Take a trip back more than 50 years to the Black Country and Staffordshire of 1975, when everyday life looked very different to today.
From workplaces and schoolchildren, pub games, local landmarks and memorable characters, these archive pictures capture the people and places that filled the region's streets. There are familiar names, vanished buildings, community stories and plenty of moments that may bring back memories.
Whether you remember these days first-hand or are simply curious to see what the Black Country and Staffordshire looked like in 1975, take a look through the gallery and see how many of the people, places and scenes you recognise.
- Missed our gallery from 1989? Take a look at all 55 pictures here.
- You can enjoy this and more with our weekly FREE Nostalgia Newsletter - with scores of archive pictures and exclusive features on the history of Wolverhampton, Staffordshire and the Black Country - all sent to your inbox every week. Sign up here.

17. Setting sail for a new season
The skiffs were put back on Dartmouth Park pool in West Bromwich on March 24, 1975, marking the start of a new boating season. Head boatman Graham Brewster gives a cheerful "lemonade launching" as Keith Dixon and Stephen Hedges are already afloat on the choppy water. Do you remember hiring the skiffs at Dartmouth Park, and spending summer days out on the pool? | Express & Star archive

18. A familiar village pub
The Old Mitre on Bursnips Road, Essington, is pictured in April 1975. The pub would have been a familiar meeting place for local residents, whether for a drink with friends, a chat with neighbours or a quiet evening out. Do you remember the Old Mitre, and what was it like inside in the 1970s? | Express & Star archive

19. Margaret Thatcher meets Nick Budgen
Margaret Thatcher is pictured meeting Wolverhampton South West MP Nick Budgen in 1975. Thatcher would become Conservative Party leader later that year, marking the beginning of a new chapter in British politics. Do you remember seeing Thatcher on the political scene in the 1970s, or recall Nick Budgen representing Wolverhampton? | Express & Star archive

20. An award-winning hen night snapshot
A lively hen night at the Saltwells Inn, Dudley, is captured in this memorable 1975 photograph – cropped here to spare a few blushes. Featuring male stripper Andy Wade, the picture earned photographer Graham Gough a prestigious News Picture of the Year award and even inspired Beryl Cook's famous painting Ladies Night. Do you remember this photograph when it first appeared, or nights out at the Saltwells Inn in the 1970s? | Express & Star archive

