Images of Sunderland Point

First Terrace from the river, our favourite modern photo: From the collection of Alan Smith

This week we open the new galleries of Sunderland Point images. Here is the link to the ‘Galleries Home Page’. From there you will find further links to the galleries that have been created. We hope you like them. 

https://www.sunderlandpoint.net/galleries-home

During the building and subsequent re-launch of the website last September, photographs have been central to our webpages and articles. As well as coming from our own albums, we have been given access to many photographs thanks to the generosity of residents and friends of the Point. It is important we respect this gift and provide well maintained storage.

We must also protect this property by pointing out that copying is not permitted without express permission.

We were waiting for a wet Sunday afternoon to stick them into albums. However, over Easter we decided it could be delayed no longer. We set to and organised the images into disciplined but easy to access galleries available to everyone entering the website.

It is also a proper start to holding a permanent archive - our current count is 376 images.

There are six galleries. In the first are photographs dated before 1918. The date is arbitrary, but we decided to show these older and most precious photographs separately.

First Terrace c1890, a John Walker photograph: Courtesy Lancaster City Museums

We are fortunate that over the years creative people have chosen to live here and recorded the Point as they saw it. We are especially grateful to have permission to show late 19th early 20th century photographs of John Walker and George Gilchrist and later in the 1930s those taken by the frequent visitor Sam Thompson.

The second gallery covers the years after the First World War up to 2000.

A neat and trim Second Terrace c1930s: From the collection of Hugh Cunliffe

The third gallery is for modern photos taken after the millennium up to today. The only selection criteria are of genuine interest and relevance to Sunderland Point. The result is a colourful assortment of images of the Point, some of events, some of people, and the artistic snaps we like. Like this one.

The lonely fisherman: From the collection of Rachael Knowles

Or natural phenomena like this one.

End of the rainbow: From a private collection

This is followed by our wildlife gallery. We are privileged to feature photographs taken by Alan Smith who has a rare gift for capturing astonishing images of the birdlife on our shores. This one is truly breath-taking.

Knot and Oystercatcher: From the collection of Alan Smith

Our fifth gallery is the collection of Sam Thompson photographs.

Finally, there is a limited gallery of paintings by the artist William Wells whose biography we published recently. He created many wonderful images of the Point. This example is not one of his most famous, indeed when it first turned up, only a reference to ‘possibly Sunderland Point’ made us look closer. It was Alan who resolved the mystery. It’s in the entrance courtyard to 3A. The gate to the left is what was the entrance to the garden of number 3 and to the right the old stable, a horseshoe is just visible.

Maid fetching water by William Wells: In a private collection.

As well as being a unique and fragile location Sunderland Point is also photogenic. There are numerous photographs of the Point in personal, private, shoebox, and smart phone collections. By creating these formal galleries, we are keen to show that photographs and other images sent to us are in safe hands. As well photographs we are also keen to add to our number of paintings, drawings and watercolour images of the Point.

Digital images can be sent direct to us at editor@sunderlandpoint.net  for hard copies let us know and we can arrange for them to be scanned and quickly returned.

Do follow the link and have a look at the galleries, as always comments are very welcome especially suggestions for improvement. https://www.sunderlandpoint.net/galleries-home

 We give our sincere thanks to the many who have allowed us to use their photographs including, Alan, Elizabeth, Katharine, Moira, Jo Y, Lynne, Jo P, Scottie, Chris, Dorothy, Heather, Rachael, Kris, Beth and the Lancashire Archives and Lancaster City Museum.

The galleries have been checked for mistakes, all remaining errors are down to me.