THE pictures might have been more than a century old, but when they were placed in a new exhibition in North Yorkshire they still drew an impressive crowd.

Wilf Garbutt, from Thornton-le-Dale, near Pickering, unearthed about 120 photographs taken by one of his ancestors, Thomas Wardill

The fascinating pictures had lain undisturbed in a loft for 80 years, but Wilf painstakingly labelled and researched them ready for display.

Visitors young and old crowded into the village's Old Grammar School to look at the photographs at the weekend. Many of them stretched back to the 1800s.

Wilf said: "A lot of people came out of interest, but there were also people who came who could remember some of the scenes. "We raised about £550 for St Hilda's Church in Ellerburn, which was very good."

Wilf said he had plans for more people to get a chance to see the familiar street scenes of the village and surrounding area.

"What I have in mind is to show quite a few of the older people in the village who may not have been able to get to the exhibition.

"I am hoping I might be able to give them some pictures individually to have a look at."

Much of Thomas's work showed scenes and portraits of individuals and families, developed in his darkroom behind the Wardill Brothers' store - now run by Wilf and his family.

One of his original cameras has even survived the intervening years, and was on display at the exhibition.

Updated: 11:00 Friday, November 22, 2002