Good afternoon all, It's a fair while since I posted ( "Thank Gord for that I hear the cry"!!
), but I just want to wish you all you wish for your-selves, and a Very Happy New
Year.....
I had my memorie jogged by a book I had for Xmas (Down The Severn). It's photographs from the archives of Francis Frith. Now many of you will have heard of this great photographer, and some may not have. F/F made his money to start his photographic career by selling a wholesale grocery company in the 1800's for the princely sum of £200,000 (about £15,000,000) at to-days prices. With his wealth he set out to photograph every city,town and village in the country. No mean feat when the transport situation is considered in the later part of the 1800's. He set about this task in the 1860's and over the next 30yrs established the largest network of outlets selling photo's in the world, over 2000 by 1890. He died in 1898 and his son's continued from then on.
The company is still in operation to-day, working from a base in the village of Teffont in Wiltshire. Now what's this to do with fishing you may ask. From my own point of view it's the nostalgic aspect of all those places I journeyed to in my youth. To look up villages such as Mapledurham, Pangbourne, Tilehurst ect; and study the wonderful pictures of days gone by, for instance when Mapledurham weir had an island in the middle, or the camping punts moored above the lock. I'm sure if you take the trouble to Google Francis Frith and seek out your own special places you'll derive as much pleasure from th exercise as I have (and will continue doing)..
Good Fishing all.....Kindest..Jim...
....
), but I just want to wish you all you wish for your-selves, and a Very Happy New
Year.....
I had my memorie jogged by a book I had for Xmas (Down The Severn). It's photographs from the archives of Francis Frith. Now many of you will have heard of this great photographer, and some may not have. F/F made his money to start his photographic career by selling a wholesale grocery company in the 1800's for the princely sum of £200,000 (about £15,000,000) at to-days prices. With his wealth he set out to photograph every city,town and village in the country. No mean feat when the transport situation is considered in the later part of the 1800's. He set about this task in the 1860's and over the next 30yrs established the largest network of outlets selling photo's in the world, over 2000 by 1890. He died in 1898 and his son's continued from then on.
The company is still in operation to-day, working from a base in the village of Teffont in Wiltshire. Now what's this to do with fishing you may ask. From my own point of view it's the nostalgic aspect of all those places I journeyed to in my youth. To look up villages such as Mapledurham, Pangbourne, Tilehurst ect; and study the wonderful pictures of days gone by, for instance when Mapledurham weir had an island in the middle, or the camping punts moored above the lock. I'm sure if you take the trouble to Google Francis Frith and seek out your own special places you'll derive as much pleasure from th exercise as I have (and will continue doing)..
Good Fishing all.....Kindest..Jim...
....
