Get to work on your archive

Nearly all of us have a box or two of old family photos tucked away in the loft, cellar or sideboard. These boxes usually provide a fascinating insight into family life - with a mix of old black and white images and colour photos with the odd Polaroid thrown in. 

But what happens to that treasured box of photos when we’re no longer around - do they get passed on to someone else in the family? Will they know who is actually pictured in all those personal memories?

Well, I’m encouraging everyone to dig out their old photos and have a ‘family day’ to sort through them and to make a note on the back of each photo of who is pictured (and to add any other useful details). 

Each box of photos is a great source of social history - your own personal history archive. Who knows where our photos will one day end up, but at least if someone has made a note on the back - whoever is looking at them will know who they are looking at.

  

The ever changing face of Hoo

I caught up with long time local resident Arthur Vidgeon last week, chatting about his excellent local website - containing lots of old photos of Hoo, and his own family history research.

Arthur is happy for me to share his old photos here, and given that he lives at White House Farm, along Stoke Road, I thought I’d upload a selection of his photos of this road.

I’ve added updated versions of the same locations (well, roughly the same). I hope you like this ‘then and now’ comparison!

The first photo shows what was once Bevin’s Butcher Shop and, at a later point, Tetts Agricultural Merchants. Then there’s a photo of the same location today, with the houses known as Jennifer Court.

This photo shows Stoke Road (as I mentioned the other day, it was known as the High Street until it was re-named Stoke Road in 1959) looking towards the village square. And then there’s a photo of the same location taken a couple of days ago.

This next photo is of the junction with Church Street and Stoke Road in the village centre. And then the same location as it looks now.

The last photo in this little set shows what was The Carpet Shop, on Stoke Road. I’m told it was also a fish and ship shop at one point! Demolished in 2005, the second photo shows the location today.

Arthur’s website really is well worth a visit. There are lots of even older photos than those I picked out. Just click here to take look. You can also see a good selection of old local photos on display at Taggs Coffee Shop in Hoo village centre.

Many thanks to Arthur for letting me use his photos.

Do you have any old photos or postcards of places on the Hoo Peninsula? If you’d like to share them on this website, just get in touch via the contact page.
 

High Halstow Photographic Competition

I was really pleased to be invited along to join the judging panel for the High Halstow Annual Photographic Competition the other evening.

All the photographs entered into the competition were impressive and really showed off the unmistakable beauty of our local area. Many of the photographs entered will appear in the special 2012 High Halstow Calendar, with the winners in each category announced at November’s Parish Council meeting at 8pm on Wednesday 9 November (at Memorial Hall, The Street, High Halstow).

Above: an entry from last year!

The 2012 Calendar will also be unveiled at the meeting, with copies on sale. They’ll be priced at £6 (large) and £5.50 (small) and will also be available at the Village Shop on Christmas Lane and at the Church Market, taking place in Allhallows (more details on that event to follow shortly).

I was chuffed to help judge the competition and I’m looking forward to seeing all those who took part and congratulating them on a job well done!

…and judging these photos has prompted me to get out and about with my own camera again soon!
  

Grain Coastal Park (Isle of Grain) - Michael Dale’s Photographs

Michael Dale (pictured below) is a Parish Councillor on St. James Isle of Grain Parish Council. He’s sent some of his photographs of Grain Coastal Park – kindly giving permission for their use on this site.

These photos show views of Grain Coastal Park, taken at different times of the year.

The old ‘dummy battery’ along Port Victoria Road.

A wintry scene with views towards Grain Tower and Queensborough Docks.

One of many walking routes.

Church Beach looking very calm at high tide.

A ‘Quay Crane Transporter’ passing Garrison Point at the mouth of the Medway (between the Isle of Grain and Sheerness).

Another crane transporter arriving for Thamesport from China.

Seaview Meadow.

Seaview Meadow with early morning mist.

These are really great photos and I’d like to thank Michael for allowing me to share them.

Do you have any photos of the area that you would like to appear on this site? Just get in touch via the contact page.