FASCINATING photographs which capture the unique and ever-changing face of the Black Country are being displayed in a new exhibition at Himley Hall.
Photographer Phil Loach, who spent 45 years chronicling life through his lens for newspapers, including News Group, has selected 52 images from a back-catalogue of thousands for the A Time It Was exhibition.
The photographs show a myriad of events, incidents and split-second situations – several in a bygone era of flares, sideburns, huge hair styles and non-existent health and safety regulations.
However, there are plenty of images which resonate today, including those capturing the changing environment, but all display that distinctive sense of place and purpose which is peculiar to the Black Country.
Shoppers in a blizzard, mock cowboys in Dudley, fish and chip diners and kids making a playground out of a building site are among the subjects which attracted Phil’s attention.
He was also there when celebrities came to town, including when John Inman, from 1970s sitcom Are You Being Served, drew a crowd of thousands in Halesowen, and the iconic Princess Grace Kelly charmed all she met in Hagley.
Phil’s undoubted talent meant he has an uncanny ability to portray ordinary people in extraordinary situations.
Born in Kates Hill, Dudley, in 1949, Phil studied photography at Leicester Polytechnic and then became a staff cameraman with the Dudley Herald, which signaled a career in newspapers spanning five decades in which he covered everything from sport to politics, tragic disasters to joyful celebrations.
Alongside his press output Phil has always taken personal photographs and this new exhibition concentrates mainly on those images.
He said: “Although I’ve had thousands of photos published over the years its really nice to see this collection of favourites that say something personal and meaningful about my time working around the Black Country.”
Sally Newell, Himley Hall estate manager, said: “Phil has always taken personal photographs and this exhibition concentrates mainly on those images.
“They are the everyday subjects that attract his lens, turning the ordinary into the extraordinary.”
She added: “Phil’s exhibition reflects one man’s viewpoint of people, places and events from a time before ‘selfies’ were the norm.”
Award-winning Halesowen News reporter Adam Smith added: "In a 17 year career working for over ten newspapers I can honestly say I have never worked with a better photographer than Phil Loach.
"His talent could have taken him around the world but everyone in the Black Country should be grateful he plied his trade in this remarkable place.
"He has been on the scene for history during an era of unprecedented social change and it is only right he has been given the honour of his own exhibition."
A Time It Was, is at Himley Hall from Saturday, April 1 until Sunday, June 11.
It is open every day except Mondays between 2pm and 5pm.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here