• 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

Book: Birmingham then and now by Mark Norton

S

sistersue61

master brummie
I'm sure this book has probably been on the site before, but it's not showing in the search engines, so thought I would put in on.
It is a book of comparison photos from around Birmingham and there are some great shots in it - Mom has borrowed it from the library and is so impressed she is going to get one for reference at home!She says there are a lot of places she recalls in and it really shows how many great buildings were destroyed to make way for the brick and steel boxes of today.
Sue
 
I have looked at Mark Norton's website many times - I think the photographs on it are brilliant and it is a wonderful tribute to his father -so I was really pleased to be able to go to a talk he gave at our local library last week. The talk was accompanied by photographs shown on a large screen (some of them are not on the website or in his books) and hubby and I thoroughly enjoyed it. If you get the chance to go to one of his talks I would highly recommend it.
Mark does the talks for a donation to Asthma UK - in memory of his father who died of an asthma attack at the young age of 35.
I bought both of his books - His first one is 'In my fathers footsteps' and his second one is 'Birmingham now and then'. I think they are both excellent but I particularly like the first one - not only are the photographs brilliant but it is such a wonderful tribute to his father.
We are so lucky his father realised that many buildings and roads in Birmingham were going to be lost forever and took the time to photograph them before they were demolished. We are also lucky that Mark decided to repeat what his father had done for comparison especially as some of the things Mark photographed have now also gone or will do in the near future.
 
if it was not for the insight of photograhers like mark nortons dad..phylis nicklin..keith berry and of course our own mikejee who took so many photos from 1969 to 73 we would be in a sorry state...i can only applaude them all for having the foresight...seeing that pic of peter walker bought a tear to my eye..hes still there with his little carrier bag...we never knew just what little gems he had in it to show us and as already said he had a wealth of knoweledge about birmingham..i still miss seeing him at our meet ups and i still have the lovely card and letter he sent me when i lost my steve..peter passed away a few week later..

lyn
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top