An Interview with Jimmy Forsyth

As part of building our new Beyond the Frame blog, we've been exploring some of the incredible archival content we have around the AmberSide Collection. In honour of this, we’re re-releasing our interview with Jimmy Forsyth and give everyone a chance to hear from the legendary photographer himself.

Jimmy came to Tyneside from South Wales in 1943, working as part of the war effort. After an industrial accident left him blind in one eye, finding steady work was a struggle. Then, in 1954, he picked up a second-hand camera and started photographing the world around him. Scotswood Road was changing fast, but through his lens, he managed to hold on to something: the everyday rhythms of a working-class community.

Jimmy's work will be forever linked with Side, as our 1981 exhibition of his work helped highlight his incredible storytelling, and cement his place in British Photographic History.

In this interview, Jimmy shares his thoughts on photography, the people he met, and the stories behind some of his best-loved images. His humour, honesty, and deep affection for Newcastle shine through, making this conversation as unique as the photos he left behind.

This interview was recorded before Jimmy Forsyth’s passing in 2009 and is being re-released as part of our commitment to making the AmberSide collection more accessible to wider audiences.