The Salvage Archive: A Journey Back to Calgary Bay, Isle of Mull, 1966

 There is a unique magic hidden within the grain of a vintage 35mm slide. When the projector hums to life and that bright, dust-flecked beam of light hits the screen, it doesn’t just show a picture; it opens a portal. Today, I am thrilled to share a very special piece of my personal archive: two beautifully preserved slides of Calgary Bay on the Isle of Mull, captured during the summer of 1966.

These images offer more than just a scenic view; they are a quiet witness to a different era of Scottish travel, showcasing one of the Inner Hebrides' most iconic beaches before the age of mass tourism and digital immediacy.

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The Untouched Beauty of Calgary Bay

Calgary Bay has long been regarded as one of the finest beaches in Scotland. Located on the north-west coast of the Isle of Mull, it is famous for its "machair"—the low-lying fertile grassy plain—and its startlingly white shell sand.

In these 1966 photographs, the timeless nature of the landscape is striking. In one view taken from an elevated, rocky vantage point, we see the bay's famous white sands shimmering under the soft Scottish light. The foreground is dominated by rugged rocks and patches of hardy coastal flora, likely purple heather or wild thyme, which still blankets the island today. Across the water, the dense woodland and the gentle rise of the hills frame the beach in a way that feels sheltered and ancient.

A Snapshot of 1960s Adventure

The second slide in the collection provides a wonderful "human interest" element that perfectly captures the spirit of mid-century motoring. We see a classic white car, likely an Austin or Morris of the era, parked right at the edge of the grassy machair overlooking the Atlantic. Beside it, a figure sits in a folding chair, perhaps taking in the evening air or waiting for the kettle to boil on a portable stove.

In 1966, a trip to Mull was a true expedition. The roads were almost entirely single-track with passing places, and the ferries were smaller and less frequent than the modern CalMac fleet we know today. This image encapsulates the "slow travel" movement decades before it had a name—the simple joy of finding a quiet spot, turning off the engine, and letting the silence of the Hebrides wash over you.

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The 35mm Aesthetic: Why Film Matters

Looking at these slides, you notice a colour palette that modern digital sensors struggle to replicate. The blues of the water have a deep, cinematic quality, and the greens of the hills are rich and organic.

• The Grain: There is a physical texture to these images that tells you they were made of light hitting silver halide crystals.

• The Atmosphere: The 1966 light feels softer, perhaps filtered through a different quality of Atlantic mist or simply preserved by the chemical aging of the slide itself.

• The Story: Every slide in a collection like this represents a deliberate choice. In 1966, you only had 24 or 36 exposures on a roll. You didn't "burst" twenty photos of the same wave; you waited for the right moment.

Calgary Bay: Then and Now

While much of the world has changed since 1966, Calgary Bay remains remarkably preserved. Thanks to its remote location and the stewardship of the local community, you can still stand on those same rocks today and see a view that is almost identical to the one captured in these slides.

However, the "wild camping" feel seen in the photo with the car has become more regulated to protect the fragile machair environment. Today, visitors are encouraged to use designated areas to ensure that the white sands and rare wildflowers remain for another sixty years.

Why Visit Calgary Bay Today?

• The Sand: The sand is made largely of crushed shells, giving it a brilliant white glow even on overcast days.

• The Art: The nearby "Art in Nature" woodland walk features sculptures hidden among the trees.

• The Wildlife: It is a prime spot for seeing White-tailed Sea Eagles soaring over the headlands.

• The History: From the ruins of abandoned villages nearby to these 1960s memories, the bay is a layer cake of Scottish history.

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Preserving the Past

Sharing these 35mm slides is a reminder of the importance of physical archives. In an age where we take thousands of photos on our phones that are often never looked at again, these two slides have survived over half a century to tell us a story about a car, a beach, and a quiet moment in the sun.

Whether you are a fan of vintage photography, a lover of the Isle of Mull, or someone who appreciates the nostalgia of the 1960s, I hope these images transport you to the water's edge at Calgary Bay.

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The Salvage Archive: The Sunday Drive Mystery, Dating an Unknown Bavarian Baroque Church

This image, pulled from a 35mm slide, captures a serene, sunlit scene that is rich with historical and geographical clues: a beautiful church set against rolling hills, a field of grass, and a few vehicles, one of which is the star of the show.

1. The Architecture: The Zwiebelturm

The most striking feature is the church tower, crowned with a distinctive dark, rounded, onion-shaped dome—a style known in German as a Zwiebelturm. This is the most significant geographical clue, as this Baroque style of cupola is overwhelmingly common in Southern Germany (Bavaria) and parts of Austria.

• Conclusion: The church is almost certainly located in the Upper Bavaria or Lower Bavaria region of Germany, a center for Baroque and Rococo Catholic architecture.

2. The Car: Dating the Image

The white sedan in the foreground provides the strongest evidence for dating the photograph:

• The Car Model: The car appears to be a BMW 1500, 1800, or 2000 (part of the "Neue Klasse" or "New Class" series). Production for this influential model began in 1962.

• The License Plate: The plate reads B · CU 528. The "B" indicates the vehicle was registered in Berlin. While the car is miles from Berlin, this detail confirms the photograph was taken on a road trip or driving holiday by West German citizens.

• The Film: The colour saturation and slightly faded tones are typical of mid-century colour slide film (like Agfacolor or early Kodachrome), reinforcing the date.

3. The Landscape: A Rural Backdrop

The church sits adjacent to a field with rolling hills in the background, suggesting it is a significant feature of a rural village or small town in the Alpine foothills. The landscape is not a major city, making it a smaller, lesser-known parish church or abbey.

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Where in Bavaria? (A New Search)

While the exact location remains a mystery without boots-on-the-ground searching, this structure is typical of many fine parish churches, such as those found in towns like Ebersberg, Wasserburg am Inn, or smaller towns in the Landshut area.

The church's size and style suggest it may have belonged to a former Abbey (Kloster) or served as a prominent pilgrimage church (Wallfahrtskirche) in the area.

This stunning slide not only documents a beautiful piece of architecture but also freezes a moment in time: a German family from Berlin on a road trip through the heart of Bavaria in the mid-1960s.

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The Salvage Archive: Dating a Timeless View of the Wye Valley

This stunning 35mm slide, simply labelled "Wye Valley," captures the classic, tranquil beauty of the English and Welsh borderlands. The image is a broad, sweeping panorama of the River Wye winding through lush farmland, anchored by a cluster of charming, traditional houses in the foreground.

While the specific location along the 134-mile-long River Wye is a detective job, we can make some highly educated guesses about both the spot and the date based on the visual clues provided.

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Pinpointing the Location: The River's Embrace

The key feature here is the highly meandering bend of the river that almost creates an oxbow lake around a large field. This kind of pronounced meander is characteristic of the Wye as it flows through the flatter sections of its course, particularly as it heads south towards the Severn Estuary.

• Lookout Point: The photograph is clearly taken from an elevated position, looking down over the scene. This suggests it was taken from a hill, a high bank, or perhaps an upstairs window of a property along the river.

• The Village: The cluster of traditional houses in the foreground, with their steep roofs and classic British architecture, suggests the viewpoint is near a small village or hamlet. The white or cream-coloured houses are typical of many settlements in the area.

• Likely Area: Sections of the Wye near Symonds Yat (though this view seems flatter) or between Hereford and Ross-on-Wye are known for these magnificent, looping bends and wide, pastoral landscapes. A very strong candidate area is the beautiful scenery around Bodenham, north of Hereford, where the Wye performs dramatic loops through the low-lying agricultural land.

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Dating the Image: A Mid-Century Mystery

The best clue for dating this image lies, as often is the case, with the motor vehicle in the foreground.

• The Car: Just visible on the road is a small, two-tone classic car. Based on its rounded body shape, pronounced headlights, and compact size, this appears to be a Morris Minor, likely a late-model saloon.

  • The Morris Minor was produced until 1971 (though some variants earlier).

  • The styling suggests it's a model from the late 1950s or 1960s. Its presence on the road means the photo must be from the period when these cars were common, or shortly after production ceased.

• The Colour Palette: The rich, slightly saturated, and warm tones of the slide film are very typical of colour film stock used in the late 1960s or early 1970s (Kodak Ektachrome or similar). The deep greens and intense blue sky are characteristic of this era of slide photography.

• Absence of Modern Features: There is a notable lack of modern road signs, street furniture, or highly developed infrastructure. The scene feels distinctly unhurried.

Estimated Date: Combining the car's presence and the film's characteristics, I would confidently place this slide in the late 1960s, possibly 1968–1972. The car is still clearly in regular use, but the technology points away from the mid-70s.

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The Timeless Allure of the Wye Valley

This slide beautifully encapsulates why the Wye Valley is one of Britain's most cherished landscapes. It’s a scene of pastoral perfection:

• The Meander: The river acts as a gentle, guiding ribbon through the flat fields, defining the landscape.

• The Farmland: The open fields suggest a traditional agricultural use, reinforcing the peaceful, rural character.

• The Sky: The dramatic sky, featuring large, puffy cumulus clouds, adds depth and drama, a quintessential feature of the British weather and light that photographers love.

This photograph is a moment of pure, uninterrupted English countryside, preserved perfectly on a small piece of film. It is a true time capsule of the beauty that has endured along the banks of the River Wye for generations.

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The Salvage Archive: Pillars of the Past, A 1960s/70s Glimpse of the Temple of Jupiter, Baalbek

One of the greatest joys of digitizing my 35mm slide collection is stumbling upon photographs of truly monumental places. This particular batch transported me far away from England to the magnificent ruins of Baalbek in Lebanon, capturing the awe-inspiring scale of the Temple of Jupiter.

These slides, taken sometime in the 1960s or 1970s, offer a wonderful, sepia-toned view of one of the greatest surviving examples of Roman imperial architecture.

The Scale of the Gods

What immediately captures the eye in these photographs is the immense scale. The Romans spared no expense in building the sanctuary at Heliopolis (the Roman name for Baalbek).

In the wide shot, we see the legendary remaining six columns of the Temple of Jupiter. Standing nearly 20 meters (65 feet) high, these Corinthian columns are a fraction of the original 54 that once surrounded the temple. The sheer size of the column shafts and the entablature they support is breath taking, especially against the backdrop of a vast, open sky. It’s a powerful reminder of the ambition and engineering prowess of the Roman Empire, which built this temple between the 1st and 3rd centuries AD.

Up Close with Ancient Detail

The closer, more dramatic photograph pulls us right into the details of the ruins. The focus is split between the distant, towering columns and the intricate stonework right at the photographer's feet.

Here, we see a stunning example of Roman sculptural relief: a lion's head carving. This lion protome would have been part of the decorative cornice, likely serving as a functional water spout (or gargoyle) to drain water from the roof. The detail is remarkable, the lion’s gaping mouth frozen in a silent roar over the tumbled stones of the lower wall. This close-up view perfectly illustrates the blend of monumental scale and meticulous artistic detail that defines Baalbek.

A Time Capsule of a Timeless Place

While the Temple of Jupiter itself is thousands of years old, the sepia tones and slightly grainy quality of the slides date the image to the 1960s or 1970s.

During this period, Lebanon, and sites like Baalbek, were popular destinations for travellers and historians before later conflicts made access more difficult. These pictures capture the ruins when they were likely enjoyed by smaller numbers of visitors, before modern mass tourism, giving the scene a more tranquil, almost solitary atmosphere.

It's humbling to realize that these pillars have stood for two millennia, witnessing countless generations. To see them captured on a decades-old slide adds a unique layer to their history—a memory of a memory. It’s a testament to the fact that even a tiny piece of film can hold an epic story.

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The Salvage Archive: Discovering the Charm of the Welsh Coracle

I recently rediscovered a fantastic piece of history—a 35mm slide from my collection, likely dating back to the 1960s. After digitizing it, I just had to share this glimpse into a timeless piece of Welsh heritage: the Coracle boat.

This photograph captures a beautifully rustic coracle resting on a shingle bank beside a river, its single, broad-bladed paddle lying across the wooden seat. It's a snapshot that transports you straight to the quiet waterways of Wales over half a century ago.

The Tiny Boat with a Huge History

If you're not familiar with it, a coracle (cwrwgl in Welsh) is a small, light, round or oval-shaped boat, designed for one person. It’s essentially a frame, historically made of woven willow or ash laths, covered with a waterproof material—in ancient times, animal hide, but by the mid-20th century, typically canvas or calico coated with tar or bitumen paint.

What makes them so fascinating is their incredible history. Coracles date back to pre-Roman times! They are one of the oldest forms of water transport in the world, with Julius Caesar even noting their use by the ancient Britons.

A River-Wise Design

The coracle's design is perfectly suited to its environment:

• Keel-less and Flat-Bottomed: This allows the boat to float in just a few inches of water, making it ideal for navigating shallow streams and fast-flowing rivers like the Teifi and Tywi in West Wales.

• Lightweight: Crucially, a coracle is light enough to be carried on the fisherman's back, often using a strap attached to the seat. This meant they could easily be transported between different stretches of water or carried home along with the day’s catch. This portability is key to the craft's endurance.

• Unique Propulsion: They are propelled by a single paddle, used in a figure-of-eight 'sculling' motion. This allows the fisherman to steer and move while keeping the other hand free for fishing—often for salmon or sea trout using a long, fine net, a traditional method still practised under license in parts of Wales today.

A Glimpse into the 1960s

The boat in the slide looks like a traditional working craft—its dark, tarred covering and simple wooden seat speak to utility and tradition. While the 1960s were a time of rapid change, this image reminds us that some ancient crafts were still very much a part of everyday life along Wales's rivers.

It's a wonderful memory to unearth from an old box of slides. Clicking the image should open a link in another window to my Colin Green Photography store on Zazzle.

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The picture remains the copyright of Colin Green.