The people between the Moors: community and continuity in a changing world

Abstract

The Beaford Archive, and particularly the Ravilious collection, has always been viewed with great warmth and affection by the people of North Devon and beyond (Beacham & Ravilious, 2000; Wells, 2011; Ravilious, 2017). The full Archive (which can be accessed at: www. beaford.org) consists of three components: 1. The Old Archive – a collection of photographic images of north Devon from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries copied from originals loaned by residents of the area; 2. Photographs from the early 1970s by Roger Deakins (now a world-famous cinematographer); 3. The body of work by James Ravilious, resulting from his time as photographer-in-residence for Beaford Arts 1972–89). Each of these three elements contains rich information on social, environmental and economic aspects of life in north Devon.