With pens, paints and photographs, Edwin Williams has been bringing Preston to life for years. I had the pleasure of speaking with him about his new exhibition, ‘Nostalgic Views of Preston’. He talked me through the collection, its impact and why he loves his work.
How it started
Edwin has been painting since he was five, initially favouring oil paints, but due to a developed allergy he had to switch to watercolours, a change which has only enhanced his artistic ability. He went on to study Fine Art, later becoming a Quality Manager at BAE Systems. He has also been a long-time lover of photography, after seeing his dad colourise black-and-white photos he had taken using ink.
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His method
Over the last seven years, Edwin has restored photos of historical sites, scenery and families. What is particularly striking about Edwin’s work is that he does not use AI to colourise his photos; instead, he painstakingly matches the colours using greyscale.
He regularly tests his method by asking others to send him a greyscale photo, for example of their garden, matching the colours to the scene and sending it back to be compared with the original. One restoration can take up to seven hours, but the results are fantastic and every final image is one of a kind.
Additionally, if you visit Edwin’s exhibition, you’ll notice a video section featuring various photos which have been animated, portraying the people and places even more vividly. Edwin has spent considerable time coding prompts for the animations after being very disappointed with the results AI produced. Especially after it depicted a humpback whale jumping out of the River Ribble!
Edwin told me about one visitor who praised an image of Walton-le-Dale, asking when he had taken the photograph. Edwin replied that the photograph was actually from 1906, but thanked her as this was indicative of how realistic and accurate his restorations are.
Family stories
Many of the photos in the exhibition have personal connections to visitors. One set of photographs is from the Huscroft family. Linden Huscroft Brady originally contacted Edwin in 2020 to ask if he could restore a photo of her father standing outside his chemist’s shop on Eldon Street. She was thrilled when she received the image back.
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Sadly, Linden passed away recently, and her daughters got back in touch with Edwin, asking if he could restore more family photographs, including some of her mother as a child. Edwin restored all the photos and has had them framed for the exhibition; some of them have also been animated and are included in the video section. He described how one of her daughters visited the Harris from the Cotswolds to see the exhibition. She watched the video through tears as she was so moved by his project and seeing her family photos bright to life.
Building connections
The way his work is able to move people and bring families together is something Edwin finds particularly rewarding. However, many photos also hold particular reverence for Edwin. Whilst some come from historical research or families, others have come from his mother’s postcard collection.
He also has a clear love of history, stories and people, demonstrated by his insight into those in the images. One photo depicting the Triumphal Arch, put up for the Preston Guild of 1862, shows a man in a red coat at the centre with his back to the camera. Edwin’s eyes lit up as he told me the man at the forefront was, in fact, the original photographer, who had set a timer and quickly ushered people out of shops for the image.
Edwin’s work is also going to appear on stage. His images will be used as the backdrop for an upcoming play at the Preston Playhouse, ‘When David Came to Preston’.
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Growing confidence
Edwin teaches art classes, believing that everyone can paint and enjoy art. His classes centre on encouraging others to believe in themselves and their abilities, as well as putting paint to paper. He was actually one of the first lecturers on the Queen Mary ship. During the cruise, he was asked to give a lecture whilst on the River Hudson. However, as it proved so popular, instead of delivering one a day, he ended up teaching two, three-hour classes every day, with 68 people in each session. Edwin also teaches at the Harris so make sure to keep an eye out for his next class!
Giving back
Edwin is also using his exhibition to give back. Many of his paintings and photographs are on sale, and five of the seven paintings have already sold. He only recoups the cost of the frame, with the rest of the money going back to the Harris Museum.
‘Nostalgic Views of Preston’ is more than an exhibition, it is a chance to see the city’s history in vivid detail and, perhaps, even spot a familiar street or family name! Through careful restoration and heartfelt storytelling, Edwin brings the past into sharp focus. If you want to experience Preston’s heritage brought beautifully back to life, this is an exhibition not to miss.
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