General Information
During the year 2000 D J Clark built a visual record of the Lancaster &
Morecambe district using photographs and information submitted by those that
feature in the pictures. The project was conducted in association with Lancaster
Museum and has been archived for future generations to look back at the district
at the turn of the new Millennium. For more information on the project visit
the information page. If you find a caption is
wrong or there is a fault with the page please e-mail D
J Clark.
Date:
November 9th, 2000
Location: West End, Morecambe
Photographer's Diary
Thursday 9th November - West End, Morecambe
It had rained almost constantly for two weeks now and this was the first time
the sun had come through. I had put the day aside to sorting negatives and making
a plan to finish the project. I was halfway through when on a surge of frustration
with a slow computer, I grabbed my cameras and headed for Morecambe. I had prints
to deliver for Ray Edmondson and Jamie Crawford and took them as an excuse to
get out the loft.
Arriving in the Westend, I picked up my camera, delivered the print to Ray on
Yorkshire street and carried on walking. I had not intended to paint a picture
of gloom and doom, but so many shops were closed or in disrepair. The place
was becoming a ghost town. "It's not like it used to be" an old man
told me as he passed. "I could take you to see some sights, I could",
before I could say "go on then" he had walked on. I was fascinated
by the buildings past, with signs and architecture pointing to an earlier era.
There must have been wealth and success in the past, but there was little to
celebrate now.