The Sankey Photography Archive

As part of the RPS Historical Group's look at historical collections of photography, photographic archives, and those working historical and alternative processes this talk explores the Sankey Photography Archive with Liz Critchley and John Harrison, hosted by Group Chair Gilly Read FRPS.
In 2018 Signal Film and Media embarked on Seeing the North with Sankey, a journey to re-house, catalogue and celebrate the incredible Sankey Family Photography Collection. The Sankeys were a father and son trio who documented life in Barrow and Cumbria over 70 years. Starting around 1900, they captured the landscape, cultural changes, everyday lives and work up until the 1970s. The postcards they created from their photographs were posted all over the world and tell fascinating snippets from peoples lives across the 20th century. The Seeing the North with Sankey Project began properly in 2018, following support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The three year project explored and shared the priceless photographic work of the Sankey Family in collaboration with local communities in Barrow-in-Furness and wider Cumbria.
Liz Critchley has worked within the heritage sector for 20 years. An experienced arts and heritage manager, Liz joined Signal Film and Media in September 2021 from her role at the National Trust the Sankey collection is the first digital archive of this size she's worked with, alongside a team of volunteers, developing the Sankey Photography Archive website online and bringing together the collection for the first time.
John Harrison is a retired mechanical engineer and computer aided design developer who also has a lifelong passion for photography which he pursued semi-professionally for a short time.
He is also interested in history and is an active volunteer for English Heritage. John got involved in the Sankey project after seeing an invitation from Signal Film & Media asking for local people to get involved in the project. He quickly became captured by its amazing breadth of photography but also by the local history it uncovered and the many questions it raised.