Photographer Paul Trevor on documenting city life
In our Image in Focus blog series, we go behind the scenes to celebrate the creative processes of our artist members.
Here, photographer Paul Trevor shares his insights about street photography and documentary photography in black-and-white. His work is currently on show as part of the exhibition ‘How Protest Shaped Britain and Photography Shaped Protest’ at National Galleries of Scotland: Modern Two, Edinburgh until 4 January 2026.
The image
The photograph ‘New Cross Road, London, 1977’ captures the police charge at anti-racists who are blocking the route of a National Front march in Lewisham that August.
When the curators at Tate Britain informed me about wanting to include it in ‘The 80s: Photographing Britain’ exhibition, I emailed back “it would obviously work best large” and asked if they’d be interested in a 5 foot wide print? Curators understandably have many details to consider, but the eventual decision to make a 9 inch print felt like a missed opportunity for the image to have some clout in that vast space.
When DACS asked me to choose a photo for the blog I thought, “Why not give the picture another chance to be better known, even if it’s hardly representative of my work?” The image appears to be something a photo-journalist covering such events might capture. It might have entered the mainstream back then had I been a press photographer. But working for the mainstream media meant (and means) relinquishing control - which is a no-no for me.
I’d long been aware of the ‘Battle of Cable Street’, when anti-fascists clashed with Oswald Mosley’s British Union of Fascists attempting to march in the East End of London in October 1936, and the famous chant "They shall not pass!” My father, as a teenager, had been there that day. Suddenly, some 40 years later, on the streets of London a dramatic scene was unfolding before my eyes. A sense of history repeating itself informed my photography.
Moments after making the picture the camera was damaged and put out of action, as the police forcefully cleared the area. That photo - and another of the peaceful anti-racists meeting before the police arrived - was featured in Camerawork magazine later that year.
The events of 13 August 1977 later became know as ‘The Battle of Lewisham’. It’s been commemorated in all kinds of ways, including a public mural in Lewisham. 42 years further on, in 2019 Four Corners, London, asked me about it for an online archive…
“You were heavily involved with Camerawork magazine’s special issue on the Battle of Lewisham. Why was it decided that Camerawork should dedicate an issue to this event?”
As I recall, prior to the event there was no firm plan to do anything - let alone a special issue - on the ‘Battle of Lewisham’. I went there to photograph for a project about Britain’s inner cities, published some years later as ‘Survival Programmes’.
In 1977 I was a member of the Half Moon Photography Workshop, whose activities included producing Camerawork magazine. A small group of volunteers would meet once a week in the evening to discuss ideas and prepare content. At one of these meetings I related my experience at Lewisham when the police charged at anti-racists who were blocking the route of the National Front march. At the height of this violent confrontation a woman - appealing for help - shouted at me in desperation “What are you taking pictures for?”
Good question, impossible to answer in a violent and chaotic melee.
We decided to devote a whole issue of Camerawork to that question and feature the different motivations of eight photographers who were there, through their words and images. We’d not attempted a special issue before. This was to be issue No 8 - we now felt sufficiently confident to have a go.
“What do you think made the special issues of Camerawork, particularly the one on the Battle of Lewisham, so successful and popular with readers?”
Our readers were photographers. Unlike them, the magazine was produced by photographers who had control of how their work was used - heady stuff! This was unheard of at the time. An unmistakable buzz of excitement surrounded each new issue. What’s this, photographers able to write? Doing layouts? Interviewing? Investigating? Challenging the status quo? This implied a groundbreaking level of self-respect that, I believe, was a large part of it’s popularity.
When I was involved with the magazine (1976 to 1980) no one was paid. Camerawork was a labour of love for all concerned. There was never a shortage of people who wanted to be part of it.
This issue positioned itself very much against mainstream media whilst emphasising a multi-perspectival account of the events of that day. Why did you feel it was important to speak about the intentions behind each photographer’s pictures, and bring to light the structures in which images were produced and circulated?”
From issue No 1 onwards, Camerawork consistently offered a critique of photography’s key role in the ‘politics of representation’. Issue 8 took that a step further, providing a powerful practical demonstration of how photography, ideology and market values were linked. Issue 8 was a scathing condemnation of mainstream media values. It suggested racism was - and is - a structural question. The magazine itself was proof that different values produce different outcomes. What could be more revealing?”
‘The Battle of Lewisham’ is featured in the acclaimed exhibition ’Resistance: How Protest Shaped Britain and Photography Shaped Protest’ - currently running at National Galleries of Scotland: Modern Two, Edinburgh until 4 January 2026. This time the curators chose the earlier photo I made that day - of the peaceful anti-racists meeting - to protagonize as the lead picture for the show. A large impactful print of the image above has to wait.
The key point I’ve been making of course is that from the very start, by retaining copyright in my work, I’ve retained control of how it’s used. DACS appreciates how important this is, and works with me to ensure this continues.
About Paul Trevor
Paul Trevor is known for his photography in the UK’s inner-city neighbourhoods, particularly for images made in London and Liverpool since the 1970s. His Eastender Archive is an extensive collection of black and white photographs documenting the different communities near his home in east London over three decades.
As a DACS Licensing member, a selection of Paul's work is available through DACS Images.
