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. 

Salmon fishing on the River Tweed and at its mouth at Berwick has been carried on since the medieval period. The river was and still is divided into a series of fisheries on both banks, all individually named – including Crabwater; Gardo, Abstell, Yarrow and Sandstell.

Until the late 18^th century, salmon were often pickled or salted to preserve them. They were packed in barrels and then transported by ship to London and other places. However, this all changed in 1788 when it was discovered that the salmon could be packed in ice in flat boxes to keep them fresh and then sent to London in fast Berwick boats known as “Smacks”.  These boats could sail there in as little as 44 hours.

Fishing for salmon on the River Tweed was and still is governed by various Tweed Fisheries Acts. These regulated the times when fishermen could fish – they are not allowed to fish between 6pm on Saturdays and 6am on Monday mornings and no fishing with a net is allowed between 14^th September and 15^th February.

In the 19^th and 20^th centuries salmon fishing was a major employer in Berwick. One of the main companies was the Berwick Salmon Fisheries Company which operated until 1988. By then the salmon industry in Berwick was in decline as many of the fishery rights had been bought up by the Atlantic Salmon Conservation Trust and others.  As of 2021, there is only one commercially operated salmon fishery at the mouth of the River Tweed – Gardo – near Tweedmouth Dock which catches the fish the traditional way with a net and coble.

The first photograph (BRO 1944/1/4852/39), taken on 25 July 1967, shows fishermen displaying their large catch of 102 salmon at Outwaterstell Fishery near the mouth of the River Tweed.

On 8^th August 1969, a tally of 361 salmon, 448 grilse and 23 trout were caught over one tide and an 8-hour spell of fishing at Crabwater Fishery. This total of 832 fish was the largest local catch ever recorded in one day. This second image (BRO 1944/1/5341/66) shows Mr Swinney sitting in his truck with the catch.

The third photograph (BRO 1944/1/271/6), taken in 1952 shows a salmon fishing net being made at the Carr Rock in Spittal. The net is being sewn to the float rope and the corks came from Portugal. 

The final photograph (BRO 1944/1/219/9), also taken in 1952 shows boxes of Tweed salmon being delivered to Berwick Railway Station, ready for their onward journey to London and other places by rail. This was the quickest way to transport them.

An environmental portrait is a photograph of someone in their usual environment, for example at home, in their workplace, or in an area that typically shows as aspect of the subject’s everyday life. The essence of environmental portraiture is to capture the subject in the context of their surroundings. The surroundings or background of the portrait is a key element as this is used to give further information about the person being photographed. The subject is often shown undertaking their usual tasks, such as doing an element of their job.