Edinburgh Photographic Society

Survey Section

Later known as the Record Group

Please click here to see some EPS Survey Section photos

 

Survey Section

Established 1886

In July 1886, 13 years before the EPS Survey Group was established, GG Mitchell delivered a Paper to EPS in which he said:

"I have for some years thought it would be a very interesting thing to have originated a really good collection of photographic views of what is commonly designated “Old Edinburgh."

In December 1886, an announcement was made by EPS:

"The Secretary will be glad to receive any photographs or pictures of “Old Edinburgh” for the Old Edinburgh Album, as proposed in the July number of Transactions."

 

Survey Section

Established 1899

Edinburgh Photographic Society Survey Section was established in 1899, and over the early years of the 20th century created a collection of photographs of  streets and buildings of Edinburgh.

Similar groups were also created in other British photographic societies.  Birmingham Photographic Society was reported to have undertaken a systematic Photographic Survey in 1889.  By 1914 over 30 surveys were being conducted - almost all in association with public libraries.   [CS Minto:  Edinburgh Public Library]

Edinburgh Photogrpahic Society Survey Group produced over 1000 prints.  These were presented to Edinburgh Council.  I believe that some are now held by Edinburgh Public Library and others by Scottish National Portrait Gallery

 

Survey Section

Objectives

Collection to be Created

In the early years of the 20th century, Transactions of the Edinburgh Photographic Society regularly promoted the objects of the Survey Group, encouraging EPS Members to contribute to the work of the section.  The Survey Section wished to create a record of Edinburgh past and present.

Its objectives were declared as being:

1.  To make a comprehensive collection of Original Paintings, Engravings, Prints, Photographs, Lantern Slides and Illustrations of every description of Edinburgh,  Leith and District of the Past.

2.  To secure permanent Photographs (such as by Carbon or Platinotype Process), Drawings &c. of Streets, Buildings, Monuments of Edinburgh, Leith, and District as they now exist, and of all Public and Open Spaces in and around the City, and to obtain representations of the Civic and Social Life and Customs of the City.

It was proposed that two copies of each photograph would be created, one to be given to the City of Edinburgh and the other to be retained in Edinburgh Photographic Society's albums.

Where are the Photos Now?

I believe that:

-  the 'City of Edinburgh' copy of these photos is now held within the collection of the Edinburgh Room at Edinburgh Central Library, and that these are held as individual photos indexed by photographer and location, rather than as a separate collection of prints.

-  the 'EPS copy' of these photos is now held by the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, and that these are held a separate group of photos within the SNPG collection

 

Survey Section

Rambles

EPS Sections

During the summer months, Edinburgh Photographic Society arranged many excursions for its members.  Some were organised by the main society, offering trips by barge, steamer, train, charabanc etc.

Others were organised by sections within the Society:

-  The EPC Cycling Camera Corps (by cycle)

-  The EPS Survey Section (on foot, described as 'Rambles').

In the summer of 1908, the Survey Section arranged rambles to:

-  to Edinburgh Old Town

-  to Holyrood

-  around the city walls.

1908

Members of the newly formed Old Edinbrugh Club were invited to join EPS Survey Group Members on their ramble around the city walls on July 18, 1908.  The ramble was led by Mr Geddie of The Scotsman newspaper.

As part of their centenary celebrations in 2008, the Old Edinburgh Club arranged to repeat the ramble around the city walls on July 18, 2008 following, as closely as possible, the route taken by the 1908 walk.

  About 70 people wished to join the ramble, so it was repeated the following day, with about 35 members joining each walk.  The leader was Graham Cruickshank of the OEC.

 

Survey Section

Exhibitions

1904 to 1910

The Survey Section held an Exhibition on January 4, 1905.  This comprised 50 paintings, 107 engravings and 359 photographs.

A further exhibition was held in Exhibition in 1910, at which JF Duthie, EPS President, said:

"[The Survey Section] was formed with a view of having a record of Edinburgh, past and present.  There were in Edinburgh several societies earnestly engaged in trying to prevent the doing away with bits of old Edinburgh.

While these societies were doing good work, and had been able to influence some people, they could not get at the multitude.  They could not get the people of Edinburgh interested in their work. That could only be done by photography, and by the Edinburgh Photographic Society.  By photography, they could show the people  old Edinburgh still standing, and in danger of being swept away."

JF Duthie  urged the Edinburgh Council to take an interest in preserving old Edinburgh.  The Councillor present at the opening ceremony welcomed the initiative being taken by the EPS Survey Group     [BJP  1910  p.172]

 

Survey Section

Progress to 1911

Press Comment

The British Journal of Photography reported on the 1911 Open Exhibition preceded by the 10th EPS Annual Dinner.

Mr Eddison, in proposing a toast to The Lord Provost, Magistrates, and Town Council of Edinburgh said:

"The Society now had in its possession nearly five hundred photographs of Old Edinburgh, and it was their intention to pass these on to the Corporation Museum.  

They aimed at making a complete selection of photographs of Edinburgh at the beginning of the twentieth century, which would be handed down to show Edinburgh at that time.

This involved expenditure and they hoped to receive some little financial assistance from the Corporation."

[BJP:  10 Mar 1911,  p.183]

 

Survey Section

Survey of George Square Ward

1912 to 1914

RCAHMS (The Royal Commission on the Ancient & Historic Monuments of Scotland) has  an album (actually a total of about 80 loose pages with about 4 to 6 photos on most of the pages) from the EPS Survey Section.

Most of the photos were taken between 1912 and 1914, though there are also some earlier images collected, but not taken, by the EPS Survey Group Members.

This survey is of Ward XIV (George Square). There are a number of photos in this survey that I'd like to add to the EdinPhoto web site if I can get permission to do that, but so far as I am aware, the photos have not yet been digitised.

I have listed below the photos from this album that I would like to add to the EdinPhoto web site.

Update  -  July 5, 2011

I've now begun to add some of these photos and a few others  to the EdinPhoto web site.  Those on the list below that I have added are shaded yellow:

Page

Location

and description

(numbering L to R on row 1 then row 2)

Photographer

Date

Cover *

Survey heading and map

-

-

1 *

Grassmarket
 2.  West End showing foot of Vennel

JR Hamilton

1914

1 *

Grassmarket
 5.  Heriot Bridge

JC McKechnie

1913

2 *

Candlemaker Row
 5.  General view from Grassmarket

JC McKechnie

1913

3

Candlemaker Row

2. 

GG Mitchell

1890

3

Candlemaker Row

3. 

GG Mitchell

1890

4

Candlemaker Row

2.  General view looking north

JC McKechnie

1913

4

Candlemaker Row

4.  Greyfriar’s Bobby

JR Hamilton

1913

6

Greyfriars Churchyard

6.

JF Duthie

1912

14 *

Greyfriars Churchyard

1. General view … John Byers tomb

JC McKechnie

1912

16 *

Greyfriars Churchyard

5. Gateway at entrance from Candlemaker Row

JC McKechnie

1912

21 *

Greyfriars Churchyard

1. General view looking northwards …

JC McKechnie

1912

23 *

Greyfriars Churchyard

2. Earl y engraving

-

-

24 *

Greyfriars Churchyard

1.

DO Hill

1843-47

24 *

Greyfriars Churchyard

2.

DO Hill

1843-47

25 *

Greyfriars Churchyard Entrance

2.

DO Hill

1843-47

26 *

Greyfriars Churchyard

5. Church from entrance

R Dykes

-

28

Greyfriars Churchyard

6. On south wall of church, Monuments

JC McKechnie

1912

33

Bristo Place
1.. General view …

AA Gibb

1913

33

Bristo Place
2. West side, looking south

AA Gibb

1913

33

Forrest Road
3. Showing new Utd Free Church

AA Gibb

1913

33

Forrest Road
6. SW corner

JC McKechnie

1913

34

Forrest Road
1. Old print of  Charity Workhouse

-

-

35 *

McEwan Hall + University Union
 2.. from end of Bristo Place

AA Gibb

1914

35

McEwan Hall
 4. Principal Entrance

JC McKechnie

1914

36 *

Bristo Street

1. Showing buildings demolished in 1897

AH Baird

1897

36

Bristo Street

3. Showing west end of Marshall Street

JC McKechnie

1914

37

Nicolson Square + Marshall Street
 2. General view from Nicolson Street

JR Hamilton

1914

38

West Nicolson Street
2. West end of North side

JF Duthie

1913

38 *

Nicolson Street
4. Showing corner of West Crosscauseway

AH Baird

1903

39

West Crosscauseway
1. General view from east end

JR Hamilton

1914

39 *

West Crosscauseway
2. NE corner in process of demolition

AH Baird

1904

39 *

West Crosscauseway
3. North side, looking west

AH Baird

1904

39

St Patrick’s Square
 5. General view from south

JR Hamilton

1914

40

Clerk Street
 1. General view of west side …

JR Hamilton

1914

40

South Clerk Street
4. General view of west side

JR Hamilton

1914

41 *

Summerhall
 1. Old cottages on site now occupied …

AH Baird

1911

42

Gifford Park
2. South side looking east

JC McKechnie

1912

42

Buccleuch Street
4. Showing Archer’s Hall on right

JR Hamilton

1914

43 *

Buccleuch Street
2. Old houses on east side

GA Massie

1912

43 *

Buccleuch Street
5. Buccleuch Pend

AM Ritchie

1907

43 *

Buccleuch Place
6. North side, looking east

JR Hamilton

1914

45

Crosscauseway
 1. (Goosedubs) north side

JF Duthie

1912

45 *

Crosscauseway
 3. (Goosedubs) south side

JC McKechnie

1912

45

Buccleuch Parish Church
4. from the east

JR Hamilton

1914

46 *

Buccleuch Parish Church
1. Interior, looking west

JR Hamilton

1914

48 *

West Nicolson Street
2. NW corner

AH Baird

1905

48 *

West Nicolson Street
3. SW corner

AH Baird

1905

48 *

West Nicolson Street
5.  Front view of Usher & Co’s house

AH Baird

1905

49 *

Chapel Street
 2. showing entrance to Chapel House

JR Hamilton

1912

49 *

Potterrow
 4. Shop (No 116) at south end of east side.

JR Hamilton

1914

50 *

Windmill Lane
 1.

JR Hamilton

1914

55 *

East Meadows
 1. Old Archer’s Hall …

JF Duthie

1912

57 *

Edinburgh Royal Infirmary
 1

George Cairncross

1914

57

Middle Meadow Walk
 5.

JR Hamilton

1914

58

Lauriston Place
Left top.

JR Hamilton

1914

58 *

Edinburgh Royal Infirmary
 Centre. Top.  General view from Heriot Hospital

Dr Inglis Clark

1914

58

Archibald Place
Right Bottom.  East side, looking south …

JR Hamilton

1914

59 *

Lauriston Place
Left top.  S side, looking west from Archibald …

JR Hamilton

1914

60

Lauriston Place
1.George Heriot’s Hospital Main Entrance …

JR Hamilton

1913

60 *

Lauriston Place
4.General view of position of hospital

DO Hill

1843-47

62

Lauriston Place, Heriot’s Hospital
 3.  Elevation of main doorway

JC McKechnie

1913

62

Lauriston Place, Heriot’s Hospital
 4. Front elevation from NW

JC McKechnie?

1913

62

Lauriston Place, Heriot’s Hospital
 5. Detail from main doorway

JC McKechnie?

1913

66 *

Lauriston Place, Heriot’s Hospital
 1. Board Room, showing Coat of Arms

JC McKechnie

1913

66 *

Lauriston Place, Heriot’s Hospital
 2. Board Room, showing table

JC McKechnie

1913

66 *

Lauriston Place, Heriot’s Hospital
 4. Quadrangle at NW corner

JC McKechnie

1913

70 *

Lauriston Place
4. North side,, old cattle market

J Drummond Shiels

1907

70

College of Art
5 (in two parts). on site of old cattle  market

R Berry

1914

71 *

Lauriston Place
2. SW corner of Lady Lawson Street

JR Hamilton

1914

71 *

Lauriston Place
4. Nos 90-102, corner of Lauriston Street

R Berry

1913

71 *

Lauriston Street
5. East side, (Nos 69-71)

R Berry

1913

72

Lauriston Street
Centre, top.

R Berry

1913

72

Lauriston Street
Right, West end, looking east

JR Hamilton

1914

73 *

Home Street + Riego Street
 1. looking east from Tollcross

JR Hamilton

1914

73 *

Riego Street
3. looking north from Home Street

JR Hamilton

1914

73 *

Home Street
 4. looking west from Tollcross

JR Hamilton

1914

73 *

Home Street
 5. looking west from Tollcross

R Berry

1914

74 *

Earl Grey Street
4. looking north from Tollcross

JR Hamilton

1914

75 *

Leven Street
4. site of King’s Theatre

AM Ritchie

-

76 *

Leven Street
2. demolition of old buildings

AM Ritchie

1904

76

Leven Street
3. King’s Theatre from NW

JR Hamilton

1914

76 *

Leven Street
4. King’s Theatre from SW

James Oliver

1914

77 *

Union Canal
1. Loading bank on south side …

R Berry

1914

77

Union Canal
2. Bridge at Fountainbridge

JR Hamilton

1914

77 *

Ponton Street
6. East side, looking north

James Oliver

1914

78 *

Union Canal
5.

-

-

79 *

High Riggs
 3. Old houses now demolished

AH Baird

1904

80

West Port
1. Looking east from Main Point

James Oliver

1914

81 *

West Port
4. Showing the old Outlook Tower

JR Hamilton

1914

An asterisk (*) in column 1 above denotes an image that I would most like to add to the EdinPhoto web site.

Peter Stubbs:  July 9, 2010.  Updated April 15, 2011

Update  -  July 2011

RCAHMS have now (at July 2011) scanned about 35 of the photos from the EPS Survey Section albums and added them to their Canmore web site.

With the agreement of RCAHMS, I have now added most of these to the EdinPhoto web site.  Please click on the link below to see them:

EPS Survey Section -  Photos

More Images to be added to the EdinPhoto web site Later

So far, I have only added a small proportion of the images in this table to the EdinPhoto web site.  i.e. those shaded yellow. The images shaded white above have not yet been scanned by RCAHMS.

Peter Stubbs:  July 5, 2011

 

Survey Section

After World War 1

1914 to 1926

Unfortunately, the activities of the Survey Section were curtailed with the outbreak of the War in 1914, and brought to a standstill in 1916-17:

 “in view of the conditions which still prevail in regard to the carrying of cameras and the restriction of photography within the city”

In fact, the Survey Section appears to have remained in existence, though was probably not very active, until 1926.

Further attempts were made to revive the survey group around 2000 and again in 2006, but without success.

1947 to 1978

A Record Group (similar to the earlier Survey Group) was established in 1947 and remained in existence until 1978.  It seems to have been particularly active for about three years from 1958

Meetings of the Group,  described in the EPS Syllabus as Record Group Meetings were held in:

-  9 Oct 1958,  13 Nov 1958,  11 Dec 1958

-  8 Jan 1959,  12 Feb 1959,  12 Mar 1959, 9 Apr 1959

-  8 Oct 1959,  12 Nov 1959,  10 Dec 1959

-  14 Jan 1960, 11 Feb 1960, 10 Mar 1960

During these three years, it proposed to carry out a photographic survey of the whole city, but only the St Bernard's Ward was photographed.  However, this area includes some interesting views ranging from Stockbridge and Comely Bank to Haymarket.

Photos in Collections

The results of this survey can be found in the Edinburgh Room of Edinburgh Central Library.  There are 479 photographs, mounted on boards, following conservation work on the collection in 2001.

The photographs were taken by some EPS Members:

-  Cawley

-  Knox

-  Hay

-  Nicholson

-  Pringle

-  Russell

-  Scott

-  Siller and

-  Young

I have seen some photos attributed to D Young now held by Leith Library.  They may have been produced as part of this group's activities.

From 2000

Recent attempts have been made to revive the Survey Section (or Record Group) of EPS - first around 2000, then again in 2006, but without success.

 

Edinburgh Photographic Society

EPS History

 Pictorial Section

Beginners Section

Elementary Section

Lantern Section

Edinburgh Photographic Club

EPC Meetings

  EPS Meetings

EPS Groups

 

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