems, residents of Hungate maintained a vibrant and caring community spirit. An oral history project called “Rich in All But Money: Life in Hungate 1900-1938” collected resident’s memories. One such memory, from former resident Nell Fearn, describes the community spirit of Hungate; “Everybody helped everybody else…… It was a tough environment, but it wasn’t a vicious environment compared to today’s standards……You had to share what you had down Hungate. It was a community…” The slum tenements of Hungate were demolished later in the 1930s, but there are plans for a new residential area to be built in the area and hopefully this lively community spirit will fill the streets once again. King George was coroneted 22nd June 1911, becoming king on the death of his father, Edward VII, in 1910. He made many visits to soldiers fighting on the front in WWI, and his wife Queen Mary visited injured servicemen in hospital. In 1917, he changed his surname from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor as reaction to the anti-German sentiment which had developed during WWI. The king also fought for better treatment of German prisoners of war and conscientious objectors. He started the tradition of broadcasting a message to the country at Christmastime, something which is still honoured today by Queen Elizabeth II. King George V was often regarded as symbol for imperial unity; he was enthusiastically received by different troops, races and nationalities throughout the British Empire. By the middle of the 1930s, he was held in extremely high regard by the public and was seen as a national treasure. The King was in poor health by 1935, but his ministers decided it would be appropriate to have a celebration politically to further stimulate patriotism and support for the monarchy and Empire. Silver Jubilee celebrations were duly organized; a service was held at St Paul’s Cathedral on 6th May 1935 to mark the 25th anniversary since being coroneted. Street parties were held across the country, and the widespread display of royalism and patriotism touched the King and Queen. Good wishes flooded in to the King via telegram from all over the world, from both heads of state and members of the public. The overwhelmingly positive light in which people saw King George is obvious and this film is good evidence of the love people had for their King. References: Richards, Jeffrey ‘Imperialism and Music: Britain 1876 -1953’, Manchester University Press, 2002. Olson, James Stuart and Shadle, Robert ‘Historical Dictionary of the British Empire, Volume 1’, Greenwood, 1996. St Paul’s Cathedral Georges V’s Silver Jubilee celebrations History of Street Parties King George V http://www.royal.gov.uk/HistoryoftheMonarchy/KingsandQueensoftheUnitedKingdom/TheHouseofWindsor/GeorgeV.aspx Poverty in Hungate: information sheet provided by Dig (part of York Archaeological Trust) Further Reading: HMS York |
