I have been taking photographs of the changing face of Warrington since about 1971. My favourite times for photography were Sundays, summer evenings and Thursdays when the town centre shops were closed and there were fewer people about! In the early seventies I used an old Agfa camera with a slow shutter speed of 1/50 second. Consequently my photographs frequently featured the blur of a passing car. Focusing was by guesswork and exposure settings by judgement derived from experience. However, the quality of the 120 film and the sharp lens helped me to produce some reasonable images. From about 1976 I started using an SLR camera with better focusing but looking back I can see that the results were nowhere near as good as with the older equipment. However, most of my photography was done in black and white which meant that I could produce reasonably good prints at home in my own darkroom.
Once I had more than one SLR I was able to use one camera exclusively for colour slides and another for black and white. Before the advent of digital photography it was essential to wait for the right lighting conditions, time of day, time of year, etc. for a particular shot. And you had to get it right. You couldn't afford to waste valuable film with multiple shots and no mucking around on the computer to improve it afterwards. This could be quite frustrating, as once the film was developed, weeks or months later, you might find that the shot was spoiled in some way, or the film was lost or damaged during processing and the opportunity to photograph the particular building might be lost for ever.
On the other pages of this website I have placed a few of my early colour photos taken with 120 colour film. On this page you may see some photos taken mainly in 1979 and 1980 with an SLR on 35mm film.
Golborne Street April 1980
The Warrington New Town plans for the town centre involved demolition and reconstruction on a large scale in the late 1970s and early 1980s. This was good news for photographers and I was very busy in that period recording the old buildings and taking advantage of the new perspectives created. The Legh Street and Market car parks in particular afforded spectacular views of the town.
From the top of other side of the Golborne St Multi-storey car park. with Allen St in the foreground, March 1980.
From the Golborne Street multi-storey car park with a 135mm lens, April 1980.
Warrington Market footridge, Saturday 26 April 1980
An attractive feature of the new car parks were the three footbridges, all different and offering views of the town below.
Footbridge from Golborne Street multi-storey car park to the bus station and mall, April 1980.
Bank Street March 1980
Bank Street today is quite unrecognizable from this shot taken with a long angle lens on a Sunday morning early in 1980. The market on the right is still there of course but there are new shops along both sides and the double bend is now occupied by a discount store.
Howley Power Station December 1979
So many shots of the town centre at this time featured the power station somewhere on the skyline. A clear view of it was opened up when the adjacent terraced streets were demolished in the 1970s.
From Kingsway Bridge, September 1978. In the left distance we can see why the power station was to close
One of my favourite vantage points for photography was Slutchers Lane bridge This view was taken in January 1979, with Arpley Junction in the foreground and the power station and Newbridge buildings in the bachground.
The industrial skyline on this shot is mostly still the same today. The locomotives are standing on the site of Arpley locomotive shed. Taken with a 135mm lens from Wilderspool road bridge, December 1979.
This shows on the right the brick building of Dallam locomotive shed, converted to the Locker Air Maze factory. Taken from the top of Dallam Lane, early 1980. Bewsey Steelworks on the left.
Bank Street March 1980
Demolition of the power station has begun early in 1980. The view is looking down the bottom of Bank Street towards Mersey Street. The exit from the Market multi storey car park is on the right. All the buildings in sight have now disappeared.
Mersey Street 1980
Mersey Street, in the winter of 1979-1980. Demolition has begun in preparation for road widening. A number of very old properties were lost along here. The old Academy is just visible in its original place opposite the end of the street. The clock above the pawnbroker's shop is now in upper Bank Street opposite the market.
The same section of Mersey Street on Monday 21 August 1972, taken on 120 roll film. Did I then always complain about the traffic queueing here?
An interesting frontage in Mersey Street. Note the new multi-storey car park at the back. 1980.
Fennel Street 1980
Fennel Street is now a dual carriageway. On the left and right are buildings of Flemings tannery and in the right distance is the Raven. On the skyline is the unavoidable power station. Photo taken in the week a new one way system came into force in the town centre via Academy Street and Scotland Road.
Lower Bridge Street, Saturday 26 April 1980
Before the Old Academy was moved a small area was laid to grass, trees planted and benches set up on the site of the old Tower buildings.
Bridge Street, late 1979
This view up Bridge Street shows one of the giant cranes involved in the Golden Square construction.
Orford Lane backs in the winter of 1979-80. An extra house has been squeezed in. The corner shop was typical of many in the area.
Looking down Cockhedge Lane and School Brow, early 1980. Cockhedge mills on the left, Flemings tannery on the right and Rylands Church Street works in the distance.
From Cockhedge Lane the wall of Cockhedge Mill shows the outlines of vanished terraced houses, early 1980
Cockhedge mill during demolition of the weaving sheds, January 1984. Some of the arcading which can be seen was salvaged and used in the new Cockhedge mall.
The last part of the mill is ready for demolition, 1984, on the corner of Orford Street and Cockhedge Lane. The side entrance to Cockhedge mall is now here.
Warrington Slate's yard occupied the site of the first Arpley Station. Note the rail tracks. Early 1980
Stanley Street, Saturday 26 April 1980, with cars of the period
Mersey Street awaiting demolition early 1980. Taken from the new Market multi-storey car park
Allen Street has just been demolished. Wycliffe church will soon follow. April 1980
The nearby St Paul's also awaits its fate, July 1980
Warrington Infirmary, Kendrick Street, February 1980
Flemings Tannery, Fennel Street, February 1980, now the site of the Lidl supermarket
Manor Lock, Tuesday 14 May 1974. The buildings have now gone
Howley Quay, July 1984
Taken on the same day, a little further along the quay. Without the slightest ripple on the river, it was one of those days when the reflections look truer than the buildings themselves.
Elmwood Avenue church complex. The church, which stood to the left, has already been demolished and the hall and schoolrooms stand roofless. Autumn 1994
Froghall bridge, looking down Priestley Street. The robed figure on the right is Brother Francis. April 1980
The old grammar school, School Brow, March 1995. The building had to go to make way for the access road to a new estate
Another view, April 1998
Chetham House, Orford. Although the listed building was demolished, the gates were retained. April 1974
Early in 1998 the former Alliance Boxworks on Orford Lane was demolished for a car sales site
This shot shows the concrete boxlike structure of the building which was finished in an Art Deco style.
