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BRISTOL'S HISTORY Recorded by Charles Wells Edited and Illustrated by Reece Winstone. Reece Winstone, Bristol 1966 First edition. 96pp Illustrated Hardback This copy is in in FINE condition in illustrated colour laminated covers as issued. Frank Reece Winstone was born on 3 September 1909 to John ( Jack ) and Lillian Winstone, at 13 Elvaston Road, Bedminster, Bristol.He attended Bristol Cathedral School from 1920 to 1925, and while there started photography as a hobby. On leaving school Winstone joined his father s menswear business at 29 East Street, Bedminister, where he learnt about salesmanship and display, whilst practising photography at night. He remained an amateur photographer until his father retired in 1937, at which time he became a full-time freelance. After wartime service in the RAF Mobile Field Photographic Section, during which time he adopted the name 'Reece' for his professional work, Winstone moved to 23 Hyland Grove, Henbury, Bristol. This was to be his home and business address for the next 30 years. In 1948 Winstone gave his first public Lantern Lecture (or slide show) on 'Old Bristol', with some success. Through the 1950s he expanded his collection of Bristol photographs, and began to campaign on issues such as the High Cross (removed from College Green), the Friese-Greene birthplace, and to highlight the destruction being wrought by post-war development. His first 'Bristol As It Was' title (Bristol As It Was 1939-1914) was published in 1957, and eventually ran to 5 editions selling a total of 20,000 copies. He went on to publish a further 36 volumes, the last (Bristol As It Was 1940-1960) being published in 1988. The earlier books reflected in their titles Winstone's perspective on history; in the period before 1939 the dates run backwards (so Bristol As It Was 1939-1914), whereas in his books covering periods after this they run forwards (so Bristol As It Was 1953-1956). From 1950 onwards Winstone was taking photographs of scenes which were soon to change as a result of redevelopment, with the express intent of publishing them in book form a decade later. Winstone's accession log details the 43,427 photographs he took between 4 December 1924 and 6 February 1988, many of which were in fulfilment of his self-appointed role as 'photographic recorder of Bristol'. In addition he amassed a large collection of historic photographs of the city, and was meticulous in dating and captioning them, and thus Bristol's history since the mid-19th century is very well documented photographically. Here are the musings of Charles Wells, some time editor of the Bristol Times and Mirror, whose column 'Written In A Library' Have been edited and brought to life through the photographs of Reece Winstone. Ref T1 Size: 96pp.
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