'Rag Bone!' The Norris family street cry in Hull falls silent.

Almost 40 years ago 19-year-old George Norris followed in his father’s footsteps working in the Rag and Bone trade totting for scrap on the streets of Hull. Today, George is back out again totting with his 81-year-old father who has been a Rag and Bone man for 68 years.

I photographed George back in 1983 and again in May 2022. Some images easily echo the past while others are new given the dramatic changes in the physical and economic landscape. The horse and cart replaced with a pick-up, the Victorian housing demolished and replaced with new estates and today neither clothing or furniture are collected, they have no value.

But it’s the end of the line for the Norris family and their involvement in the scrap trade. When George Norris Snr passes, and he’s adamant he won’t stop until he dies, no-one in the family will be carrying on the work.