Negatives, some glass, some celluloid, mainly related to Durham city, taken or in some cases collected by Dr C.W. Gibby. The collection covers buildings, street scenes, views, people, paintings, engravings, manuscripts, maps, coins and other objects associated with Durham city, and reflects Gibby's interest in its history and determination to record its changing appearance. There are also a small number of negatives of other places in Co. Durham, and a large group related to railways.
The majority of the negatives are glass, the most common sizes being 3 x 4 and 3 x 3 inches.