Chronicling change through camera lens

Names which probably don't mean too much to anyone these days, but author David Gould is determined that they should be given their due.

These were the photographers who through their lenses chronicled the changing face of East Grinstead in the 20th century.

Their photographs are now an important historical record, held by East Grinstead Museum.

David has brought together 180 unpublished images, mostly dating from about 1902-3 onwards (and all but ten from the Museum collection), in his new book East Grinstead Through A Lens (Amberley Publishing, ISBN 9781848687783).

Without the efforts of these men, the pictorial record of the locality in past decades would be impoverished indeed, David believes.

His approach has been to treat them as individuals, gathering their pictures together and offering full biographical notes, placing them firmly in their contemporary professional and social context, while outlining their sometimes surprising interests, idiosyncrasies and presentational styles.

William Page is David's starting point.

"William Page was East Grinstead's first professional photographer to be in business for more than just a short time. In fact, he reigned at The Studio, 5 Moat Road, for about 27 years form about 1884 to 1911)"

For several years he seems to have concentrated on studio work, creating portraits of townspeople, occasionally undertaking outdoor commissions for his wealthier clients.

"From about 1903, by which time picture postcards had become popular, he branched out into photography on his own initiative of street scenes in and around the town; and the results he sold as 'real-photograph' cards.

"Usually the scenes were well composed, often including carefully-posed groups of children. Who these were is unknown, but possibly nephews and nieces or maybe just boys and girls who inevitably gathered wherever they spotted a big plate camera on its tripod and the photographer with his big black cloth."