Croydon Camera Club History: 1890-2000
Preface Introduction The Club Foundation 1809 Soiree 1899 Movies Member Prestige Council Meetings 1903 Founding President Mees Years 1904-12 The Great War Between The Wars Recorded Years Riots! Police! 1931 Edridge Road, 1932 1932 Nudes Ladies and Exhibitions Club Room eviction The Studio: 1933 Cine! Ladies! 1934 Highs and Lows, 1936 A/V, Stag Party, 1937 Freemasonry 1938 Baird Television 1938 War! 1940: Bombed ! Annual Report 1940-41 Making Do 1941 War Ends 1942-5 A War Retrospective Ladies? 1946 Ladies Admitted 1947-8 35mm Slides arrive Struggling 1949 SLF Out! 1949-50 Troubled 1950 Outings 1951 Winter Season 1951 Celebrations Mees Visits Croydon 1955 1956 Nonexistence 1957 1958-1959 1960 More Success 1961 The Darkroom 1961 Frivolity 1962 All Change 1963 1965-1967 Exhibitions 1967 Photeurop 1968 Photeurop 1969 Years 1970-1972 Terra Nova Years 1973 Years 1974-1975 19 Selsdon Road Years 1977-1979 Changes 1980 Friends Meeting House Close the Club 1983 Progress? 1984 Turnaround? 1985 Years 1987-1988 Slow Revival 1989 About Club Outings The Helpers Postscript
CROYDON CAMERA CLUB was founded in 1890 when the town was a manufacturing centre for films, plates, chemicals and photographic apparatus to serve the quickly growing interest in the new 'hobby'.
Croydon was a natural choice for the establishment of a Camera Club with members belonging to the many photographic businesses. By proving their products to the amateur they" could stimulate demand.
The most famous of the manufacturers was the firm of Wratten and Wainright with a factory in Canterbury Road Croydon and claiming to be the oldest established Plate Makers in the world. Members of the Wratten family were members of the Croydon Camera Club through three generations until 1988.
Of the many Scientists who joined in the early days was C E K Mees who's career took him to the Vice Presidency of Kodak Ltd. He never forgot his 11 years as a Club Member and retained his interest until his death in 1960.
Croydon was one of the very few Camera Clubs in the London Area that flourished outside the Photographic Society of Great Britain, and it is fitting that the celebration of its Centenary should be marked by the publication of this book to record the History of the Croydon Camera Club from 25 February 1890 to the present time.