DO you recognise any of the faces in this old photo?
It is believed to have been taken in Ardsley during the celebrations of the Silver Jubilee of King George V in 1935 at a street party in Oxford Street.
Michael Chance is working on a book about Ardsley, Stairfoot and Hoyle Mill with former Ardsley Oaks headmaster Tony Heald, and would like to be able to put some names to the faces and perhaps speak to some of the relatives of those pictured or even the people themselves.
“Some might still be around,” he said. “The children particularly, although they’re likely to be in their 90s by now.
“But maybe somebody recognises their parent or grandparent among the faces.
“It would be great to hear from people who either know people in the picture or their relatives.”
Michael, 60, lives in Brighton.
He was born in Ardsley and moved away almost 40 years ago.
But he has remained fascinated by the village and the area where he grew up ever since.
“I still come back probably three or four times every year,” he said.
“I can still just remember what Ardsley was like before the road was widened, and how it used to look before all the demolition work.
“Tony and I did a book about ten years ago.
“Before that, back in the 80s we did a few pamphlets with some history of the area.
“We followed that up with the full book called Ardsley and Stairfoot Revisited.
“This latest book is very much a companion to that work. The vast majority of photographs in it have never been published before.
“The main reason we’re doing it is nostalgia of course. Hopefully there’s something in it for everyone on that basis. But there’s also a good deal of history in there too, with written accounts we’ve come across, and also interviews with a few people we’ve carried out.
“The other big element behind why we’re doing it is the amount of research people are doing these days into their own family history. We hope it will be very useful to people looking into their own family’s roots.”
Can you help identify anyone in the photographs? Call Michael on 01273 779585.
