Ivo Peters
Encyclopedia
Ivo Peters BEM
(29 July 1915 – 7 June 1989) was an English railway photographer. Peters spent his life in Bath, Somerset and is best known for his amateur photographs and cine films of steam railways in the British Isles
, particularly of the Somerset and Dorset Railway.
, and continued until 1934, when, while studying at the University of Cambridge, his interest was diverted to road racing
in Ireland with a chain drive
Frazer Nash
car. In World War II, and for many years afterwards, he served in the (Royal) Observer Corps
, for which he was awarded the British Empire Medal
in 1958. He worked in the management of his family soap works.
Bentley
B31KL, registration NHY 581, soon became a regular lineside visitor whilst his photographs were published in Trains Illustrated and other magazines.
Although particularly associated with his "home line" of the S&D, Peters had other favourite photographic locations. These included Grayrigg
to Tebay
on the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway
in the last years of steam; the Western Region of British Railways
; the Southern Region
West of England Main Line
; British industrial narrow gauge railways
, particularly the East Midlands
ironstone and North Wales
slate lines
; steam locomotives of the National Coal Board
; and the 3 feet (914.4 mm) gauge Isle of Man Railway
and Tralee and Dingle Light Railway
. On many photographic expeditions he was accompanied by his friend Norman Lockett.
His most characteristic railway photographs display the surrounding landscape to advantage. He said "I have to admit that the technical side of photography has never really 'bitten' me... For me, one of he greatest pleasures of railway photography has been when I have discovered some enchanting new location, and then set about trying to get the most attractive picture of the scene."
From 1959 his black-and-white photography was supplemented by colour 16mm cine film
, around 25000 ft (7,620 m) being exposed on railway subjects (and as much again on aircraft). Some of the railway material was much later broadcast on BBC Television
and transferred to VHS and DVD by Railscene as "The Ivo Peters Collection".
His still photography in colour was confined to the diesel era, and is represented in his book Railway Elegance.
, the terminus of his beloved Somerset and Dorset Railway.
Several of the above have been reissued in new editions.
British Empire Medal
The Medal of the Order of the British Empire for Meritorious Service, usually known as the British Empire Medal , is a British medal awarded for meritorious civil or military service worthy of recognition by the Crown...
(29 July 1915 – 7 June 1989) was an English railway photographer. Peters spent his life in Bath, Somerset and is best known for his amateur photographs and cine films of steam railways in the British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
, particularly of the Somerset and Dorset Railway.
Early life
Ivo Peters took his first railway photograph in 1925 at Mortehoe and Woolacombe railway stationMortehoe and Woolacombe railway station
Mortehoe and Woolacombe railway station was a station on the London and South Western Railway Ilfracombe Branch Line between Barnstaple and Ilfracombe in North Devon, England .-History:...
, and continued until 1934, when, while studying at the University of Cambridge, his interest was diverted to road racing
Road racing
Road racing is a general term for most forms of motor racing held on paved, purpose-built race tracks , as opposed to oval tracks and off-road racing...
in Ireland with a chain drive
Chain drive
Chain drive is a way of transmitting mechanical power from one place to another. It is often used to convey power to the wheels of a vehicle, particularly bicycles and motorcycles...
Frazer Nash
Frazer Nash
Frazer Nash was a British sports car manufacturer and engineering company founded by Archibald Frazer-Nash in 1922. It produced sports cars incorporating a unique multi-chain transmission before World War II and also imported BMW cars to the UK. After the war it continued producing sports cars with...
car. In World War II, and for many years afterwards, he served in the (Royal) Observer Corps
Royal Observer Corps
The Royal Observer Corps was a civil defence organisation operating in the United Kingdom between 29 October 1925 and 31 December 1995, when the Corps' civilian volunteers were stood down....
, for which he was awarded the British Empire Medal
British Empire Medal
The Medal of the Order of the British Empire for Meritorious Service, usually known as the British Empire Medal , is a British medal awarded for meritorious civil or military service worthy of recognition by the Crown...
in 1958. He worked in the management of his family soap works.
Railway photography
In 1948 Ivo Peters returned to serious railway photography on the Somerset and Dorset Railway, and his 4.25 litre Mk.VIBentley Mark VI
The Bentley Mark VI was the first post-war luxury car from Bentley.Announced in May 1946 and produced from 1946 to 1952 it was also both the first car from Rolls-Royce with all-steel coachwork and the first complete car assembled and finished at their factory...
Bentley
Bentley
Bentley Motors Limited is a British manufacturer of automobiles founded on 18 January 1919 by Walter Owen Bentley known as W.O. Bentley or just "W O". Bentley had been previously known for his range of rotary aero-engines in World War I, the most famous being the Bentley BR1 as used in later...
B31KL, registration NHY 581, soon became a regular lineside visitor whilst his photographs were published in Trains Illustrated and other magazines.
Although particularly associated with his "home line" of the S&D, Peters had other favourite photographic locations. These included Grayrigg
Grayrigg
Grayrigg is a small village and civil parish in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England. It lies on undulated and partly mountainous land, north east of Kendal, on the north side of the West Coast Main Line, and west side of the M6 motorway....
to Tebay
Tebay
Tebay is a village and civil parish in Cumbria, England, within the traditional borders of Westmorland. It lies in the upper Lune Valley, at the head of the Lune Gorge. The parish of Tebay had a population of 728 recorded in the 2001 census,...
on the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway
Lancaster and Carlisle Railway
The Lancaster and Carlisle Railway was a British railway company authorised on 6 June 1844 to build a line between Lancaster and Carlisle in North-West England...
in the last years of steam; the Western Region of British Railways
Western Region of British Railways
The Western Region was a region of British Railways from 1948. The region ceased to be an operating unit in its own right in the 1980s and was wound up at the end of 1992...
; the Southern Region
Southern Region of British Railways
The Southern Region was a region of British Railways from 1948. The region ceased to be an operating unit in its own right in the 1980s and was wound up at the end of 1992. The region covered south London, southern England and the south coast, including the busy commuter belt areas of Kent, Sussex...
West of England Main Line
West of England Main Line
The West of England Main Line is a British railway line that runs from , Hampshire to Exeter St Davids in Devon, England. Passenger services run between London Waterloo station and Exeter...
; British industrial narrow gauge railways
British industrial narrow gauge railways
British industrial narrow gauge railways are narrow gauge railways in the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man that were primarily built to serve one or more industries. Some offered passenger services for employees or workmen, but they did not run public passenger trains...
, particularly the East Midlands
East Midlands
The East Midlands is one of the regions of England, consisting of most of the eastern half of the traditional region of the Midlands. It encompasses the combined area of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Northamptonshire and most of Lincolnshire...
ironstone and North Wales
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
slate lines
British narrow gauge slate railways
The slate industry of North Wales was the largest user of narrow gauge railways in the whole of the United Kingdom. Many of the quarries had internal tramways and feeder lines connecting them to transhipment points on local railways, rivers, roads or coastal ports....
; steam locomotives of the National Coal Board
National Coal Board
The National Coal Board was the statutory corporation created to run the nationalised coal mining industry in the United Kingdom. Set up under the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946, it took over the mines on "vesting day", 1 January 1947...
; and the 3 feet (914.4 mm) gauge Isle of Man Railway
Isle of Man Railway
The Isle of Man Railway is a narrow gauge steam-operated railway connecting Douglas with Castletown and Port Erin in the Isle of Man. The line is built to gauge and is long...
and Tralee and Dingle Light Railway
Tralee and Dingle Light Railway
The Tralee and Dingle Light Railway and Tramway was a , 914 mm gauge narrow gauge railway running between Tralee and Dingle, with a branch from Castlegregory Junction to Castlegregory, in County Kerry on the west coast of Ireland. It operated between 1891 and 1953, the Castlegregory branch...
. On many photographic expeditions he was accompanied by his friend Norman Lockett.
His most characteristic railway photographs display the surrounding landscape to advantage. He said "I have to admit that the technical side of photography has never really 'bitten' me... For me, one of he greatest pleasures of railway photography has been when I have discovered some enchanting new location, and then set about trying to get the most attractive picture of the scene."
From 1959 his black-and-white photography was supplemented by colour 16mm cine film
Cine film
Ciné is usually used to refer to one or more of the home movie formats including 8 mm, 9.5 mm, 16 mm film, and Super 8. It is not generally used to refer to video formats or professional formats ....
, around 25000 ft (7,620 m) being exposed on railway subjects (and as much again on aircraft). Some of the railway material was much later broadcast on BBC Television
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
and transferred to VHS and DVD by Railscene as "The Ivo Peters Collection".
His still photography in colour was confined to the diesel era, and is represented in his book Railway Elegance.
Last years
In 1980 Peters was diagnosed with spinal cancer which curtailed activities for the last decade of his life. He died in 1989 and his ashes were scattered at Masbury Summit on the Somerset and Dorset line, whilst there is a street in Bath named after him: this road leads across a formerly-operational railway bridge to Green Park StationBath Green Park railway station
Green Park railway station is a former railway station in Bath, Somerset, England. For some of its life, it was known as Bath Queen Square.-Architecture and opening:...
, the terminus of his beloved Somerset and Dorset Railway.
Collections of photographs by Ivo Peters
- Ivo Peters' Classic Steam, compiled by Mac Hawkins. David & Charles, 1996. ISBN 0-7153-0490-9
- Ivo Peters' Farewell to North-West steam: a photographer's salute to the last days of steam over Shap and on the Settle & Carlisle, edited by Mac Hawkins. David & Charles, 1992. ISBN 0-7153-0080-6
- Ivo Peters' Southern Steam Album. Ian Allan, 1979. ISBN 0-7110-0912-0
- Jinty. Somerset & Dorset Railway Museum Trust, 1976. (for young people)
- The Narrow Gauge Charm of Yesterday. Oxford Publishing Co., 1976. ISBN 0-902888-65-X
- Railway Elegance: Western Region trains in the English Countryside. Oxford Publishing Co., 1985. ISBN 0-7137-1479-4
- The Somerset & Dorset: an English cross-country railway. Oxford Publishing Co., 1974. ISBN 0-902888-33-1
- The Somerset and Dorset in the 'fifties. Oxford Publishing Co. Part 1, 1950–1954. 1980. ISBN 0-86093-101-3. Part 2, 1955–1959. 1981. ISBN 0-86093-103-X
- The Somerset and Dorset in the 'sixties. Oxford Publishing Co. Part 3, 1960–1962. 1982. ISBN 0-86093-160-9. Part 4, 1963–1966. 1981. ISBN 0-86093-161-7
- Somewhere along the line: fifty years love of trains. Oxford Publishing Co., 1976. ISBN 0-902888-80-3
- Steam around Bath, with Mike Arlett. Millstream Books, 1987. ISBN 0948975075
Several of the above have been reissued in new editions.
Other works with significant photographic content by Ivo Peters
- Robin Atthill, The picture history of the Somerset & Dorset Railway. David & Charles, 1970. ISBN 0-7153-4933-3
- The Golden Age of Steam. Western Daily Press, 1980.
- P.W. Smith, Mendips Engineman. Oxford Publishing Co., 1972. ISBN 0-902888-15-3
- F.E. Stickley, Somerset & Dorset engineman. Oakwood Press, 1979.
- The Train now Departing. BBC, 1988. ISBN 0-563-20696-9