Glass plate negative of fish restocking. This practice was undertaken on many rivers when fish stocks, particularly trout, dwindled due to a combination of over-fishing by anglers and industrial contaminents running into the river. Examples of the latter are a substance used in tarmacadam during road surfacing and bleach discharged by papermakers - there was a paper mill at Marsh Mill beside the Thames at Henley.

Photograph from the George Bushell Collection

George Bushell came to Henley in 1919 and took over the task of taking photographs of Henley and its surroundings from two predecessors, called Marsh and Marshall. Bushell died in the 1960s but his business was carried on by his son and grandson. It is his grandson, also called George Bushell, who has donated this important collection of photographs and glass plate negatives to the Museum. This unique collection provides a fascinating view of the changing face of Henley and the Thames over the last century.

Part of negative set number 103 in George Bushell's notebook