London After Dark (1926)

London After Dark (1926). Subscribe: http://bit.ly/subscribetotheBFI.

We can date this footage of the Elephant and Castle in South East London precisely to 1926 from an advert for a whist drive at the Embassy Hall, Camberwell. The clip opens with a view of St. Paul's over the river and the lights of Piccadilly at night before crossing over to south London where we see the busy junction (no change there then!), near to the old Elephant Theatre. Here N. Carter Slaughter, better known later in his career as Tod Slaughter, is staging a production of 'The Flag Lieutenant', starring himself.

From the theatre we go to Newington Butts, Southwark, to see 'the Ritz of the needy', the Rowton hostel, one of a number of shelters for the poor funded by philanthropist Lord Rowton, much admired by George Orwell, who had stayed in several of these. The clip finishes abruptly with a title saying we are off to Camberwell, but sadly we arent! (Bryony Dixon)

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