THE Museum of North Craven Life, The Folly in Settle, has set up a crowdfunding appeal to raise the £1,500 it needs to buy an ‘outstanding’ collection of photographs.

The Horner Collection contains more than 1, 000 photographs which were taken by the Horner family who ran a studio in Settle for three generations from 1864 to 1960.

Trustees have secured a V&A Purchase Grant which will cover half of the cost and are now racing to raise the match funding required before the end of the financial year.

The photographs cover the changing faces and places of Settle and the surrounding area for almost 100 years. There are many original glass plate negatives, which need careful storage and conservation.

The museum says many of the photos are of residents, including Miss Margaret Bolland, who was well known in the 1800s. The subject of an article in The Dalesman magazine, she was said to have : “collected peacock feathers diligently. She stitched them in rows on a long cloak she wore down to her heels and as she trotted around in the summer sunshine she was quite a gorgeous spectacle.”

The Horner photograph is the only known picture of Margaret, but the museum says it cannot guarantee she was wearing the cloak at the time.

If successful in buying the collection, the museum plans to create a permanent exhibition in The Folly and also to create an online catalogue of all the images which will be accessible to everyone.

Heather Lane, the museum’s honorary curator, said: “This is an extraordinary opportunity to acquire an important collection of such local interest. We are really lucky to have been offered first refusal and don’t want to see this opportunity slip through our fingers.

“The images are of outstanding quality and the earliest of them tell us in vivid detail about life in and around Settle in the mid-Victorian period.”

Sarah Lister, local historian and director of the Settle Graveyard Project, added: “The collection provides a unique perspective of the history of the area and it would be brilliant if The Folly could buy it.

"The photographs need a permanent home, here in Settle, where they originated and the Folly is the perfect location. Settle Graveyard Project research would be significantly enhanced with access to the photos. At the moment they are only available in glass negative form which is such a shame as they are such an excellent resource.”

Caitlin Greenwood, the museum's heritage development officer said: “We’ve been really overwhelmed by the positive response to our crowdfunding appeal. We are over 30 per cent of the way to our target and we’ve only been running for 24 hours. It’s clear that the people of Craven feel strongly that this collection should stay together and in the local area, and that they’re willing to do what they can to make that happen”.

People can donate to the crowdfunder at: to www.crowdfunder.co.uk/horner-collection.

Donations can also be made to the museum’s bank, by following the directions on The Folly’s website: www.thefolly.org.uk