INFORMATION

General Information

During the year 2000 D J Clark built a visual record of the Lancaster & Morecambe district using photographs and information submitted by those that feature in the pictures. The project was conducted in association with Lancaster Museum and has been archived for future generations to look back at the district at the turn of the new Millennium. For more information on the project visit the information page. If you find a caption is wrong or there is a fault with the page please e-mail D J Clark.

Date: September 28th, 2000
Location: Various locations

Photographer's Diary

Thursday 28th John 'O' Gaunt Bye Election

There was no elections planned for the council or MP during this year, so when a councillor died and a bye election took place, I was keen to record something of our democratic process. I had been to visit the Independent candidate - Sheila Kavanagh - widow of Paddy Kavanagh the councillor who had died. I thought her case might be the strongest and thought the sympathy vote might carry her victory. I turned up for a night of campaigning, but found her and her agent sitting discussing the issue. She obliged to go and canvass a few homes for the camera and I obliged and took the pictures.

On the day I turned up early morning to a school polling station and got a simple picture. After work I returned and got a very similar picture. In the evening I was banned from shooting until the result. This I did, sitting at the back of the Cathedral Social Centre Hall. The announcement was swift and in audible and I got a half picture. Sheila had lost, but she seemed resigned to the fact as the results had been coming for the past two hours. There was little emotion, so I concentrated on the winner. Liz Stitt was happy but not overwhelmed. It all seemed very deadpan.

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