W.T. Jones Durham Lantern Slides

Lantern slides chiefly of Durham city, particularly Durham castle, mostly (perhaps all) from the collection of the architect W.T. Jones, F.S.A., F.R.I.B.A. (1864-1932), and probably including a number taken by him.

A majority of the slides received via the Archaeology Dept relate to Durham Castle, and a number were apparently made for Jones from negatives of the 1920's restoration work now in the Durham Castle Buildings Archive.

Others relate to other Durham buildings, particularly the cathedral and the town hall, and to Durham personalities and documents. A few are of drawings of medieval siege engines and other weapons, and seem to have been produced for lectures Jones gave on the medieval city and castle. Many bear his WTJ monogram. The slides seem to have been used also by more recent lecturers and to have been considerably disarranged, and possibly also augmented, in the process, so that a few of the slides now present may actually be unconnected with Jones. The group of 28 slides already held by the University library when the Archaeology Department's deposit was received are all of Durham Castle. Most are of high quality, apparently the work of a professional photographer. They are linked to Jones by the subject matter and date (approximately the 1920's), and the inclusion of a slide of the map of the city wall prepared for his article The Walls and Towers of Durham , Durham University Journal , v. 22/23 (1921-23), pp. 241-6, 273-8, 314-7, 357-61, 389-92, and 524-8; the map follows p. 278.

Born in 1864, William Thorpe Jones was educated at Southwell Grammar School and St George's, Brampton. He became a pupil of C. Hodgson Fowler, F.S.A., F.R.I.B.A., and later worked with R. K. Freeman, F.R.I.B.A. before setting up in practice on his own account in 1892. In the following year he became architect to the University of Durham, and he was the moving spirit behind the programme of restoration work carried out on Durham castle in the 1920's and 1930's, acting as its architect until his death in 1932. His publications included the account of the castle in The Victoria History of County Durham , vol. 3 (1928), 64-93. In that year he was awarded an honorary M.A. degree by the university. His practice was located at 43 North Bailey, Durham.

Not yet arranged.

Open for consultation.

The bulk of the collection (97 slides) was received as part of a large photographic accumulation deposited by the University's Department of Archaeology in 1995. These slides are now kept as a separate collection, merged with a group of 28 apparently related slides already held by the University Library, the source of which is unrecorded.

Not yet listed.

Permission to make any published use of material from the collection must be sought in advance from the Sub-Librarian, Special Collections (e-mail PG.Library@durham.ac.uk) and, where appropriate, from the copyright owner. The Library will assist where possible with identifying copyright owners, but responsibility for ensuring copyright clearance rests with the user of the material.

Durham Castle Buildings Archive