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 1/6773/21) taken in February 1970 shows the staff of Berwick Shipyard standing in front of the soon to be completed vessel ‘Lorenzo’. The shipyard operated on the Quayside until April 1979 and the men had to work in all weathers as seen here.

The second photograph (BRO 1944/1/4012/4) shows an aerial view of Berwick Shipyard taken from the top of a 90-foot crane in April 1964. Below it, two vessels can be seen under construction. None of these buildings are visible today. At this time the shipyard was owned by Fairmiles.

The third photograph (BRO 1944/1/5126/22) was taken in October 1968 during a visit of Lord Lambton, MP for the Berwick-upon-Tweed constituency from 1951-1973 to the Berwick Shipyard. 1968-1972 was one of the busiest and most productive periods in the shipyard’s history. Many of its orders were for overseas including river tugs for India.  

The final photograph (BRO 1944/1/2828/11) was taken in June 1960. It shows Kylon III on the slipway at Berwick Shipyard undergoing a refit. The boat had been purchased by the River Tweed Commission to monitor salmon fishing between Berwick and Goswick. It began life as a launch on Adolf Hitler’s private yacht the Grille, before being sold after World War 2.

Shipbuilding was established in Berwick in the mid 19^th century by Arthur Bryram. This business continued until 1878 but changed its name to Gowans in the late 18^th century when it passed on Arthur’s death to his son in law, Robert Gowans. The yard built wooden vessels but experimented with iron hulls vessels shortly before its closure in 1878. At this time, the shipbuilding industry was declining because of quicker journey times by rail for both passengers and freight within the British Isles.

No further boats were built on the Berwick side of the River Tweed until 1950 when William Weatherhead and Sons of Cockenzie decided to open a shipyard in Berwick. There were family connections with the area. Weatherheads built barges and tugs, but their success was short lived and in 1953, the business was sold to Fairmile Construction Company Ltd. They built barges, fishing boats and tugs, constructing 21 fishing vessels between 1957 and 1961. Shipbuilding continued until 1972 when Fairmile closed because of an empty order book. However, shipbuilding was resurrected again in 1973 by Intepid Marine Ltd who again could not keep it going. They closed in 1974 and the final company to work from the shipyard area was Berwick Tweed Shipyard. Their last order was completed in 1979 with the launching of the yacht, Au Dela. After that, the business closed, and shipbuilding ceased on the Berwick side of the Tweed.

In the 1950s and 1960s over 100 men were employed at Berwick Shipyard. Ships were either launched from the slipway but were also known to have been launched directly off the side of the Quayside into the River. Unlike larger concerns, all the construction work was done outside, with no cover to protect the men in bad weather. In 1972, a planning application was made to construct a large shed on the Quayside to undertake this work undercover but it was rejected as it would have changed the view of the historic town and walls from the south bank of the Tweed. This helped to accelerate the demise of this industry in Berwick.

Today there are no visible signs of Berwick’s shipbuilding industry on Berwick Quay. It must have been a noisy industrial site but now it is a place for people to walk, set off on a boat trip on the River Tweed or enjoy a cup of coffee. 

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.