Wading through murky, swirling waters in heavy rubber waders, two determined local men hoist 17-month-old Caroline Abell high in her pram to keep her warm and dry during the severe winter flooding of January 1968. Set against the dramatic backdrop of Shrewsbury's historic timber-framed buildings submerged to their doorways, the heartwarming rescue captured the resilient community spirit that always surfaced when the River Severn burst its banks. Were you or your family caught up in the great floods that swept through Shrewsbury in the late 1960s?placeholder image
Wading through murky, swirling waters in heavy rubber waders, two determined local men hoist 17-month-old Caroline Abell high in her pram to keep her warm and dry during the severe winter flooding of January 1968. Set against the dramatic backdrop of Shrewsbury's historic timber-framed buildings submerged to their doorways, the heartwarming rescue captured the resilient community spirit that always surfaced when the River Severn burst its banks. Were you or your family caught up in the great floods that swept through Shrewsbury in the late 1960s? | ©PA

33 pictures take you back to Shropshire in the 1960s

By Tania Taylor
Published 6th Nov 2026, 02:00 GMT

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Shropshire in the ‘60s

Take a look back at Shropshire in the 1960s, a decade of change, memorable moments and everyday life across the county.

From the transformation of towns and major roadworks to traditional country shows and life in rural communities, these photographs capture a county balancing its past with an increasingly modern world.

The collection features some fascinating moments from the decade, including Queen Elizabeth II arriving by Royal Train, a star-studded cabaret night with Diana Dors, celebrations marking the Salopia coach company's jubilee and local characters taking on daring transatlantic challenges. There are also quieter glimpses of life in Shropshire, from walks across the Stiperstones to gatherings in busy parish halls.

Together, these archive photographs offer a snapshot of the people, places and events that made Shropshire in the 1960s such a memorable time.

Do you recognise any of the places or people? Share your memories in the comments.

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Standing between gleaming machinery and raised concrete stalls at 6.30am, a cowman tends carefully to the dairy herd in February 1962. Captured at Bromstead Hall Farm in Moreton, near Newport and run by the Gough family, the scene showcased the modern, hygienic machine-milking methods transforming Shropshire dairy farming in the early 1960s, though the identity of the hardworking cowman pictured remained a mystery to the farm's owners. Can you help identify the mystery cowman pictured tending the cows at dawn in Moreton?

29. Early morning routine in the modern milking parlour at Bromstead Hall Farm

Standing between gleaming machinery and raised concrete stalls at 6.30am, a cowman tends carefully to the dairy herd in February 1962. Captured at Bromstead Hall Farm in Moreton, near Newport and run by the Gough family, the scene showcased the modern, hygienic machine-milking methods transforming Shropshire dairy farming in the early 1960s, though the identity of the hardworking cowman pictured remained a mystery to the farm's owners. Can you help identify the mystery cowman pictured tending the cows at dawn in Moreton? | Shropshire Star archive

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An officer in uniform stands watchful in the grounds of Stoke Heath, near Market Drayton, on April 6, 1964. Constructed in the early 1960s as a modern borstal to replace older Victorian-era institutions, the expansive brick accommodation blocks and neat asphalt paths marked a significant development in Shropshire's penal facilities before the site evolved into a young offender institution and prison in subsequent decades. Do you remember the construction and early years of Stoke Heath when it first opened in the North Shropshire countryside?

30. Modern custodial complex stands ready at Stoke Heath

An officer in uniform stands watchful in the grounds of Stoke Heath, near Market Drayton, on April 6, 1964. Constructed in the early 1960s as a modern borstal to replace older Victorian-era institutions, the expansive brick accommodation blocks and neat asphalt paths marked a significant development in Shropshire's penal facilities before the site evolved into a young offender institution and prison in subsequent decades. Do you remember the construction and early years of Stoke Heath when it first opened in the North Shropshire countryside? | Shropshire Star archive

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Rising dramatically out of the churned earth, sculptural V-shaped concrete piers await the deck of a new road bridge in the early summer of 1968. Positioned off a newly constructed roundabout at the foot of Madeley High Street, the modern infrastructure was designed to carry traffic over the burgeoning Madeley bypass, marking a fundamental chapter in the transformation of the historic district during the rapid expansion of Dawley New Town. Do you remember the dramatic reshaping of Madeley's roads when the bypass and roundabout were first being carved through the area?

31. Sculpted concrete pillars herald new road network for Madeley

Rising dramatically out of the churned earth, sculptural V-shaped concrete piers await the deck of a new road bridge in the early summer of 1968. Positioned off a newly constructed roundabout at the foot of Madeley High Street, the modern infrastructure was designed to carry traffic over the burgeoning Madeley bypass, marking a fundamental chapter in the transformation of the historic district during the rapid expansion of Dawley New Town. Do you remember the dramatic reshaping of Madeley's roads when the bypass and roundabout were first being carved through the area? | Shropshire Star archive

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Stretching back in an unbroken, gleaming curved line across the depot yard at Whitchurch, the Salopia coach fleet makes an impressive display for the company's golden jubilee in 1965. Standing proudly alongside the modern coaches are, from left to right, John Else, chairman of the West Midland Traffic Commissioners, Harry Richards, managing director, and Tom Davies, general manager, marking half a century of holiday tours, school journeys, and transport services across Shropshire. Did you ever take a coach trip or seaside holiday aboard one of Salopia's Whitchurch coaches back in the '60s?

32. Salopia coach fleet lines up for golden jubilee celebration

Stretching back in an unbroken, gleaming curved line across the depot yard at Whitchurch, the Salopia coach fleet makes an impressive display for the company's golden jubilee in 1965. Standing proudly alongside the modern coaches are, from left to right, John Else, chairman of the West Midland Traffic Commissioners, Harry Richards, managing director, and Tom Davies, general manager, marking half a century of holiday tours, school journeys, and transport services across Shropshire. Did you ever take a coach trip or seaside holiday aboard one of Salopia's Whitchurch coaches back in the '60s? | Shropshire Star archive

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