Balsall Heath Local History Society presents an exhibition celebrating the history of the local area: showcasing Mick Turner’s photographs, archive images and interviews with local people.
The years 1960 to the 1990s saw a transformation in Balsall Heath. Many migrants moved in to the area, and some long established residents were compulsorily rehoused elsewhere as whole streets were demolished. Meanwhile the area was in decline with uncleared bomb sites from the Second World War, poor housing, high unemployment, appalling health statistics, poverty and a major prostitution problem.
This was also a time of new opportunities, new organisations and new ideas. There was growing dynamism and hope as the groundwork was laid for the thriving multi-cultural community of today’s Balsall Heath.
The Mick Turner Archive of photographic images is a vast collection of images, thousands of which were published in the Balsall Heathan through this time. We will use these images as a starting point to understand Balsall Heath through the eyes of people who have lived there.
Balsall Heath Local History Society is a Studio Partner at The Old Print Works.
Photo: Mick Turner
