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Nita's Negatives |
One of Ludham's oldest residents was Nita Townsend who lived to be over 100 years old. The daughter of the village doctor, Nita lived in the area for most of her life.
One day, Nita gave the Archive Group a large box of photo negatives. Nita thought that they were family pictures dating back over many years, but she had no prints and her eyesight is no longer good enough to give any clue about what the photographs might be.
So the Archive Group began the task of scanning and printing the negatives. There were hundreds of them and it was a big job. After scanning, each photograph needed electronic enhancement and some even needed stitching together. Then there was the task of deciding if the picture was the right way round or a mirror image. We had to resort to any clues which might be in the picture like the side which people had buttoned their clothes. After all this, we still had to work out what the pictures were.
Nita told us that the pictures were just family snaps and of little interest, but when the work of sorting and printing them was complete, it became clear that we had got a wonderful collection of pictures which provide a window onto a totally forgotten world. It truly was worth the effort of preserving them. Don't just take our word for it. Here are a few examples from the Nita Townsend Collection:
We think this is Staithe Road Ludham and it looks like they are moving home.
Nita's father was the village doctor and so was an important person. He owned a car and the picture shows it parked in The Street with Thrower's Shop and the Baker's Arms pub on the left.
We don't know who these people are, but it is a nice picture
This is Nita herself, ice skating on a frozen Womack Water. Womack Water often froze in the past although this is a rare event today.
Did you know that the film Conflict of Wings was made on location in Ludham. Here you see the crew in action.
A really nice photograph. One of over 400 in the collection.
There are many photographs of Broads boating in Nita's collection.
At Red Roofs
A happy group and a nice car. Did they all fit in?
On the road between Ludham and Potter Heigham long before the A149 bypass was built.
This little tractor features in several photographs.
There is a boat under there somewhere.