Amersham Through a Lens

by Linda Gould

George Ward (1860–1943) was well known in Amersham as a town councillor, cycle and motor engineer, founder of Amersham Town Band and a keen photographer.
Many of his glass plate negatives were given to Amersham Museum by local historian Jean Archer and by his family and have been digitised. Our collection covers his images of special events and everyday occurrences from the 1880s to 1930. They give us a unique insight into life in Amersham over a century ago.
During the Covid-19 pandemic many of us have spent more time walking in our local area, reconnecting with our environment. It seems an appropriate time to show how George Ward captured our town 100 years ago. His images show the direct relationship that people had then with their environment, with their reliance on arable and pastoral farming. We are displaying his pictures alongside those of local photographers. In some cases we have captured similar views, some of which are unchanged since George took his photographs.