I’ve been a fan of Peter Mitchell’s work ever since I first encountered his photograph of Mr and Mrs Hudson outside their Seacroft newsagent in Leeds, taken in 1974. It’s a quietly brilliant image, part of his remarkable body of work chronicling the city from the 1970s onwards.
Mitchell’s striking photographs were a defining part of the colour documentary scene in the 1970s and 1980s, often depicting shopkeepers and factory workers standing proudly outside their workplaces. I wanted to talk to him about those formative years — and how he came to document the changing face of the city he now calls home.
Photo © Peter Mitchell, all rights reserved.
Born at Hope Hospital in Salford in 1943, Peter spent his early years in the North West before moving with his family to London in the 1950s. He grew up in Catford and went on to study at Hornsey College of Art. After a short stint as a trainee travel agent at Thomas Cook, he worked for several years as a civil service draftsman before finding steadier work as a graphic designer.
Peter moved to Leeds in 1972, into the house in Chapeltown where he still lives and works today. While working as a delivery driver around the city, he began photographing the shops, houses, and factories that wouldn’t be around for long before they were to be demolished – or “goners,” as Peter referred to them.
Photo © Peter Mitchell, all rights reserved.
After posting one of Peter’s images on the BCA Instagram page, it sparked a debate about the image being photoshopped. The photo in question was taken in Leeds in 1983, showing a derelict row of terraced houses on Elford Place with the words “Rave On” daubed across its walls.
"I'm a Buddy Holly fan, that's why I took it. The single Rave On was released in 1958, it's one of my favourite Buddy Holly tracks!."
Some argue that the term rave on didn’t appear until the acid house and rave explosion of the late 1980s. I did my best to explain that it was already popular during the rock ‘n’ roll and jazz scenes of the 1950s. When I put this to Peter, he was highly amused. “I’m a Buddy Holly fan — that’s why I used it,” he laughed. “‘Rave On’ came out in 1958, and it’s one of my favourite Buddy Holly tracks!”
Photo © Peter Mitchell, all rights reserved.
Peter told me about a recent encounter with the playwright Alan Bennett. “I was at an exhibition in London,” he recalled, “but it was such a big, crowded event that I felt a bit out of sorts. It was blazing hot, everyone was sweating, so I stepped outside for some air. I happened to have a copy of my book, Strangely Familiar, with me — and since I used to live in Camden, I had a fair idea where Alan Bennett lived.”
“I made my way to Primrose Hill and recognised a row of familiar Georgian houses,” Peter said. “I knocked on his door, and his housekeeper answered. I explained who I was — that I’d come from Leeds — and Alan came down the stairs. I told him I was a photographer and that I wanted to give a copy of my book to people who had inspired me over the years, even if they didn’t know it. He was intrigued by the idea and invited me in for a chat and a cup of tea. A few days later, I got a postcard from him: ‘Dear Peter, I apologise for not recognising you. I feel bad about it. It’s such a lovely book. Hope to see you again.’ It was a special moment.”
Photo © Peter Mitchell, all rights reserved.
On the day I visited Peter, he’d been invited to the Methodist church in Seacroft — the very spot where he took his photograph of Mr and Mrs Hudson in 1974. The occasion was a celebration of the excellent Chapel FM, which had transformed the building into the first arts centre in East Leeds and home to its own radio station.
I tagged along with Peter, who had been invited to talk about the photograph that first put the church in the spotlight. In the arts café, I spotted a copy of the brilliant compilation album English Weather, curated by Saint Etienne’s Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs, hanging proudly on the wall — Peter’s image had been used for the cover. It was another proud moment for him.
He told the audience the story of that day in 1974, out on his delivery round, and how Mr and Mrs Hudson kept in touch with him for many years after the photograph was taken.
As the afternoon wound down, you could see just how much Peter’s photos still matter — not just as a record of a Leeds that’s long gone, but as an honest tribute to the people and streets that gave it its character. Watching him, modest and slightly baffled by all the fuss, you couldn’t help but feel the warmth people have for him and his work. All these years on, Peter Mitchell is still telling the story of the city in a way nobody else can.
Photo © Peter Mitchell, all rights reserved.
Photo © Peter Mitchell, all rights reserved.
Photo © Peter Mitchell, all rights reserved.
Photo © Peter Mitchell, all rights reserved.
Photo © Peter Mitchell, all rights reserved.
Photo © Peter Mitchell, all rights reserved.
Photo © Peter Mitchell, all rights reserved.
Photo © Paul Wright / British Culture Archive.
Feature by Paul Wright
