Is this the oldest surviving film footage of Huddersfield?

Dating from 1900, the film depicts workers from Joseph Lumb & Sons of Folly Hall, with the camera facing up Chapel Hill.

According to the Huddersfield Exposed website, the film was screened at Huddersfield Town Hall in 1900 by variety hall manager Ralph Pringle and ventriloquist Loder Lyons.

Both men can be spotted on the footage attempting to direct workers past the camera.

The film initially shows boys playing on the banks of the River Colne by the sluices of the Engine Bridge Dye Works. It then cuts to workers leaving Joseph Lumb & Sons.

A still from the film which was shot on Chapel Hill in 1900

The footage has attracted several comments after it was posted on YouTube.

Several people have pointed to the popularity of caps, hats and shawls among the workers.

One said: “If you look closely at the film you will see that everyone except for one young boy have their heads covered.

“The head covering on the women is a shawl, which would rest on their shoulders indoors and be pulled up over the head outside – practical as well as warm.”

The short film was commissioned by exhibitor Arthur Duncan Thomas of Bradford and filmed by Mitchell & Kenyon of Blackburn.