Our Proud History
Mitcham Camera Club was founded in 1948 by a group of local amateur photographers. Their stated purpose was 'the encouragement and study of still photography in all its branches'. At that time all the work produced was in the form of black & white prints, and generally the processing was done in a member's own darkroom. Initially, the Club met in members’ homes but, as numbers grew, it became necessary to find a permanent meeting room, and around 1950 meetings began to be held at Canons House in Mitcham.
These early years in the Club were times of great enthusiasm for photography. During the late 60's and early 70's transparency work became more popular and competitions were introduced to further encourage work in this medium.
The next major change in Photography came with the development of digital equipment. This development initially saw a fall in membership numbers which had been between 30 & 40. However, once the digital age became more accepted as a medium for photography the Club saw a distinct rise in the membership.
In 1996, a fire at the Canons House forced the Club to take emergency measures to relocate their meeting place. A suitable venue was found at T.S. Benbow, the headquarters of Mitcham and Morden Sea Cadets on Commonside West, only a short distance from the Canons House. However in 2005, the redevelopment of T.S. Benbow made it necessary for the Club move to the Pollards Hill Community Centre. The final move was to our current home at All Saints Community Centre.
Recently, the Club members have exhibited their work at the National Trust’s Morden Hall Park, the Civic Centre in Morden, Mitcham Public Library, The Pollards Hill Community Centre, All Saints Centre, at Sainsbury’s Supermarket and at the Mitcham Carnival.