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Magic Lantern Slides

The old photographs here are reproduced from original Magic Lantern Slides dating from the period 1890 through 1940 and are therefore of some historical interest. How they were digitised.

I have in my possession some 59 odd slides of Youghal and Southern Ireland including pictures of the Torrens Chemist shops in Youghal which my grandfather used to run in the early 20th century, as well as a few pictures of Youghal in the '21 rebellion.

My grandfather, John Morrison Torrens, was an early motorist so there are pictures of a 1912 Wolseley, as well as a Daraq of that vintage. Also there are pictures of early motorcycles and a few pictures of Mr Jacobs (of Jacobs biscuits fame) with whom my grandfather was very friendly.

There are also about 30 slides taken mostly in Bournemouth and area in the same time period.

This small slide collection is however but the tip of an iceberg: there are probably well in excess of 1000 glass plate slides taken in the early 20th century in Youghal and the rest of Ireland. I do not know the full extent of these as I have never been allowed to see them. However they are in the family's possession, even if not currently accessible to me! Feel free to contact me if you are interested.

There is more information on both John Morrison Torrens and his son (my father) Robert George Torrens (who took some of the photographs and features in many) in the Biography section of this site.

Box 1
Photographs of and taken by John Morrison Torrens and Robert George Torrens.

Cine films 1930s to 1960s

My father, Robert George Torrens, was a keen photographer, working in 16mm cine films. The originals of his cine films are now in the safe-keeping of the Wessex Film and Sound Archives - WFSA but the family has copies of some. The full catalogue is available from WFSA. Go to the WFSA catalogue and search for AV14* for the full catalogue of Torrens films.

The catalogues for these films are available:

R.G.Torrens was also a founder member of BAFS - the Bournemouth Amateur Film Society, and their spin-off Crystal Productions.

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Page first published 14th March 2006
Last modified: Fri, 14 May 2021 19:59:22 BST
© 2006-2024 Richard Torrens.