Return of the “Wratten Lecture”
Croydon Camera Club is currently organising the Wratten Lecture 2026. This will be held at Shirley Methodist Church, Croydon on 11th March 2026 at 8pm, with guest speaker Margot Raggett MBE giving a talk called “Remembering Wildlife”. This is the collective name for the series of books created by Margot who was prompted to take action after seeing a poached elephant in Northern Kenya in 2014.
She began asking fellow wildlife photographers if they would contribute to a fundraising book. Their response was unanimous and Remembering Elephants, by ‘Wildlife Photographers United’ was published in September 2016 with images donated by 65 of the world’s top wildlife photographers.
The series has now sold more than 55,000 books and distributed more than £1.23 million GBP / $1.58 million USD to 80 different conservation projects in 34 countries across Africa, North and South America, Asia and Europe.
2026 sees 10 years of the Remembering Wildlife series and Croydon Camera Club is delighted that Margot Raggett is presenting this year’s Wratten Lecture. For a preview of images please see the website – https://rememberingwildlife.com/
Advanced tickets will be available shortly and will also be available “on the door”.
Origin of the Wratten Lecture
Upon election as club President in 1983, Harold Stillwell immediately revived interest moving the club’s meeting venue from the Friends’ Meeting House to the YMCA. He also revived a long-neglected tradition of having a major “star” attraction for a lecture. During Stillwell’s first year as President in 1983 however, membership continued to fall, in spite of some first-class lectures by A. W. Friese Greene, Colin Garrett and Dr Brian Most FRPS. Although publicity was essential to attract new members, no Council members were prepared to act.
New ideas: The Wratten Lecture
To cap his magnificent programme Harold Stillwell, ably supported by an energetic Secretary with influential connections with the RPS inaugurated the “Wratten Memorial Lectures” using a name that was still associated with the Club after three generations, and which eventually helped stimulate both increased membership and revival of the Club’s finances. The idea of running this one important lecture each year under the title of The
Wratten Lecture (which was open to other clubs) helped put Croydon’s name back on the map.
On November 14th 1984, Heather Angell FRPS, the then RPS President gave her illustrated talk entitled “Water Magic” to 100 members and guests. This splendid inaugural Wratten Lecture, set up and most efficiently organised by Tessa Most, achieved all its aims. Ms Angell’s three-figure fee was substantially covered by ticket sales at £l per head, resulting in a net profit of £62. During the Wednesday meeting following Heather Angell’s lecture, Joan Wakelin FRPS delivered a memorable and often emotional lecture, accompanied by her images. Then during the following week’s meeting, Hazell Hayward FRPS judged a competition evening. November 1984 therefore turned out to be very much a lady’s month at a time when
women audience members were always outnumbered by gentlemen.
Star lectures, successful outings
The second Wratten Lecture was held on November 26th 1985 and presented by the noted South African photographer Barry Wilkins FRPS. The photographs, which included many split and double screen images primarily of South African wild life, were felt by the 100 strong audience of members and guests to be both excellent and memorable. Again, Tessa and Brian Most who had arranged the evening so successfully for the Club in
conjunction with the RPS, were congratulated on their achievement.
Star lecturers during the rest of the season’s program included Bill Wisden, Alan Richards, Joan Wakelin, Roy King and Helene Rogers; and during October 1985, in conjunction with the RPS, Don Morrison came down from the North East with some magnificent slides of the Northumberland coast.
The third Wratten Lecture
The third Wratten Lecture, on November 4th 1987, proved to be even better than the previous two. Dr David Wheeler FRPS presented his lecture entitled “Selective Vision” employing some brilliant colour slides. For the third time therefore, an excellent Wratten lecturer had been brought to Croydon by Tessa Most.
The loss of I.D.Wratten
The death of I.D.Wratten CBE, Hon FRPS in 1988 finally ended the club’s long association with the Wratten family, over three generations and nearly 100 years.
Recent Wratten Lectures
More recent Wratten Lectures have included the following:
- March 2013 “Photography and Communication” by Damien Demolder 1
- March 2015 “The Photographer’s Eye: On Travel” by Michael Freeman
- March 2017 “Decisive Moments” by Ken Lennox
- March 2020 “From Dawn to Dusk” by Mark Bauer 2
- April 2024 “A Photographic Journey with Wildlife” by Graeme Purdy
- Damien Demolder was the editor of “Amateur Photographer”
- The March 2020 lecture was meant to celebrate 130 years of CCC. Owing to the
Covid pandemic however, it was postponed and subsequently run during October
2020 as a Zoom meeting.
