The Oyster Pearl Pub

Oyster Fishing at Whitstable, England (c.1909)

Bibs at the ready for this documentary showing the journey of the oyster from seabed to dinner plate. We see the oyster smacks (fishing vessels used for trawling) hauling in their plunder, the shellfish being packed for delivery to London and, inevitably, being shucked with gusto by a restaurant's portly clientele.

The film was shot in Whitstable, a seaside town known as the Pearl of Kent for its famous oysters. Beady-eyed viewers may spot prolific early film producer Charles Urban sampling the oysters in the beach footage, squatting on the right. (Alex Davidson)

(This is a higher-quality version of a video first published on YouTube in February 2008.)

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