240:
181:, Wade Davis argues that Beetham – whom he considered an ill-advised selection for the expedition – prevented the most qualified and promising English climber of the period, Richard Graham, from joining. Graham had been a conscientious objector during the First World War, which became the basis of a whispering campaign by Beetham, even though Beetham had not fought himself.
284:, and there are the climbs all spread out before you, like goods in a shop window; and having paid due regard to the price—the standard of difficulty of each—you make your choice and up you go. In Borrowdale there is no such scansorial display: there are plenty of climbs within the reach of all, as I hope this article will reveal, but they have to be found, identified
252:
guidebook to the valley, published in 1953. The 1990 guide to the valley notes that
Beetham, "with the Goldsborough Club of Barnard Castle School, surveyed every sizable crag in the valley, working out well over a hundred routes with a wide range of difficulty". Beetham was responsible for developing
192:
Beetham, who is one of the stoutest men of the Alpine Club – a man with a marvel of pace and endurance on the mountains. A climbing companion who
Somervell himself could not outrival in the Alps nearly died of dysentery. But such was the strength of his constitution and determination that he was able
288:. In this last there is, I think, a hidden virtue, useful as training for the Alps, where a slight deviation from the intended route may lead one to an impasse, to less interesting climbing, or to a wrong destination altogether, and so wreck the whole expedition.
22:
247:
Beetham's name is familiar to anyone who climbs in the
Borrowdale valley in the Lake District. He made the first ascent, often solo, of numerous classic climbs in the valley, including "Little Chamonix" and "Corvus", and wrote the third edition of the
116:
From 1903 to 1914 Beetham devoted much time to his passion for ornithology. Amongst his expeditions, always undertaken with a camera in hand, were trips to the coast in the north-east of
England, where he developed a technique for photographing
80:, then from 1903 to 1914 he was busy with field research, writing books and articles, photography and giving lectures. In 1914, having established himself as a leading ornithologist, he returned to the North Eastern County School as a
121:
that involved abseiling down cliffs with the rope attached to a stake that was driven into the ground at the top of the cliff. Beetham at this time used a cumbersome and heavy
Sanderson half-plate field camera.
48:
in 1886, the second son of James
Weighell Beetham and Frances Elizabeth Beetham. His mother's maiden name was Bentley. Beetham's father, a bank manager in Darlington, died when Beetham was four years old.
297:
A collection of
Beetham's photographs – those he took in Tibet on the 1924 expedition, considered "an important historical record of Tibetan culture", as well as photographs of Barnard Castle,
134:, although his re-ascents of the sea-cliffs on the north-east coast, once he had captured images of birds on photographic plates, involved much use of the hands. In the Lakes he used
232:, which he visited on five separate occasions. His first visit was in 1927, together with G. Thompson, during which he made the first British ascents of many peaks in the
104:. In 1962 he was disabled by a stroke and spent his last year in a nursing home, where he died on 5 April 1963. His ashes were scattered from the top of Shepherd's Crag,
184:
By contrast, Somervell wrote, in an obituary to
Beetham, that "the whole expedition was severely handicapped by having our best climber forced into inactivity" and
264:(1946), Beetham explained the attraction of climbing in Borrowdale, comparing the experience with that found on the more traditional higher crags of the Lakes.
682:
687:
145:
After the war, Beetham and
Somervell started climbing in the Alps, initially under the supervision of the 60-year-old Godfrey Solly in
677:
692:
158:
150:
33:
149:, and subsequently on their own and without guides. In 1924, Beetham, along with Somervell (who had already been on the
667:
53:
598:
328:
672:
534:
455:
32:(1 May 1886 – 5 April 1963) was an English mountaineer, ornithologist and photographer, and a member of the
253:
the most popular crag in the valley, Shepherd's Crag, which lies just above the main road that runs beside
249:
93:
427:
166:
473:
97:
142:. Together they made ascents of the classic Lakeland climbs in the period before the First World War.
185:
154:
52:
Until the age of eight
Beetham was educated at Mr Bowman's Preparatory School; he then attended
269:
351:
Photography for Bird-Lovers. A practical guide ... With photographic plates by Bentley Beetham
239:
57:
626:
662:
657:
306:
8:
177:
and never made it higher on the mountain than Camp III at c. 21,000ft. In his 2012 book
321:
Lure of the Mountains: The Life of Bentley Beetham, 1924 Everest Expedition Mountaineer
594:
502:
324:
610:
305:. The collection is supervised by the Bentley Beetham Trust in conjunction with the
301:, the Alps, the Atlas and Tatra mountains – is held in Palace Green Library next to
302:
197:
It was during this expedition that Beetham took his highly regarded photographs of
139:
205:
118:
85:
65:
56:, where his brother John was already a pupil. From 1899 to 1903 he attended the
162:
76:
For some years after leaving school Beetham worked in an architect's office in
61:
546:
204:
Beetham made numerous expeditions to other ranges in the world, including the
651:
131:
254:
135:
81:
273:
221:
213:
101:
225:
105:
77:
45:
170:
298:
281:
277:
174:
146:
642:
406:
233:
229:
217:
89:
209:
198:
21:
345:
The Home-Life of the Spoonbill, the Stork and Some Herons
169:
were killed. During the expedition Beetham suffered from
16:
British mountain climber, ornithologist and photographer
593:, 5th edition, Fell & Rock Climbing Club, 1990,
380:, Arnold, 1927; Longmans, Green & Co., New York
338:
125:
459:at bentleybeetham.org. Retrieved 27 September 2011
356:'On the positions assumed by birds in flight', in
629:, bentleybeetham.org. Retrieved 26 September 2011
476:, bentleybeetham.org. Retrieved 26 September 2011
430:, bentleybeetham.org. Retrieved 26 September 2011
409:, bentleybeetham.org. Retrieved 26 September 2011
649:
615:The Journal of the Fell & Rock Climbing Club
262:The Journal of the Fell & Rock Climbing Club
530:
528:
130:Beetham started rock climbing in the English
54:Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Darlington
683:Fellows of the Zoological Society of London
537:, footlesscrow. Retrieved 27 September 2011
503:"Obituary – B. Bentley Beetham (1886-1963)"
525:
138:as a base and commenced a friendship with
585:
583:
581:
500:
96:, in 1927 he was elected a member of the
688:People educated at Barnard Castle School
496:
494:
292:
238:
68:. He left school at the age of sixteen.
20:
469:
467:
465:
450:
448:
446:
444:
442:
440:
438:
436:
650:
617:, No. 40, Vol. XIV (III), 1946, p. 180
578:
575:, West Col, 1980, p. 30, SBN 906227089
549:, rgs.org. Retrieved 27 September 2011
423:
421:
419:
417:
415:
402:
400:
60:(now called Barnard Castle School) at
565:
491:
386:, Fell & Rock Climbing Club, 1953
318:
159:1924 British Mount Everest expedition
151:1922 British Mount Everest Expedition
34:1924 British Mount Everest expedition
620:
462:
433:
611:"An Interim Report from Borrowdale"
412:
397:
370:'The Return Journey', chapter 8 of
100:. He retired in 1949, and moved to
13:
14:
704:
636:
374:, Longmans, Green & Co., 1925
224:. He is most associated with the
678:Photographers from County Durham
339:Selected publications by Beetham
157:to be a member of the ill-fated
126:Rock climbing and mountaineering
693:20th-century British zoologists
603:
312:
643:The Bentley Beetham collection
552:
540:
479:
111:
1:
535:"Portrait of Bentley Beetham"
390:
250:Fell & Rock Climbing Club
39:
94:Zoological Society of London
7:
562:, Vintage, 2012, pp. 473–4.
363:'The Buff-backed Heron' in
243:Shepherd's Crag, Borrowdale
58:North Eastern County School
10:
709:
372:The Fight for Everest 1924
353:, Witherby & Co., 1911
347:, Witherby & Co., 1910
319:Lowes, Michael D. (2014).
98:Royal Geographical Society
668:English mountain climbers
323:. Vertebrate Publishing.
71:
501:Somervell, T.H. (1963).
488:, vol. 69 (1927), p. 496
486:The Geographical Journal
378:Among Our Banished Birds
573:Atlas Mountains Morocco
155:Mount Everest Committee
673:English ornithologists
290:
286:and carefully followed
244:
195:
26:
456:The Lure of the Hills
293:Bentley Beetham Trust
266:
242:
190:
153:), was chosen by the
24:
589:R. J. Kenyon (ed.),
307:University of Durham
44:Beetham was born in
627:"Collection Themes"
208:of Czechoslovakia,
571:Robin G. Collomb,
245:
27:
547:"Bentley Beetham"
507:Himalayan Journal
428:"Home and School"
407:"Bentley Beetham"
260:In an article in
186:Captain John Noel
64:, where he was a
700:
630:
624:
618:
607:
601:
587:
576:
569:
563:
560:Into the Silence
556:
550:
544:
538:
532:
523:
522:
520:
518:
498:
489:
483:
477:
471:
460:
452:
431:
425:
410:
404:
334:
303:Durham Cathedral
179:Into the Silence
140:Howard Somervell
708:
707:
703:
702:
701:
699:
698:
697:
648:
647:
639:
634:
633:
625:
621:
608:
604:
588:
579:
570:
566:
557:
553:
545:
541:
533:
526:
516:
514:
499:
492:
484:
480:
474:"After Everest"
472:
463:
453:
434:
426:
413:
405:
398:
393:
367:, vol. 6 (1915)
341:
331:
315:
295:
206:Tatra Mountains
128:
114:
86:natural history
74:
42:
30:Bentley Beetham
25:Bentley Beetham
17:
12:
11:
5:
706:
696:
695:
690:
685:
680:
675:
670:
665:
660:
646:
645:
638:
637:External links
635:
632:
631:
619:
602:
577:
564:
551:
539:
524:
490:
478:
461:
432:
411:
395:
394:
392:
389:
388:
387:
381:
375:
368:
361:
354:
348:
340:
337:
336:
335:
329:
314:
311:
294:
291:
127:
124:
113:
110:
73:
70:
62:Barnard Castle
41:
38:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
705:
694:
691:
689:
686:
684:
681:
679:
676:
674:
671:
669:
666:
664:
661:
659:
656:
655:
653:
644:
641:
640:
628:
623:
616:
612:
606:
600:
599:0-85028-034-6
596:
592:
586:
584:
582:
574:
568:
561:
555:
548:
543:
536:
531:
529:
512:
508:
504:
497:
495:
487:
482:
475:
470:
468:
466:
458:
457:
451:
449:
447:
445:
443:
441:
439:
437:
429:
424:
422:
420:
418:
416:
408:
403:
401:
396:
385:
382:
379:
376:
373:
369:
366:
362:
359:
358:British Birds
355:
352:
349:
346:
343:
342:
332:
330:9781906148942
326:
322:
317:
316:
310:
308:
304:
300:
289:
287:
283:
279:
275:
271:
265:
263:
258:
256:
251:
241:
237:
235:
231:
228:mountains of
227:
223:
219:
215:
211:
207:
202:
200:
194:
189:
187:
182:
180:
176:
172:
168:
164:
160:
156:
152:
148:
143:
141:
137:
133:
132:Lake District
123:
120:
109:
107:
103:
99:
95:
91:
87:
83:
79:
69:
67:
63:
59:
55:
50:
47:
37:
35:
31:
23:
19:
622:
614:
609:B. Beetham,
605:
590:
572:
567:
559:
558:Wade Davis,
554:
542:
515:. Retrieved
510:
506:
485:
481:
454:
383:
377:
371:
364:
357:
350:
344:
320:
313:Bibliography
296:
285:
267:
261:
259:
255:Derwentwater
246:
220:islands and
203:
196:
191:
183:
178:
144:
136:Wasdale Head
129:
115:
82:schoolmaster
75:
51:
43:
29:
28:
18:
663:1963 deaths
658:1886 births
222:Spitsbergen
214:Drakensberg
161:, on which
112:Ornithology
102:Cotherstone
84:, teaching
652:Categories
591:Borrowdale
391:References
384:Borrowdale
268:You go to
226:High Atlas
106:Borrowdale
78:Darlington
46:Darlington
40:Early life
513:: 140–141
365:Wild Life
171:dysentery
299:Teesdale
236:region.
193:to go on
175:sciatica
147:Chamonix
517:11 June
278:Scafell
272:or the
234:Toubkal
230:Morocco
218:Lofoten
163:Mallory
119:gannets
92:of the
66:boarder
597:
360:, 1911
327:
270:Pillar
216:, the
212:, the
188:wrote:
167:Irvine
90:Fellow
72:Career
276:, to
274:Napes
210:Chile
199:Tibet
595:ISBN
519:2024
325:ISBN
173:and
165:and
88:. A
511:#24
282:Dow
280:or
654::
613:,
580:^
527:^
509:.
505:.
493:^
464:^
435:^
414:^
399:^
309:.
257:.
201:.
108:.
36:.
521:.
333:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
