I bought a book today. It’s in the Images of England series, and it’s about Gosport. It covers the period from 1870, when photography was beginning to take off as a commercially viable concern through to around 1960 looking at life and activities through the town.
My thought was that I would quite like to go through the book and recreate some of the photographs, but in a 2022 setting although with the look and feel of an early photograph, I am playing with the settings in the various photo apps trying to reproduce that faded washed out, grainy look and I’m not quite there yet, so far I have come up with this;
Actually, looking at it, I can almost feel the Victorian character – I’d be interested to know what you think. Some of the photos of locations in the book will be impossible to recreate like the tower in Lee-on-the-Solent which no longer exists. But the site is still there, and what is happening there today is entirely relevant.
Now, I admit this is another “I’d like to do…” and to be honest I think it unlikely that I will get far with it. I will probably look through the book and see the odd one or two that I can recreate. For example early on in the books, there is a picture of the gardens in front of the Ferry Port, what are now the Falklands Gardens. The picture was probably taken either from the top floor or the roof of the building opposite the gardens. These are, I think, now flats. Can you imagine me ringing the door bell and trying to explain what I want to do? I wouldn’t be surprised if they give me very short shrift. You never know though – it’s one of those you don’t get if you don’t ask. Do I have the guts to ask? Probably not.
There are a collection of photos about the railway in. Only the shell of the station, the course of the railway, and a very small stretch of track between fencing (for a view of or a look at the track, the What three words reference strain.relax.upon will take you right to it). This was used by Queen Victoria to get to Clarence Yard for her trips across to the Isle of Wight and Osborne House. These will put a real contrast on the pictures from those times.
It’s an interesting book anyway, I shall enjoy looking through it.
Bills Posts 