Step back in time to 1970 with a fascinating collection of photographs capturing life across Wolverhampton, the Black Country and Staffordshire.
From industrial workplaces and civic occasions to everyday street scenes and suburban life, these pictures offer a glimpse of the people, places and traditions that shaped the region at the start of a new decade.
Do you remember any of these places or scenes from 1970? Share your memories in the comments - we’d love to hear your stories.
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9. Precision engineering for the world's most famous supersonic airliner
Dressed in his white lab coat, quality assurance foreman Bill McLaughlin inspects a vital Concorde threadform inside the standards room at Dowty Boulton Paul in Wolverhampton on November 23, 1970. Using specialist optical projection equipment that magnified tiny aircraft components many times their actual size, Bill carefully verified the exacting measurements required for Concorde's power control units. The image highlights the immense pride, skill, and cutting-edge aerospace engineering that put local factories at the very forefront of global aviation history during the 1970s. Do you or any of your family remember working at Dowty Boulton Paul during the heyday of aviation engineering? Did you know anyone who helped build parts for Concorde or other iconic aircraft in the local area back then? | Express & Star archive
10. Engineering the wings of supersonic flight
Reaching up inside a complex under-wing housing, a Dowty Boulton Paul service engineer performs meticulous checks on a powered flying control unit fitted to a Concorde airliner on July 24, 1970. Manufactured at the company’s Pendeford works in Wolverhampton, these essential control systems had just secured a major milestone - a £1 million contract to supply the flying controls for the first six production Concordes. The striking photo highlights the incredible local expertise and advanced aerospace craftsmanship that helped keep the world’s most iconic iconic passenger jet soaring safely through the skies. Do you remember the sense of local pride surrounding Dowty Boulton Paul’s crucial role in the Concorde project? Did you or any family members work in the manufacturing or servicing of high-tech aviation parts back in 1970? | Express & Star archive
11. Preserving old-world charm amid village growth
A classic saloon car drives past a row of parade shops - complete with an off-licence and a fish and chip shop - in the heart of Codsall on July 8, 1970. In the background across the road sits The Crown Inn, nestled alongside traditional brick homes, leafy trees, and a classic red telephone box. Despite a surge of new housing developments across South Staffordshire around this time, Codsall retained much of its quintessential village character, having placed third in its class in the Best Kept Village competition in 1968 and aiming for top honours again in 1970. Do you remember visiting the shops or stopping at The Crown Inn in Codsall back in the 1970s? How has the village changed or stayed the same since those summer days? | Express & Star archive
12. A curious little helper inspects centuries of parish history
Leaning over delicate, handwritten parish ledgers dating back to 1735, the Rev Robert Cheadle explores historical documents alongside his three-year-old daughter, Katie, at Bloxwich Parish Church on September 11, 1970. After sifting through the church's ancient archives, the vicar remarked that students of literature and local history could easily find enough intrigue, romance, and drama in the parish records to inspire a first-class novel. The tender photo captures both a quiet father-daughter moment and a passionate appreciation for preserving local heritage. Do you remember the Rev Bob Cheadle or visits to Bloxwich Parish Church back in the 1970s? Have you ever researched your family tree or local history using historic church registers? | Express & Star archive