Capturing the Mountains / Cumbria Reading Detectives

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Capturing the Mountains Find!

I am writing this entry on behalf of Reading Detective June.

"Capturing the Mountains: The Lake District Through the Lens of the Abraham Brothers" was published in 2008 and includes an introduction by Sue Steinberg, Ashley Abraham's granddaughter, who also compiled this historic collection of photographs.

This is a collection of superb Lake District photographs from the late Victorian/Edwardian era, of climbing and outdoor scenes, taken by Keswick's renowned climbing photographers, George and Ashley Abraham.This book revives over 100 Abraham historical photographs of the Lake District, in large-format classic black and white.The Abraham brothers of Keswick were pioneer rock-climbers and professional photographers, whose mountaineering shots are known to all serious climbers. As well as the dramatic climbing shots, there are more gentle scenes of Grasmere and Derwentwater, sheep and shepherds, tarns, fells and launches...all seemingly unchanged in a century. Every exile from the Lake District will be transported back in time. Reproduced with fresh clarity thanks to digital technology, the photographs have been painstakingly gathered from all quarters; from art galleries, private collections and libraries, as well as from hotels and even pubs. Their enduring quality will evoke nostalgia in all those who know them already, and will fascinate the young from all over the world as they discover this beautiful region for the first time.

George and Ashley Abraham were founding members of the Fell and Rock Climbing Club of the Lake District and the club still possess many of their original photographs. The Abraham's photographic shop in Keswick, built in 1887, was taken over in due course by local mountaineer George Fisher; the modern shop still contains many memorabilia, including photographs, from the Abraham's era.

It is fascinating to see the climbing clothes and equipment that these early rock cllimbers used - very different to the lightweight gear that is available to mountaineers today. For anyone who enjoys the mountains this is a great coffee table book to inspire the intrepid or to reminisce on past climbs or just wish you could get up there with them. These days walkers and climbers have become a regular part of the Cumbrian landscape but in these early photographs we see the beginning of a sport which helped to open up the landscape to many more ordinary people.

6 September 2009 from Mary Rossall

2 Comments

Jane Fleming | September 7, 2009 9:09 AM

This area is my mother's homeland as it were. I lived in London but it was my job to drive everyone going climbing up to Hawkshead. The Rock Climging Club was more of a rescue team in the 1970s -is this the same group?
Memories of childhood, none of us could afford to go back and live in the Lakes.Not even Barrow!

Mary Rossall replied to comment from Jane Fleming | September 7, 2009 1:05 PM

Hello Jane,
Thanks for your comment and hope you are enjoying reading about our finds. I'm not sure if the club you remember was the Fell and Rock Club but as you say many members of the climbing fraternity were, and still are, volunteers for the Mountain Rescue teams. They do a fantastic job and give up an enormous amount of time to help in mountain rescues, often in terrible conditions. Although they depend totally on donations they have to pay VAT and this has become quite a contentious issue recently with a lot of media interest. In the days before the Mountain Rescue teams were formed the local farmers often went out on the hills to rescue missing walkers and I mentioned this in my find 'Surrounding Loveliness'.
Your final comment is another contentious issue in this part of the world! The price of property means that many of our young people have to leave the area as they cannot get a foot on the property ladder. The many second homes means that small cottages are priced out of the market for local people so young people have to either continue to live at home, rent expensive houses in the main towns or leave the area altogether.
Hope you continue to enjoy reading about our finds.

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