Scenes in a Manchester Park (c.1901)

An enigmatic Edwardian snapshot recording a ceremonial procession of soldiers and police in the Manchester suburbs.

This beautifully shot and well preserved film captures crowds in their Sunday best watching a procession of soldiers and policemen, apparently on the outskirts of Manchester. Many of the soldiers are in ceremonial dress, but the uniforms of others suggest some may have recently returned from - or be heading off to - the Boer War. Is this a welcome back or a send off? Or something else altogether?

Look out for the horse-drawn tram displaying its route between the inner-city Moss Side area and the burgeoning Manchester suburb of Chorlton-cum-Hardy, in or around which this film may have been shot.