Walsall Archive for All blog - July 2026: From archive box to digital portal
Celebrating the launch of the Walsall Archive for All digital archive portal
Have you ever wondered what Walsall looked like decades ago? Or how the Borough's, railways, and communities helped shape Walsall and the surrounding area?
We're delighted to announce the launch of the new Walsall Archive for All digital archive portal, giving residents, researchers and local history enthusiasts free online access to Walsall's heritage. The portal is the latest milestone in the WAFA project and will eventually provide access to around 9,000 digitised images from the Jack Haddock Collection.
The digital archive has been made possible thanks to a £249,020 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, allowing thousands of historic photographs and slides to be digitised, preserved and shared with the public. Thanks to National Lottery players, Walsall's stories will be accessible to future generations.
Featured here is a photograph of Sid Middleton and Doug Williams with locomotive 43410 in the background, dating from 1950 (Doc.Ref: 162-3-A-6-34-S). Part of the Jack Haddock Collection, the image has recently been digitised through the Walsall Archive for All project and offers a glimpse into Walsall's railway heritage. It will be added to the digital archive portal as our volunteer’s digitisation work continues.
The first collections focus on Walsall's canals and railways, offering a fascinating glimpse into the transport networks that helped shape the borough and its communities. As digitisation work continues, more themed collections will be added to the portal, making it easier than ever for people to explore Walsall's rich history from anywhere in the world.
Previously sunken boat being brought from Holly Bank Basin and towed to Ernie Thomas' yard at Birchills for breaking up, circa 1968 (Doc.Ref: 162-3-B-3-11-T). This photograph from the Jack Haddock Collection is one of many images documenting Walsall's canal heritage and the working life of the borough's waterways, now available to explore through the digital archive portal.
The project is also working with local communities and Walsall College to engage new audiences with the collection and create contemporary responses to Walsall's heritage. The launch of the portal marks an exciting step in opening up Walsall's history to people across the borough and beyond, while protecting fragile historic material for generations to come. As the collection grows, residents, researchers and history enthusiasts alike will be able to discover more of the people, places and stories that have shaped Walsall.
Start exploring
Whether you're researching your family history, reminiscing about places you remember, or simply curious about Walsall's past, there's something waiting to be discovered in the digital archive. Browse the collections, explore historic photographs and follow the project's progress as more images are added over the coming months. You may even recognise a familiar place, street, building or face from Walsall's past.
Explore the digital archive portal
Read the full press release: Walsall's history now just a click away as new digital archive goes live