Last picture show

The photographs are captivating, the captions illuminating. For the first time, much of York Reference Library's large collection of old photographs is accessible to everyone who is able to find their way to an Internet-ready computer.

Everyone who has used it has said the same thing: it's wonderful. And visitors have flocked to the site from all over the world - Nepal, Australia, Canada, New Zealand.

Imagine York will continue to operate for many years to come, bringing pleasure and prompting memories. Unhappily, however, it will grow no bigger.

On Thursday, funding runs out. Project officer Yvette Turnbull will add the last photograph to the site and that will be it.

If more information comes in about the photographs already online, this will be incorporated. But nothing more.

This is a huge disappointment for Yvette and her dedicated team of volunteers who have undertaken the research. They had big plans - to add the 6,500 remaining images filed in the strongroom, before starting on official council pictures. They were primed to scan other historical items too - letters, accounts, inventories.

The project received start-up funding of £129,000 from the New Opportunities Fund. That paid Yvette's salary and bought the necessary computer equipment.

More money was needed to keep the project going, and City of York Council applied to another National Lottery funding body, the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The fund's mission "is to improve the quality of life by safeguarding and enhancing the heritage" of Britain. For a modest £50,000 they could have enhanced a precious part of York's heritage, but the bid was rejected.

Why? "In this case the project was not demonstrably different from a project already in existence, Imagine York," said Fiona Spiers, Yorkshire manager for the Heritage Lottery Fund Yorkshire. "We did not feel that this proposal for a further £50,000 of lottery money would add enough value for the people of York."

Many Imagine York visitors would disagree. It is barmy that money is available to start a project like this, but what Yvette described as "a pittance" cannot be found to keep it going.

At the final meeting of the project group in the Marriott Room of York Central Library last Friday, Yvette spoke of her pride in the work achieved and regret that it cannot continue. "I am deeply, deeply sad that we can't continue because we have so many more beautiful things that deserve to be on the site," she said.

Library visitors will still be able to ask to see pictures on a certain subject. But you cannot browse through hundreds of pictures which is what the website allows.

The last big section to go on Imagine York focuses on the chocolate city, with artefacts and pictures relating to three different confectionery staff, from a director to a factory floor worker.

"This has been the job of my life," Yvette said. "I have loved every second. I have loved the photographs, I have loved rediscovering things that have been forgotten, I have loved working with this team of volunteers."

That team, she said, had a total of 800 years of experience between them. All of them are York born and bred, and have lived in the city virtually all their lives.

And the volunteers all feel strongly about Imagine York. "It's been such a privilege to see some of these images that haven't been seen for years," said Wendy Simmons.

"Things have changed such a lot since the last war. Many of the photographs have reminded us of when we were children.

"In some small way we are helping to preserve them for future generations. It is such a shame it can't go on.

"I also think it's a shame, when people have left things to the city, that they're not going to be seen."

Peter Jackson reckons he's got almost every book on York that's been published. He was a city guide until reduced mobility forced him to give that up, so "this was a Godsend".

He has been working to identify faces and places on pictures of the former slums of Hungate. "I have to use my imagination and the maps that are available to try to place the photographs on the map and write a commentary on the sort of places they were."

"I feel proud to have been involved," said Jane Burrows. "I have looked forward to every meeting and have come to the library thinking 'let's get stuck in'."

David Hodgin has enjoyed playing detective, cross-checking reference sources to ensure accurate, interesting captions.

Present generations need to know about their forebears, he said. "It's very important. You have got to be aware of your own history. It's criminal that this sort of material is just gathering dust in the archive."

For city historian and Imagine York volunteer David Poole, much of the pleasure has come from discovering more about the people pictured. Names he mentioned include brewer, councillor and "grand old man of York" Jimmy Melrose, and Samuel Border whose grocer's shop was in Coney Street.

John Terry took up local history as a hobby when he retired. "As you look through the postcards you see how York has changed, especially in our lifetime. People are interested in that kind of thing."

The last word should go to Yvette. "I am going to find it very hard to separate myself from the best job in the world," she said.

"They will have to physically remove me from the library on Thursday night."

Updated: 09:18 Monday, September 27, 2004