- All Timelines
- Britain - Changing Lives
- c.1066 |Medieval Manor
- c.1180 |Medieval Minds
- c.1250 |Medieval Towns
- c.1320 |Monastic Life
- c.1348 |The Black Death
- c.1420 |Yeoman England
- c.1520 |The Reformation
- c.1588 |Shakespeare's World
- c.1612 |Pendle Witches
- c.1775 |Iron and Industry
- c.1785 |Factories and Machines
- c.1810 |Urban Slums
- c.1834 |Tolpuddle Martyrs
- c.1853 |The Vision of Titus Salt
- c.1875 |Cities Transformed
- c.1910 |A Golden Age?
- c.1984 |Death of Industry
- Britain - Rulers & Ruled
- c.1066 |Norman Conquest
- c.1170 |Church & Crown
- c.1215 |Magna Carta
- c.1280 |First Parliaments
- c.1381 |Peasants Revolt
- c.1470 |The Pastons
- c.1528 |Henry VIII & Church
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- c.1658 |The Wheel of History
- c.1688 |"Glorious" Revolution
- c.1789 |Rights of Man
- c.1819 |Peterloo Massacre
- c.1842 |The Chartists
- c.1867 |Dawn of Democracy
- c.1893 |Rise of Labour
- c.1903 |Votes for Women
- c.1919 |Century of Change
- Britain - Nations & Empire
- Smallpox Through Time
- c.1045BC |Face of a Pharaoh
- c.1562 |Arsenic and Old Lace
- c.1617 |Smallpox in America
- c.1711 |Child Pox
- c.1721 |Experiment in Newgate
- c.1758 |The Speckled Monster
- c.1796 |Jenner's Breakthrough
- c.1800 |The Vaccine Triumphant
- c.1806 |Ox-faced Boys
- c.1853 |Public Health & Protest
- c.1896 |Epidemic on Camera
- c.1967 |Global Action
- c.2010 |Smallpox Today
- The American West
- Britain - Changing Lives
- This Module
- This module explores how far we'd come by the turn of the 20th century. It tells the story of Edwardian Blackpool, the annual mecca of seaside fun for hundreds of thousands of mill families across the North West. "Wakes Week" depended on improvements in transport and on rising standards of living. The module shows how by the outbreak of the First World War - despite continued divisions in society - things really were 'getting better'.
- Credits
History of Britain - Changing Lives
- 16.A Golden Age?
-
1900 - 1914
The story of Edwardian Blackpool, and of the new opportunities on offer by the turn of the 20th century. (7 mins)
Chapter Breakdown
- 1. For the holiday resort of Blackpool, the early years of the 20th century was a golden age.
- 2. The explosion of opportunity in the late 19th century - explained, in part, by improvements in transport.
- 3. The standard of living was on the rise - and "Wakes Week" was the result.
- 4. Blackpool even now oozes memories of those glory days.
- 5. Had things really got better? Problems of class and poverty remained.
Picture Viewer
Location details
We filmed this module in Blackpool, which needs no introduction. It's a bit down at heel, and absurdly gaudy - but what a wonderful, evocative town it is. The spirit of Wakes Week lives on. Visit in the autumn to see the illuminations, which are magnificent and totally over-the-top.
The middle sequence in the module was filmed in Manchester Piccadilly Railway Station - which is a bit of a historical howler, because trains to Blackpool left from Manchester Victoria. Ah well. We shot at Piccadilly because it's prettier - a lovely early Victorian arched terminus.
DVD
DVD Coming Soon!
We hope to release a new DVD pack containing all the video modules for the British timelines including 'Changing Lives', 'Rulers & Ruled', and 'Empire & Nations'.
