How the Barrovians of the past had fun in the early 20th century

As such local events and social gatherings often saw hundreds of people turn out in their finest clothes, as seen in these Sankey pictures.

The Sankeys were a father and son duo who documented life in Barrow and Cumbria over 70 years.

Starting around 1900, they captured the landscape, cultural changes, everyday lives and work up until the 1970s.

Included in their archive, which was gathered by Barrow-based charity Signal Film and Media, are these fascinating images of how everyday Barrovians looked when they attended special events. 

As it was not as easy to capture a snapshot as it is on a phone now, people look very posed and formal.

Photography was not in its infancy around the times these were taken however so the group photographs are quite relaxed in comparison to the Victorian era.

This group of people can be seen at Sandy Gap on Walney.

People came on trains as far as Leeds to visit the popular Barrow beaches. 

A group portrait of 52 gentlemen, known as the Broad Street Travellers, are also pictured.

The formal setting of 30 people standing, 12 seated on chairs and 10 on the ground, is actually the group of men having fun on an outing. 

In a relaxed demeanor for the early 20th century, they have taken their hats off and are smoking cigarettes, cigars and pipes.

All are wearing suits with waistcoats with a variety of collars and ties. 

A group of women in the 1920s can be seen in hats and long skirts with legs crossed posing for pictures at the Rampside Gala Bowls competition.

Biggar Bank has always been a popular spot for Barrovians and was opened for the people of the town in 1883 with a massive 20,000 attending.

A large group of people are photographed, including many children, on an outing.

Private gatherings also came across as formal in the early 20th century.

A stunning portrait is included of three dozen well-dressed ladies posed in a back garden on Fairfield Lane in about 1924.

Anyone wanting to use the Sankey photos in a book, online or in an exhibition needs to ask permission to use the photos from Cumbria Archives and there may be a charge.

Downloading images for personal use is OK. The full details on copyright are here: https://www.sankeyphotoarchive.uk/contact/.