In the early 1970s Tricia Widdison’s moved with her husband David to Toxteth, Liverpool, an area then wracked with economic stagnation and unemployment. Together they set about documenting their community. Tricia and David sought to represent the people of Toxteth from their own perspective, as an antidote to the romanticisation or castigation with which they were so often depicted. 

Tricia's photographs formed the exhibition ‘Bedford St. Liverpool 8’, which opened at Half Moon Gallery in May 1973. We spoke to her about the project.
 

On 13 August 1977, the far-right National Front attempted to march from New Cross to Lewisham, leading to a violent confrontation with counter demonstrators and the police. 

Remembered today as the Battle of Lewisham, it was the first time that the National Front were prevented from marching, and the first time that riot shields were deployed by UK police.

Camerawork founder-member Paul Trevor was one of the many photographers present that day. The events, and how they were documented, became the focus of the first special issue of the magazine.  We spoke to Paul about how it came to be. 

For the next installment of our Behind the Lens interview series, we spoke to photographer and Camerawork co-founder Mike Goldwater about the early days of the magazine. 

Our second Behind the Lens interview is with Derek Smith. Derek’s photographs of Teesside were exhibited at the Half Moon Gallery in 1976. His images showed the resilience of a community in the face of a rapidly de-industrialising Britain.