Many changes which were seen in Berwick during the past half-century are brought to life in a new book of photographs which has just been published.  “Snapshots of the 1970s” draws upon the contents of the vast Photo Centre collection, now held in Berwick Record Office, and it follows on from two earlier publications about the 1950s and 1960s, all of which have been compiled by volunteers from the Friends of Berwick & District Museum and Archives .

The 1970s were a decade in which the town underwent many physical alterations.  In the High Street the prominent Waterloo Hotel was demolished to make way for the new Boots store.  Across the river the Dock Road embankment was removed and part of its raillway viaduct was blown up.  And it was the last decade in the long history of Berwick Shipyard, one of the town’s most significant employers.

Social changes included the growth of employment for women, with opportunities at Pringles, Jus-Rol and Allan Bros, and there were developments in the town’s leisure culture with new nightclubs and venues for young people.  The political turbulence of the 1970s was reflected in several industrial disputes and strikes in the town which mirrored a wave of national discontents.

There are 66 pages of photographs in the book, and about one-third of them are in colour.  The pictures are prefaced with a Timeline of life in Berwick during the 1970s, based on the stories reported in the Berwick Advertiser during those years.  This complements the photographs and gives a broader picture of events which were happening at the time.

“Snapshots of the 1970s” is now on sale for £12.99 at Berwick Record Office and at Grieve’s stationers in Church Street.