Inside the Archive Exhibition
A unique chance to see old Preston films from the BFI Archive.
The BFI National Archive looks after one of the largest and most important collections of film and television in the world. Its teams of experts ensure that the collections are preserved and developed for future generations and made widely accessible to today’s audiences. This multimedia installation enables visitors to explore this work and learn about the people who make it possible.
One of the Archive’s most famous collections is Mitchell & Kenyon’s Edwardian Britain. These amazing films, lost for at least 80 years, offer something close to time travel. Miraculously discovered in a basement in 1994, the films provide stunning images of ordinary life in late-Victorian and Edwardian Britain.
As part of the Inside the Archive Exhibition, the BFI National Archive is delighted to bring a selection of these films home to the city in which they were filmed. Capturing factory workers, churchgoers, schoolchildren, sportsmen and spectators across Preston, these relaxed Edwardians laugh, grin and point at the camera – brought back to life, as no painting or photograph ever could.
Alongside the exhibition there will be a panel discussion on Thursday, 22 October following a screening of Threads of Memory by Juliana Kasumu.
Inside the Archive is supported by the BFI Screen Heritage Fund, awarding National Lottery Good Cause Funding.
Image credit: Inside the Archive at Folkestone Documentary Festival 2025. Photo by Millie Turner
British Textile Biennial
The British Textile Biennial is a festival of contemporary art, commissioning artists and designers from all over the world to make work inspired by the context and legacy of the textile industry in East Lancashire and its global impact, often in the places that were created by it.
Conversations in Creativity
Creative Lancashire’s Conversations in Creativity programme is a publication and series of talks and interventions where practitioners from around the world, and across disciplines, explore how creative inspiration informs process. Previous contributors include Lubaina Himid, Halima Cassel, John Puttick, Hemingway Design, Donna Wilson, Nick Park, Keith Brymer Jones, Patrick Grant Lemn Sissay and Jeanette Winterson to name a few. Creative Lancashire and Conversations in Creativity are services provided by Lancashire County Council.
Date & Time
Friday, 23 October - Thursday, 5 November
Location
The Reading Room
Age range
Suitable for all ages
Cost
Free
Ticket needed?
No ticket needed