PHOTOGRAPHS of idyllic fishing and rural scenes will now greet patients as they make their way along the corridors of the James Cook University Hospital.

The work of Victorian photographic pioneer Frank Meadow Sutcliffe now grace the walls and continue the link with one of Teesside's most famous sons.

He captured dozens of images of Whitby and its many characters, along with the many fishing villages dotted along the North-East coast and idyllic farming scenes.

The hospital's voluntary services has bought 36 prints from the Sutcliffe collection to give patients, staff and visitors the opportunity to view his work.

Photographer Michael Shaw, who runs the Sutcliffe gallery in Whitby, also donated photographs from his own Every Now and Then collection, comparing Sutcliffe's photographs with a modern day equivalent using digital technology.

They will attend the launch, at 7pm tonight in the coffee lounge along with members of the voluntary services, its chairman Ann McCormack and trust chairman Glenys Marriott.

Mrs McCormack said: "The Whitby theme is a fitting connection with James Cook and are delightful, while Michael's own work has brought Sutcliffe's scenes from yesterday into the modern day."

Published: 07/10/2004