Ffordes Photographic Ltd opened for business in May 1960 in Southernhay, Basildon, Essex by Reg Byford.
Reg was a keen amateur photographer and member of Rayleigh Camera Club and after an accident at the family?s house building firm he had to consider a new career and the natural choice was to open up a camera shop and pursue his passion of photography.
In these early years of business Ffordes become one of the largest retailers and main dealers for cine and camera equipment by Bolex, Nikon, Canon, Hasselblad, Leica, Linhof, Topcon, Mamiya, Zenza Bronica and many others.
The business grew over the years and in the early 1980?s a second shop was opened at Elmer Approach, Southend-on Sea, Essex a few years later the Basildon shop had to close as a new supermarket was built on its site and the business was then run solely from the Southend branch.
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