Edinburgh's Camera Shop
THEN
Edinburgh Camera Shop
THEN
Edinburgh Cameras
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Background |
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From 1912
onwards, George G Morrison,
then George Morrison
(Was this his son?)
have
had studios in
Edinburgh, Leith and Portobello.
From 1939 until 1952, their studio was on the ground floor of 55 Lothian
Road - the eastern side of Lothian Road, opposite the Lothian Road
railway goods yard, now vanished and replaced by the junction with the
Western Approach Road.
The business at 55 Lothian Road was
acquired by William Russell in 1952. He continued to offer
commercial, press and wedding photography, but had plans to develop the
retail side of the business.
From 1952 until 1956, the company
traded under a joint name
'Morrisons
- The Edinburgh Camera Shop' (or similar name).
The Morrison name was dropped from the
business in 1956, when the premises had a major re-fit.
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Cameras and Equipment |
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During
the 1950s, the business at 55 Lothian Road changed from being one of
Edinburgh's photographic studios to being Edinburgh's only dedicated
camera shop.
Up
to the 1950s, cameras had been sold by departments of major opticians,
such as Lizars and JB Watson.
However, an increasing interest in photography and relaxation of the
rules for importing cameras from Europe and Japan offered the
opportunity for WG Russell to create a specialist retail business for
selling cameras and photographic equipment to both the wholesale and
retail trade
The
business expanded, moving taking over the floor above the ground floor
that offered a wide range of materials for processing.
At
one time Edinburgh Cameras employed 25 staff. One of the employees
was John Semple. He worked at 55 Lothian Road for about 47 years,
first for George Morrison then for Edinburgh Cameras.
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Following the death of WG Russell, around 1961, the business was
initially in the hands of his three sons.
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In 1973, Edinburgh Cameras
acquired premises at 30 Dean Street from Francis Inglis, and used these in
connection with their wholesale business. |
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One of the sons of WG
Russell, Denny Russell, has been the sole proprietor of the business since
1980. |
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With acknowledgement to Denny Russell for
providing the background details above. |
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Retail Business
Today |
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©
Reproduced by courtesy of
Edinburgh Cameras
Edinburgh Cameras is still in business. For a short period it
opened a branch at Clerk Street, but today it has just one shop, at 219
Bruntsfield Road, about a mile to the south of the West End of Princes
Street.
The shop at 219 Bruntsfield Place is near 'Holy Corner' (a cross-roads
between the centre of Edinburgh and Morningside that has a church on each
of its four corners).
The company now operates on a smaller scale. It no
longer has a wholesale side to the business, but it still sells cameras
photographic equipment, both new and second-hand and offers film
processing.
In 2002 the company celebrated 50 years in business.
©
Reproduced by courtesy of
Edinburgh Cameras
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The Russell Trophy |
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WG Russell was also a keen amateur photographer.
He followed a long tradition of professional photographers supporting
Edinburgh Photographic Society (EPS).
He presented 'The Russell Trophy', which is awarded each year for the
best colour transparency in the EPS Members' Exhibition. |
Clicking above will open a window to the current
Edinburgh Camera Shop web site.
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