Serena Wadham 1930-2006

Serena was born into a wealthy family and studied music at The Royal College and The Royal Academy in the 1940s and 1950s. A motorbike accident halted her musical career and she retrained as a photojournalist with The Black Star Agency in London. Serena lived in Georgia, Nancledra in the 1960s, spent most of her career working in London, returning to Georgia when she retired in 1987. Her photographs, taken for various newspapers and many for her own projects (mostly about women), document a fascinating era from the 1960s onwards.

When Serena died in 2006, her cottage in Georgia was due to be cleared. Luckily her neighbour knew the house was full of photographs and photography paraphernalia and told a friend who volunteered at the Morrab Library Photography Archive. Serena’s family was consulted and permission given for the library to take possession of the work.
I have been lucky enough to delve into this collection and to scan and archive the photographs. This is an ongoing task with treasures still to uncover, but plenty to talk about in the meantime.
Lesley Billingham

Photo Archive

FREE, no need to book