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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29. Lowering a massive East German press through the roof to transform a Cannock factory floor
Dramatically hoisted high above the works by mobile cranes, components of a giant 150-ton press are lowered directly through the factory roof at Albion Pressed Metal in October 1976. Facing a major logistical hurdle with machinery far too large to fit through standard doors without weeks of dismantling, company leaders staged "Operation Big Lift" on a Sunday to drop the machinery straight inside the Wolverhampton Road plant. Shipped from East Germany at a cost exceeding £100,000, the press was positioned with guidance from a specialist East German engineer brought in for the operation. Director and General Manager Jim McGregor invested around £2,000 in crane hire to ensure the vital equipment - part of Britain’s largest wire manufacturing group - was fully operational by the following month. | Express & Star archive
30. Sports pitches, canal bends, and a sweeping aerial perspective on a major Walsall works
Taking in a vast industrial site nestled alongside a marked football pitch and a curving canal, an aerial photograph from April 1970 captures the extensive premises of H Frost & Co. Ltd. on Green Lane in Walsall. Famous for manufacturing electrical appliances and Sunhouse electric fires, the firm was a prominent fixture of the town's industrial landscape. The elevated view shows the layout of factory bays, outbuildings, sports facilities, and surrounding terraced housing bordering the railway line and canal bend. The scene illustrates how major Black Country manufacturing plants provided not only local employment but also recreational spaces for their workforce during the early 1970s. | Express & Star archive
31. Hoisting heavy steel coils and powering production at a new tube-forming plant
Guiding a suspended load of coiled strip metal as it swings from an overhead gantry, a slinger directs the crane operator inside the new Premier Tubes Ltd factory in March 1973. Manufactured by Charles Willetts Jr of Cradley Heath, the heavy-duty three-ton overhead crane spans and runs the full length of the modern Norton Canes plant. The equipment played a vital role in moving coiled raw stock directly to the start of the tube-forming process, streamlining manufacturing flow across the shop floor. Featuring steel framework and roof skylights, the photograph provides a compelling look at the heavy machinery and material handling infrastructure supporting 1970s West Midlands industrial expansion. | Express & Star archive
32. Lowering heavy machinery from above to pull off a bold factory move in Cannock
Lowering a heavy piece of industrial machinery directly through an opening in the roof, a crane crew guides equipment into place at Wedges Mills in February 1978. Facing machinery too large to fit through standard factory doors, Geoff Mellor, managing director of Mellor Packing, solved the logistical headache by removing roof panels and hoisting the equipment inside at a cost of roughly £1,000. Moving from smaller premises in Bridgetown, Cannock, the packaging firm carried out the ambitious relocation to expand operations, with plans to double its 30-strong workforce at the new plant. The dramatic low-angle shot captures the bold ingenuity and practical problem-solving often required during regional industrial expansions in the late 1970s. | Express & Star archive