The one born in St.Helens in 1961.
St.Helens Industrial area from the late 1980s
Surrounded by the intensity of nature, occasionally the blinkers are lowered. Hilly Fields park in Brockley London. (Its parallels with “The singing ringing tree” also strike a chord)
Shot in (about)1985 on a pre war Voigtländer Brillant camera. Commision by Jayne (pictured) who designed hats. Tyrwhitt Road, Brockley, London.
The far changing room at Cowley boys school, St.Helens, 1976 or 1977.
Not the changing room used for filming the final changing room scene in the film “Chariots of fire” at the other end of the building a few years later. Timer exposure Lubitel II camera on a tripod.
The headmaster leaves the stage after morning assembly at Cowley Boys School in St.Helens in the late 1970s.
Early morning routine, taking a bus into St.Helens town centre from a bus stop in Haydock. Late 1970s.
Mum would have been on her way into work as a cleaner at Blundells on the corner of Chapel Street and my sister Susan would have been on her way to Central Modern school on North Road. I would have a second journey from town to Cowley boys school, sometimes also by bus but most of the time by walking.
Part of the daily drudge to wake up early and walk three quarters of a mile to the bus stop, nice on sunny days not so much on a grey rainy day.
The St.Helens I remember from my youth. I was thirteen and a half when I took this (I have a very clear memory of taking this image).
Late 1970s image showing the corner of Cooper and (I think) Argyle street in St.Helens (since demolished).
Some of my fellow 5th form pupils. Approx 1977.
Cowley Boys School. St.Helens
Some of the older industrial buildings for Pilkingtons Glass Works were still standing in the late 1970s.
St.Helens.
It is difficult to reconcile my personal documentary work and my later commercial work.
A miserable wet 1970 winters day in a northern town. The Victorians made the Industry but they also provided the park.
My photography started in the third year of secondary school, fellow 13 year old pupil Ian Griffiths showed me his Russian Zenith B camera and I just knew I had to get a proper camera and start taking photographs.
The central part of a series of nightlife images from my final year exhibition at Trent Polytechnic in 1983.
Nottingham.
I was in Bristol for the Wildscreen festival and decided to go for a walk.
In one of the city squares an area was cordoned off for rebuilding but you could still kind of walk around it.
I spotted these trees overgrowing a statue and it reminded me of a part of the conversation between David Attenborough and Chris Packam at a talk I attended the previous day,
For just a moment, they speculated how the natural world would recover well from the extinction of humans, they didnt dwell long on the subject aware that they may have overstepped some boundary.
In the city centre I caught a little glimpse of the possibility.
