The official opening of Tish Murtha House in Newcastle's West End means the name of the acclaimed photographer who captured many of her iconic images in that part of the world will now be immortalised.
Her striking depictions of Tyneside working class life in the late 1970s and 1980s, such as Elswick Kids, have gained major recognition from far and wide. Tish died in March 2013 on the day before her 57th birthday. Since then, her daughter Ella has worked tirelessly to promote her mother’s pictorial legacy.
Ella and Dexter Murtha-Brown (Tish's grandson) were joined by the Sheriff of Newcastle, Coun Veronica Dunn, residents, and invited guests for the official opening of Tish Murtha House on Wolsingham Street, Elswick. The name for the sheltered housing scheme of 38 one and two-bedroomed apartments for older people was chosen by local schoolchildren from St Michael’s Primary School.
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Others attending the ceremony included Eileen Murtha-Brown, Tish’s younger sister; and Mick Henry, the lecturer at Bath Lane college who wrote the letter which helped secure the funding from Newcastle City Council. This funding set Tish on her journey to becoming one of Britain's most important social documentary photographers of the last 50 years.
Speaking at the event Ella Murtha, Tish’s daughter, said: “Social justice and equality was so important to my mam. She never stopped challenging the wrongs she saw in society and photography was her way of trying to make the world a better place. Being here has been really lovely.
"It’s bitter sweet that my mam isn’t here to see this, especially as it would have been her birthday - but I know she would be so proud to have a place where older people from where she lived can feel safe and secure, named after her. And she would have loved that today’s generation of Elswick Kids chose the name.”
Sheriff of Newcastle, Coun Veronica Dunn, paid tribute to both Tish and Ella, saying: “I am delighted we have named this new Housing Plus development after Tish Murtha. Tish was a woman who used her immense talent to highlight the devastating impact government policies had on local people in the hope of making a difference to their lives. The fact her photos led to a debate in Parliament shows just how powerful they are.
“Ella is doing an amazing job in protecting her Mam’s legacy. By working together to create a permanent exhibition of Tish’s iconic images in Tish Murtha House we will be able to inspire generations of Elswick Kids for decades to come.”
Tina Drury, Group Managing Director at Your Homes Newcastle (YHN) said: “Tish’s photos show poverty and deprivation but also the resilience and tenacity of the local community. These images are a very fitting legacy that Tish has left. Naming this development, through the schoolchildren, Tish Murtha House will be with us forever. The exhibition here provides an opportunity for residents and visitors to talk about times gone by and remember the 1970s and 80s”
Three exhibitions of Tish Murtha’s work, sponsored by Waypoint Asset Management and Kajima, are on currently display in Newcastle. Tish Murtha: Demon Snapper is on display in the City Library until Monday, March 27. The images will then be incorporated into the exhibition at Tish Murtha House.
Tish Murtha: From The Inside will remain in Cruddas Park library, close to where Tish took many of her most famous images, throughout the summer. Tish Murtha: Camera in Hand will be on permanent display at Tish Murtha House. The exhibition includes two photos, Glenn On A Wall and Glenn In A Window, in tribute to Tish’s younger brother who sadly died last month. Anyone wanting to view this last exhibition, which is by prior arrangement only, should email press.office@newcastle.gov.uk or commteam@yhn.org.
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