The tea plantations of Ceylon.
17th century map of Ceylon. Commentary states that the island has been known to traders ...
Empire and Industry
From the earliest days of the British Empire, the wheels of trade and industry were kept in perpetual motion. Raw materials were extracted, cash crops were harvested and exported, and modern factories processed and packaged the myriad products of the colonies. Whether cotton, rubber, tobacco or beer, the Empire was always open for business, and the films chosen here document some of these colonial industries.
The Colonial Film website is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and features films from the British Film Institute, the Imperial War Museum, and the British Empire and Commonwealth Museum.
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