All smiles from this charming group of young girls. The picture was in our old Bridgnorth office, so they are likely to be from that area, and that looks like a gym floor. Recognise anybody?placeholder image
All smiles from this charming group of young girls. The picture was in our old Bridgnorth office, so they are likely to be from that area, and that looks like a gym floor. Recognise anybody? | Bridgnorth Journal

Come on, Sherlock: Can you crack our 23 picture puzzles?

By Toby Neal
Published 31st Aug 2026, 02:00 BST

Put on your deerstalkers, sharpen up your sleuthing skills, and play detective in an effort to solve these photographic mysteries from our files

You know what it’s like, you look through some old family pictures and you come across some where you don’t recognise the people, the location is unfamiliar, and the occasion is a mystery.

It’s the same for us. Sometimes the original information with the photos is lost, or we have been sent them in the hope that someone, somewhere, can solve the riddle or come up with some information.

Our readers are always the best detectives, so examine the evidence in these images and see if you can spot any clues that might help put the pieces of the puzzle together. Let us know what you discover in the comments.

And no, this isn’t some sort of test where we give the answers at the end. We really don’t know.

  • Did you see our gallery of this ‘lovely’ Shropshire town? See all 35 pictures here.
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Note the little boy on a hobby horse and the pictures of a liner, train, and bus on the classroom wall. It's just possible one or two of these youngsters is still alive and, while they're unlikely to remember their classroom, they might recognise their old teacher. The picture was at our Newport office, which will give an idea of the likely general area.

21. You know class when you see it

Note the little boy on a hobby horse and the pictures of a liner, train, and bus on the classroom wall. It's just possible one or two of these youngsters is still alive and, while they're unlikely to remember their classroom, they might recognise their old teacher. The picture was at our Newport office, which will give an idea of the likely general area. | Shropshire Star archive

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A band leads the military parade through Church Street in Wellington as locals line the street and watch. The Charlton Arms Hotel is on the right and the ivy-clad building was the police station. The late historian Allan Frost estimated this picture to be 1910 to 1912, but wasn't able to pinpoint what it was all about.

22. Facing the music

A band leads the military parade through Church Street in Wellington as locals line the street and watch. The Charlton Arms Hotel is on the right and the ivy-clad building was the police station. The late historian Allan Frost estimated this picture to be 1910 to 1912, but wasn't able to pinpoint what it was all about. | Allan Frost

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Come on, this has to be easy. All you've got to do to crack this one is to identify the building, which surely must still stand. The picture is believed to show builders in Shrewsbury and was originally loaned to us by Peter Oxley of Wellington whose grandfather John Pugh, who was born in the mid-1870s, is standing on the ladder.

23. Enjoy the build-up

Come on, this has to be easy. All you've got to do to crack this one is to identify the building, which surely must still stand. The picture is believed to show builders in Shrewsbury and was originally loaned to us by Peter Oxley of Wellington whose grandfather John Pugh, who was born in the mid-1870s, is standing on the ladder. | Peter Oxley

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