Sunday School Outing

Scenes of a party leaving London in charabancs, and entertainments at the Sunday school outing to Epping Forest.

Scenes of an East End Sunday School outing or outings to Epping Forest. The scenes may have been filmed on more than one occasion - the date 1916 appears in the titles of the second sequence, and there is evidence that a 1909 Sunday School outing was filmed, which could be the first scene. The first scene shows the party of Messrs F. Sunderland and J. Coulthard leaving London in a series of horse-drawn charabancs. These, about seven in all, pass along two cobbled streets. People wave as they set off. A title dated 1916 is followed by scenes of children and helpers enjoying the outing at Theydon Bois, Epping Forest. A steam train pulls into a station. Filmed from across the platform, children wave from the train. The next shot shows the large party of children walking up the street at Theydon Bois, headed by the group of adults seen at the end of the film. Although all the children would probably be in their best clothes, some are more obviously dressed for the occasion. Scenes at an Epping Forest retreat show the children at the fairground, on swing boats, a roundabout and a swing ride. There is a close up shot of two men, one of whom is in a wheelchair and raises his hat. There are running races and donkey races. There is a panning shot of the children arranged in a group and a shot of a boy eating, very messily. In the final scene, a lady is presented with a bouquet of flowers, and the two men and three women share a joke which leaves them reeling with laughter.

Keywords

Children; Outings; East End of London; Transport

Intertitles

The East End of London. Messrs F. Sutherland and J. Coulthard's Party to Epping Forest. Our Sunday School. Excursion To The Forest. 1916. Leaving For The Forest. Arriving at Theydon Bois.Fun in the Forest. A Little Presentation With A Good Story.

Other Places

Epping Forest; London

Background Information

The clergyman who appears in this film also appears in 'Father Christmas' c.1910 (Cat no. 1227). Part of a small collection of 35mm films, found in an empty Essex house without any explanatory information. Their content reveals that they relate to the Baptist church community of Poplar and Bromley Tabernacle, London where the Reverend Alfred Tildesley was an enthusiastic early adopter of the cinematograph. For more than 17 years he organised Thursday evening film shows, and is known to have arranged for films to be made of the Tabernacle activities. See Dean R. Rapp, A Baptist Pioneer: The exhibition of film to London's East End working classes 1900 - 1918 published in Baptist Quarterly, 40:1, pages 6-21, 2003