Originally founded in 1951 as the Photo-News Service, the Photo Centre in Berwick was a staple of town life for over 65 years as a family-run press agency and photo studio.

Their premises at 17 Bridge Street had a well-equipped studio above the shop where commercial photography took place. The business also covered newsworthy events in the area and recorded family occasions and celebrations, marking milestones in the lives of several generations of townspeople.  

The first photograph (BRO 1944/1/1872/11) was taken in March 1958. It shows William Cowe and Son’s grocery store, the ‘Home of the Original Berwick Cockles’. ‘Cockles’ are a local peppermint sweet which had been made on the premises since 1801. The shop closed in 2010.

The second photograph (BRO 1944/1/995/1) was taken in August 1955 and shows a queue outside The Theatre in Hide Hill, waiting to see the British war film The Dam Busters. The Theatre advertised the “Northern Premier” from 25th August, and it was then kept on “owing to unprecedented demand”. The Dam Busters was the most popular film to be shown in British cinemas in 1955. The Theatre opened in February 1928 as Berwick’s second cinema. With dwindling cinema audiences in the 1960s, it closed at the beginning of 1969. Since then, it has had various uses including a bingo hall and restaurant.

The third photograph (BRO 1944/1/4085/28) was taken in September 1964 and shows Lamberton Toll House. Like the Blacksmith’s in Gretna Green, this was the scene of many marriages in the past. Until the late 19th century, “Irregular” or “Penny Marriages” were carried out by so-called priests just across the border in Scotland but were legally recognised in England. People would come from all over North Northumberland and further afield to get married there, some of them eloping. This house was demolished in 1975 when the A1 was widened.

The final photograph (BRO 1944/1/253/5), taken in 1952 shows Berwick Quayside shortly after shipbuilding had resumed on the site. On the right, steel sheets for ship hulls can be seen, held in place by “kickers”. The stores at the back left have now disappeared, but the square building in the centre still stands. At the back right, the Playhouse cinema is partially visible. After being unused for five years, it was demolished in November 2010 and has been replaced by a modern Premier Inn hotel.

Berwick-upon-Tweed is a town of contrasts. It has many old, listed buildings and structures dating back to the 16th century and before, including the remains of Berwick Castle, medieval fortifications, the iconic Tudor town walls, bridges, army barracks and the Town Hall. However, these are also many new 20th and 21st century structures including the Maltings Arts Centre (Eastern Lane), Premier Inn (Sandgate) and shops on Marygate including Boots. This has created a mix of old and new which sit side by side.

Until the early 20th century, most of the residential buildings in Berwick were concentrated within the Tudor Walls. However, many of them were in poor condition which led to overcrowded conditions with one family living in a couple of rooms. Many were pulled down in the 1930s and the residents were moved out to new modern properties on the edge of town.

By the 1970s, Berwick had the highest concentration of listed buildings in the country but 130 of them were either derelict or in a poor state of repair. This led to the establishment of the Berwick Preservation Trust in 1971 who purchased properties at risk, renovated and then often sold them to pay for future projects. The organisation has overseen the renovation of properties on Quay Walls, the Granary in Dewars Lane and Shoe Lane.

Until the 1960s, shops in Marygate and the centre of town were often small local businesses with their own identity. However from then on, many of the old premises were demolished or altered to look “modern”. This has created a very different “High Street” and town centre to the one which existed before this.

Berwick has a unique built heritage and often it is only by looking above eye level that people can appreciate and spot original historical features of what appears to be a modern building at ground level.

Exterior architecture photography covers photographs that primarily show the exterior of manmade structures. This could include houses and buildings, bridges, cityscapes, and other notable structures.

Urban Exploration photography (or Urbex photography) is a subfield of architecture photography. The main premise of Urbex photography is exploring old, lost, abandoned, and decaying locations and recording them with photography.

Some artists, such as Nicky Bird and Sarah Schönfeld work with photographs showing spaces in the past, and use either first-hand or collective memory of those who experienced the spaces to create new works reflecting on the evolution, destruction or reconstruction of locations over time.