David Johnson
Your readers will remember that this was an ambitious project to photograph every building, bridge and barn in the two Bentham Parishes. It was made possible through financial support from the North Craven Heritage Trust and the involvement of members of Bentham Camera Club. There are 1184 photographs and each has been allocated a National Grid reference, a serial number linking it back to the negative and a title. They have been catalogued and mapped and so there is now a unique, comprehensive photographic record of the Benthams which we hope will prove invaluable to future historians. The albums and maps were handed over to the Library on 26th February 2000. They will be on display at our Local History Exhibition over the Easter Bank Holiday but they are accessible to the public at the Library.
Only one step remains and that is to raise the funds to store them on CDs. This would guarantee their permanence and improve access to the collection. The Camera Club has already received a grant of £394.44 from the North Yorkshire Small Project Fund and we hope to raise the remainder shortly.
I would like to thank the Trust for its support and encouragement.