I visited Biddulph Grange in September when the gardens were reopened to visitors and took my Zorki 4 along with me.
Biddulph Grange gardens were developed by James Bateman using money he inherited from his father, who had become rich from coal and steel businesses. James Bateman moved to Biddulph Grange around 1840 and created the gardens with the aid of his friend and painter of seascapes Edward William Cooke. The gardens were to display specimens from Bateman’s extensive and wide-ranging collection of plants brought back by the great Victorian plant-hunters.
In 1861 Bateman and his sons, who had used up their savings, gave up the house and gardens, and Bateman moved to Kensington in London. Robert Heath bought Biddulph Grange in 1871. After the house burnt down in 1896, architect Thomas Bower rebuilt it.
After 1896 the house served as a children’s hospital from 1923 until the 1960s and then until 1991 the house and gardens housed an orthopaedic hospital.
In 1988 the National Trust took ownership of the property and its gardens, which have now been nearly fully restored.
Above is a comparison of the film camera image with a mobile phone image. The film image looks a little less sharp which I think is down to the lack of any coating on the Jupiter 8 lens causing some flare (I have received a lens hood as a Christmas present). I have also reduced the sharpening on the mobile phone image a little as I felt it was excessive.
Photographs were taken with a 1967 Zorki 4 with a Jupiter 8 50mm f2 lens using Ilford Delta400 film, developed with DDX as recommended.
I BOUGHT AN OLD FILM CAMERA 