Step back in time with a nostalgic look at everyday life, local industry and community spirit across Walsall and the surrounding area between 1960 and 1965.
From high streets and historic landmarks to factory floors, royal visits and familiar faces, these photographs capture a changing Black Country at the start of the 1960s.
Featuring scenes from Aldridge, Bloxwich, Darlaston and Brownhills to many other places across the area, the collection offers a fascinating glimpse of places and moments that have since disappeared or changed beyond recognition.
Take a trip down memory lane, see how many familiar faces and places you can spot, and share your memories in the comments.
- Travel back to Wolverhampton in 1969 with these 61 pictures, guaranteed to bring back memories. View them here.
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41. Hustle, bustle, and high street bargains
Shoppers wrapped up against the winter cold go about their daily errands along King Street in January 1960, in a view captured from an upper window at Bedworths. The street presents a vibrant snapshot of mid-century local commerce, lining up familiar storefronts including M. Firkin Ltd, Hollingworths, Jackson Chemist, Frank White, and Dewhurst butchers. With bicycles parked on the pavement, mothers with prams navigating the footpaths, and pedestrians browsing the shop windows, the bustling thoroughfare was the lively retail heart of the town. Do you remember popping into Firkin's or any of these classic shops on King Street for your weekly errands? | Express & Star archive
42. A lost corner of old Aldridge
Characterful old cottages standing at the junction of High Street and Rookery Lane in Aldridge during the 1960s, with St Mary's Church tower just visible in the distance. Featuring gabled roofs, dormer windows, and prominent brick chimneys, these traditional buildings captured the village-like charm of the area before post-war redevelopment swept through. Sadly demolished later to make way for modern road layouts and commercial improvements, the scene preserves a fondly remembered piece of Aldridge’s architectural heritage. Do you remember these picturesque cottages standing at the corner of Rookery Lane before the street was transformed? | Express & Star archive
43. A front-row seat for a royal occasion
Wrapped in heavy coats and blankets, eager residents line the roadside on makeshift seats, holding Union Jacks as they await the arrival of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II during her royal tour of Walsall in May 1962. Neighbours from across the local housing estate gathered along the roped-off pavement hours in advance, determined to secure the best vantage point for a brief glimpse of the monarch. The visit brought a tremendous sense of occasion, celebration, and community pride to families right across the borough. Do you recognise this particular street? | Express & Star archive
44. Making a lasting impression
Seventeen-year-old typist Jennifer Cooke poses alongside a 100-year-old antique printing press displayed outside the works of Deason Limited in Aldridge in May 1965. Having produced proof prints right up until the outbreak of the Second World War, the old flatbed press was eventually superseded by modern cylinder machinery. Saved from the scrapheap, the cast-iron relic was given a place of honour outside the printing firm to serve as a permanent memorial to the early days of the print trade. Do you remember seeing this historic printing press standing on display outside the works in Aldridge? | Picture: Peter Lea