Close

19 retro photos from 1989 across the Black Country, Staffordshire and the Midlands – see what sparks memories!

Take a trip back to 1989 with 19 unforgettable photos from the Express & Star archives, showcasing the Black Country and Staffordshire as you may remember them - or have maybe forgotten!

Plus
By Tania Taylor
Published

These pictures capture the people and groups who made the headlines in our pages — from school faces and local construction projects to the thrilling moment a top motorsports star raced through the streets of Birmingham. Let’s take a look…

January 4, 1989: A sweet treat is in store for Dudley people with the opening of a 20s-style confectioners at the Black Country Museum. But before the business lifts up the shutters museum experts are keen to know how a Black Country sweet shop of that period was run. Miss Ann Lineen, assistant keeper of social and industrial history, is appealing for anybody from the area who worked in the trade to come forward with their know-how. The shell of the building is already in place and miniature sweet mangles used in the trade have been salvaged from an old Birmingham store. 'We are hoping to get in contact with anybody who has worked in a bakers or a sweetshop in the area,' she said. Eileen Kendrick (left) a guide at the Black Country Museum, opens up a jar of traditional kali, while Anne Lineeen (right), assistant keeper at the museum, tucks into her ordinary sweets
January 4, 1989: A sweet treat is in store for Dudley people with the opening of a '20s-style confectioners at the Black Country Museum. Eileen Kendrick (left) a guide at the Black Country Museum, opens up a jar of traditional kali, while Anne Lineeen (right), assistant keeper at the museum, tucks into her ordinary sweets
Builders handed over the keys to mark the beginning of the end for some of Stafford's most unusual homes. When bricks were short after the Second World War, some council houses were built out of steel as a short-term measure. But the council began to replace the outdated stock in March 1989. Here housing inspector Vic Jones is seen looking over the first completed batch of replacement homes in Conway Road, Doxey, before tenants moved in. He is pictured receiving the keys to the first of the houses from Mr John Ingram, site manager
Builders handed over the keys to mark the beginning of the end for some of Stafford's most unusual homes. When bricks were short after the Second World War, some council houses were built out of steel as a short-term measure. But the council began to replace the outdated stock in March 1989. Here housing inspector Vic Jones is seen looking over the first completed batch of replacement homes in Conway Road, Doxey, before tenants moved in. He is pictured receiving the keys to the first of the houses from Mr John Ingram, site manager
Hospital staff nurse Lyndola Dillon with baby Steven Patrick on March 18, 1989.
Hospital staff nurse Lyndola Dillon with baby Steven Patrick on March 18, 1989. The hospital isn't named
Leigh Interests, waste disposal, Stubbers Green Road, Aldridge. A crane smashed through metal gates , narrowly missing protesters who were trying to blockade the waste disposal plant. Superintendant Malcolm Gough, and A.B.A. Crane Hire, Essington, are mentioned. The photograph shows Eric Ward and Nita-Marie Farmer.
Leigh Interests, waste disposal, Stubbers Green Road, Aldridge. A crane smashed through metal gates in July 1989, narrowly missing protesters who were trying to blockade the waste disposal plant. The photograph shows Eric Ward and Nita-Marie Farmer
Green Close Primary School, Shelfield, Walsall. Pupils and parents painted a mural onto the wall of a corridor in the infants section of the school, with the help of Andy Bradley of the Fordbrook Community Office and Pelsall Community School. Mark Gallagher is quoted. The photograph shows Andy Bradley with David Erfani, Debbie Huntstone and Robert Troke.
Green Close Primary School, Shelfield, Walsall. Pupils and parents painted a mural onto the wall of a corridor in the infants section of the school, with the help of Andy Bradley of the Fordbrook Community Office and Pelsall Community School. The photograph shows Andy Bradley with David Erfani, Debbie Huntstone and Robert Troke in July 1989
July 1989. Villa boss Graham Taylor is pictured with his new defensive giants Paul McGrath (left) and Kent Neilsen
July 1989. Villa boss Graham Taylor is pictured with his new defensive giants Paul McGrath (left) and Kent Neilsen