by Andrew Gill | Sep 10, 2021 | Gallery, I didn’t expect that!, Places, The Man on the Clapham Omnibus
Photography was invented in the 1830s and by the early 1900s, when this photograph was taken, thousands of camera clubs were established throughout Britain. Taking a photograph required physical strength (to carry all the heavy equipment), skill, technical know-how... 
by Andrew Gill | Aug 30, 2021 | Gallery, Places
This is Lochnagar in Scotland, made famous by Lord Byron and Prince Charles who wrote, respectively, a poem and children’s book of the same name. However, what’s more interesting is the process used to produce the picture. The chromolithographs in our... 
by Andrew Gill | Aug 15, 2021 | Gallery, Places, The Man on the Clapham Omnibus, Transport
Stonehaven is a fishing village near Aberdeen on the east coast of Scotland. It has retained its charm and is well worth a visit. We love the clean lines of the boats leaving the harbour. They are almost in silhouette and the reflections of the sails in the water make... 
by Andrew Gill | Aug 6, 2021 | A Golden Age, Gallery, Places, The Man on the Clapham Omnibus
This photograph was taken in Duntocher, a village to the north west of Glasgow. It’s well over one hundred years old but this delightful family scene could have been taken yesterday (although the clothes would be somewhat different), with a child playing in the... 
by Andrew Gill | Aug 6, 2021 | Gallery, Places, Transport
This is the Tay Bridge linking Dundee to Fife. In 1879, disaster struck when the bridge collapsed in very high winds and a train carrying some sixty passengers plunged into the river, all of whom died. The design of the Forth Bridge was influenced by the disaster and... 
by Andrew Gill | Aug 3, 2021 | Gallery, Places, Sport, The Man on the Clapham Omnibus
It’s helpful when Victorian photographers caption their images. Most didn’t, of course, but this one did, so we know that it is North Berwick golf course, on the coast to the east of Edinburgh. The date is probably the 1880s and, by then, the Club had... 
by Andrew Gill | Aug 1, 2021 | Gallery, Places, Transport
In the early 1900s, many UK cities, towns and even villages had electric tram services. This one in Dundee, Scotland, shows the driver, an inspector and a very young conductor (ticket seller), all looking very proud of their, probably new, electric tram. Long before... 
by Andrew Gill | Jul 28, 2021 | Gallery, Places
One of the engineering wonders of the Victorian era, the Forth Bridge, near Edinburgh, crosses the Firth of Forth. Construction began in 1883 and the bridge was opened in 1890. Here, the main structure is almost complete, so the photograph was probably taken in 1888... 
by Andrew Gill | Jul 25, 2021 | Gallery, Places, The Man on the Clapham Omnibus
Crofting has provided a subsistence living for the inhabitants of Scotland’s islands for thousands of years. It involves farming a small piece of land to raise animals and grow crops, to provide enough food to stay alive. For most, there was nothing romantic... 
by Andrew Gill | Jul 19, 2021 | Gallery, Places, The Man on the Clapham Omnibus, Transport
Glencoe, famous for the 1692 massacre of the MacDonald Clan, has some of Scotland’s most dramatic scenery and driving or hiking through it today is a must-do experience. Imagine taking this excursion on a bright Summer’s day, in the 1890s when this... 
by Andrew Gill | Jul 14, 2021 | Gallery, The Man on the Clapham Omnibus, Transport
Given the current, precarious state of our high street retailers, this photograph, taken in the 1920s, reminds us that household brands, that were part of our childhood and we thought would be there forever, can suddenly disappear, as they succumb to the changing ways... 
by Andrew Gill | Jul 13, 2021 | Gallery, I didn’t expect that!, Places, The Man on the Clapham Omnibus
In Victorian times, soap manufacturers built some of the largest factories in the world, employing tens of thousands of people. Such was the demand for detergent in our polluted, grimy cities and towns. This photograph was taken on the Isle of Skye off the west coast... 