Object of the Month: Bishop’s Stortford Museum’s July choice contains some of the first photos taken in the town
Bishop’s Stortford Museum’s Object of the Month for July is the George Speechly Photograph Album, chosen by collections volunteer Chris
This photograph album is of extra-special interest in the history of Bishop’s Stortford as it contains some of the earliest images taken in the town by a pioneer in photography.
George Speechly came to Bishop’s Stortford from Peterborough in 1855 and, in 1857, established a chemist’s shop on High Street at a location which is now incorporated into the rear of the George Hotel and Prezzo.
After 1865, he relocated to premises at 14 North Street (recently reopened as restaurant and bar No 14). The business was renamed Speechly & Milbanks in 1892, when he retired and the business was taken over by his assistant, Sydney Milbank. Speechly continued to be active in local affairs for many more years until his death.
Speechly was an early pioneer of photography in Bishop’s Stortford, so the sepia photos in the album include some of the earliest images taken in the town, some dating from the mid 1850s.
In these early days, the photographer would do his own developing, so, as a chemist, he would have easy access to the chemicals needed to develop negatives and be comfortable with working with chemical processes.
When he died at the age of 94 in 1928, Speechly was thought to be the town’s oldest resident, with his obituary noting: “Interested in amateur photography, he had the distinction of being the first person in Bishop’s Stortford to successfully take photos when that art was in its early stages of development.”
We have chosen a photo, from 1857, of North Street. The White Horse Inn (now Pizza Express) is in the middle. The house in the foreground was known as the Doctor’s. At some point, the bay window was taken away to create the frontage we see today at kitchen company Kitchenhaus.
To view the chosen collection, please visit the first floor of Bishop’s Stortford Museum at South Mill Arts.
