John Kirby Smith (1869-1953)
Photographer
Biographical details of John Kirby Smith (1869-1953)John Kirby Smith born 20th April 1869 to Alfred Smith (1838-1941) (warehouseman) and Eliza Smith nee Kirby (d1869) of Little London, Rawdon.
Eliza Smith died one day after the birth of John. Alfred Smith emigrated to the US in 1908 aged 70. He died there aged 103. Its likely that John K. Smith was educated locally in Rawdon. More research needed to discover what occupation he trained for, but by 1894 he was a photographer & the owner of a wooden shop tobacconists in Little London, Rawdon.
We know this because George Airton a labourer from Rawdon, broke into it on October 8th 1894 & stole a quantity of tobacco, cigarettes & pipes, unfortunately for George (& good for us) he got arrested & charged. The local papers - Wharfedale & Airedale Observer & the Bradford Daily Telegraph reported it.
Undated image of Guiseley Bowling Club, Ings Lane by John K. Smith
1895 - Otley & District League cricket photograph by J.K. Smith.
Rest of the League (pictured) v Farnley Estate Back Row: J. Edson; J. Suttle; J. Hardy. Middle Row: J. W. Holmes (Treasurer of the League); J. Kirkbright; S. Summerscales; C. Wilkinson; C. Dawson; H. Towers; E. Eastburn; J. Shaw (Umpire) Front Row: W. Hall; A. Priestley. 1906 Jan - John Kirby Smith married Mary Syndonia Tandy (b1876 - Callow End, Worcestershire)
1906 Nov - their first child Barbara Syndonia Tandy Smith was born at their house on Over Lane, Rawdon. Mary Syndonia Tandy was working as a nanny to a wealthy family in Malton, North Yorkshire. On the occasion of her marriage to J.K. Smith the two children she cared for, Elsie & Mitchell, gave her six silver spoons in a case as a wedding present.
1913 - Rawdon Urban District Councillors in front of Henley House, Well Lane, at that time occupied by Mr. Eli Wynn (Winn).
Left to right, standing - D.O. Hardaker, W. Walmsley, W.H. Emsley, W.B. Cartwright, E. Wynn (Winn), J. Armsgill (Almsgill?) Seated - H. Davidson, T. Pratt, (M. Clark?), H. Holgate, C. Harper, E. Wade, B. Jordan, A. Evans. Photograph taken by J.Kirby Smith, Station Road, Guiseley. Info & image courtesy of Leodis.net
John Kirby Smith became the main photographer for Crompton Parkinson Limited, Guiseley of their machines & electric motors for use in their sales brochures.
His studio was a wooden building on Station Road, Guiseley & he and Mary lived at Albion House, now Albion Fisheries on Otley Road, Guiseley. Much later he lived at the top of Cavendish Road & his front room became a studio.
In the 1940s he was the photographer for Woodhouse Grove School, Apperley Bridge, taking photographs of buildings, sports teams & year groups.
John Kirby Smith & Mary Smith nee Tandy.
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c1906 Octagonal Lodges by J.K. Smith, GuiseleyThe image of the "Octagonal Lodges" was displayed on the Guiseley Memories Facebook page in 2017 by Aireborough Historical Society with the question "Religious Premises?"
The Burley Archive were fascinated by the image & decided to post it to this web site in the hope that someone might provide the solution to their location.
A combination of John Kirby Smith's great grand-daughter providing some very useful leads & the Burley Archive itself discovering that the Octagonal Lodges still exist found the solution of where they were located. Mary Smith, John Kirby Smith's wife came from Callow End in Worcestershire. We believe that J.K. Smith would have visited his in-laws and taken his photographic equipment with him.
Near to Callow End is a place called Stanbrook. Here there was a Benedictine nunnery called St Mary's Abbey. St Mary's Abbey later became Stanbrook Abbey Hotel.
The 1905 OS Map shows the abbey with a drive or track running north south across the estate. At the southern end of this drive where it meets the road at Worcester Cross, there are two buildings either side of it.
Viewed on Google maps below, in the lower half of the image, you can see a triangle of grass with the buildings on the short side of the triangle. Google street view, shows the Octagonal Lodges at Callow End, as they were in 2008.
The Google street view of them from a similar vantage point as the original photograph by John Kirby Smith.
Later research has found that Mary Syndonia Smith née Tandy had a sister called Florrie, who with her husband, lived in one of the Octagonal Lodges. c1950s Guiseley Official Guide - courtesy of Kathryn Sutton.
All the images in the booklet were taken by John K. Smith of Guiseley. Photographers chair, owned & photographed by Julia Williment, great grand daughter of John Kirby Smith.
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Burley Community Library & Burley Archive, Grange Road, Burley in Wharfedale, West Yorkshire England LS29 7HD
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Burley Archive & Local History Group: Drop-In Sessions Friday 2.30pm to 4.30pm. For other times please contact us