Series: David Koos Collection: Concrete seacraft

Description

The collection comprises a series of black and white photographs showing the construction of concrete vessels at two sites in the north west of England. One set of prints (formerly part of an album AL1560) show the construction and launch of the 'Cretemanor' at premises leased by Hughes and Stirling on the north side of the River Ribble in Preston, Lancashire. This group of prints was taken by Preston photographer Arthur Winter. The other set shows the construction of vessels at a site operated by The Concrete Seacraft Company at Fiddlers Ferry on the banks of the Mersey near Warrington. This group of photographs was taken by the Warrington based photographer J Birtles.

Approximately one third of the photographs feature people, many showing employees involved in the various stages of construction.

The photographs were taken between June 1918 and August 1919 and are all accurately dated to either day or month.

Archival History

Purchased from D Koos in 1991and comprising 25 black and white mounted photographic prints and 12 loose prints, plus the frontispiece and back cover of the album in which some of the prints were originally mounted. The prints are comprehensively annotated by subject.

Catalogued in detail in February 2000.

This material was originally known as the Hughes and Stirling Collection, a name derived from the concrete seacraft builders based in Preston Docks whom it was mistakenly believed to be responsible for the construction of all the craft shown in the photographs. Concrete Seacraft now makes up one part of the Koos Collection along with KOO01/02 - a series of views of country houses, also purchased from David Koos.

Content

This is part of the Collection: KOO01 David Koos Collection

Rights

© John Edward Birtles

© Winter and Kidson