PORTFOLIO
This is by no means a comprehensive list of the projects I have been involved in… it’s more like the recorded highlights.
The Light of Days Past: Photography in Berwick 1840-1980
For the past few years I’ve been researching the history of photography in Berwick and collecting some brilliant photos to tell the story. In October I was able to put the research into action and create “The Light of Days Past”.
The exhibition features over 100 images of Berwick and is a journey of exploration into how the town and its people have been captured by the changing photographer’s lens over the past 150 years.
Almost since its invention, the art of photography has thrived in Berwick. The town’s first photographic studio opened in 1849, sparking a tradition which would go on to capture the likenesses of generations of inhabitants of Berwick, Tweedmouth and Spittal.
During the 19th century, travelling photographers, working from mobile studios would stop in the town. Although many of these were fleeting, William De Lan and his three daughters, who were also photographers, eventually made Berwick their home.
The picturesqueness of the town and the surrounding area made it a popular spot for amateur photographers to practice their hobby, perhaps inadvertently preserving our past through their lenses.
As technology changed, photography became even more embedded in the lives of our predecessors. Photographs began to appear in newspapers, could be sent abroad in the form of a postcard or with the click of a shutter on an inexpensive personal camera, capture a candid moment for posterity.
The Photo Centre Collection
In September 2012, Berwick Record Office purchased the Photo Centre Collection from Ian and Ellen Smith on their retirement. The Smith family operated a Press Agency and Commercial Studio at 17 Bridge Street, Berwick since 1951. Over the proceeding sixty years, firstly David Smith, then his son Ian, kept every negative to every photograph they took, amassing a unique archive of over 2.5 million glass plate and film negatives packed neatly into boxes and catalogued in handwritten ledgers.
Since its purchase by Berwick Record Office, I have worked with the collection, digitising and researching its contents both for in-house projects and external parties. I regularly give talks about the collection and have curated a number of exhibitions showcasing the collection. At the moment I am working my way through the early part of the collection to create a more detailed catalogue. In the process of this I am digitising more and more negatives as I go.
It is such a fascinating collection and I think this project will see me through to retirement!
Check out the collection’s instagram account for a taste of what it has to offer.
Portrait of a Town
29th May - 11th Oct 2021
A video walk around of ‘Portrait of a Town’ an exhibition focussing on the Photo Centre Collection held at the Granary Gallery, Berwick.
The David Moor Collection
In mid 2019 the guild of Freemen of Berwick upon Tweed were given the photographic collection of the late David Moor. Moor had worked as a naval architect and had always been fascinated by the architecture and history of Berwick.
His collection consists of in excess of 5000 images relating to the towns built environment taken between the 1850s and 2010. Moor was very conscious of creating a record of the changing face of the town, capturing buildings which were at risk of being lost to history. This was achieved both through his own lens and through collecting images by others.
Many of the images offer a fascinating glimpse into the social history of the town, documenting parades and street scenes like those shown below.
‘The David Moor Collection: Berwick-upon-Tweed: 1870-1950’, a book showcasing a selection of images for the first time is now available.
The Never Ending Project…
Back in 2013 I began a research project supporting a body of photographic work I was creating. The work documented a group of Georgian buildings in Berwick upon Tweed which were about to undergo a major restoration, funded by the Northumberland County Council, the Heritage Lottery Fund and English Heritage. The buildings had been owned by the Cowe family for over 120 years and remained practically untouched.
William Cowe and Sons operated a grocers and confectioners shop from their premises at 64-66 Bridge Street, from 1886 until 2010 when the business closed. They manufactured a well known sweet called the ‘Berwick Cockle’. As the shop and the sweets had been a constant in the lives of those who lived in the town, there was a lot of public interest in the project.
What started out as a photographic project covering every aspect of the restoration has developed into a research project which is still ongoing today! I even found out that my great grandfather worked in the buildings.
In addition to archival research I also recorded oral testimonies of those who worked and shopped at Wm. Cowe’s.
I give talks on this and many of my other research projects so if you’re looking for a speaker at your history society get in touch.
Wm. Cowe and Sons
Wm. Cowe and Sons - Exhibition II
17th - 23rd April 2017
After an initial exhibition of photographs and ephemera in 2014, I held a second in 2017 to coincide with the completion of the restoration work. The exhibition was held in what had been Wm. Cowe’s shop. I felt it was important to share the findings of my research with the public in Berwick to whom the business had once held an iconic status.
In addition to my own and archival photographs, advertising ephemera and objects such as sweet making equipment, I also included contemporary work by artist Brita Granström and film maker and poet Ian Fenton and Jacob Polley.
The images below show the exhibition which ran for a week during April 2017 and attracted over 1500 visitors.