I have been pleased that in the last couple of weeks I have been contacted by a number of people who have looked at the material in this blog, and got something from it. On March 2nd. there was a program by Lee Hall on the 'Archive Hour' on Radio 4, covering aspects of the North East poetry scene, including the Morden Tower and Basil Buntings work. I was also pleased to note that the Morden Tower website has loaded up yet more of my fathers photographs - a few the same as these, but many additional ones. At 84 he was a techno-phobe - no telly, never mind a PC with Internet, so I don't know how much it would have meant to him - but I find it pleasing that his major 'hobby' has outlived him in this way.
Blog comments have been useful too - so I can update one of the photos with additional names, and correct two spelling mistakes. Poetry is about precision - so I shall put them right as soon as I can.
Jeremy James
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As one doing research around Bunting, Morden Tower and British poetries, I can't tell you how grateful I am for the images and notes you've uploaded here. The UB Poetry Collection here in Buffalo, NY holds many of Tom Pickard's papers (including the Briggflatts notebook given to Pickard by Bunting). Since the papers were delivered to the collection in haste (uncatalogued, unorganized, etc) there was little if any information indicating that many of the pictures in the Pickard papers were taken by your father. Nice to have at least part of the record (and the archive) set straight.
thanks ... rich owens ...
I've found whilst doing this work that its fairly easy for me to say which photographs my dad took, and which not. Of course, over the years I've seen most of them...but there's a certain style - no facial close-ups for one thing. Most of his photographs (apart from some family stuff) are now with the Archivist at Beamish Museum in County Durham, but the poetry ones went to the Bunting Archive at Durham University, once run by his friend Ric Caddell. Jeremy James
This is amazing - excellent stuff! We need to keep records of our cultural history, especially of something as important as the Tower. I wonder if there are people out there with documentary material from the time this leaves off. Many thanks for putting this online, Michael Blackburn (ex-Tower-'runner').
Hi Jerremy! Yours is a great initiative indeed. I can understand this as have been collecting all written works of father and grandfather for years now. It takes more time in gathering these reflections on culture generation after generation, but it helps giving a sound footage to the coming generations. People die but not their works nor their endeavours. Well! Keep in touch.
Biswajit Dash
http://bluebardpoems.wordpress.com
I'd like to echo Rich's praise and gratitude.
Thank you so much for this wonderful blog.
Great site. Hope you don't mind, but we've put one of the pictures and given you a mention on our blog - and listed your site in our links.
http://fridaynightboys300.blogspot.com/
Hi Jeremy,
I am currently co-editing a book about North East literary history which has articles about Morden Tower and Colpitts in it. I would love to talk to you about using some of your father's amazing photos in the book. Could you please get in touch?
Claire Malcolm - New Writing North
claire@newwritingnorth.com
Hi Jeremy,
Many thanks for this site and the history that you've shared. I came across your father's photographs on the Flickr site of Morden Tower, and I'm interested in re-using two photos (of Derek Mahon and Paul Muldoon) for a project that a colleague and I are completing about the Belfast Group. I've not been able to find your contact information, but I hope you'd be willing to contact me at brian [dot] croxall [at] emory [dot] edu?
Thank you very much,
Brian Croxall, PhD
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Brian Croxall, PhD | Digital Humanities Strategist | Lecturer of English | Emory University
Thanks for sharing this nice article.I read it completely and get some interesting knowledge from this.I again thankful to you for sharing such a nice blog.
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