Unseen pictures of Moorlands in days gone by

SCENES of Leek, Cheadle and neighbouring villages in the Edwardian era feature in a new book devoted to the works of a ‘remarkable’ local photographer of more than a century ago.

The book, entitled A Moorland Album, is the first of its kind dedicated to the photographs of William Henry Nithsdale, who lived and worked in the Moorlands between the years 1903 and 1908. It contains more than 200 images as well as a biography of the man himself.

“Nithsdale was responsible for so many images which give us a real insight into life in local towns and villages before the First World War,” said the book’s author, David Cliffe.

“Nithsdale came to work in Leek as a tax collector and took his glass plate camera with him wherever he went. He would photograph whatever he came across – from children playing in the street and Leek livestock markets to village pubs and shops.

“As well as street scenes, he would often take photographs of public events, such as processions through Leek or the well dressings at Rushton and Endon, and then publish them as picture postcards.”

David has spent 10 years tracking down photographs taken by Nithsdale and researching his life, as well as collecting together original documents and glass negatives which belonged to the photographer.

Each photograph in the book has a descriptive caption, often quoting the photographer’s own thoughts on local communities as well as information taken from contemporary newspaper reports. I’ve managed to find a number of pictures which haven’t been seen in public before and the book covers the complete Moorlands area including scenes of attractions at Rudyard Lake, the Manifold Valley and Dovedale which were very popular in Edwardian times,” David continued.

“Nithsdale was quite a pioneer photographer, so there are also action shots from events such as a school sports day, Longnor Races and Leek Agricultural Show.

“He also went inside the textile mills to record the different processes.

“He became quite a well known figure in the area, writing articles and books about the Moorlands. He also put on lantern slideshows in Leek and local villages. It’s been fascinating to discover just how much he achieved in a relatively short time.”

A Moorland Album, which has 152 pages, is now on sale for £12.99 from local bookshops or email Moorlandalbum@gmail.com.

Left, William Nithsdale’s photos show the Band of Hope parade in 1907 making its way into Derby Street, Leek. Right, crowds of visitors at Rudyard Lake in around 1906. Inset below, youngsters playing with spinning tops in Cheadle High Street in 1906.