From royal visits and Silver Jubilee celebrations to factory floors and everyday moments, these photographs offer a fascinating glimpse of life across the Black Country and Staffordshire in 1977.
It was a year of big occasions and ordinary routines, with plenty of characters and stories captured along the way. We’ve delved into the archives to bring you a collection of pictures that show how much has changed - and how much remains familiar.
Some scenes may bring back memories of places you knew, people you remember or jobs you once did, while others offer a glimpse into a world that has almost disappeared. Take a look through the gallery and see which pictures spark a memory.
Do you recognise anyone? Where were you in 1977? And what do you remember most about the year? Share your memories in the comments.
Take a look back at 1990 in our previous gallery here.
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41. A long-serving member of the team
Ken Thompson was the longest-serving employee at Staffordshire Service Engineering Co Ltd when this photograph was taken at the company’s Woodside premises in Dudley in September 1977. The company was planning an expansion, while Ken continued at his job, bringing years of experience to the workplace. Photographs like this are a reminder of the people who stayed with local firms for decades and saw them change around them. How long did people in your family stay in the same job? Do you remember anyone who spent most of their working life with one local company? | Express & Star archive
42. Top of the class
Lorna Jenkins, of Wednesbury, was top of the class on a secretarial course at West Bromwich College of Commerce when this photograph was taken in October 1977. She is pictured surrounded by typewriters - a familiar sight in offices and classrooms long before computers became part of everyday working life. How many of you learned to type on a machine like these? Do you remember the clatter of typewriter keys filling an office or classroom? | Express & Star archive
43. A ladies’ luncheon in 1977
Members of Tipton Inner Wheel gathered for their annual fellowship luncheon in March 1977, held at the Connaught Hotel in Wolverhampton. Pictured are Dorothy Silvester, Margaret Lucas and Mary Durose, enjoying an occasion that brought members together for good food and friendship. How many of you remember going to lunches or dinners with local clubs and organisations? Do any of these faces or names bring back memories? | Express & Star
44. The end of an era for a motorcycle factory
Norton Villiers Triumph’s factory on Marston Road, Wolverhampton, was facing a major change in November 1977 when the factory and its assets were put up for auction. Kenneth Morgan and Brian Davies of Mann Judd are pictured at the site. For an area with such a proud motorcycle-making heritage, the auction marked a significant moment. Do you remember the Norton Villiers Triumph factory? Did anyone in your family work there or have a connection with the motorcycle industry? | Express & Star archive