FRANK LUCKHAM
Photographer of Newcastle, NSW

This site was created 5 July 2004 and was last updated 22 October 2008

Frank Luckham was from a seafaring background. His grandfather Philip Cove was a Master Mariner and his father John who hailed from Devonport in Devon was the super-intendant shipwright at H. M. Dockyard in Plymouth. Frank is listed as an apprentice photographer aged 17 in Stoke Damerel, Devonport in the 1891 census. Sometime after completing his training he opened his own studio in Plymouth and is supposed to have worked for Kodak for a time. He eventually emigrated to Sydney and was married in 1904 to Alice Gilbert and set up a studio in Newcastle. His early photograph mounts carried the address 111 Hunter St, which was a site used by a number of photographers. Hampden Studios was there in the 1890s, Charles Drinkwater from 1896-1897, Temple West in 1900, Oliver Godfrey from 1901-1902 and then Frank Luckham took over the premises. The building which was constructed around 1890 still exists in the Hunter Street mall. Luckham moved to number 33 at the eastern end of Hunter Street in 1905. In the early 1920s Luckham moved again to number 283 at the other end of Hunter St where he remained until at least 1935. He is listed in the 1930 electoral roll living at 37 Winship St, Hamilton and in the 1936 roll as well living at 201 Denison St, Hamilton, with his occupation given as photographer with his son Frank Jnr listed as a retoucher. Luckham seemed to specialise in group photographs of sporting teams with examples held in the Lake Macquarie City Library and the Newcastle City Library.

1. THOMAS LUCKHAM b. 1812, d. 1850, Kingsbridge, Devon, m. 6 Oct 1836, Malborough, Devon, SUSANAH COVE b. c.1816, Salcombe, Devon, d. 1885, Salcombe, Devon (daughter of PHILIP COVE & ELIZABETH RUNDLE)
    Children:
    2.i JOHN J. LUCKHAM b. 1836, Salcombe, Devon

Second Generation

2. JOHN J. LUCKHAM b. 1836, Salcombe, Devon (shipwright), m. 1858, Kingsbridge district, Devon, MARGARETTA MAY TRANT b. 1838, Kingsbridge, Devon, d. 1898, Stoke Damerel, Devon .
     Children:  
    i ALICE EVELINE LUCKHAM b. 1860, Stoke Damerel, Devon.
    ii FREDERICK TRANT LUCKHAM b. 1865, Devonport, Devon.
    iii CLARA LUCKHAM b. 1867, Devonport, Devon.
    iv JESSIE CATHARINE LUCKHAM b. 1868, Devonport, Devon.
    v BLANCHE LUCKHAM b. 1871, Devonport, Devon.
    vi ALFRED LUCKHAM b. 1873, Devonport, Devon.
   3.vii FRANK LUCKHAM b. 1873, Devonport, Devon.
    viii BESSIE LUCKHAM b. 1876, Devonport, Devon.
    ix EDGAR TRANT LUCKHAM b. 1878, Devonport, Devon.

Third Generation

3. FRANK LUCKHAM b. 1874, Devonport, Devon, d. 1947, Hamilton, NSW, m. 1904, Hamilton, NSW, ALICE MAUD MARY GILBERT b. 1873, Newcastle, NSW, d. 1953, Newcastle, NSW, (daughter of GEORGE GILBERT & MARIA).
     Children:
     i FRANK GILBERT T. LUCKHAM b. 1907, Newcastle, NSW, d. 1907, Newcastle, NSW.
     ii DOROTHY LUCKHAM b. 1909, NSW, d. 1978, NSW, occupation: teacher, m. 15 Apr 1938, Hamilton, NSW to JOHN LYNAM NORRIS (son of WILLIAM NORRIS & ARABELLA LETITIA LENTON).
     iii FRANK LUCKHAM b. 1911, NSW, d. 25 Jul 1995, New Lambton Heights, NSW, m. 1938, Hamilton, NSW, AMELIA MARY McCOAN.
     iv MARJORIE LUCKHAM, b. 1915, NSW, occupation: teacher, m. 1938, WARREN EDWARD JAMES.

1891 Census Pym St, Stoke Damerel, Devonport, Devon