The Society is pleased to announce that Northern Legacy, a presentation of black-and-white photographs of Northern England from the 1950s and 1960s, by Harold Crompton Robinson (1927 - 2008), has been selected as its 2011 on-line exhibition. Click this link to see the exhibition gallery. The exhibition toured in the UK. It was seen at Salmesbury Hall, Preston New Road, Salmesbury, Preston PR5 0UP from 5 November to 24 December 2011, and at the Bolton Central Museum, Le Mans Crescent, Bolton BL1 1SE in the period January - March 2012.

Born in Bolton in 1927 Harold Crompton Robinson studied at the Bolton College of Art. He worked in Manchester as a sign-writer and later in Bury as a commercial artist. In order to support a young family of six children Harold also worked as a freelance sign-writer and in his “marginal” spare time was able to use his skill and passion for photography to officiate at local weddings. At every available opportunity, Harold could be seen early in the morning searching locally for shots which conveyed the Northern atmosphere. His preference for working with black-and-white film perfectly captured the stark realism of the industrial landscape depicted in many of his pictures.

Harold won many prizes for his work and is the only person to win the Bolton Evening News award, in Bolton Camera Club’s annual exhibition, three times in succession. Working mainly with either a Leica or a Rolleiflex camera, he remained dedicated to the traditional film medium. He developed and printed all his own work and never succumbed to digital photography.

The wonderful photographs that make up the exhibition give a remarkable insight into a way of life that has gone forever. The memories of a bygone era, seen through the eyes of one man, enable the spirit of the people and places of the North of England to live on.

Prints of the photographs in the Northern Legacy exhibition are for sale. All prints are made on the highest quality digital photo paper and mounted using museum quality art board. These are available by email order from Mark Robinson at m.robinson70@ntlworld.com.

All images are protected by copyright © Mark Robinson 2011.