The Founding of Todmorden Photographic Society
Following
the
felling
of
a
mill
chimney
at
Lob
Mill,
when
a
Gold
Medal
was
offered,
by
the
steeplejack,
to
the
photographer
producing
the
best
picture
of
the
chimney
whilst
it
was
falling,
a
meeting
was
held
at
Sunderland's
Old
Market
Café
on
Thursday
November
29th
1906.
The
meeting
was
well
attended
and
Mr
W.E.
Shackleton
presided.
The
decision
to
form
a
society
was
taken
and
a
committee
of
seven
was
appointed with Mr J. S. Atherton as secretary.
A
public
meeting
was
called
on
Monday
December
10th
when
Rules
and
Objectives
were
considered.
The
objects
of
the
society
were
reported by the local press as follows:-
a) To promote a friendly and helpful intercourse amongst all classes of photographers in the Town and District, and
b)
To
extend
the
knowledge
and
practice
of
photographic
processes
by
means
of
lectures,
meetings,
exhibitions
and
such
other
methods
as
may be proved to led to the culture of the art-science.
The
society
acquired
a
room
at
Roomfield
Buildings,
Halifax
Road
where
on
January
17th
1907
a
formal
opening
was
performed
by
the
mayor Alderman A. Crossley J.P., Alderman Wm. Ormerod was elected the first President of the society.
The
next
home
was
a
'Studio'
at
Doghouse
until,
we
believe
during
the
1920's,
Wellington
Road
Co-op
Reading
Room
was
acquired
where,
for
£1
per
week
the
society
had
sole
tenancy.
It
had
a
good
sized
lecture
room,
a
small
kitchen
and
a
separate
room
which
was
easily
converted
into
two
darkrooms.
It
was
said
to
be
sheer
luxury,
when
compared
to
the
previous
venues,
and
was
'”greatly
admired
and
envied
by neighbouring societies”. This was to be the headquarters of the society for over fifty years.
Footnote – The winning photographer of the mill chimney was a Mr Frank Stenhouse of Carr Terrace, Walsden.
Todmorden Photographic Society at Townley Hall 1954
Front row: Peter Lever, Colin Lever, John Elliman, Rudy Holzapfel, Lynne Lever, Richard Holt, Douglas Simpson, Ronald Simpson,
Ann Barker
Middle: Clare Lever, Jack Lever, Fred Elliman, Will Kerr, Robert Cunliffe, Arthur Barker
Back: Richard Howarth, Geoff Kerr, Cecil Nutter, Joe Simpson
Photo by John Barker
Douglas Simpson writes:
I have many memories of going on Society trips and attending lectures at Wellington Road and social events there. A lecture by a
war photographer with pictures of Mussolini hanging from a lamp post and of a concentration camp (Belsen I think), sticks in my
mind. Dad had a darkroom in the attic when we lived at Hollins Villas, Henshaw Road, Walsden, and I spent much time in there
with him. Our children Helen and Jonathan have one of his cameras each, but they are late 35mm from when he had gone on to
transparencies. The ones that mattered to him have long since gone; a twin lens Rolli and a big mahogany and brass plate camera,
converted to half plate film, which he use for still life.
He was a haulage contractor who with his brothers Arthur and Fred operated their business from New Barn, Laneside.
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