Photographer uncovers pictures of Preston Market not seen for 40 years

A Market trader posing for a photo in 1981 Pic: Chris Darley

Pictures of Preston Market not seen for more than 40 years have been uncovered.

City photographer Chris Darley found negatives when having a clear out and decided it was time to put them into focus.

Taken when he was 14-year-old in 1981 and in black and white the city’s old Market Hall is the main subject of Chris and his friend’s photos as well as the outdoor covered market.

He said: “At the time we had just set up a photographic society at Kirkham Grammar School where we were.

“As teenagers we’d go and take our cameras and take some shots around the city on a weekend with one roll of film each.

“I saw these when I was sorting out some boxes and thought I’d thrown them away but I must have kept them.

“These pictures are social history now so I got them converted into digital images.

“There’s been a great response to them with people really connecting with them and it is sparking memories not just for me but for lots of people.”

Chris, 56, is a regular name to many on Blog Preston and on social media feeds about the city with his snaps at Preston InstaMeets and at other events.

Included in his set of photos is The Jolly Farmer – a popular pub which was in Market Street.

Chris said: “Being a young teenager I hadn’t been in it but it was always talked about as being a good pub.

“There was a real community there and you’d often see the same characters coming in and out regularly.”

Chris said he hoped to uncover more of his photo negatives from the early 1980s and share them on groups like Preston Past and Present in due course.

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