J B Smithson and the Northern Dales

Written by Steve Smithson Monday, 11 March 2002 01:00

This book compiled by © Clive Torrens, gives an insight to life in the Northern Yorkshire Dales in the early 20th Century. Clive has selected a superb collection of picture postcard images photographed by J B Smithson.

A must for Smithson's everywhere, especially those interested in an image of the now non existent Stanwick Hall, the seat of Sir Hugh Smithson.

Clive has kindly permitted reproduction of his introduction to the book which demonstrates what prolific photographers J B Smithson and his sons were.

Introduction
A Dales Photographer

John Brown Smithson was born on 11th January 1848 at Smarber in the parish of Melbecks in Swaledale. His father was also John Smithson, his mother was Mary, nee Brown of Low Row.

John Snr was a lead miner and thus travelled from place to place. The family moved to Cockfield near Bishop Auckland before settling in West Witton in the late 1850's where work was obtained at the lead mines at Keidheads near Wensley Station, where a section of workings bear the family name.

During this time young John attended West Witton School, leaving in c.1860 to work with his father at Keidheads. A short time later he joined his uncle, James Smithson who was a keeper at Swinithwaite.

Quite when the interest in photography started is unknown. It is interesting to note however that John grew up living very near to George Maychell in West Witton, a man of a similar age who was also a superb late Victorian and Edwardian photographer. John Smithson probably set up in the late 1860's producing cabinet portraits from his studio opposite the Town Hall, Leyburn. By the 1880's business was booming and topographical pictures were being produced, one notable one being of Hardraw Force frozen solid in the winter of 1881.

By the early 1870's John was married. His wife, Elizabeth Straffen originated from West Witton, unfortunately she died in 1892 at the age of 45. In the meantime, eight children came along, two of them, John and Chris were to follow their father's interests.

Picture postcards were first permitted in Britain on 1st September 1896. This led to the phenomenal coverage of every village, local event, disaster etc, by local photographers. The postcard was basically the forerunner of the telephone as a means of communication. Occasionally postcards were made from older photographs taken in the 1880's.

By 1904 Smithson's had opened a studio in Hawes. This was possibly in the form of a caravan beside the Market House, near to the present toilets in the Market Place. The studio in Leyburn had moved to The Wensleydale Hotel on St Matthew's Terrace, presently a nursing home. The Hotel was run by John and his second wife Martha and his studio and darkroom were also there. Within a short time a studio was set up at Scotton and at Catterick. Meantime a caravan on the site of Leyburn Auction Mart served as a secondary studio. Another caravan was based in Pateley Bridge as it was too far to make around trip and work in the same day. A further studio has recently been verified, at Freeholders Wood near Aysgarth. The back of a carte-de-visite from the Aysgarth studio is reproduced below.

J. B. Smithson's sons followed in their father's footsteps. Christopher ran a studio in Main Street, Shildon and later returned to West Witton where he continued producing cards in a darkroom at the Post Office in the village. A view of the Post Office during the time Chris ran it, is reproduced on the front cover with Frank Mason driving the post van. His interest continued up to his death in 1954 at the age of 79.

Another son John Blenkiron Smithson ran a shop and studio at Hereford Terrace and Dean Bank, Ferryhill. Although much of his time was spent there, his wife Hetty, (nee Kilding) and four daughters grew up in Grove Square, Leyburn. Sadly John died in 1922 at the age of 38, but not before leaving a rich record of Edwardian life in the Ferryhill area.

Meanwhile J.B. Smithson produced thousands of local cards, cabinet cards and picture books of the area. The backs of his cabinet cards inform us that art work was also undertaken and that his work was patronized by Queen Victoria. Further to his photography and hotel business, he was a dealer in musical instruments, had a smallholding, was involved with the Methodist church and had a taxi business! Originally this would have involved the hiring of carts to his residents, and may explain how he visited so many places with his camera. Transport methods improved however, a motorized tricycle came along in 1906 and within a year or two he was the proud owner of a motorcar, Leyburn's first car, shared with Mr Peter Dobson, plumber, photographer and Post Master who also lived on St Matthew's Terrace.

In 1926 Mr Smithson moved to Craven House, West Burton, having retired at the age of 78. However his camera never did retire and numerous cards were taken that bear his West Burton address. He worked up until his peaceful death on Thursday 17th March 1938, his remains were interred at Leyburn cemetery.

1998 marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of this talented man, a character who left behind a rich legacy and record of Edwardian social history, Out of the 50,000 photographs he is credited with taking, this book can only include a couple of hundred of the best in the authors collection at present. The book is split into six sections from the Co Durham border in the North to Masham and Pateley Bridge in the South.

© Clive Torrens 1998

< Prev