Local History

Ever found yourself staring at the old back and white photos of your town in the local pub?
They're so intriguing - the old shop signs, cobbled streets and people dressed in clothes of yester-year, either the dirty rags of factory workers or ladies and gentlemen in their long overcoats and top hats.

Well, you've been sending your old photos to us, either by e-mail or post - and we've been scanning them into our 'Old Photos of Staffordshire' gallery.
Along with the Staffordshire Past track project (see more on this below), we've published dozens of photos for you to enjoy and think over.

Have a look. All you have to do is click the link below....

From Staffordshire Arts & Museum Service

Staffordshire Past Track

But another, and very valuable way to ensure your old photos help to build up a pattern of this county's history is to donate copies of them to Staffordshire Past track.

Staffordshire County Council and Arts & Museum’s Service has developed a website using photos from many collections that allows you to look through thousands of old photographs from just about every part of Staffordshire, from Stoke on Trent to Lichfield.
The photographs also cover many different aspects of life, from men skimming salt from lakes in Stafford to a fox hunt meet in Burton upon Trent, as well as many street scenes and nostalgic photos of the places we know and how they once looked.

The website called ‘Staffordshire Past Track’ pulls together historical information and photographs from public and private collections all over Staffordshire.
Using partnerships with museums and libraries as well as individuals, the images have been pulled out of the archives and into the public domain, in a way that could never have been possible in one solitary museum exhibition.

Users can search the website for their village or town, or by subject, and there are also historical documents, objects, audio and video clips as well as photos, paintings and prints. History enthusiasts can also find out about local heritage and history events taking place in the county though the website.

Getting involved

If you have a collection of old photographs or other historical information that you think would make a great addition to the Staffordshire Past Track collection then you can get in touch with the organisers through the website, or by emailing past.track@staffordshire.gov.uk.
Obviously, we'd like it if you sent us a copy of the photo too - to stoke@bbc.co.uk

'Staffordshire Past Track' has been funded by the Big Lottery Fund, through the New Opportunities Fund, and the Staffordshire County Council. The New Opportunities Fund is a UK-wide programme dedicated to making resources directly available to the public via the internet.
Find out more about the project and the contributors who got involved from the Staffordshire Past Track website.