This week's pictures from the past

The stereotypical image of Shropshire is that of a rural county, but it does of course have a long industrial heritage, and even some areas which are now considered beauty spots were once the hives of industrial activity.

The east Shropshire coalfield was a powerhouse for that industry and this photo shows, according to the caption, "Madeley Court pit, c. 1906".

It was loaned to us by Shrewsbury historian and author David Trumper, but was one of a number in an album given to him by a woman who does not wish to be identified.

Here's a photo which tells a lie. On the original the entire upper right part is missing, along with smaller parts of all the other corners.

Rather than crop the image we have roughly "painted in" the corners digitally. It was e-mailed in by Gay Baldwin and shows his great-grandfather Ernest Maund and his cycle shop in Craven Arms.

He had two cycle shops, one at Market Street and one in Station Road. Percy Maund may be the one in the bowler hat and the figure on the extreme left, face hardly visible, may be Ernest Maund.

The family believe that the boy at his side is his son, Gay's grandfather, Frederick Maund, aged eight. The photograph is dated February 22, 1909. Ernest Maund is believed to have made the first aeroplane flight in Shropshire at Stokesay in 1907.nextpage

Settle down in an armchair, because we know it can be tiring watching other people doing some exercise . . .

These gymnasts from Shrewsbury were giving a display at what is now the William Brookes School, Much Wenlock, for the Wenlock Olympics in about 1961 or 1962. The team did not have a particular name, just the Shrewsbury lads. It included the brothers Geoffrey, Keith and Gordon Willocks, and it was Gordon, from Shrewsbury, who loaned us this picture.

This orchestra in St Chad's Church, Shrewsbury, looks as though it is in rehearsals for some event. Can anyone identify the orchestra?

The photo was loaned to us by 82-year-old Mrs Sybil Waite, of Shrewsbury, whose father Wilfred Moore is among the musicians.

He was a violinist, but some older folk may remember his hairdresser's in High Street. "I think the conductor might have been Mr Herbert," she says. The photo is undated, but looks perhaps 1920s or 1930s.

It was 30 years ago this year that Shropshire's last coal mine, Telford's Granville Colliery, closed. It stopped production in May 1979 because of a geological fault on the remaining coal face, bringing down the curtain on an important era in Shropshire's industrial history.

This photo shows "flat rope winder, Granville Colliery, c.1952", so will bring back memories for old miners.

It was loaned to us by David Trumper and given to him by a woman who prefers not to be identified.

Look closely at this photo of the Shrewsbury Flower Show fireworks and you'll notice something odd. There is a double exposure, which can be particularly noticed in the clock tower of the old general market hall. This picture, which probably dates from the 1930s, is originally from Mrs Barbara Jones, nee Willocks, of Shrewsbury, and comes to us via Shrewsbury author and historian David Trumper.nextpage

Barbara Willocks is pictured here with her father outside the Willocks premises in Barker Street, Shrewsbury.

He was a painter and signwriter, and the photo is possibly from the 1920s or 1930s.

The photo was loaned by Mrs Barbara Jones – as she later became – to Shrewsbury author and historian David Trumper, who in turn showed it to us.