Durham Cathedral has graced the skyline above the River Wear since Norman times and today is a UNESCO world heritage site.
Known as Durham’s first professional photographer, Thomas Heaviside (1828-1886) had this superb example of Romanesque architecture on his doorstep,
He set up his first studio in Paradise Gardens near Elvet Bridge in 1856 and displayed his evident skill in the creation of a fine cartes de visite series featuring the cathedral.
Initially these appeared with his distinctive label on the verso advertising a new studio in Queen Street, Durham that he opened in late-1862.
However, later versions neatly incorporated his ‘T. Heaviside, Durham’ credit on the front of the card below its series number and location.
Recently, an opportunity occurred to secure a number of these eye-catching cartes for the Pressphotoman collection, and three interiors are shared here in all their glory.
Viewing these impressive images, the multiple layers of visual interest strongly suggest that they were taken from stereoscopic 3D negatives.
What is also apparent from searching for other cartes from the same series, possibly as large as 24 in number, is that Heaviside’s images travelled far beyond Durham.
For example, the Getty Museum Collection in California includes ‘No. 11 – Durham Cathedral from South Street.’
Getty Museum Collection – ‘Durham Cathedral from South Street’
And ‘No. 7 – (Sanctuary) Knocker, Durham Cathedral’ together with ‘No. 5 – Galilee, Durham Cathedral’ (featured above) are part of an album held by the Harvard Art Museums in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Harvard Art Museums collection – T. Heaviside cartes
When Thomas Heaviside died in 1886, his son Fred announced in the local press that he was taking over the running of the family photographic studio.
However, time was eventually called on the Heaviside photographic dynasty.
In 1894, another photographer in Durham named Fred. W. Morgan announced that he “has purchased all the NEGATIVES appertaining to the above Old Established Business.”
If Thomas Heaviside’s classic views of Durham Cathedral were among those negatives, it’s reasonable to assume that their timeless quality would have ensured another commercial lease of life in the years that followed.
Pressphotoman 
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