Nick lifts shutter on photo studio
Rotary Club of Ashbourne
THE Rotary Club of Ashbourne was privileged to hear a presentation by Nick Lockett, a professional photographer and a member of the team working with Heritage Lottery Funding to preserve WW Winter, the oldest photographic studio in the world.
This unbelievable shop, studio and store is situated in Midland Road, Derby.
Introduced by Rotarian John Sinclair, Nick set out how this gem of a shop and studio has traded in Derby since 1852. The current premises date from 1867, and throughout that time nothing has been discarded.
Therefore the premises hold an estimated 100,000 glass plate negatives, a similar number of film negatives and untold numbers on the now digital system we all use today, but the early years have left no ledger, and therefore identification of the negatives is a long process that may never be completed.
Angela Leeson, the general manager, and Louise Fuller, the photographer, both of whom have been in the business for 30 years, are only the third generation of management since the business was established, and they continue to serve the people of Derby and Derbyshire with individual and family portraits operating as a successful working photography studio.
Meanwhile W W Winters’ extraordinary archive of photographs has been set up as Heritage Trust for its preservation.
The archive, which is slowly being catalogued and digitised, is vast. The glass negatives are large pieces of plate glass that used to be hauled around the city when the company did photography of the Railway Engine building, Rolls-royce’s early years and a host of historic aspects of the city – then rushed back to the studio to be exposed in sunlight prior to production, but portraits have been the basis of the business and it is this aspect which continues today.
There is a Facebook page where many old photographs are displayed and are seeking identification of the content people to assist this cataloguing process.
In 2017, an exhibition was held at Derby Museum and Art Gallery of some of the treasures, a couple of books have been published showing and explaining the history and it is now possible to book a tour of the premises known as the Alexandra Rooms.
A truly fascinating presentation of a piece of world history right in our midst.
Rotarian Paul Archer proposed a vote of thanks to Nick.