Changing Leeds and the Mysterious Photographs of Godfrey Bingley

Photographer and researcher Michael C Coldwell shares his work hunting down and re-photographing the locations of some of the strangest images hidden in the Godfrey Bingley archive.

Godfrey Bingley's extensive collection of approximately 10,000 images is currently being digitised by the Leeds University Library Special Collections. Bingley donated this archive of his life's work to the University in 1913.

The collection is comprised of black and white images from the glass plate negatives produced by Bingley. They cover the UK and some areas of Europe, America and the West Indies. Spanning the years 1884–1913, the images include many Yorkshire scenes, such as Kirkstall Abbey, Fountains Abbey, Headingley, Bolton Abbey and Scarborough.

Michael C Coldwell's work involves re-photographing the locations of some of the strangest images hidden in the collection to reveal seismic shifts in the Leeds landscape.