This film is part of Free
Workers at India Mills, Stockport (1900)
Spinners and weavers jostle through the exit of one of Stockport’s largest textile mills.
Overview
At its height the India Mill employed around 1500 workers, many of them children. When this film was made, though, the cotton industry was on the cusp of a sharp decline, and within a few years unemployment would affect thousands of Stockport mill workers like these ones. This is one of just two Stockport films in the Mitchell & Kenyon collection, despite the filmmakers' North West base.
The film was probably shot a day or two ahead of the annual Stockport Fair, which took place on 23 September 1900. Locals would have enjoyed the opportunity to recognise themselves on screen when this film was projected along with many others at the travelling cinematographers’ stand.
Related
'Hands' Leaving Work at North-Street Mills, Chorley (1900) 'Hands' Leaving Work at North-Street Mills, Chorley (1900)
Non-Fiction 1900 3 mins Silent Location: Chorley
Lancashire cotton-workers pile out through the mill gates at dinner time.
20,000 Employees Entering Lord Armstrong's Elswick Works (1900) 20,000 Employees Entering Lord Armstrong's Elswick Works (1900)
Non-Fiction 1900 3 mins Silent Location: Elswick
An astonishingly crowded Victorian street reveals the vast scale of Tyneside manufacturing.
Amos & Smith Boiler Works, Hull (1900) Amos & Smith Boiler Works, Hull (1900)
Non-Fiction 1900 1 mins Silent Location: Kingston upon Hull
Bicycles and broomsticks at the ready as workers finish shift at a marine engineering works in Victorian Hull.
Co-operative Wholesale Clothing Factory in Manchester (c.1900) Co-operative Wholesale Clothing Factory in Manchester (c.1900)
Non-Fiction 1900 2 mins Silent Location: Manchester
Victorian Manchester mill workers enjoy the novelty of a moving picture camera.
Congregation Leaving St Mary's Church, Dumfries (c.1901) Congregation Leaving St Mary's Church, Dumfries (c.1901)
Non-Fiction 1901 2 mins Silent Location: Dumfries
Worshippers in their Sunday best file out of the Church.
Congregation Leaving St Mary's Dominican Church in Cork (1902) Congregation Leaving St Mary's Dominican Church in Cork (1902)
Non-Fiction 1902 1 mins Silent
A well-dressed church congregation gathers on the elegant portico.
Glengarry Topical Film No. 18 Glengarry Topical Film No. 18
Amateur film 1934 17 mins Silent Location: Stockport
Take to the skies or take to the water: a variety of popular North West events from 1934.
Hat from a Rabbit Hat from a Rabbit
Documentary 1978 11 mins Location: Stockport
How Stockport got ahead in hatting - the story of the rise and fall of a North West industry.
The Manufacture of Fur Felt Hats The Manufacture of Fur Felt Hats
Documentary 1910 15 mins Silent Location: Stockport
From furry buns to natty titfers: workers at Jackson's in Stockport demonstrate traditional skills of hat making.
Dog Show Classes Dog Show Classes
Amateur film 1932 5 mins Silent Location: Stockport
Now don't laugh! A dog show is a serious matter for these young owners and their pets.
Cheshire Territorials at Abergaveny Cheshire Territorials at Abergaveny
Non-Fiction 1913 6 mins Silent Location: Stockport
A holiday of sorts for Stockport army reserves, fitting high-jinks between drills over two weeks of summer training in South Wales.
Workers Leaving T & W Lees of Stockport (1901) Workers Leaving T & W Lees of Stockport (1901)
Non-Fiction 1901 2 mins Silent Location: Stockport
An orderly exit from one of the biggest hat factories in Edwardian Stockport.
China O'Brien: The Reunion China O'Brien: The Reunion
Documentary 2024 60 mins
Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Norton and Keith Cooke reunite three decades on from the groundbreaking martial arts classic.
Women in Action Panel Discussion Women in Action Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 28 mins
Action Xtreme - the UK's leading action film studio - hosts this panel discussion with four leading women in action cinema - Soo Cole, Jo Rolison, Jadey Duffield and Ioanna Karavela.
Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 24 mins
Daniel Kokotajlo talks to Nia Childs about Starve Acre, his folk horror about a couple digging deep into grief in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.
Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 30 mins
Sky Peals director Moin Hussain and lead actor Faraz Ayub talk to Tomisin Adepeju about their magic realist drama.
Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell
Documentary 2024 42 mins
Documentary exploring the BFI National Archive’s role in rediscovering and remastering the early films of Michael Powell.
Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels
Short documentary 2024 12 mins
Bryony Dixon, curator of silent film at the BFI national archive, explores the origins of a series of comic travelogues, and Michael Powell's involvement in making them.