New Bond Street, Douglas

Date(s): 1912

Scope & Content: On the back of this photograph Frowde writes, 'Prints taken from plates taken by Mr. T. S. Keig in 1912. All with a 'stand' camera. Since these pictures were taken 21 years back, they have had a lot of handling & the plates show it in the prints. Moreover these half-plate views are overexposed in the enlarger & too dark consequently. However, they are records of the area around Hanover Str. & Bigwell St.. Mr Thos. Keig, First Mayor of Douglas, commenced a series of views of Douglas in 1860 when he started in business with Mr Callister, later on his own in Finch Road, as partner. Most of the views taken this early were on plates about 14 x 10" and set plates at that. Yet the definition was wonderful. Mayor Keig's son, my old school-fellow & lifelong friend, Tom, carried on the tradition. On New Year's Eve 1931, I spent some hours going through the accumulation of Douglas views (plates) which had been collected for me to inspect. I had prints of most of them, but found several - discarded long since as worn out - that were of supreme interest to me: had copies made, & the prints are again available. They are, however all large views & compresssion into a half plate size to include in this series is out of the question. VIII, IV & X in this section are from old plates of my own taking. No VIII, taken with a stand camera in 1888 shews signs of the old plate's chequered career. 1912 New Bond St. Old Grammar School on left; King Orry Inn in distance-centre, 'Step-down' Inn on right. Next beyond it, No 17 New Bond St., demolished a few years back. The old 'Step-down Inn' on R. In years after 1912 the woman standing in the doorway used to be wheeled on fine days in an old bath chair down to the space between what is now Cooper's Chip Shop & the old Hare & Hounds, to get some sunshine. A confirmed invalid, with drawn & leather-hued countenance, poor soul'.

Language: eng

Extent: overall: 15.4 cm x 11.4 cm

Physical description: black & white print

Item name: photograph

Collection: Photographic Archive

Level: ITEM

ID number: PG/8224/11/1

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