Watch local history come to life in the first ever 'Silver Screen Saturdays' showing Wolverhampton as never seen before.

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Rare footage of the city and surrounding areas is being screened at Wolverhampton City Archives every month between 10.30am and 11.30am - starting this Saturday (25 March).

Scenes of civilian marches and parades in the 1920s, a cavalcade of transport through Wolverhampton in 1950, and some quirky traffic training films have been rediscovered.

Now, the City Archives on Whitmore Hill, WV1 1SF, wants people to have the chance to see the fascinating short films, which have been preserved for future generations to enjoy, in the monthly Saturday screenings.

City of Wolverhampton, Cabinet Member for City Economy, Councillor John Reynolds, said: "These short films are a fascinating insight into life in Wolverhampton as it used to be.

"Silver Screen Saturdays are a great way of giving older people the chance to remember the city as it was more than 50 years ago, and give younger generations the chance to see the city like they have never seen it before."

The first screening on Saturday will show films shot by Thomas Wood around 1925, which have been transferred onto modern media by the Media Archive for Central England (MACE), and bought with assistance from the Friends of Wolverhampton Archives.

The films are: 

  1. Bilston, Wood's Palace Cinema (c 1925)
     
  2. Carriages and Pier Scenes (no date)
     
  3. Civilian March and Parade (c1925)

Visitors must book a place in advance, with entry priced at £2 per person. To book please call 01902 552055.

Silver Screen Saturdays returns on April 29 from 10.30am to 11.30am with a focus on a series of Wolverhampton road safety films, from 1950 to 1973. 

The films are:

  1. Live and Let Live - produced for Wolverhampton Accident Prevention Council by Wulfrun Cine Club. (1950s) B/W, silent, 16 minutes
     
  2. Opening of Wolverhampton Traffic Training Ground, St Christopher's Park. [1957] B/W, silent, 8 minutes
     
  3. Cavalcade of Transport Through Wolverhampton Town Centre. (1950s) B/W, silent, 3 minutes
     
  4. Keep Looking, Keep Listening, Keep Living. (1973) Colour, sound, 3 minutes
     
  5. Wolverhampton Traffic Training Ground at St Christopher's Park - filmed for Wolverhampton Wolverhampton Accident Prevention Council by Harry Brown. [1957] Colour, sound, 18 minutes
  • released: Wednesday 22 March, 2017