Exhibition in St Nicholas' Gardens gives nostalgic look at Whitehaven

The event began on Tuesday, May 2, and will run until Sunday, May 7. 

Members of the public can come to the marquee in St Nicholas' Gardens free of charge and take a look back at what our town used to look like in years gone by. 

We can see photos of Whitehaven from not even 100 years ago when places like Mirehouse and Woodhouse were not in existence. 

Other images show the industry and shops that used to be well-recognised features of the town but are now just distant memories. 

It is hoped that the photos will help to evoke conversation and thoughts about Whitehaven which may otherwise have been forgotten. 

A town carnival during the 1930s (Image: Newsquest)

Gerard Richardson, who helped to organise the event along with the town council said: "It's an exhibition of nostalgia really, some of the photos we've shown before and some are new. 

"We've added this time some photos of royal visits such as Princess Mary, the Queen, and Princess Margaret. 

"I've always loved the history of the town and I've written a number of books about it, some of these photos have appeared in books and it's started from there. 

"The Town Council was looking for ideas a few years ago for events to put on in the town and it just seemed like a really good idea to host one of these. 

A display board at the exhibition (Image: Newsquest)

"This is the third exhibition and we're revitalizing it each time, about half of these photos are unseen. 

"There's been a steady flow of people through but there'll be more this weekend, obviously it's a working week but we need to get more people coming along. 

"I would urge anyone who's got an interest in Whitehaven and its history or even if you've not long lived up here just come along and see what it used to be like. 

"There are some nice memories, it's not all about the town being full of empty shops, it's ebbed and flowed over the years and this is a good chance to see it in both cases. 

"There are photos here that will show you how bad it was pre-70s before Sellafield injected a lot of money."

Whitehaven harbour in 1968 (Image: Newsquest)