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  4. Stafford, St Mary's Church c.1950

Stafford, St Mary's Church c.1950
Photo ref: S411008
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Photo ref: S411008
Photo of Stafford, St Mary's Church c.1950
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More about this scene

The building of the church was begun around 1190. The nave of St Mary's acted as the parish church for the town, while the large chancel was used by a secular College of Canons, responsible to the King, whose duty was to pray for members of the royal family. Originally there was a spire, but it crashed down during a storm in 1594. During the 1840s St Mary's was heavily restored by George Gilbert Scott, but as the ladders and scaffolding indicate, there has been a continuing need for roof repairs. Note the grave slabs and box tombs, and the rear of Brookfields shop behind the church.

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A Selection of Memories from Stafford

For many years now, we've been inviting visitors to our website to add their own memories to share their experiences of life as it was, prompted by the photographs in our archive. Here are some from Stafford

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Good Old Stafford
I was born and baptised at St Berklins on the Eccleshall Rd in 1966 . I used to remember the old indoor market , it took you ages with everyone trying to get their shopping for the weekend , You could get get nearly anything you wanted in the first part , then through the doors and into the second part to get your veg , cheese , biscuits and meat . Used to hate going into Barclays bank so dad could get cash out for ...see more
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Added 18 August 2025

The Staffordshire General Infirmary
I am learning more about my family history, and have discovered my Grandad trained to be a nurse at the General Infirmary, Foregate Street, Stafford. He became a registered nurse in 1950, before moving down to work in London. Does anyone have memories of training there? I would love to learn what it was like. He worked as a volunteer helping with the ambulances during WW2 beforehand. I would be very interested if anyone has memories of this as well.
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Added 06 December 2020

Reflections Upon The Changing Face Of Stafford Since 1964

It’s a rather sad fact that you only come to appreciate a town several years after you have left it. At the age of 19 I was sent to live and work in Stafford between 1964 and 1979, before the Main Street was fully pedestrianised and it’s much maligned traffic relief ‘ring road’ scheme was devised and tortuously introduced. It was a time when Stafford still strove to be ...see more
Stafford, Market Square c1965
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Added 01 November 2019

Who Was The King Of This Castle?
My father recalled when this castle was occupied in the 1930's. How did it ever fall into such neglect so quickly that it was virtually razed to the ground? Who let part of our heritage disappears so readily?
Stafford, the Castle c1955
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Added 28 December 2018

More about Image Optimisation

All our photos are printed as optimised versions of their originals, this process can take anything from 15 minutes to several hours. This ensures that the product you get shows the true quality that Frith photos are renowned for.

Example of image retouching:

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Genealogy & Research Images

Despite over 20 years’ work on the archive, these scans have still not been individually checked and may prove to be damaged, faded, or not of sufficient quality to ever be offered in our full product range. However, if you would particularly like to buy one of these please get in touch quoting the Frith negative number,(s) the town name and size of print you would like to buy. On receipt of your enquiry our archivist will check the scan and advise you if the quality is good enough.

What is an Album?

An album is a way to save a selection of Frith photos, maps and memories that are of interest to you.

Creating an Album enables you to make short lists and then make a final selection from the album. In particular it makes ordering things like calendars much easier - simply create an Album of the 12 photos you like and then use the Album when placng your order - our order process will give you this option.

You can create as many Albums as you want, so perhaps make one for your hometown, where you live now, where your parents live now etc.