Ongoing research into the career of the architectural photographer Ursula Clark (1940-2000) has identified another project featuring her images.

Shopfront (1980) produced by the Civic Trust for the North East (of England) was a call to treat the design of shopfronts on our high streets “with care, sympathy and understanding.”

The Introduction continued: “Too many of our shopping streets, particularly in the older towns , are spoiled by ill considered and badly executed shopfronts.

“By treating them well, not solely as a means to merchandise … our streets and our towns will become better and pleasanter places.”

To illustrate the booklet’s argument, its author Neville Whittaker OBE (1932-2008) used a series of colour and black-and-white photographs.

One of the photographers he turned to was Ursula Clark with whom he had previously collaborated on Historic Architecture of County Durham (Oriel Press, 1971) and The House and Cottage Handbook (North East Civic Trust, 1976).

Page 27 of Shopfront was devoted to three of Ursula’s images celebrating what Whittaker called “the flamboyance and quality of Victorian shopfront decoration” which he described as “impressive.”

First was ‘street sculpture at Front Street, Tynemouth, Tyne and Wear,’ a shopfront which survives today in what is a conservation area.

The second image captures ‘glazed faience in wonderful rich soupy colours, Newcastle upon Tyne,’ still apparent here in black-and-white.

And finally, ‘Art Deco in glass vitrolite and steel, Elvet Bridge, Durham.’

Like The House and Cottage Handbook, Shopfront was also mentioned in Whittaker’s obituary in The Independent newspaper together with a striking uncredited photograph.

Whether Ursula Clark was responsible for this portrait, it complements the one she took while shooting images for Historic Architecture of County Durham.

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