Industrial heritage revealed

Haunting images of Bilston industry from yesteryear reveal the fascinating history of the town. In decades gone by thousands of workers toiled day in day out during Bilston's industrial heyday.

Now a new exhibition is being held to reveal just how important the heavy industry was to the town, currently being regenerated with houses, shops, warehouses and offices replacing former steelwork land owned by companies such as Stewarts and Lloyds Ltd.

Other employers such as GKN Sankey and Bilston Steelworks offered residents in the town the chance to provide for their families.

Industry flourished in the years following World War II when new housing was erected, but the closure of the steel works saw a downturn in the town's fortunes.

Bilston Steelworks closed in 1979 with the loss of 2,300 jobs, while Joseph Sankey and Sons closed in the 1980s when the manufacturing industry collapsed.

Things have been revived in recent years though with more industrial and commercial development.

The old way of life is being remembered in an array of photographs, archives and artifacts for an intriguing Trades of Bilston exhibition, which opens on Saturday.

Cheryl Bailey, of Wolverhampton Archives and Local Studies, which is organising the exhibition, said: "We have a large collection of materials related to businesses which, in their heyday, employed thousands of people in the Bilston area."

* The exhibition is on the first floor of Bilston Craft Gallery, Mount Pleasant, and runs until Friday, October 6.

The official opening takes place at 11.30am on Saturday.