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Scotswood Road

Jimmy Forsyth

Scotswood Road image
Scotswood Road, Jimmy Forsythe ©North East Museums

Scotswood Road

A working class, Newcastle community, increasingly facing demolitions and redevelopment, documented in the 1950s and early 60s by a photographer who was part of the community.
  • Photographic
  • Communities
  • Primary Source Programme
  • Historical Documentary
  • Northern Documentary
  • Place
  • UK Documentary
  • Urban Landscapes
  • Historical
  • Newcastle upon Tyne
  • UK

​In the 1950s and early 1960s, photographer Jimmy Forsyth documented the working-class community along Scotswood Road in Newcastle upon Tyne. Originally from Barry, South Wales, Forsyth moved to Newcastle in 1943. After losing an eye in an industrial accident, he took up photography in 1954, purchasing a camera from a pawn shop. Aware of the imminent changes due to urban redevelopment, Forsyth set out to capture the daily life and environment of Newcastle's West End, creating a comprehensive visual record of the area. ​

Forsyth's photographs provide a poignant insight into a community on the brink of transformation, highlighting both the resilience of its residents and the physical landscape they inhabited. His work stands alongside that of other notable photographers, such as Tish Murtha, who documented the same area in the late 1970s and early 1980s, focusing on subjects like youth unemployment and juvenile jazz bands.

Forsyth's commitment to capturing the essence of Scotswood Road has left an enduring legacy, offering invaluable perspectives on the social history of Newcastle's West End during a period of significant change. His work has been exhibited and archived, ensuring that future generations can appreciate the rich history of this community.

Jimmy Forsyth was a self-taught photographer best known for his documentation of Newcastle’s West End in the 1950s and 60s. Originally from Barry in South Wales, he moved to Tyneside during the Second World War and began photographing the streets around Scotswood Road after an industrial accident left him partially sighted. Working with a second-hand camera and a deep sense of purpose, Forsyth produced a vital record of a community on the edge of redevelopment. His images, rooted in everyday life, continue to stand as a powerful testament to working-class resilience and place him among the most important chroniclers of post-war urban Britain.

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© North East Museums
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