Comments on: Phyllis Nicklin’s 60s Birmingham

By: focalplane

focalplane — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 14:16:43 +0000

No time and no decent internet connection at the moment but I’ve got to revisit this collection in a couple of weeks time. The Bull Ring photo above is part of my childhood memory – the market hall without a roof was where we bought our Friday fish.

By: Ken Davidson

Ken Davidson — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 09:53:24 +0000

This reminds of the sad tale of my neighbour’s slide collection. When the old lady next moved on (to a new house, not in the other sense) she was too frail to sort her own possessions, this task being left to her nephews. They invited me to ‘plunder’ the house for anything useful (mainly because in their eyes I’d been a good neighbour and shared interest in her late hubbies old cars and photography kit).

I noted a bin-bag ready for disposal, full of *literally thousands* of 35mm slides, the complete history of a lifetime of global holidays and family snaps. I duly brought this to the nephews’ attention. Looking back their response was less than enthusiastic, and I should have pushed the point.

I later learned that the whole lot was dumped in a skip, and hauled away. Bastards. I remarked that they should’ve let me hand them over to a college or something, even if they were later hacked apart to create some art.

The lesson? Never ever destroy old photographs, or let them be destroyed. Somebody somewhere will have a use for them, and I reckon it doesn’t take much asking around to find a taker.

By: Pete James

Pete James — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 17:21:47 +0000

Cracking stuff!! The slides are probably still at the University. I recall this project but don’t know where the scanning was done. I’ll ask around. We’d loved to preserve and make them accessible. Well worth an exhibition…in that alledged….new… permanant photo gallery..in the new library….

By: Stuart Whipps

Stuart Whipps — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 11:06:54 +0000

Does anybody know where the physical slides are? It would be perfect for them to be stored in the archives at the Central Library, then when we get that permanent photography gallery………

By: Charlotte Carey

Charlotte Carey — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 10:53:32 +0000

Wow this full collection is amazing, I agree with ‘Tobe’ in terms of how revealing these pictures are both in how we restore, clean and care for old buildings now, but also how we need to be so careful about which ones we choose to pull down. So many fantastic buildings appear to have been replaced by roads.

By: Dave Harte

Dave Harte — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 23:21:09 +0000

Pete,
In your update to the original you should put this link in:
http://62.105.110.193/extras/public.bhtml?library=10032

The site then jumps to the other URL but I think to bypass the password you need the URL I’ve listed here.

Dave

By: Pete Ashton

Pete Ashton — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 23:08:57 +0000

Actually, I’m very tempted to start a Flickr account for these and upload them with all the metadata intact. Obviously there are copyright issues so I’m wondering who’s responsible for policing them and if they think this would be a good thing?

By: Pete Ashton

Pete Ashton — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 22:58:52 +0000

Yay! That one works for me!

Better start grabbing them!

By: Dave Harte

Dave Harte — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 22:56:46 +0000

Pete tells me that link took him to the log-on page for the e-bank thingy. I thought it may be something to do with my home computer having stored my university Athens password cookie that allowed me access but not him. Not too sure about that now though. Try this link instead and let me know if it works for you. Dave

By: Dave Harte

Dave Harte — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 20:54:46 +0000

Pictures of Brum any time from the late 60s (so I can imagine the place as it was when my parents arrived here) to the late 80s (when I stopped loafing around the city centre every weekend) are my favourite photographic subject. Full collection of the Nicklin stuff here I think. 446 of them. Hi-res not for download but you can zoom in on the detail. Dave