Heritage Treasures Day 2023: the Alice Longstaff Collection

By Dr Francesca Elliott, Heritage Manager at Pennine Heritage

11th January is Heritage Treasures Day, and we're highlighting one of the greatest treasures in our Digital Archive - the Alice Longstaff Collection.

A Life in Pictures

Longstaff began her photography career in 1921, starting her apprenticeship aged just 14. She was tutored by another pioneering female photographer, Ada Westerman, who ran the Westerman photography studio with her father Crossley. Longstaff would later inherit the studio. In a career spanning seven decades, Longstaff's body of work is an incredible asset for historians and photographers alike.

While most of Longstaff's income came from portrait and wedding photography, she was also a talented street photographer, documenting the everyday lives of her neighbours. Longstaff's work uniquely captures the life and soul of Hebden Bridge and its surrounding communities.

Heart of the Digital Archive

Alice Longstaff is a key part of the origin story of the archive, founded by Frank Woolrych after he inherited Longstaff's entire collection following her death. Frank lead a dedicated team of volunteers to preserve and digitise Longstaff's collection, creating a digital archive which has since grown to encompass the work of many other local photographers.

The Alice Longstaff Gallery Collection includes not just Longstaff's own pictures, but the hundreds of photographs she inherited from Crossley and Ada Westerman when she took over their business. This means that the collection spans over 100 years, providing an unparalleled visual record of life in and around Hebden Bridge from 1890-1992.

Today, the Digital Archive is run by a team of volunteers, led by Ann Kilbey, who preserve and digitise historic photographs from around the South Pennines. If you are interested in volunteering and contributing to this incredible historic record, please get in touch!