Group Portraits

There have been steamers on Windermere since 1845 but they only really became popular with the coming of the railways to both Windermere and Lakeside. Here we have the crew of the steam yacht Swift, belonging to the Windermere Steam Yacht company - hence the logo on the sweaters. This is captain McNeil and his crew posing at the stern of the ship whilst docked at Ambleside.

The proud workers of the Electric Tram Depot in Barrow line up for their photograph in their dirty overalls. One is astride a Matchless motorcycle EO523, while another young man is on crutches and has a lost a foot. There are three trams behind the workers. The advertisements on the trams are for the Coliseum’s ‘continuous pictures’ and Johnston’s wedding presents. Trams ran throughout the Barrow area.

From the early days before the steam ferries or the bridge to Walney, its beaches were popular with Barrovians and those from the surrounding towns and villages. There were sometimes even excursion trains into the town from as far away as Leeds. Here we see a typical summer's day with dozens of people either in the water or on the beach at Sandy Gap.

Bateson’s Orchestral Band dressed formally in suits, bow ties and caps pose for a formal portrait. Mr Bateson plays the cornet and his wife the violin. Four other men play harp, flute clarinet and double bass. They are seen here on board one of the Windermere steamers.

A dozen men and boys and three young women pose in Rigg's shoemaker's shop surrounded by evidence of their trade. They include Henry Rigg, the owner and Annie Fisher (nee Sankey) at centre front with Miss Hull on the right.

A group portrait of 52 gentlemen, 30 standing.; 12 seated on chairs; 10 seated on ground, in a garden setting. They've taken their hats off; many of them are smoking - cigarettes, cigars or pipes. All are wearing suits with waistcoats; there are a variety of collars and ties. We don't know who 'Broad Street Travellers' were.

One of a series of photographs taken at Rampside Gala in August 1924; many of the images show these local people having great fun, dressing up and playing games. This one shows a large group posed on the bowling green with one man showing his first prize certificate.

What better way to spend a Summer's day than in a genteel game of bowls. A group of ladies pose with their bowls on the green during the Rampside Gala of August 1924.

REFERENCES

Furness Rugby Union Club Golden Jubilee Booklet, 1952 (Barrow Archive Centre - BDX 828/1/3/119)

A summer garden party. A stunning portrait of about three dozen well dressed ladies posed in a back garden on Fairfield Lane in about 1924. With one exception they are wearing hats. What was the occasion? Why is the young lady front and centre in a black veil and not wearing a hat? One lady holds a bunch of lillies.

A formally posed photograph of the Salvation Army Band taken in Collingwood Street behind the Abbey Road Salvation Army Building. All but one are men.

Group image of young men and women who are dressed very smartly. There are ten men in total and two women. Their fashion looks 1930's in style. They are standing in front of a shop called A.N Moxon - Registered Electrical (?) - which was on Duke Street.

Biggar Bank has long been a popular spot for Barrovians and was opened for the people of the town in 1883 when it was reported that some 20,000 attended. If you consider there was only a ferry across to Walney back then, and then a walk across the island to Biggar Bank, you can see how keen people were to get there. In this posed photograph, of mainly children, there is one person of particular of interest: the young child with the straw hat in the young girl's arms is Raymond Sankey.

Established in 1909 from a previous informal pipe band,the Barrow St Andrew's Pipe Band pose on board a steamer. Maybe this was 14 September 1912 when the band accompanied 1,500 local football spectators on their trip to Fleetwood on board the Lady Moyra. On that occasion the band marched up and down the streets of Fleetwood on arrival and then played at the football ground. The Barrow team went on to win 1-0.

A group of people and a pack of hounds outside what looks like a farm building. There are about twenty hounds, six men, two women and a girl. One man, in collar and tie, is holding a whip. The man on the right could be in a postman's uniform?

The support for the Belgians across the country, following the German invasion in August 1914, was demonstrated by street collections in aid of the Belgian Relief Fund. Maybe this was one such occasion as a group of men pose in front of a car which has a 'Support Plucky Little Belgium' poster. One of the men holds a collecting bag. They are outside the Palace Theatre on Duke Street, Barrow.

A formally posed photograph of men and divers from the Barrow Harbour Authority and Furness Railway. The man second left is the Deputy Harbour Master, Mr Thomas and the foreman diver, front left, is Mr Willy Rimmer. In 1919 he earned the princely sum of £260 a year. For that he would dive in the docks, oil tanks and occasionally flooded mine workings.

A group of well dressed trippers crammed into the stern of the Steam Yacht Britannia as it sails on Windermere.

Furness Abbey Hotel staff, about 40 in number, pose on the back lawn of the hotel. The vast majority are females wearing the same uniforms. The three men seated front and centre probably include the head chef and the hotel manager. Can you spot the dog?

A group of men and women pose on the Windermere Steam Yacht Company's the Swan. Almost all the women are wearing fur stoles and everbody is wearing a hat of some variety. It is probably not a summer cruise as all are well wrapped up.

Eight women sat on and stood by a bench during the Rampside Gala Bowls competition. At first glance the woman on the floor left looks like she has fallen off the bench, but I'm sure she hasn't really.

A group of five men posing for a photograph on and around a hand cart loaded with drinks. The two outer men look bored, the two on the cart look fed up - but the one stood on the left holding a bottle looks pleased with himself. This station was one of a number in Barrow and stood on the dockside. From here, passengers and cargo were transported on the next leg of their journey. Can you spot a familiar company being advertised on one of the wooden crates?