George Plunkett

You can view his archive here.

Nick Stone

Creating the Record: The Norfolk Photographic Survey

Norfolk Heritage Centre is home to the Norfolk & Norwich Photographic Survey Collection of over 40,000 photographs of the county. The photographs date from the 1840s to present times and are the work of hundreds of professional and amateur photographers. The material forms just one part of the local photographic archives held by the Library Service.

Between 1898 and 1920 over seventy Photographic Surveys were started across Britain as a reaction to some traditional aspects of life changing radically or disappearing. People were moving from the countryside and leaving rural occupations to work in factories and live in urban areas. Country estates were shrinking, new agricultural practices and mass production were introduced, and the growth of railways made people more mobile. All of which brought big changes to the appearance of landscapes, buildings and the people of Britain. In response, attempts to record and map traces of our past began in earnest. Preservation became a national concern and photography offered so many possibilities on this front.

The Norfolk Survey was created in 1913 by George Stephen the Norwich City Librarian (he was also a member of the Norfolk and Norwich Archaeological Society). It aimed to maintain a rolling contemporary record of Norfolk life, documenting events each year, but also to collect ‘gone and forgotten’ scenes of the past. George Plunkett’s photographs are one of the stars of the survey, he was skilled and relentless with his camera and left us a fascinating legacy of thousands of images, showing the Norfolk of his time.

The photographs from surveys have been valued by generations of people, and today this unique multi-faceted record of the past, (created by so many different individuals) is still evolving and being added to – for the future.

Clare Everitt – Picture Norfolk

Entering the competition: Key Information

• By entering the competition, you agree to be bound by, and comply with, the Terms and Conditions, available below.
• The competition is free to enter, and you must be a resident in the UK (excluding Northern Ireland).
• There are 2 categories: adult, for those aged 18 years old and over, and youth, for those aged between 6 and 17 years old.
• If you enter the youth category, you must provide parental/guardians consent. If you are entering the youth category on behalf of the entrant, you must be the entrant’s parent, guardian or carer.
• An entry into the adult category may only be made on behalf of an entrant where necessary for accessibility purposes, subject to the consent of the entrant.
• The competition will run from 1 June 2025 and will close on 31 July 2025, and no entries will be accepted after the closing date. 
• You may enter a maximum of 6 photographs to the competition. 
• All photographs submitted must have been photographed by you within Norfolk or be a subject that relates to Norfolk. 
• All photographs should have some historical, heritage or archaeological significance, open to the widest interpretation. 
• The photographs should also record “the now” for the future.
• The technical requirements and specifications of each photograph are set out in the Terms and Conditions document below.
• The intellectual property rights within your photograph will remain vested in you, however you agree to provide us with a licence to use your photograph in accordance with the Terms and Conditions (although this is not, for the avoidance of doubt, any form of ‘rights grab’).
• Entries must be submitted before the closing date, by email to plunkett.prize@nnas.info along with all the supporting information required by the Terms & Conditions, including:

1. 1. 1. the Entrant’s email address;
      2. the Entrant’s postal address;
      3. the title of work;
      4. relevant details about the Entry, including where and when it was taken;
      5. a brief explanation of the Entry; and 
      6. confirmation from the Entrant confirming that the Entry complies with the Terms & Condition