When we published a selection of photographs from Golden Valley Faces, a new book celebrating the work of photographer Richard Jenkins, we asked if readers could put names to some of the faces that Jenkins hadn’t identified.
We were immediately contacted by relatives who had spotted parents, grandparents and neighbours among the black-and-white images and sent Hereford Times photographer Rob Davies to take pictures of the descendants of these long-gone but not forgotten Golden Valley residents.
Among those who got in touch was Phyllis Gwilliam, who has now been photographed in the same spot at the Tan House where her mother-in-law Ada was caught on film, and where Phyllis still lives.
As well as spotting her late husband Doug as a child, Phyllis also found a picture of her grandfather Albert Watkins with some of his family, including her aunt Emily, at Trelandon Farm in Longtown.
Jenkins photographed every stage in the lives of his Golden Valley neighbours: their weddings, their babies, their graves, and the new collection features many images of children in the Golden Valley in the early 20th century.
Two of those children, Jim Price and Florrie Prosser, are the grandparents of Adam Price, who had never seen the pictures before.
His great-grandfather had been a neighbour and good friend of Richard Jenkins.
Jenkins was born in 1890 at Quarrelly Farm in Newton, within sight of the Black Mountains.
The only son of a farmer, his destiny was determined from birth, but he longed to do other things – he was fascinated by machines and wanted to go to college to study engineering.
As he grew up, as Hilary Engel explains in Golden Valley Faces, photography became his way of escaping the prison of farming.
With the camera he was in control: he was using his own particular skills, expressing his vision and clearly loved the process of creating images with this brilliant new contraption.
The pictures in the book have been brought together for the first time, thanks to the support of Richard’s daughter, Sylvia Jenkins-Bigglestone (pictured now and as a young woman caught on camera by her father), and the collection of 500 images scanned by Jenny Houston of the Longtown Historical Society.
Proceeds from sales of Golden Valley Faces will be donated to the Laurie Engel Fund.
Ada Gwilliam (then) and Phyllis Gwilliam (now)
Richard Jenkins photographed Ada Gwilliam and her three sons, Denzil, Dible and Doug, in the porch at the Tanhouse Farm, next to St Margarets Church, in about 1930.
Our new photo shows Phyllis Gwilliam in the same porch: Doug (the youngest boy) was her late husband. She still lives at the Tanhouse.
In Golden Valley Faces Phyllis found another family photo taken by Richard Jenkins, showing her grandfather, Albert Watkins, with some of his family at Trelandon Farm, Longtown.
The young lady with the bicycle was Phyllis' Aunt Emily.
Adam Price (now) and his grandparents (then)
Our new photograph shows Adam Price in his busy engineering workshop at New House Farm, Newton.
His great-grandfather was a good friend of Richard Jenkins, who lived on a neighbouring farm.
Adam had never seen these photographs of his grandparents as young children before.
Jim Price is shown, aged three or four, in his best outfit, leading a bull round the farmyard.
The second photograph shows four of the Prosser children of Old Court, Lower Maescoed, trying desperately not to giggle.
One of the girls became Adam's grandmother, Florrie.
Milwyn Williams (now) and Tom and May Williams (then)
Tom Williams worked at Richard Jenkins' farm, Quarrelly, for many years, and was a great friend of Richard's.
He married a local young woman called May Pitt.
Milwyn Williams (in our new photograph), who now lives in Peterchurch, is Tom and May's youngest and last surviving son.
Milwyn remembers Richard Jenkins, but he had never before seen these photographs of his parents.
One was taken before they were married, when Tom was called up to serve in the First World War.
He came home safely, and they raised seven children.
Marion and Brian Jones (now) and Leah and Edwin Prosser (then)
Marion and Brian Jones, who now live in Ewyas Harold, used to farm at Lower Maescoed, and have a long connection with the Jenkins family.
Marion has a huge collection of albums, and is a mine of local information.
In Golden Valley Faces they found a wedding photo of Brian's aunt, Leah Deborah Gwillim, known as Debbie, of Wayne Herbert.
She married Edwin Basil Prosser, known as Bas, and after their marriage they lived at Cwmcoched, Clodock.
Sylvia Bigglestone-Jenkins then and now
Sylvia Bigglestone-Jenkins was Richard's second daughter.
She grew up on the family farm in Newton, and became a district nurse.
She now lives at Dinedor.
Her fond and vivid memories of her father form a large part of the text of the book.
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