Camera Obscura
The title simply means “dark room” but it was a Victorian technology trick par excellence.
My first Camera Obscura was in Bristol in the 70s, in Clifton overlooking the suspension bridge. A former snuff mill had been converted to a Camera Obscura in what was called the Clifton Observatory circa 1828. After a short climb up the tower, you were ushered in to a dark circular space with a saucer-shaped table in the centre. The operator operated a handle and a couple of looped ropes in order to focus the image on the local landmarks, the main one of interest being the suspension bridge. Whilst being a simple glorified pinhole camera, the effect is electic, like a slide projector image suddely coming to life with movement of a bird or passers-by.
The site had another curiousity- tunnels under the cliff to a viewpoint below. It was still open twenty years later but was now manually (Rats- t’internet has munged the rest of the post!)
