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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25. Towering stacks, extraction pipes, and a neighbourhood battle over industrial noise
Rising above overgrown fields and industrial sheds in August 1970, the tall exhaust stacks and external extraction ducting of the Harris and Sheldon (Display) Ltd factory stand out against the horizon. Frustrated residents living nearby in Rose Hill, Willenhall, called for official night-time noise checks, complaining that the high-pitched whine from a large extractor unit kept them awake after dark. Local community members enlisted Councillor E J Clarke to lodge formal complaints with Walsall Corporation's public health department to investigate the disruption. The stark landscape view captures the growing friction between expanding manufacturing plants and adjacent residential neighbourhoods in the Black Country during the early 1970s. | Express & Star archive
26. Classic '70s saloons, painted signage, and the industrious heart of a Willenhall supplier
Parked outside the main entrance office and inner yard, 1970s saloon cars line the premises of Jackdaw (Fasteners) Ltd in October 1975. Located at Temple Bar Works on Leveson Street in Willenhall, the site housed both office functions and manufacturing space under prominent "JACKDAW" signage. Willenhall's long-standing heritage as a key manufacturing hub for locks, keys, and specialised metal hardware made firms like Jackdaw central to the town's industrial ecosystem. The quiet, atmospheric exterior photograph offers a vivid snapshot of traditional Black Country commercial life and mid-century factory design. | Express & Star archive
27. Defying industrial restrictions and scaling new heights as the town’s premier employer
Sweeping over the vast manufacturing complex and surrounding residential streets, an aerial photograph from June 1971 shows the recently enlarged Goodyear plant in Wolverhampton. Despite prevailing restrictions on industrial expansion across the Midlands, the tyre manufacturing giant pushed ahead with major extensions to its home-ground site. Widely recognised as Wolverhampton's largest employer at the time, Goodyear continued expanding its footprint locally alongside major investments in Scotland and a newly completed plant in Northern Ireland. The dramatic bird's-eye view highlights the impressive scale of the industrial facility embedded within the urban heart of the Black Country. | Express & Star archive
28. Framed by summer blooms and tidy grounds at the home of a global audio giant
Framed by blooming rose bushes in the foreground, the tidy entrance and factory buildings of Birmingham Sound Reproducers (BSR) stand quietly on High Street in Wollaston, in July 1970. World-famous for manufacturing record player turntables and autochangers that powered millions of home audio systems globally, BSR was a titan of West Midlands manufacturing. Signs across the compound direct site traffic with a 5 mph speed limit and guide visitors toward the main gatehouse office. The crisp exterior photograph highlights the neat, suburban presentation of a Black Country industrial powerhouse during its peak era of audio production. | Express & Star archive