Bristol in the 1920s

 

Haig In Bristol April 1920

On 19 April 1920, the famous Field Marshall Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig, visited Bristol to receive the freedom of the city, shortly after the Great War ended.

Despite the rain, spectators and dignitaries came out to greet him as he arrived at the Council House from Temple Meads station.

Also there were many petitioners, men who fought for their country so recently yet now found themselves unemployed and in desperate poverty.

The next day, Haig received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Bristol University.

Jisc Inform - Lord Haig at Bristol, 19 April, 1920: Jisc

Douglas Haig's Connection to Bristol

In the late 1870s, young Douglas Haig attended Clifton College, which was known at the time for its educational focus on science. The college also had a less elitist culture when compared to other boarding schools of the time.

After leaving Clifton College, Douglas toured the United States with his brother, having lost both their parents by this time. Then he attended Brasenose College at the University of Oxford, to read Political Economy, Ancient History and French Literature. From there, he headed into the army, where he later found himself a key figure during the Great War.

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Vintage Film Of Bristol In The 1920s

Watch some very rare moving pictures of Bristol (UK) filmed 80 years ago.

It's a long disappeared world in which old cars, buses, lorries, and motorcycles share the roads with trams and a surprising number of horses and carts. A charabanc and even a hand-pulled cart are glimpsed.

Policemen direct traffic, while women exhibit the 'flapper' look and men wear hats or caps.

Locations include the Centre, Corn Street, Bristol Bridge, Park Street, The Docks, Bedminster Bridge, Redcliff Hill, and Ashton Swing Bridge.

"Bristol In The 1920s" by YouTube channel AztecWest2008

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1927 - Princess Mary In Bristol & The Portway

This vintage footage shows two separate items.

In the first segment, 30 year old Princess Mary, accompanied by the Mayor, visits the new Dockland Club in Bristol. It's 1927, several years before her niece became Queen Elizabeth II.

Next, we see the new Portway road, now part of the A4.

One of the first roads designed with motor vehicle traffic in mind, it's admired for its beautiful and interesting surroundings.

Princess Mary and a Bristol Road, 1920’s – Film 31924: HuntleyFilmArchives.

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Bristol Historical Pageant 1924

Between 26 May and 21 June 1924, a cast of thousands - yes, thousands - turned out in beautiful period costumes for 22 performances of the Bristol Historical Pageant.

The footage shows one short episode of the Bristol historical pageant that took place on a grand scale in Ashton Court in 1924, before its three day transfer to Wembley in London.

Each of the performances in Bristol attracted crowds of up to 4,000 spectators, but since these events were so ingrained in local communities, the London audience numbers were disappointing and this segment of the project made a financial loss.

You can find out more about the organisers, ticket prices and other points of interest about this 1924 Bristol event on the website for Redress of the Past.

It was part of a dramatic revival that swept across Britain at the time, which began in 1905 as the brainchild of the English dramatist, composer and translator Louis Napoleon Parker. 

If you want to see something similar today, you'll have to head to Kynren in North East England.

"Pageant of Queen Elizabeth 1920s - Film 1941" from YouTube Channel HuntleyFilmArchives