George Gallop was a Bristol-born photographer who lived and worked in the city for many years.

He moved to the Knowle West area with his parents at the age of three and attended the Connaught Road School (Infants, Juniors and Seniors) until the age of 14.

George had a number of jobs over the years, including office work, shop work and sales, before turning his hobby into a career. He had the opportunity to work full time for a photography agency, whose three partners were ex-newspaper photographers. The agency had built a reputation for taking quality wedding photographs.

Several years later, George decided to establish his own business and spent the next 30 years photographing events, celebrities and the people of Bristol.  He had an eye for the moments of social interaction, and with humour and his respect for all people he has left us with a unique archive of life in the 70s and 80s in Bristol.

George and KWMC

In retirement George discovered Knowle West Media Centre and spent many hours here participating in projects and events: from telling his story for the University of Local Knowledge, sharing his skills with many young people here, contributing to projects like Sporting Memories and Railway Workers’ stories. Memorably, he photographed a visit from the Earl of Wessex and shared with the prince photos he had taken of him many years earlier.

In 2010 George worked with KWMC to digitise his archive of 10,000 photographs, a selection of the many images he captured during his career. We also produced an exhibition of his work with many photos continuing to be displayed in our building.

Exhibitions

George once said it’s important that we remember our history – and he hoped that future generations would be able to enjoy his life’s work. We want to support George’s wish by making his archive available to view, for everyone who want to learn more about Bristol, its citizens and civic life.

We also invite people to delve into George’s archive and curate a series of online exhibitions. The collection below is a celebration of Bristol’s boxing heritage and a commemoration of the life and remarkable achievements of boxer and activist Muhammad Ali, chosen by KWMC Trustee and ex-boxer Bob Fisher.

A local sporting hero and recipient of the Paralympic Order, Bob was part of the 1968 England training squad for the Mexico Olympics. He has also been involved in the Paralympics since 1988: he was the former chairperson of the Football 7-a-Side Committee of the Cerebral Palsy International Sports and Recreation Association (CPISRA).

Bob’s choices from the George Gallop archive show:

Muhammad Ali’s visit to Bristol in 1979
Muhammad Ali meeting fans at a book-signing in Waterstones in 1993
Boxing sessions in Whitchurch in 1994
Boxer Frank Bruno
1995 bout between Kane and Hale, where Hale emerged as champion
A bout between two unknown boxers – do you recognise either of them?

If you’d like to see more of George’s photos or purchase prints please follow the links on the right of this page.  If you know anyone in the photos please do email us at enquiries@kwmc.org.uk to let us know.  We’d love to hear from you.