Photographic Archive – Can You Help Us?

How you can contribute

Do you have any old photographs of Elston that you would be prepared to loan for copying as part of the Photographic Archive ?

You can play a major part in making this collection as comprehensive as possible by loaning photographs to be scanned and input to the computer. This process will be relatively quick and photographs can be returned in a matter of days. The process doesn’t harm the originals in any way. Nor does it particularly matter that the photograph is damaged, scratched, torn, dirty, faded, over- or under- exposed. The computer software is quite capable of restoring the image to pristine condition so that an almost perfect image results.

We are looking for photographs in the following categories :

A. Historic, commemorative, or typical regular events e.g. Wartime, Coronation, Jubilee, and Millennium celebrations, fun runs, fetes, the Erasmus Darwin play, the installation of the Shop, etc. In fact, anything at all unusual is worth inclusion.

B. Elston as it used to be i.e. photographs of houses, farm buildings, or other things that no longer exist.

C. Houses and other buildings in course of construction. Still needed are any pictures showing the building of the Village Hall, the School, Central Drive, Winston Drive, Darwin Close, Carrgate Lane, Pinfold Lane and The Spinney. Any pictures of conversions or additions being made to existing houses are also welcome.

D. Village work and leisure activities, local crafts, farming, cottage industries, etc

E. The changing seasons -- pictures of snow-covered fields or streets, flowers in bloom, crops or sheep in fields, trees in autumn russet and gold etc

F. Groups – school, club, society, sports group photographs and activities. It would help if you were able to date and name the people in the pictures but if you can’t, don’t let that put you off.

G. Aerial photographs showing the village or the surrounding area.

H. Pictures of those who are no longer with us. Old characters or people who made a contribution to village life.

I. Works of art depicting the village. We are fortunate that Elston has many talented artists and there are many pictures of cottages and other buildings done by current or past members of the Elston Art Group as well as much older paintings in the church, the cchool, and in private hands.

If you don’t have any photographs yourself, do you know someone who does ? Perhaps there is someone who has left the Village. You don’t have to be an Elston resident if you have pictures that you may have taken during a visit.

If you have any suitable photographs I would be pleased if you would get in touch with Dave Sankey at elston.heritage@hotmail.co.uk

It greatly adds to the value of photographs if we can say what the pictures are about and when they were taken and it adds to our knowledge of the history of the village and its people.

If you have lived in Elston for a very long time – possible all your life – you will know a great many current, and former residents. You could probably identify people and places in other people’s photographs, and be able to estimate – even if only approximately – when they were taken.

The photographs, with everything we know about them, are in loose leaf catalogues. If you live in Elston and think you are likely to be able to contribute to what we know about the photographs please ask to borrow the catalogues by phoning Elston Village Shop on 01636 525009.

Thank you for taking part in this important project.