Jim Jarvis (1920s - 2012)

Childhood at Gorselands

Gorselands, 1935

Among the slides given to the Society from Jim Jarvis’s estate in 2013, are some photos from his childhood at Gorselands, Queen’s Road, which he had evidently copied to transparencies. These were digitised by Peter Boden.

Marked “JMJ in full dress uniform, aged about 6”. copied by JMJ from a 1920s photo in 1998

JMJ on bicycle – 1999 copy made by JMJ from 1920s photo

E C Jarvis in his car on Harpenden Common in December 1927 – is he towing Jim?

Kodak Retina 1 camera, used regularly by Jim Jarvis from 1950-1964, and still in use in 2009

Jim was a life-long keen photographer and member of Harpenden Photographic Society, of which he was President for many years. He also left a large number of black and white glass negatives, which John Marlow converted into digital images. Some are of houses being built by E C Jarvis during the 1930s, and we are trying to identify where they were and which are still in existence.

Also among the glass negatives are a number of views of Gorselands, and its gardens, which are in a gallery at the bottom of this page.

This is just the start of a biographical note on Jim Jarvis, yet to be written. Can you help? If so, please contact us.

Comments about this page

  • Gorselands was for many years later occupied by Mr and Mrs William Blackden and their three daughters. Jean Blackden ran a junior school  there that was originally part of St Georges.

    Being close to St. John’s Church, Gorselands became a base and rehearsal room for many of the drama productions that the Revd Michael Mayne and others produced in the 1950s.

    Jean Blackden afterwards lived in Harpenden for many years and remained a close friend of my mother, Freda Wyborn, until their deaths in 1990/91.

    By John Wyborn (03/03/2016)

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