In My Fathers Footsteps
In My Father’s Footsteps by Mark Norton, published by Sutton in 2006, is a poignant exploration of Birmingham’s transformation through the lens of photography. This first edition, comprising 158 pages, presents a collection of images captured by Dennis Norton in the 1950s and ’60s, documenting the city’s architecture before significant redevelopment. The narrative unfolds as Mark Norton, who never met his father, embarks on a journey to retrace Dennis’s steps, revealing a Birmingham that has largely vanished but remains cherished in memory.
Readers will find a compelling juxtaposition of past and present as Mark compares his father’s photographs with the contemporary landscape of Birmingham. The book delves into themes of history and travel, offering insights into the city’s evolution while honoring the legacy of Dennis Norton. Through this visual and narrative journey, the work invites reflection on the changes that have shaped urban environments and personal connections to place.
Official synopsis Publisher
In the 1950s and ’60s, aware of what was about to happen to Birmingham, Dennis Norton took his camera and went to work. Photographing buildings along the route of the forthcoming inner ring road, around New Street station and in other areas of the city due for redevelopment, he captured a Birmingha, that is now long gone but fondly remembered by many. Almost half a century later Mark Norton discovered these photographs, taken by the father he never knew: Dennis died just nine weeks before his son was born. Mark set about retracing his father’s footsteps, to discover what has been lost and to compare past with present. In the process he gained a respect for Birmingham that had been missing when he grew up amid the concrete, subways and urban motorways of the 1970s. Anyone who remembers Birmingham as it was in the 1950s and ’60s will be fascinated by these recently rediscovered photographs, while those who only know the city of today will be astonished to see the changes that have taken place.
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