2
3
From the Chairman Welcome to this second edition of Heritage Photography and a big "thank you" to all the contributors who have made this issue possible. As photographers we are able to record the changes which happen around us: the influence of modern life on the environment, the consequences of international strife or economic chaos and all the results of progress. Indeed , it could be said that we have a duty to document these changes so that the photographs may be used for historical comment sometime in the future. Such photographs need to be taken, even if we do not like or approve of what is in front of our lens. In this issue you will see fine photographs by Richard Ingle, Simon Hill, and Ken Woolverton illustrating their articles; these record events, buildings and people that are centuries old. Had the camera been available at the time, would photographers have enjoyed the scene and circumstances at the time of taking? Our abandoned factories, offices, warehouses and churches have a historical value which needs recording even if society decides that maintenance and preservation is undesirable or too expensive.The photographs that we choose to take will reflect a personal reaction to current social, political and economic influences. Therefore they have great value to us now and probably more to those who will see them at some time in the distant future. The Archreology and Heritage Group continues to visit sites of interest where ever possible . Members have found that custodians / curators / guides are very willing to help or advise when asked. If you have the opportunity why not join in ? You can be sure of a warm welcome.
Clive Tanner ARPS
Reflections on Photographing Church Architecture in France by Richard Ingle FRPS
My First Visit to France In September 1948, my father, a school friend and I set out on an expedition to the Pyrenees in an old pre-war Morris 14 car. At Newhaven, the car was lifted on to the boat by crane by means of chains attached to each wheel. It was alarming to see the car swinging to and fro, and we prayed that it would not be dropped into the water! Once in France, it was wonderful to be able to explore the French countryside, from the Chateaux of the Loire to the high mountains of the Pyrenees, and to visit some of the finest churches and cathedrals in Christendom. It mattered little that our car's maximum speed was scarcely more than thirty miles per hour. So soon after the end of the war, conditions in small country hotels were basic, yet the quality of the food was far beyond anything available in Britain. My abiding recollection is of a remarkably tranquil countryside, and an almost complete lack of traffic on the roads as soon as one was fifty miles or so away from Paris. I do, however, vividly remember our arrival in Chartres on the Feast of the Assumption. The city was thronged with people, and it proved impossible to find a hotel. Eventually we went to the Police Station to ask for help. At first, the gendarme on duty seemed unable to help us, but when we enquired whether there was a youth hostel he immediately escorted us there. On finding the place locked up - by now it was late at night - he managed to gain entrance to the hostel through a window, and saw us to the dormitory. We were almost the only people there, and there were no mattresses on the beds, but we were relieved simply to have a roof over our heads. In the morning we were unable to find the
