A RARE collection of black and white photographs have surfaced, showing Swanage and the surrounding area in the 19th century and early 20th century.

Photographer William Powell ran a photography studio on Swanage seafront for many years and a descendent of the Powell family is putting 50 photographs up for auction at Cottees in Wareham next month.

Photographs dating back to the 1880s show Swanage Bay and local roads, including a rare shot of the bay taken from Institute Road in 1888 and a very rare picture of Gilbert Road.

Earlier this year a photo album by three generations of photographers from the Powell family fetched £1,000 at auction.

Auctioneer John Condie said: "The album created quite a lot of interest. It is so rare to see early photographs of Swanage and the surrounding area but you can still identify the places today - you can transport yourself back."

As well as the collection of loose photographs, there are also letters and postcards written by William and Thomas Powell and reproduction prints of drawings by William's sister Margaret Powell.

The prints show members of the Powell family in local scenes and there also is a photograph of their shop interior showing the barometer that always hung there.

There is an early 20th century photograph of coronation celebrations in Institute Road and scenes showing flooding at the bottom of the High Street.

A reserve price of £100 has been put on the photographs, which come up for auction at Cottees on Tuesday, November 9.

First published: Oct 25