A VILLAGER is using lockdown to explore the history of his local pub by adding colour to old black and white photographs which are more than a century old.

Nick Belcher, 66 from Church Road in Great Milton has unravelled history by adding colour to photographs of his favourite village pub The Bull, which is owned by Raymond Blanc.

Mr Belcher usually enjoys taking photographs of his village, especially portraits of people in the area.

However, because of the coronavirus lockdown Mr Belcher has not been able to get out and take snaps and has found himself staying home and discovering a new hobby of retouching old prints.

The Great Milton History Society have banks of old photographs of the village between 1896 and early 1920s and onwards.

The society gave Mr Belcher several photographs to work on and the one that caught his eye was taken around 1900 and was of The Bull pub.

Mr Belcher said: “I hadn’t retouched old photographs before and I started experimenting. I started adding a bit of colour to their cheeks because it is just a black and white photograph really and then I added a bit of colour to the jacket. I carefully retouched it to reduce highlights, lift shadows and sharpen faces.

Read also: Oxford Beer and Cider Festival cancelled reports CAMRA

“Then before my eyes these characters were sort of developing. It’s like going back into a time machine, I was able to glimpse at their expressions. After a bit of experimenting I decided to do it properly”

His friend Geoffrey Claydon whose family has lived in the village for generations, was able to add historical detail to the photographs.

Mr Claydon was able to point out his grandfather’s mates and his great-grandmother in the photographs.

Mr Belcher and Mr Claydon collaborated and put together a leaflet containing the pictures and the history behind them.

One of the pictures Mr Belcher added colour to is of the villagers gathered outside of The Bull.

The pair believe it was taken around the turn of the last century, probably 1900 when the village celebrated the centenary.

This led them to Mr Alfred Burrows who was a pioneering photographer in Great Milton around 1896.

They believe that Alfred persuaded villagers to gather around the Bull Inn to take a photograph marking centenary celebrations.

However, there is another possibility that it was taken in September 1902 to commemorate the coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra.

Herald Series:

Mr Belcher acknowledges Alfred Burrows as a photographer and signs the picture ‘Photograph by Alfred Burrows 1900, revived by Nick Belcher 2020’.

Another photograph retouched by Mr Belcher is also outside The Bull and it is a possibility that this picture was also taken by Alfred Burrows.

In the leaflet Mr Belcher writes: “According to the Great Milton History Society booklet called ‘Tales of Great Milton’ the date of the photograph is 1911 and it was probably taken by local photographer Alfred Burrows who lived at the saddlery.

“The photograph features the Great Milton Ancient Order of Foresters meeting outside the Bull. This was where they held their regular monthly meetings.

“It is probably the day of their summer fete and they are gathering for a colourful parade to church led by the Oakley brass band.”

Read also: Black Lives Matter: hundreds of people protest in South Park, Oxford

The retouched photographs are now available to buy.

Villagers started taking an interest in the historical snaps after Mr Belcher framed and displayed them in his local post office.

The head of the pub committee at The Bull liked the retouched pictures so much he bought two for the pub when it reopens its doors to the public after the refurbishment.

The successful owners of The Bull pub, including Raymond Blanc, have invested tens of thousands of pounds to refurbish the premises.

The refurbishment will include expanding the dining room, installing outdoor decking, adding an umbrella heater and the pub will be restoring the chimney following the fire last year.

The funds for the refurbishment were gathered by persuading almost all the villagers to invest in their local pub.

Overall, £340,000 was put towards the refurbishment of The Bull.

For more information about purchasing the framed and retouched historical photographs by Mr Belcher visit: www.nickbelcherphotography.co.uk