Exeter's historical transformation to be shared in 24,000 fascinating images

An extraordinary visual glimpse into the growth of Exeter in the 1920s and ‘30s and the wartime carnage from the devastating Blitz will get to be shared thanks to thousands of historically priceless photographs being salvaged.

The Isca Photographic Collection Project will rescue and preserve 24,000 images depicting the city and its inhabitants during the first half of the 20th century. The acetate negatives are suffering from vinegar syndrome; an irreversible chemical deterioration process that destroys the negative.

The project to save the collection will digitise the images before they are lost forever, and make them available to researchers. The full collection of almost 50,000 images is mainly comprised of the life’s work of the Australian-born photographer Henry Wykes (1874-1964).

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Wykes opened his first studio in Exeter in 1914, quickly establishing himself as the city’s foremost photographer, a status he held until his retirement in 1962, by which time he was Britain’s oldest working photographer.

The collection is also a uniquely personal record of the residents of Exeter with thousands of images of individual and family portraits. Many hundreds of other images document local residents at work and play in shops, factories, at weddings, sporting and other social events.

It captures the lives of inhabitants of the city whose stories have too often remain unexplored, including those of the residents of St Loye's College and School of Occupational Therapy, who navigated physical disabilities and learning difficulties. The project has been made possible by the South West Heritage Trust and has been funded by a £178,579 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Scott Pettitt, head of archives at Devon Heritage Centre, said: “The Isca Collection is one of the most significant visual records of Exeter of the past century. It offers an extraordinary account of the city and its inhabitants during a period of unprecedented transformation.

"It is thanks to National Lottery players that the South West Heritage Trust will be able to undertake this rescue operation, and make the Isca Collection a treasured resource for the people of Exeter.”

The project to catalogue the images and make them available online will be supported by a team of volunteers. There will be an exhibition at Custom House in Exeter and community events will take place. The images will be used for reminiscence sessions in residential homes and for work in schools to raise environmental awareness.

The project is expected to take 15-months with the resulting exhibition planned to take place in spring 2026. The project has also received £500 from the Friends of Devon’s Archives.