Century-old portraits of Herefordshire rural life go on display
- Published
Richard Jenkins worked as a farmer but had a passion for photography
A selection of 800 photographs from a century ago discovered in shoeboxes in an old farmhouse have gone on display.
The photographic plates, now stored at Hereford Archive Centre, show the lives of farmers and their families from The Golden Valley, on the Herefordshire-Welsh border.
These memories were all captured by one man, Richard Jenkins.
His work has now featured in a book called Golden Valley Faces, by Hilary Engel, and are displayed at All Saints Church in Hereford.
The photographer Richard Jenkins' sister Eva, sitting amongst the bracken that grew all over Quarrelly Farm, Herefordshire
All the photos and their stories are in a book called Golden Valley Faces
Hundreds of his glass plate negatives were found by his family in a cupboard which had been covered with wallpaper.
Ms Engel said she had to "hold them up to the light to see what they were".
They had never been catalogued, she added.
The glass negatives had to be held up to the light to see what they were
Richard Jenkins often set up the shot of himself and got an assistant photographer to press the shutter
Mr Jenkins was born in 1890 at Quarrelly Farm, in The Golden Valley.
He was the only son, so was raised to run the family farm, but his passion was always photography.
Ms Engel fell in love with the photos and the stories behind them.
"They may never have been photographed before... but Richard saw there was a whole story in their faces," she said.
Richard wanted to capture the stories behind the faces of The Golden Valley
The photos are now on display at All Saints Church in Hereford
Someone who helped Ms Engel piece the stories of farm life together, was 88-year-old Sylvia, Richard Jenkins' daughter.
Having the photographs in a book and on display in the church, she said she could now "treasure them".
Richard Jenkins' daughter Sylvia said she and her family were "really really proud"
A Sunday school outing accompanied with a gramophone for hymn singing
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- Published14 May 2022
- Published22 March 2022
