Wistow Gallery
May 2026
The impressive collection of photos was sent to me by Lisa Ward (née Wildash) from Wistow, near Selby, where the family seat lays. Although a few years have passed since she sent them, my retirement from work and, more pressingly, nursing a bad back during a heatwave, has give me the focus to sit down and tackle the job, which by its nature has been a rather intense one. However, the advent of Artificial Intelligence tools during this period has meant that the task of restoring and improving these pictures has been made much quicker and easier. In using these tools I have been careful to preserve facial resemblance and general details (AI can take liberties if you let it), but in some cases where detail was very lacking I have allowed a little licence with backgrounds and framing, I think to great effect.
To keep a proper record I have displayed the original images, a restored monochrome version (as appropriate) and a colorised version (or re-colorised version if the original was in colour). AI is pretty clever at recognising the period the photo represents and applying a sympathetic colour balance, so hopefully all of these are pleasing and serve to enhance the charm of the original, but I included a monochrome version anyway, for the purists.
Corrections
Things like eye or hair colour are an educated guess by AI, so if you have any input on this do let me know and I can edit things accordingly. Given the complexities there may well be some constructional errors here and there, with incorrect image links and so on - do let me know!
Editing the Information
I have constructed this website around a content management system (Wistow Admin on the main menu) to allow anyone to log in and edit descriptions, biographies, dates etc., although I have put in as much as I could gather as a starting-point. The process is all pretty simple and intuitive, but let me know if you need help, or send me a list and I will make the changes myself.
Email me for the login password.
May 2026
The impressive collection of photos was sent to me by Lisa Ward (née Wildash) from Wistow, near Selby, where the family seat lays. Although a few years have passed since she sent them, my retirement from work and, more pressingly, nursing a bad back during a heatwave, has give me the focus to sit down and tackle the job, which by its nature has been a rather intense one. However, the advent of Artificial Intelligence tools during this period has meant that the task of restoring and improving these pictures has been made much quicker and easier. In using these tools I have been careful to preserve facial resemblance and general details (AI can take liberties if you let it), but in some cases where detail was very lacking I have allowed a little licence with backgrounds and framing, I think to great effect.
To keep a proper record I have displayed the original images, a restored monochrome version (as appropriate) and a colorised version (or re-colorised version if the original was in colour). AI is pretty clever at recognising the period the photo represents and applying a sympathetic colour balance, so hopefully all of these are pleasing and serve to enhance the charm of the original, but I included a monochrome version anyway, for the purists.
Corrections
Things like eye or hair colour are an educated guess by AI, so if you have any input on this do let me know and I can edit things accordingly. Given the complexities there may well be some constructional errors here and there, with incorrect image links and so on - do let me know!
Editing the Information
I have constructed this website around a content management system (Wistow Admin on the main menu) to allow anyone to log in and edit descriptions, biographies, dates etc., although I have put in as much as I could gather as a starting-point. The process is all pretty simple and intuitive, but let me know if you need help, or send me a list and I will make the changes myself.
Email me for the login password.
Click or tap the thumbnails for a full-size image, and right-click this to save to your device.
1
Aunt Ana
Ana...
B: xx xxx, xxxx, D: xx xxx, xxxx
Any biographical details...
Pic 1
Location, date, etc.
2
Aunts Annie and Alice
Annie
Alice
B: xx xxx, xxxx, D: xx xxx, xxxx
B: xx xxx, xxxx, D: xx xxx, xxxx
Any biographical details...
Pic 1
Location, date, etc.
Pic 2
Location, date, etc.
3
Bessie
Bessie Martin (née Longfield)
B: 12 July, 1919 (Field Lane, Wistow), D: xx,xxx,xxxx
Married Thomas Edwin Martin, 20 December, 1941 (Wistow Parochial Church)
Married Dennis Fountain 31 July, 1961 (later divorced and returned to the name Martin)
Pic 1
Pic 2
Bessie and Dennis Fountain
Pic 3
Bessie and Tom Martin wedding 20 December, 1941
Pic 4
Bessie at Selby Grammar School (bottom left)
Pic 5
Pic 6
Bessie, Kitty, May and ?
Pic 7
Pic 8
Test
Pic 9
Pic 10
A picture of Bessie, who bought and lived in the Wistow Longfield family home her whole life. She used the original fire but it hadn’t been used for cooking for a good few years. We were always fascinated by the fire. There was a little family poem that was passed down that the children used to say if they were allowed to poke the fire. Bessie wrote it down for me. Lisa.
In the fire l can see
A little house, a twisty tree.
A giant walking down the hill,
A fairy dancing, a windmill.
With turning sail, a pixieman
Carrying a watering can.
But if I give the fire a poke,
They vanish like a puff of smoke.
4
Dora Banks
Dora Banks
B: xx xxx, xxxx, D: xx xxx, xxxx
Pic 1
Pic 2
Pic 3
6
Granny Longfield
B: xx xxx, xxxx, D: xx xxx, xxxx
Pic 1
5
Grandad
B: xx xxx, xxxx, D: xx xxx, xxxx
Pic 1
Pic 2
Pic 3
13
Nanna Longfield
B: xx xxx, xxxx, D: xx xxx, xxxx
Pic 1
Pic 2
Pic 3
Pic 4
Pic 5
Pic 6
Pic 7
Pic 8
Pic 9
8
Jack and Joan Longfield
John (Lund) Longfield
Joan Florence Isobel Longfield (née Russell)
B: 23 July, 1910, D: xx May, 1990
B: 13 January, 1919, D: 6 January, 1991
Pic 1
Pic 2
At the bus station
Pic 3
Trip to London
Pic 4
Pic 5
Press photo (Kent Messenger) taken on Jack's reluctant retirement as verger of St Barnabas Church, Gillingham, Kent (date?)
Pic 6
Jack (R) with brother Jim.
Pic 7a
A walk with cousins Jacky Bell, Lisa, Richard and Auntie Kitty Wildash from Wistow village to the river bank (River Ouse via Marsh Lane and Clough Dike).
Pic 7b
Pic 7c
Pic 8
Jack, Joan and Helen on Whitby beach.
Pic 9a
Richard and Lisa on a trip to Kent. Gillingham Park?
Pic 9b
Pic 10
Stopford Road, Gillingham?
Pic 11
Jack and Joan's wedding (date?)
Pic 12
Pic 13
Pic 14
Pic 15
Pic 16
On board a battle cruiser Pheobe, 1945?, with ship's dogs Cleo, Scranbag and Pheobe.
Pic 17
Pic 18
From local Press: In conference during rehearsals for the revolutionary 20th Century folk Mass to be celebrated at St. Barnabas Church, Gillingham, on Maundy Thursday are Mr. J. L. Longfield, verger, Mr. Brian Shilling, organist and choirmaster, and Mr. Reg Simpson, conductor of the well known local amateur orchestra which bears his name.
9
Kitty
Kathleen Nora Longfield
B: 18 August, 1927 (Field Lane, Wistow), D: 4 August, 2000 (York District Hospital)
Married James Wildash 19 June, 1965 (Selby registry Office)
Pic 1
Pic 2
Pic 3
Pic 4
Pic 5
12
May
May Longfield
B: 11 May, 1925 (Field Lane, Wistow) D: xx xxx, xxxx
Married Alvin Bell (?) 21 April, 1946
Pic 1
Pic 2
Pic 3
May or Kitty?
Pic 4
Pic 5
May's wedding, Kitty as bridesmaid, Grandad and Nanna Longfield (right), Pat and Pam (smallest twins). 21 April, 1946.
Pic 6
11
Mary Hodgson
B: xx xxx, xxxx, D: xx xxx, xxxx
Pic 1
7
Herbert Longfield
Herbert Longfield
B: 23 December, 1916, D: 7 January, 1929 (Leeds Infirmary)
Sadly died of tetanus aged 13
Pic 1
14
James Longfield
James Longfield
B: 31 January, 1912 (Field Lane, Wistow), D: 1 October, 1986 (York District Hospital)
Married Ada (surname?) at Selby Abbey
Pic 1
Pic 2
Is this James? Warped original scan, so maybe poor likeness. Locate better image?
17
Norman
Norman Longfield
B: 22 September, 1913 (Field Lane, Wistow), D: 23 March, 2004 (York District Hospital)
Married Dorcas Elizabeth Moore
Pic 1
15
John James Longfield
John James Longfield
B: 24 October, 1885 (Kelfield, York), D: 27 December, 1950 (Field Lane, Wistow)
Married Eliza (Kitty) Lund 10 February, 1910
Pic 1
16
Bessie's Bible, Miscellaneous
Pic 1
Andrew Johnston
Pic 2
Bertie Longfield Martin
Pic 3
Charles Seaman, son of Peter and Pamela Seaman (née Martin), b 26 Sept 1968
Pic 4
Richard Seaman, son of Peter and Pamela Seaman (née Martin), b 13 Nov 1971
Pic 5
Paula Seaman, daughter of Peter and Pamela Seaman (née Martin), b 17 March 1966
Pic 6
The Goblin Tree!
Pic 7
Douglas Peel, son of Roderic and Patricia Peel (née Martin), b 24 Jan 1968
Pic 8
Samantha Peel, daughter of Roderic and Patricia Peel (née Martin), b 24 Dec 1969
Pic 9
Bessie's twin daughters, Pat (10.09.1942 to 18.08.1962) and Pam Martin
Pic 10
One of these Airmen is Thomas Edwin Martin the father of Pat, Pam and Bertie Martin.
10
Family Wedding Groups
Pic 1
Longfield wedding
Pic 2
Lund wedding. Nanna on back row, 2nd from right.
