
The Photographs of Sam Thompson
These are photographs taken by SamThompson during his visits to Sunderland Point in the 1920’s and (mainly) 1930’s. Some are from our own collection others lent to us by residents and friends. The majority - over 50 - have been provided by the Lancashire Archives in Preston. We express our sincere thanks to the Archive for permission to display these images. The photographs must not be copied from the website without the express approval of the Archive. We believe there are other Sam Thompson photographs of the Point in family collections and elsewhere, they will be added as they become known to us.
Most of the photographs are of fishermen and pilots living on the Point. Although staged, and many are portraits, they remain a record of the Point and of residents who spent most their lives here. We know many but not all, and have given our best shot to identify their names. We will keep under review for further verification.. They are important not only as great photos, and of historical significance, but also as a memory for their many descendants.
The photograph above is Mrs Cuthill with Arnold and his father William Townley outside the Post Office, now number 13.
Sam Thompson was a famous Lancaster photographer, for more about him see our biography in the magazine of the website by following this link.
Note: There are a number of photographs of James ‘Shirley’ Gardner - he was known throughout his life as Shirley. To distinguish him from the James Gardner of a different family we have kept the name Shirley.
Click on any image for full screen browsing mode.
1. Hubert Townley, Shirley Gardner and William Townley: From the Lancashire Archives.
2. William Townley at his boat: From the Lancashire Archives
3. James Gardner, Tom Spencer (?) and William Townley: From the Lancashire Archives.
4. Mrs Cuthill, Arnold and William Townley: From the Lancashire Archives
5. William Townley: From the Lancashire Archives
6. Arnold and William Townley: From the Lancashire Archives.
7. William Townley: From the Lancashire Archives.
8. Arnold Townley: From the Lancashire Archives
9. William Townley: From the Lancashire Archives.
10. Gerard Bagot?: From the Lancashire Archives
11. William Townley: From the Lancashire Archives.
12. William Townley, Tom Spencer (?) and Tom Gardner: From the Lancashire Archives.
13. Ann Townley and her brother William Townley at number 23: From the Lancashire Archives.
14. Shirley Gardner: From the Lancashire Archives.
15. James Gardner: From the Lancashire Archives
16. Gerard Bagot: From the collection of Dorothy Calverley.
17. James Gardner: From the Lancashire Archives.
18. Shirley Gardner and Thomas Gardner: From the Lancashire Archives.
19. William Townley: From the Lancashire Archives.
20. James Gardner: From the Lancashire Archives.
21. Shirley Gardner: From the Lancashire Archives.
22. Hubert and William Townley: From the Lancashire Archives.
23. Draw net used for salmon fishing taken from boat: From the Lancashire Archives
24. James Gardner: From the Lancashire Archives
25. Haaf netting for salmon: From the Lancashire Archives.
26. James Gardner: From the Lancashire Archives.
27: Arnold Townley and Bert Smith: From the Lancashire Archives.
28: James Gardner in the front of the Old Hall: From the Lancashire Archives.
29: Shirley Gardner: From the Lancashire Archives.
30. Shirley Gardner: From the Lancashire Archives.
31. William Townley and George Mason: From the collection of Alan Smith
32. Bert Smith and William Townley: From the collection of Alan Smith.
33. William Townley, Thomas Gardner and Shirley Gardner: With permission from the Reading Room.
34. William Townley and the Rev W. E. Cunliffe: From the collection of Hugh Cunliffe.
35. Thomas Gardner, James Gardner and William Townley: From the collection of Alan Smith.
36. Thomas Gardner and James Gardner outside the Temperance Hotel: From the collection of Wilton Atkinson.
37. James Gardner: From the Lancashire Archives
38. Thomas Gardner, Shirley Gardner and William Townley: From the Lancashire Archives
39. William Townley: From the Lancashire Archives
40. Shirley Gardner: From the Lancashire Archives
41. Hubert Townley: From the Lancashire Archives
42. Hubert Townley: From the Lancashire Archives
43. William and Arnold Townley: From the Lancashire Archives
44. Left to right Hubert Townley, James Gardner, Tom Gardner and Arnold Townley: From the Lancashire Archives
45. Second Terrace: From the Lancashire Archives
46. William Townley and his eldest sister Ann outside Number 23: From the Lancashire Archives
47. Arnold Townley, Bert Smith and William Townley (boy unknown): From the Lancashire Archives
48. Second Terrace: From the Lancashire Archives
49. William Townley: From the Lancashire Archives
50. Shirley Gardner: From the Lancashire Archives
51. Brothers Tom and James Gardner: From the collection of Dorothy Calverley
52. William Townley, Mr Needham the postman and Mrs Cuthill: From the collection of Alan Smith
53. Tom Smith and William Townley: From the collection of Alan Smith.
54. William Townley and Second Terrace: From the Lancashire Archives
55. Bert Smith and Arnold Townley: From the Lancashire Archives
56. Shirley Gardner: From the Lancashire Archives
57. Left to right Hubert Townley, James Gardner, Arnold Townley and Tom Gardner: From the Lancashire Archives
58. William Townley and Shirley Gardner: From the Lancashire Archives
59. William Townley: From the Lancashire Archives
60. Arnold Townley: From the Lancashire Archives
61. William Townley: From the Lancashire Archives
62. William Townley: From the Lancashire Archives
63. The brass plate on the grave: From the Lancashire Archives
64. Richard W. B. Gardner on the Quayside, Lancaster: From the Lancashire Archives
65. Hubert and William Townley: From the collection of Dorothy Calverley
