Pictorial history is a labour of Terry's love for West Bromwich
There is a sense of almost boyish excitement as Terry Price pores over the pictures in his new book.
"I was really chuffed when I got that one," he says, pointing to the interior shot of a bus. That's the only one in existence that shows you inside Hudson's," he says, flicking the pages to an image of the famous soap factory.
Terry Price just loves photographs of West Bromwich. It doesn't matter whether they are from 1901 or 1994, to the retired television engineer every picture tells a story. His latest book, West Bromwich Recollections, is his seventh such publication, and the discovery of every picture brings with it fresh excitement.
The interior of the bus was a real find, and is unique in that instead of the usual forward-facing seats, the top deck has a line of bucket-style armchairs facing sideways.
"In 1930, around the time the picture was taken, the route from West Bromwich to Walsall would have been through open countryside, and the seats were designed to allow passengers to look out of the windows and enjoy the view," he says.
The view would certainly have been very different from the scene today, but it is not hard to pity the poor conductor, who would have had the unenviable task of clambering up the narrow gangway alongside the seats.
Another interesting curio is the 'Threepenny Bit' fish and chip shop in Parsonage Street, which takes its name not from the price of the chips – that would have been remarkable, even in 1967 – but from its curious geometric profile. Sadly, this interesting example of 1960s architecture was demolished around 13 years ago.
Terry believes the 1923 photograph showing the inside of the world-famous Hudson's soap works is the only one in existence – Robert Spear Hudson was the inventor of modern soap powder, and Terry has even managed to track down the name of one of the workers in the picture – Miss Ethel Gertrude Richards.
Included in Terry's images are those of West Bromwich Albion players signing their first professional contracts, as well as a magnificent beacon built by residents to celebrate King George V's Silver Jubilee in 1935. The area covered by the images is broader than many publications, taking in places such as Great Bridge and Friar Park, which have postal addresses in Tipton or Wednesbury.
For Terry, recording West Bromwich's past is very much a labour of love.
He has never made a penny from any of his seven books, having donated all the proceeds to local charities.
Flicking through the pages again, he ruminates over the changes that have taken place in West Bromwich over the last few decades. "They used to call West Bromwich High Street the Golden Mile, because there was that long stretch of shops. The shopkeepers would have lived nearby and their children would have gone to the local school." Then he pauses for thought.
"You do realise that we are the last generation that will be able to remember the high street, don't you?"
