The Research Team was very pleased indeed to receive this album from John Collinson of photographs taken either by his father or his uncle Norman: not only do personal photographs often show areas of Lyme neglected by professional photographers, but as in this case, they have an exact date: July 1926. Although not in pristine condition, given they are now nearly 100 years old, they are remarkably clear - and very informative.
Lovely Lyme Regis (1930s) and Lyme Regis in the 1950s were both written by Jo Draper in her inimitably readable style in the early years of the 21st Century. Jo was employed in 1993 by the Museum as cataloguer prior to the building works of the mid-nineties, then became consultant curator until her retirement in 2008. (More details are given in this obituary written by Max Hebditch). In Lovely Lyme Regis (1930s),Jo compares the rather harsher reality as demonstrated in Council Minutes and other contemporary documents with the somewhat flowery language used in Lyme's promotional publications. Despite her light and sometimes humerous style, Jo's research is as meticulous as ever. Lyme Regis in the 1950s continues the theme of actual facts versus some of the articles being written about Lyme (whose charms were already being sung by the Sunday Times in 1950!) but also chronicles some of the lucky escapes Lyme had had from various scary modernisation proposals. Do dip in to these anything-but-dry booklets.