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Step back to 1981: 23 historic images capture Black Country and Staffordshire life

Today we take a look back at life across the Midlands in 1981.

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By Tania Taylor
Published

It was the year gales battered the region in November, and job losses and protests were all too familiar. On a brighter note for football fans - depending on who you support, of course - it was the year Aston Villa FC became First Division champions, Wolves reached the FA Cup semi-final, and Willenhall Town FC made it to Wembley for the FA Vase final. Both Wolves and Willenhall, however, came up short.

There was also plenty going on in local communities - take a look and see if you recognise any familiar sights or faces in this collection of pictures from the Express & Star archive, shuffled for your enjoyment… 

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Happy faces at the Cinema Club in Great Wyrley, 1981.
Happy faces at the Cinema Club in Great Wyrley, 1981.
October 15, 1981. Black Country Museum staff are happy to shiver out the winter in Victorian style, keeping the replica village open for visitors for months longer than usual. To celebrate a successful season, which prompted the museum chiefs to stay open until Christmas, all staff were issued with a special gift...T-shirts! 'I suppose it isn't really T-shirt weather, but everybody is very pleased with them,' said museum director Ian Walden. 'We decided we'd celebrate keeping open until Christmas.' The shirts - which he hopes will provide ideal Christmas gifts for youngsters - are pictured on museum staff Joan Devenport (left), Noel Ashley and Pearl Southall. Attendances this summer broke all records and the board decided to close at Christmas instead of the end of September.
October 15, 1981. Black Country Museum staff are happy to shiver out the winter in Victorian style, keeping the replica village open for visitors for months longer than usual. To celebrate a successful season, which prompted the museum chiefs to stay open until Christmas, all staff were issued with a special gift...T-shirts! 'I suppose it isn't really T-shirt weather, but everybody is very pleased with them,' said museum director Ian Walden. 'We decided we'd celebrate keeping open until Christmas.' The shirts - which he hopes will provide ideal Christmas gifts for youngsters - are pictured on museum staff Joan Devenport (left), Noel Ashley and Pearl Southall. Attendances this summer broke all records and the board decided to close at Christmas instead of the end of September.
May 15, 1981. The caption reads: 'Tony Benn speaks at the rally in St Peter's Square, Wolverhampton. The People's March for Jobs is not just about unemployment but about human dignity, said Labour left-wing MP Mr Tony Benn. The march was growing in strength and influence each day, he told a mass rally in St Peter's Square, Wolverhampton. 'It is a march for human dignity and against those forces that try to persuade us again and again that men and women should be crucified on the cross of monetarism,' he said. 'It is a march against militarism that says people must be sacrificed in a war by nuclear weapons in some conflict we are told we cannot escape,' he said. Mr Benn took a side-swipe at some other Labour MPs by saying the march had done more than some political leaders to uphold the constitution of the Labour Party, which insisted workers should realise the fruits of their labours. The Bishop of Wolverhampton, the Right Rev Barry Rogerson, described joining the march through the town as a 'marvellous experience of fellowship and warmth.'
May 15, 1981. The caption reads: 'Tony Benn speaks at the rally in St Peter's Square, Wolverhampton. The People's March for Jobs is not just about unemployment but about human dignity, said Labour left-wing MP Mr Tony Benn. The march was growing in strength and influence each day, he told a mass rally in St Peter's Square, Wolverhampton. 'It is a march for human dignity and against those forces that try to persuade us again and again that men and women should be crucified on the cross of monetarism,' he said. 'It is a march against militarism that says people must be sacrificed in a war by nuclear weapons in some conflict we are told we cannot escape,' he said. Mr Benn took a side-swipe at some other Labour MPs by saying the march had done more than some political leaders to uphold the constitution of the Labour Party, which insisted workers should realise the fruits of their labours. The Bishop of Wolverhampton, the Right Rev Barry Rogerson, described joining the march through the town as a 'marvellous experience of fellowship and warmth.'
Billy Wright with Derek Parkin in November 1981. The occasion was a match between Wolves and Dudley Town to celebrate Dudley Town's new floodlighting.
Billy Wright with Derek Parkin in November 1981. The occasion was a match between Wolves and Dudley Town to celebrate Dudley Town's new floodlighting.
The fountain and open air market in Dudley, pictured in May 1981, when plans for a Black Country Mid-Summer Market and Fair in June were well ahead.
The fountain and open air market in Dudley, pictured in May 1981, when plans for a Black Country Mid-Summer Market and Fair in June were well ahead.
Mr Brian Hutton, right, licensee of the Cross Inn at Oldswinford, with the trophy won by the pub team in the September 1981 river raft race between Bridgnorth and Bewdley. Rival Mrs Joan Kelly of the Holly Bush had disputed the win, saying the Cross craft was actually a canoe, but conceded the point, for that year at least.
Mr Brian Hutton, right, licensee of the Cross Inn at Oldswinford, with the trophy won by the pub team in the September 1981 river raft race between Bridgnorth and Bewdley. Rival Mrs Joan Kelly of the Holly Bush had disputed the win, saying the Cross craft was actually a canoe, but conceded the point, for that year at least.