Abstract
50 years ago, James Ravilious took up the post of resident photographer at the Beaford Centre, founded in North Devon in 1966 by the Trustees of Dartington Hall. From 1972 until his death in 1999 Ravilious worked as a documentary photographer rooted in rural North Devon. He created a unique picture of Life and Landscape in the small local communities around him and contributed more than 75,000 photographs to the Beaford Archive. Today he is viewed as a rural documentary photographer of major significance.
After considering briefly the Association’s past interest in photography, this paper recalls the creation of the Beaford Centre and its Archive. It then highlights the lasting legacy that James Ravilious has left us through his photographs. Finally, readers are given the opportunity to reflect on their own responses to a sample of his images.