George T. Fillingham, founder of the Fillingham firm, came to Durham about 1904 ( Durham directory ), and worked for The Science and Art Company, a photographic firm at 69 Saddler St (information from George Lye). There had been a photography firm at that address (or 68 or 68A Saddler St) since F.W. Morgan moved there in 1897. (Morgan had been in business as a photographer since 1887 at 1 Saddler St, apparently setting up in premises already in use by F. Morgan, perhaps his father, as a grocery). By 1899 Morgan's business had been taken over by E. Binns, who was succeeded by the Science and Art Company in 1903. In the period 1904-1910 George T. Fillingham is variously described in the Durham Directory as manager or traveller. In 1911 his name replaced that of the Science and Art Company at 69 Saddler St, and his firm continued to operate at that address or 68A until after the First World War. By 1921, however, it had moved to 12 Elvet Bridge, where it remained until its closure.
George Lye joined Fillingham's in 1945, aged 15. Bill Lax began his photographic career in 1961 when he was apprenticed to J.A. Mills, photographers, 69A Saddler Street. He became retail manager at Mills for 10 years, and then came to Fillingham's, where he managed the commercial side of the business. The firm was frequently employed by university departments, colleges, and societies, especially after the closure of the Edis photography firm in 1964. It destroyed its older negatives at intervals, however, and at the time of its closure none of its university negatives earlier than 1974 still survived. [Information from George Lye and Bill Lax.]
The identity of the photographer or photographers responsible for the 19th century glass negatives in the collection is uncertain. One is signed Heaviside . T. Heaviside, followed by F. Heaviside, operated a photography business in Queen St, Durham from about 1863 until 1891. Others may be by J.R. Edis (founder of the Edis photography firm), as George Lye assumed in view of his recollection of how he acquired them, but this was challenged when some were printed in a local paper by an informant who attributed them to F.W. Morgan.
From the guide to the Fillinghams' Photographs, 19th-20th century (predominantly 1963-1996), (Durham University Library, Archives and Special Collections)
