George and Ashley Abraham - Rock Climbing

Rock Climbing

One of their many first ascents in the Lakes was the 74 m "Keswick Brother's Climb" on Scafell crag on 12 July 1897, now considered "Very Difficult" in the British grading system. Another memorable first ascent was of "Crowberry Ridge Direct" (graded "Severe") on the Scottish Munroe Buachaille Etive Mor in 1900.

After their co-operation with Jones in his very successful Rock Climbing in the English Lake District (1897), they produced companion volumes, Rock Climbing in North Wales (George, in 1906) and Rock Climbing in Skye (Ashley, in 1907). These attempted to emulate Jones' exuberant style, and were of course illustrated with their own photographs.

Many of their climbing photographs, (including the classic portrait of Owen Glynne Jones), were reproduced in Alan Hankinson's Camera on the Crags. A large selection is also in the possession of the FRCC (The Fell and Rock Climbing Club of the English Lake District), of which the brothers were founding members.

The Abraham's photographic shop in Keswick, built in 1887, was taken over in due course by local mountaineer George Fisher; the modern shop still contains many memorabilia, including photographs, from the Abraham's era.

One of George Abraham's daughters, Enid J. Wilson, was for many years the Lakeland diarist for The Guardian newspaper. On 8 May 2011 a grand-daughter of Ashley Abraham appeared on BBC1's Antiques Roadshow displaying a number of period photodraphs and glass photographic slides.