There are few early records available but it is known that the club was founded in the mid nineteen-forties under the name Reed Photographic Club, a section of Reed's Sports Club, the members all being employees of Reed's Aylesford Paper Mill.

The Chairman was Bob Smith with George Mount as Secretary. Names of early members that come to mind are Reg Fuller, Reg Lyons, Doug Bowles, Bert Fulcher, Jack Court and Bert Hucks. Meetings in the old ARP dugout on the Reed site, were often hazardous as well as informative and entertaining for at times of heavy rain or the overflowing of the nearby River Medway, members had to walk about on duckboards !!

The next decade saw the club moving into more substantial accommodation above ground near New Hythe Station. During this time membership increased and a studio area was added to the existing darkroom.

The next move came in the late nineteen-seventies. This time it was to the '77' pavilion, still on the Reed site. The new clubroom had no darkroom facilities and was a temporary arrangement until the building of the larger Sports Pavilion and Social Centre at Ditton Corner. The club was then renamed the Cobdown Camera Club. The premises were excellent but we were, unfortunately, frequently moved away from our usual adequate hall without warning. The ever more frequent moves into a small room restricted our inter-club meetings and it was decided to sever all ties with Cobdown Sports and Social Club. Our last meeting there took place on Tuesday, 13th December 1994 when Don and Gill Beevis gave their slide presentation on the River Medway.

For almost fifty years the club had been associated with Reeds. It seems appropriate that our last meeting should have involved the Medway when, half a century earlier, our founders had battled to keep that same river at bay !!

The totally independent Malling Photographic Society had its first meeting on Tuesday, 20th December 1994 and what better way to start than with the annual Cheese and Wine evening ?

We now have an excellent home in the West Malling Village Hall where we are able to entertain other clubs for competitions and to participate once again in County and district photographic activities.

The Malling Photographic Society is affiliated to the Photographic Alliance of Great Britain (PAGB) via the Kent County Photographic Association (KCPA).

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