Pictures from the past - 17 May

Two unidentified girls from Madeley Modern School, which later became the Abraham Darby School, in class around the late 1940s or early 1950s. The photo comes from Mike Edwards, whose father-in-law Ted Roberts was the craft teacher at the school from the day it opened in the 1930s. In recent times the old school building has been demolished and superseded by the new Abraham Darby Academy.

Take a trip down memory lane with this week's selection of nostalgia pictures, taken from the pages of the Shropshire Star.

Armed with a revolver and carrying a riot shield, Superintendent Bob Landers of Wellington Police embarks on a dangerous mission during what turned out to be the longest peacetime siege in British history. A gunman was holed up with hostages at The Slade, Weston-under-Redcastle, and Superintendent Landers was trying to distract him while an armoured Army vehicle approached from a different direction. But the gunman shot the radio aerial off the Army vehicle, which then retreated. The siege was to last 17 days during September and October 1968. The gunman was subsequently sent to Broadmoor.

Pictures from the past - 11 May

There will be plenty of people who agree with the sentiments on the notice. But can anyone shed any light on who these folk are, which would in turn give a good idea where and when it was taken? We do know one of them – fourth from left is Joe Fletcher, of Ironbridge. He was born in 1910 so from his apparent age this was taken in the 1930s. The photo was loaned by his son, Peter.

Pictures from the past - 03 May

The date on the rugby ball reveals that this is the 1962-63 season, and these were the lads of Trench boys junior rugby team. Tony Minor, who loaned us the photo, says: “I used to play rugby with nearly all these guys. Out of the two guys at the back, the one far right is Paul Van Stratten. Next row, third from the left, is Chris Lawrence and fifth from the left is Dave Stephan. Front row second from the left is Dave Griffin, in the middle with the ball is Ian Burbridge, then Gordon Schniede and Norman Heinrich. I am sorry lads about the ones I can’t remember – the memory isn’t as good as it once was.”

Pictures from the past - 19 April

“This photo was loaned to me by Bernard Taylor – we went to Donnington Wood CofE School together,” says Ron Honeywell, who emailed this in. “From the left, back row, is John Francis, then two familiar faces but no names, then Billy Long , Keith Gaut, Les Prosser, two more unknowns, and Kenny Greenfield. Sitting we have Lenny Lloyd, unknown, Colin Crossland, Ian Cochrane and Trevor Walker. Sitting crossed legged are Bernard Taylor, Michael Hayward and the last unknown although he lived in Jubilee Avenue, Donnington. The grown-ups are Mr Houlston, headmaster, and the lady is either Mrs Withington or Mrs Simpson, but I could be wrong. We think the year is about 1951 to 1952 as a couple of the lads were a year older than Colin Crossland and Bernard Taylor and we, the younger ones, moved to secondary modern schools in 1953.”

Pictures from the past - 12 April

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Pictures from the past - 05 April

A Short Stirling bomber burned out after crash landing near Tilstock on May 5, 1944. The crew survived and the pilot was commended for his actions. This photo is from a new book by Shropshire air crash researcher Tom Thorne, called Pancakes & Prangs. It details around 700 military air crashes in the county.

Take a stroll down memory lane with this week's selection of nostalgia pictures, taken from the pages of the Shropshire Star.

Pictures from the Past - 29 March

Things have changed so much in the Oakengates area that even long-time residents may take a little while to work out what’s what, and where’s where, in this aerial photo which dates from 1948. It shows the foundry of John Maddock, centre. The railway station is bottom left. This photo was emailed in by regular contributor Paul France.

Take a trip down memory lane with this week's selection of nostalgia pictures, taken from the pages of the Shropshire Star.

Pictures from the past - 22 March

Easy does it – Malcolm Peel of Dawley emailed in this photo taken outside AB Cranes in Horsehay and says: “It’s the longest object (this is in 1981) ever transported on any British road. The object is an overhead crane girder, approximately 164 feet long which had been made for and was being delivered to Conocco at Immingham.”

Take a look at this week's selection of nostalgia pictures, taken from the pages of the Shropshire Star.

Pictures from the past - March 15

Historian and author Allan Frost says he is throwing down the gauntlet to our readers with this picture, which shows the netball team of Constitution Hill School, Wellington, in 1930. “Can anyone provide names for the folk in the photo? I know that the captain holding the ball is Annie Tudor. All help most gratefully received.” If you can help Allan, he can be contacted at a.frost1@btinternet.com or you can drop us a line and we’ll pass the information on.

This week's collection of nostalgia photos from the pages of the Shropshire Star.

Pictures from the past - 08 March

A few days ago we used a picture of a young lad from Madeley Modern School – it later became the Abraham Darby School – working at a loom. Sadly, nobody has come forward to identify him, but Mike Edwards of Leegomery has emailed us this photo of a craft lesson at the school which he believes is from around the same time. “The boy in the front centre is using the very same loom frame. Top right is my father-in-law Mr Ted Roberts, who was the craft teacher at the Madeley Modern School under the headmaster Mr Scoltock, until the day he retired in June 1974. Mr Roberts was very fondly remembered by many of his ‘old boys’. Maybe some of the other boys in this photograph will recognise themselves and provide you with further information.”

Take a stroll down memory lane with our selection of nostalgia pictures, taken from the pages of the Shropshire Star.

Pictures from the Past - 01 March

Who is this young Shropshire lad busy working on a loom many years ago? Much as we’d love to tell you, we simply don’t know. The only clue is a handwritten note on the back of this print saying he is a Madeley Mod boy – so a pupil at Madeley Modern School – and the stamp of a Shrewsbury photographer. As for the date, we’d guess at the 1950s.

Take a trip down memory lane with this week's selection of nostalgia pictures, taken from the pages of the Shropshire Star.

Pictures from the Past - 22 Feb

And here’s your hotel room... In fact, it is one of the cells at Shrewsbury Prison pictured in June 1986. It accommodated two prisoners. With the jail to close shortly, there is talk about turning The Dana into a hotel. Presumably you will get a better standard of decor.

Take a stroll down memory lane with this week's selection of nostalgia pictures, taken from the pages of the Shropshire Star.

Pictures from the Past - 15 Feb

It looks like a cross between a Christmas party and a harvest festival, doesn’t it? We could do with your help with this photo, because all we know about it was that it was taken by a Shrewsbury photographic studio, from which we can infer it was taken in or around Shrewsbury somewhere, perhaps around the late 1940s or 1950s. The venue looks like some sort of hall or village hall. If you can identify the occasion or anybody on the photo, do drop us a line.

Take a trip down memory lane with this week's selection of nostalgia pictures, taken from the pages of the Shropshire Star.

Pictures from the Past - 08 Feb

At your service... This photo of tennis players at Lilleshall Hall was emailed in by Bernard Taylor, of School Road, Donnington, who says: “It was taken at Lilleshall sports centre. I do not know when, or who the players are. Maybe your readers can name some of the players and tell if it was a competition. I do not think that they have any tennis tournaments at Lilleshall any more.”

Take a stroll down memory lane with this week's selection of nostalgia pictures.

Pictures from the past - 01 February

A simple question – where in Shropshire is this? This photo has turned up in a box in our Shrewsbury office, but has no details whatever to go with it. But as the other photos it was with are from Shropshire, it is likely to have been taken in one of the county’s towns. A clue is the shop on the left, which was ‘G.A. Jones’, and it may well be Mr Jones in the doorway. The date must be guesswork, but potentially the 1950s. Can you solve the riddle? Drop us a line if you can.

Take a trip down memory lane with our selection of nostalgia pictures, taken from the pages of the Shropshire Star.

Pictures from the Past - Jan 25

We’re going back to Victorian times with this photo of Ludlow schoolchildren loaned by Mrs Mary Hall, of Westhope, near Craven Arms. “It was the National School in Lower Galdeford. It’s now the Bishop Mascall Centre,” she said. “My three aunties are on the bottom left on the front row. They are Adaline, Sarah and Rose Waite, who were my mother’s three sisters. I think at that particular time they were living in a cottage at the back of the Compasses Inn in Corve Street. “Martin Speight, a historian who lives not far from me, found out the date of the picture and the school teacher’s name.” He believes the lady on the left is Miss Elizabeth Cantrell, headmistress from 1868 to 1912, and that the date is around the 1880s.

Take a trip down memory lane with this week's selection of nostalgia pictures, taken from the pages of the Shropshire Star.

Pictures from the past - 18 Jan

“Lymore Hall near Shrewsbury being demolished, built 1675,” is written on the back of this print from our archives, but please don’t write in – we know it actually stood near Montgomery. If demolition was indeed under way at the time of the photo, then it must date from 1931, which is when this half-timbered gem was dismantled, with some of the architectural features being preserved.

Your weekly selection of nostalgia pictures from the pages of the Shropshire Star.

Pictures from the past - January 11

Fifty years ago some Salopians were still getting their water from a village pump. This picture taken at Ryton, near Condover, was used in the Shrewsbury Chronicle of December 28, 1962, with the caption: “These thankful villagers queued up for a bucketful of the Christmas spirit, no longer faced with the prospect of a water-less Yuletide.” The accompanying story said the village water pump had been dried up for over a fortnight, which meant they had to go long distances with containers to fetch water from places like Shrewsbury. When it heard of the problem, the council sent workmen out to fix the pump. The story quoted a spokesman at Atcham Rural District Council saying Ryton would have a piped supply in 1963.

Your weekly selection of nostalgia pictures from the pages of the Shropshire Star.

Pictures from the past - 04 Jan

Ellesmere Cottage Hospital is seen here in a postcard which was posted during the festive period way back in 1907. It seems to have been sent to somebody who was at a cottage hospital at Ross-on-Wye, and was actually franked three times – in Ellesmere, in Ross on Christmas Day in 1907, and at Huntspill, Bridgwater, on Boxing Day. Picture: Ray Farlow

It may be the new year but that doesn't mean you can't take a trip down memory lane with our latest selection of nostalgia pictures.

Pictures from the past - December 28

Christmas is coming. Strike up the band! Alas, these musicians weren’t playing anything festive, judging by the fact that the trees are in leaf. This is another photo e-mailed in by Paul France who says: “This of Dawley Newtown Band which was formed by Ted Baldwin in around 1962/63. The picture was taken about 1964 or 1965, I would guess. We are marching back from Dawley Church and approaching Dun Cow Bank. I thought at first it might be an Armistice parade, but the trees are green and no one has a poppy, so it’s probably some sort of Royal British Legion event. “Marching in front is Noah Ball, who was the band’s president. First row from left: Ernie Howells, Lou Boyle, Graham Rich, Oliver Bradnam, George Jarvis. “Next row: Bob Gittings, Bill Tisdale, Fred Coleman, Harold Davies. “Next row: Derek Brittle, Harry Westbrook, George Ward. Behind them are Drucilla Plant and Tony Smith. Back row: you can just make out Dennis Hill’s hair behind Drucilla, Brian Jones, then me on the outside with my face obscured by my music! The side drummer is Mike Collings.”

This week's collection of nostalgia pictures from the pages of the Shropshire Star.

Pictures from the past - December 21

A little while ago we published a photo taken in Ironbridge in 1957 of a local football team starting its journey to play in Germany. That has prompted Margaret Roberts, of Wellington, to loan us this follow-up picture. “It was taken the following year, 1958, when the German football team, who I believe to be Bayer Leverkuzen from Dusseldorf, visited Ironbridge to play various youth club matches around the area. They were hosted by Ironbridge Youth Club and billeted out to families who had room for them to stay. The youth club leader was Joe Fletcher. The photo was taken near the water fountain in Ironbridge Square. I think you can just about see the station in the background,” she said. The water fountain was the Victorian Bartlett memorial. It was moved in the 1960s – probably in 1965 – when the front of The Square was demolished to make way for a bus bay and now languishes by the Waterloo Street car park.

This week's collection of nostalgia pictures from the pages of the Shropshire Star.

Pictures from the past - 14 Dec

“Bert Catchpole, DA Secretary for Shropshire CTC, photo taken July 13, 1952, at the Column, Shrewsbury, prior to start of finals of the British Cycle Tourist competition.” So says the caption to this photo in an album owned by John Durnell, of Hirnant, near Penybontfawr. Bert’s is probably among the best-known names in Shropshire cycling over the years. As for Mr Durnell, he had an unusual career path as a policeman-turned-priest, and many will remember him as the Rev John Durnell. He was rector at Church Aston for 11 years until 1977, later serving in other places.

Take a trip down memory lane with this week's selection of nostalgia images, taken from the pages of the Shropshire Star.

Pictures from the past - December 7

Happy faces on the underground train at Granville Colliery in 1959. The miners were taken most of the way to their working places by this train, which was hauled by a battery-powered locomotive. The mine, which was in the St Georges and Redhill area, was Shropshire’s last surviving mine at the time of its closure in 1979.

This week's collection of nostalgia pictures from the pages of the Shropshire Star.

Pictures from the past - November 30

If you think Wyle Cop in Shrewsbury doesn’t look like this today, you’re right. This shows Wyle Cop before the road was widened in the mid-1920s by removing the old London Coffee House, which was actually a pub and is on the left. This photo comes from the collection of Shrewsbury author and historian David Trumper and looks as if it must have been taken earlier in the 1920s.

This week's selection of nostalgia pictures from the pages of the Shropshire Star.

Pictures from the past - 23 Nov

With the last typewriter ever built in Britain now being donated to London’s Science Museum, let’s have a look at these machines which were so familiar and yet have been blown away by computer keyboards. This undated photo shows two blindfolded young ladies at Shrewsbury Technical College demonstrating their impressive touch-typing skills – in case you don’t know, touchtyping means being able to type without looking at the keys. At the time the photo was taken the college was in what is now the Wakeman School.

Take a trip down memory lane with this week's selection of nostalgia pictures, taken from the pages of the Shropshire Star.