Hull Fair (1902)

The BFI DVD 'Electric Edwardians: The Films of Mitchell and Kenyon' is available to buy at http://filmstore.bfi.org.uk/acatalog/info_107.html

Two black boxers challenge fair-goers to a bout in the ring. This film is part of the Mitchell and Kenyon collection - an amazing visual record of everyday life in Britain at the beginning of the twentieth century.

The text on the opening frame reads '2 Rounds Nobody Barred'. Hull fairground is made all the more interesting when the camera pans round to show five men - two of whom are black - challenging all comers to a bout in the boxing ring. The two men stand as equals with their white colleagues, dressed in braces, caps and thick jumpers.

The film is silent, but given the liveliness of the crowd it's easy to speculate on the banter being exchanged between the crowd and the black boxers. Their existence almost fifty years before the main wave of commonwealth immigration is evidence that black people have been part of everyday British society for longer than official history books have chosen to acknowledge. (Karen Alexander)

For more information about the films of Mitchell and Kenyon see http://www.bfi.org.uk/features/mk/

You can watch over 1200 other complete films and TV programmes from the BFI National Archive free of charge at the new BFI Mediatheque - http://www.bfi.org.uk/mediatheque

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• BFI
• Edwardian
• Hull
• Humberside
• black
• British
• African
• fair
• fairground
• boxing

[wilddavey48]

wow before the first world war pictures are great I fought on the booth at Hull fair when I was 17 lasted 6 minutes and got £10 lot of money to me then plus I was showing off to a couple of birds who were watching!!lol

[psychicjohngreen]

Im from Hull, and Love Hull Fair... Thank you for putting this piece on for all to see.

[TheWedder1]

Hull is actually a Dock-Land. Many people would shun the fact that they live in a sea-side resort, but they do. It is the sea-side beside the sea. I know I was born here. Full of Lost Boys and Golden Girls.

A) Goth.

B) Ironman.

C) Lost Boys.

[skepticalvision]

@chanctonbury63 - Not really, there had been blacks and Asians living in the UK in small numbers since the mid 1700s at least. It's known that in around 1832 (the first census) there were 15,000 Blacks, Chinese and Indians living in the UK, mostly as trade merchants. The Royal Navy had large numbers of Black and Chinese sailors and at least one RN Captain was Black in 1800.

[LokiV]

1:00 wonder what there eating?

[chanctonbury63]

There are two black guys at 0.48. Second and third from right on the stage. That very unusual then.

[plehalexpleh]

@Nedplease when was the last time you went to hull fair? lol

[cheshirewholesale]

My Granddad the Late George Salisbury born around 1880 in Wallasey/Liverpool was a fairground boxer who travelled Europe when he was around 15 - he later went on to be a showman had arcades in the strand in London and then went on to run most of Barry Island fun fair with his family - i would love to see any old films with him on..His boxing name was the Salli or Sally Kid....

[cheshirewholesale]

My Granddad the Late George Salisbury born around 1880 in Wallasey/Liverpool was a fairground boxer who travelled Europe when he was around 15 - he later went on to be a showman had arcades in the strand in London and then went on to run most of Barry Island fun fair with his family - i would love to see any old films with him on..His boxing name was the Salli or Sally Kid...

[XxxRowan90]

i didn't know there were black people in england that long ago

[LadyJML]

Looks like fun!