Walter's photographic treasure trove
Years after his death, we can showcase some of the historic pictures of Bridgnorth which were collected by a garage boss with a taste for local history.
There will surely be plenty of older Bridgnorth folk who remember Walter Rutter. But our immediate thanks for these images go to Ralph Walker of Bridgnorth who has in effect acted as the custodian of Walter's collection.
Mr Walker says: "I first joined Bridgnorth and District Camera Club in 1961 at the age of 15 and I knew Mr Rutter during the 1960s and 70s as he was also a member.
"He died in the 1970s I think. He did take pictures himself, but he had a passion for copying old pictures of Bridgnorth as and when he found them.
"The slides were given to me for safe keeping by the late George Baker, who was also a member of the camera club, as I was key player in the club at that time. That was about 15 years ago.
"I'm still in the club, believe it or not."
Mr Walker thinks Walter Rutter set up the garage in Salop Street after the war, although he is not sure.
"His son died not so long back. He ran the garage after his father.
"He was a small man, quiet and polite. His son was quite large. I don't know why he was interested in local history. I only knew him through the camera club. He would drive around in his Sunbeam Talbot with a cine camera fixed to the dash.
"I was given a large box of slides and two large reels of cine film. Most of the slides are camera club stuff, and about 25 to 30 are local history. I think there could be more somewhere.
"I think all his family have left Bridgnorth now. There was a book published in 1998 by Walter Rutter's wife Margaret Rutter and Heather Dent, called Bridgnorth - A Pictorial History."
Mr Walker was more than happy to send us some of the pictures from Walter's collection for publication.
"I feel I owe it to Mr Rutter to save his work."
So let's now turn to the small selection of images we are publishing, which are all fascinating for different reasons.
The view from High Town down towards Bridgnorth Bridge is clearly Victorian.
"It shows two foundries at the bottom of Doctors Lane," says Mr Walker.
Another thing it shows which helps date the picture is the clock and tower at the far end of the bridge. Close examination shows that it is not the brick clock tower that will be familiar to modern Bridgnorth folk.
According to information on the internet the current bridge clock replaced its predecessor in 1876 - so, unless a knowledgeable reader can show otherwise, we shall say that the picture can be dated to before 1876 because it shows the old clock tower.
Another seemingly Victorian picture shows the Northgate, with the Reindeer Inn and Bear Inn. The road up to and through it looks little more than a muddy track. Actually, not all of it will have been mud in those days of horse-drawn transport.
As it happens, this very picture was published in the Bridgnorth Journal of Friday, June 16, 1967, when it was used as part of a spread of pictures featuring ancient Bridgnorth pubs. The general caption was: "Following our recent series of articles on the ancient inns of Bridgnorth by local historian, Mr E. Pee, we are able to publish this week four pictures from the collection of Mr W.E. Rutter, which show well some of the ancient houses mentioned. Some still with us, others gone and forgotten." The specific caption read: "Looking through North Gate to the Town Hall. The Reindeer Inn can be seen on the right. A third arch was added to the North Gate in 1910."
