John Melvin was a local photographer from Stonehouse, he took the time to record the changing landscape around the Avon Water for posterity in his photography. His works have allowed us to take a look at the past in a way that would have been otherwise impossible. Many of his slides can be viewed on our website with the group havign ownership of his many glass slides.
Melvin was born in Stonehouse in1869 and in 1903, he printed a small booklet of photographic images titled “Views of Stonehouse”, which showed 16 different scenes of the village and surrounding landscape.

Local poet and worthy, William S. McCoubray recalls John Melvin in his epic poem ‘Auld Stonis When I Was Wee’ which recorded the shops and businesses of the village in the following lines:   

‘Nip roon tae Angle Street, man or dame
Ye then can hae yer photie taen
I’m delvin deep in memory’s poke
I think the name was Melvin Jock.’

As Stonehouse’s resident photographer, as well as others of note including the George Gray and ‘Cowper’, John Melvin photographed the landscape and architecture in and around Stonehouse. Through his lens we can now appreciate and enjoy a historical photographic account our community while experiencing the changing architecture and countryside of Stonehouse over the past century.

Thank you to John Young for sharing the story of John Melvin with us!