• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team
  • HI folks the server that hosts the site completely died including the Hdd's and backups.
    Luckily i create an offsite backup once a week! this has now been restored so we have lost a few days posts.
    im still fixing things at the moment so bear with me and im still working on all images 90% are fine the others im working on now
    we are now using a backup solution

John Whybrow Photographic Collection

Vivienne14

Vivienne14

Kentish Brummie Moderator
Staff member
This thread is for any images from the Whybrow Collection. If you have images to post here please try to indicate the name of the original photographer if known.

If you have better copies of any of the photos posted please add them to the thread too. Many thanks. Viv.
 
Last edited:
To get us started here’s a Thomas Lewis photo dated 1895 from the Whybrow Collection. Not a great copy as it’s from a newspaper, so if anyone has a better copy please post on this thread. Viv.8E31606E-4795-43EA-8A25-F4003E183BF4.jpeg
Source: British Newspaper Archive
 
Thanks Mike That’s a good start. I’ve got some more (poor) images from the Collection which I shall later add to this thread.

I’ve noticed the collection contains photos from various contributors such as this young lady who was given the task of photographing present day views (well 1970s) to match the same Victorian view. Viv.

E03D53D7-359A-457E-A4F0-D446E5DD4B9E.jpeg

Source: British Newspaper Archive
 
Last edited:
A Thomas Lewis photo of Kings Norton Village Green taken about 1890. John Whybrow shows a real commitment to, not only documenting change over time, but also playing an active involvement in campaigns to save buildings from demolition, such as the plan to demolish the Post Office in Victoria Square - which we all know escaped the bulldozers. Viv.

1552C02C-67D7-4606-8C29-B312B4416385.jpegSource: British Newspaper Archive
 
Thanks Mike. It would be good to be able to confirm it was Ms Jones, (although realistically this mightn't be possible) if only to be able to give credit to the photographer. The first photo is one I’ve never seen before. Viv.
 
These are some of 9 photos from the Collection offered to readers by the Birmingham Post. They don’t give credit to the photographer in the offer details. They’re all photos we’ve seen over and over again on BHF but it would be nice to put a name to the photographer. Were they all by Thomas Lewis ? Viv.
D58A9F38-2C86-4552-9CB2-7714D9D4EB48.jpeg412AA54B-FDD5-4C7D-8256-C871FE74216C.jpegE11B9A6B-5F80-4400-AC0B-E4344B4149BB.jpeg
Source: British Newspaper Archive
 
The modern day 1971 (comparison) photos in the “ How Does Your Birmingham Grow” book were by Elisabeth Clair Jones. Glad her work was acknowledged. The old photos were either by Thomas Lewis or Henry Whitlock.

Viv.

F06AE4E6-7708-4FAB-81D0-EAFFA1FFD3F1.jpeg

Source: British Newspaper Archive
 
Just realised the Snow Hill Station and Corporation Street photos in post #9 wouldn’t be by Lewis as he’d passed away by then. Lewis was b1844 and d1913. They couldn’t be by Henry Joseph Whitlock either b1835 and d1918. (An aside: Henry’s father, Joseph, was also an early photographer from 1843. And much later Henry’s sons joined the profession too). So neither the Snow Hill nor Corporation Street photos could be by H J Whitlock or Thomas Lewis. A wealth of interesting history of early Birmingham photographers behind all this.

The comparison below, although not stated, is probably by Lewis (left) alongside a (possibly) Jones comparison (right). Pity about the quality.

The Jones photos in the Collection are now 50 years old. A good record of Birmingham at a point of significant change in the City.

Image source : Birmingham Post, 14/10/1972 : British Newspaper Archive
 

Attachments

  • D6058FD2-BB67-4E07-BE6B-BCC43F41793D.jpeg
    D6058FD2-BB67-4E07-BE6B-BCC43F41793D.jpeg
    270.3 KB · Views: 32
Last edited:
Last edited:
Vivienne14 said:
The modern day 1971 (comparison) photos in the “ How Does Your Birmingham Grow” book were by Elisabeth Clair Jones. Glad her work was acknowledged. The old photos were either by Thomas Lewis or Henry Whitlock.

Viv.

View attachment 166971

Source: British Newspaper Archive
Click to expand...
I note that in Whybrow's 'How does your Birmingham grow?' there is a statement on the acknowledgement page that the old photos were by Thomas Lewis (d1913) and Henry Joseph Whitlock (d1918) and the 'new' photos were by Elizabeth Clair Jones b1946.

There are two issues with this. The first is that three of the photos have dates that are after Lewis and Whitlock died and before Jones was born (H589 - 1920, H615 - 1920 & H513 -1926).

The second issue is that the pride and joy of this collection of photos - The Old Crown Inn dated c1857 - may not have been taken by either Lewis or Whitlock. The Library of Birmingham - Warwickshire Photographic Survey collection has attributed that photo to another important Birmingham photographer of that era: Joseph William Pickering. This is corroborated by the 'Photographic Exhibitions in Britain 1839 -1865' website, which lists that Pickering exhibited a photo of 'The Old Crown, Deritend' at an exhibition of the Birmingham Photographic Society in 1857.

This suggests there were more photographic contributors to Whybrow's book, that just Lewis, Whitlock and Jones.
 
Last edited:
Vivienne14 said:
The late Phil posted this photo on the Old Crown Inn thread https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?threads/the-old-crown-inn-deritend.37627/page-4

And BrumMack gave information about it being part of the Whybrow Collection. I think this is the best image of the Crown there is. And it dates so far back too, a great e ample of early photography. Viv.

View attachment 166996View attachment 166995
Click to expand...
The photographer for the older of the Old Crown photos was Joseph Pickering.
 
Whybrow's business (John Whybrow Ltd) was at 200 Stratford Road. The premises - grade II listed - are still there. I think the business still exists too. Below is an extract from Historic England

"Merton House was the site of the Whybrow photographic business. John Whybrow was the last managing director who inherited and expanded the Whybrow Collection of early photographic plates. He wrote 2 books about Birmingham :- "How Does Your Birmingham Grow?" & "How Birmingham Became a Great City" and in 1972 he battled to save the Old Reference Library & GPO building on behalf of The Victorian Society. He also created The Wednesday Walking Club in Shirley to help the unemployed find self-worth and improve their chances of re-employment.


STRATFORD ROAD 1. 5104 Highgate Bll No. 200 (John Whybrow Limited) SF 08 SE 12/57 II 2. Later C19. Polychromatic brick with stone dressings; tiled roof with ornamented ridge tiles. Two storeys plus attic; 3 bays wide, that on the right gabled and advanced somewhat. Bay one with ground floor mullioned and transomed window incorporated in first floor shallow bay window with pronounced tiled roof. Door with fanlight of superimposed trefoils. Above it, a small trefoil headed window. Bay 3 with window of 3 lights with transom and Gothic tracery. Above it, a window similar but with segmental head. In the gable a spherical triangle with tracery. In the roof over bay one an acutely gabled dormer. To the left, a single storeyed boy with a subsidiary entrance. On the left hand return, 2 gables with bargeboards, and some battlements and some diaperwork. On the right a modern addition".

Screenshot_20240312_061930_Maps.jpg
 
Vivienne14 said:
Whybrow's business (John Whybrow Ltd) was at 200 Stratford Road. The premises - grade II listed - are still there. I think the business still exists too. Below is an extract from Historic England

"Merton House was the site of the Whybrow photographic business. John Whybrow was the last managing director who inherited and expanded the Whybrow Collection of early photographic plates. He wrote 2 books about Birmingham :- "How Does Your Birmingham Grow?" & "How Birmingham Became a Great City" and in 1972 he battled to save the Old Reference Library & GPO building on behalf of The Victorian Society. He also created The Wednesday Walking Club in Shirley to help the unemployed find self-worth and improve their chances of re-employment.


STRATFORD ROAD 1. 5104 Highgate Bll No. 200 (John Whybrow Limited) SF 08 SE 12/57 II 2. Later C19. Polychromatic brick with stone dressings; tiled roof with ornamented ridge tiles. Two storeys plus attic; 3 bays wide, that on the right gabled and advanced somewhat. Bay one with ground floor mullioned and transomed window incorporated in first floor shallow bay window with pronounced tiled roof. Door with fanlight of superimposed trefoils. Above it, a small trefoil headed window. Bay 3 with window of 3 lights with transom and Gothic tracery. Above it, a window similar but with segmental head. In the gable a spherical triangle with tracery. In the roof over bay one an acutely gabled dormer. To the left, a single storeyed boy with a subsidiary entrance. On the left hand return, 2 gables with bargeboards, and some battlements and some diaperwork. On the right a modern addition".

View attachment 189961
Click to expand...
I read somewhere that the John Whybrow Collection was recently taken over by the Birmingham Library. However, I can't recall the source, so this needs corroboration.
 
Thanks BrumMack, shall add that to the post.

Whybrow was closely linked to Lewis & Randall, photographers. Lewis & Randall became John Whybrow Ltd in 1970.

There's a thread about Lewis and Randall photographers here

Lewis & Randall Ltd - Architectural & Industrial Photographers- later John Whybrow Ltd

In the book 'Birmingham on old postcards' by John Marks, there is a profile of Thomas Lewis on page 64. Most of the information you may already know. I have included the scanned page (64) for your perusal. Thank you for this Bob, I shall have a read of P.64 and also put 'Birmingham on old...
birminghamhistory.co.uk birminghamhistory.co.uk
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top