Photography exhibition announced featuring fascinating photos of historic Sefton

Back by popular demand, The Atkinson presents Southport Double Take II (Old Southport Through a Modern Lens), a photography exhibition offering a unique glimpse into Sefton’s past.

The Atkinson has invited local photographer Matt Dodd to capture a second series of over 30 images. The photographs are created by overlaying archive images of the borough (sourced from Sefton’s Historical Archives) with new photographs taken by the artist. The new images show how much, or in some cases how little, the landscape has changed across the borough of Sefton.

“I love comparing the Victorian with modern day it allows for interaction between the ages, one of my favourites is the Victorian couple who appear to be looking out on modern day Southport” – Matt Dodd

Matt’s first exhibition in 2018 was a roaring success with the local community, cultural tourists and local history enthusiasts alike. With one visitor commenting, “How the two eras were blended together in one photo is eerily amazing…I urge everyone to see this”

“People visited us in their thousands last year, commenting how intriguing the photographs were. This year Matt has gone further afield and in addition to new photos of Southport there are images of Bootle, Formby, Aintree, Maghull and Birkdale. –Stephen Whittle, Principal Manager, The Atkinson

Matt Dodd has also created a new publication to accompany the exhibition, which includes reproductions of the photographs and the stories behind them. Visitors will be able to purchase the book from The Atkinson’s shop for £5.

As part of The Atkinson’s Object of The Month series of events, the photographer will also be holding a talk offering insight into the exhibition on Wednesday 12 June at 1pm (free entry).

Southport Double Take II (Old Southport Through a Modern Lens)
18 May - 17 September 2018
Monday - Saturday, 10am - 4pm, Free Entry

Image Credit: Bandstand, Matt Dodd

It does help to show the decline under successive administrations throughout the decades starting notably with the disastrous Conservative Southport Council who engaged in asset stripping and managed decline.

Sefton helped to accelerate it.

It is nice to see what we had.