Step back to the 1970s, when the sound of heavy machinery, the glow of furnaces and the bustle of factory floors were woven into everyday life across Wolverhampton, the Black Country and Staffordshire.
This gallery brings together archive photographs capturing life inside and outside the region’s factories and workplaces. From roaring furnaces and pneumatic hammers at historic toolmakers to quiet, ivy-clad works, purpose-built industrial estates, picket lines and factory closures, these images offer a vivid glimpse of the people, places and working lives of a region at the heart of Britain’s industrial story.
Do you remember these workplaces, or did you or someone in your family work there? Share your memories and stories in the comments.
- Take a look at these 31 pictures capturing the spirit of Wolverhampton and the Black Country.
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21. Assembling skeletal frames and driving a million-pound surge in West Midlands transport manufacturing
Working across the busy floor of the Hayes Lane factory in October 1971, a team of workmen prepare to fit bought-out running gear to a skeletal trailer chassis. The bustling shop floor captures M and G Trailers (Lye) Ltd. near the completion of a major factory extension in Lye, designed to cope with rapidly expanding output and maintenance demands. Founded in 1960 building just three trailers at a time, the firm grew to manufacture 20 to 25 units per week - totalling around 100 trailers a month - and pushing annual turnover past £1 million. Surrounding the assembly team, various trailer models in different stages of completion showcase the scale of transport engineering driving the Black Country economy. | Express & Star archive
22. Hot air balloons, summer fetes, and a bird's-eye view of a famous Black Country confectionery works
Captured from a helicopter overhead, an aerial view shows a lively summer fete in full swing across the factory grounds of the Bluebird Toffee facility in July 1977. Crowds gather around stalls and attractions set against the grand, glass-roofed manufacturing complex and surrounding countryside. To the right of the grounds, a hot air balloon prepares to ascend into the summer sky, adding a sense of spectacle to the community celebration. The striking photograph offers a delightful perspective on factory life, combining industrial architecture with the warmth of a regional summer gathering. | Express & Star archive
23. Sparks, steam, and pneumatic power bridging traditional metalwork with modern engineering
Guiding a glowing bar of metal under the rhythmic strike of a heavy pneumatic hammer, a blacksmith in a leather apron works inside the new Vaughans factory in Dudley in December 1979. Serving as a power-assisted counterpart to the traditional blacksmith’s anvil, the up-to-date machinery is used to forge specialised tools including blacksmiths' and foundry tongs. With an anvil resting in the foreground and a glowing hearth burning further along the workshop floor, the photograph captures a classic Black Country craft evolving through modern technological advancement. | Express & Star archive
24. Crafting timber structures and expanding local trade inside a modern Bilston workshop
Carpenters and woodworkers assemble timber frames and portable buildings across a spacious shop floor in March 1971. The elevated high-angle photograph captures a busy general view inside the new Oxford Street factory of the Sectional Shed Company in Bilston. With workbenches, sawhorses, stacked timber components, and a company delivery truck lining the perimeter, the scene highlights the steady, industrious atmosphere of a expanding Black Country manufacturing business during the early 1970s. | Express & Star archive