Ayton Family

outside the Kennedy Place studio, Londonderry

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Ayton Family

Outside Kennedy Place Studio, Londonderry

Thank you to Ian Bartlett for allowing me to reproduce the photo, taken outside Ayton's Kennedy Place studio in Londonderry in 1886.

It includes the photographers:

-  Alexander Ayton Senior (lower right) who had studios in Londonderry until his death in 1900.

-  Alexander Ayton Junior (near upper left) who had studios in Edinburgh until his death in 1894.  Alexander's brother, Robert (not in this photo) took over this studio from 1894 until 1907.

- George Ayton (near centre) who took over the Londonderry studio following his father's death in 1900, then the Edinburgh studio following the death of his brother Robert in 1907.  George died in 1941.

Everybody in the photo is named, including the dog!

Ian added that Alexander Junior, Robert and George (all above)  had another brother William, born in 1867 but Ian has not yet traced any further information about him.

NOTE

The image above is taken from a photocopy of the original photo.  Ian Bartlett tells me that the original photo was in the possession of  Ann Sweeny a great granddaughter of Alexander Ayton. Ann died in Yorkshire, about 2006.  Unfortunately her husband believes that the original photo has probably been destroyed.