Photographic collections

The museum holds the largest photographic collection in Plymouth. Spanning the last 150 years, these unique collections reflect Plymouth's changing cityscape.

We are working on a three year project with Plymouth and West Devon Record Office to preserve and provide better access to our major photographic collections. These include:

• City Engineers collection - over 20,000 photographs taken from 1949 to 1962 which chart the rebuilding of Plymouth (online catalogue available)
• Rugg Monk collection - approximately 1,000 images taken in the early 1900s of Plymouth and the surrounding area (online catalogue available)
• Western Morning News collection (held at Plymouth and West Devon Record Office) - over 35,000 images from 1941 onwards
• Goodridge collection - a collection of glass plate negatives showing family life in the early 1900s, and loose photographs and a photograph album of Plymouth's architecture, taken in the mid 20th century.
• Fitzgerald collection - over 200 glass plate negatives dating from the 1930s to 1960s. The majority of the images cover the war period in Plymouth and the post-war reconstruction work.
• An Edwardian album - over 1000 mixed subject photographs taken and compiled, in two albums, by John Henry Palmer RN. There are many images of local interest, including a unique collection and variety of Plymouth, Devonport, Stonehouse, Saltash, Cremyll and Mount Edgcumbe subjects. The albums are also rich in photographs of naval and wider maritime interest. Other subjects featured include canals, fairgrounds, hop-picking, sport and suffragettes. A 'treasure trove'. (online catalogue available)

Plymouth Pictured project

With the help of a Heritage Lottery Fund grant, work began in 2008 to document and conserve the collections. The main target was to catalogue and repack 36,000 images and scan a selection of these. In doing so, these collections are more accessible to the public, and by reducing the need to handle the items, we help to preserve their long term future.

As a result, a number of images have already been made available within our 'Plymouth: Port and Place' gallery on our touch-screen kiosks. Our education team have also used them to help deliver sessions to local schools, and images have also provided stimulus for reminiscence sessions which are led by our community outreach team.