Over half a century apart, this recreation connects generations of one Salford family. Jack Youd revisits a photograph that has become part of his family’s history — taken outside his grandparents’ home on Langton Street and rediscovered decades later through the British Culture Archive.
Photo © Martin Mayer/ReportDigital, all rights reserved.
Jack Youd: “I grew up fascinated by this photo from 1970 of my Grandad, Harold Youd, aged 29, and my Grandma, Linda Youd, 23, taken outside their home at 26 Langton Street, Salford 6. My Dad and Uncle are ‘rowing up the Amazon’… my Grandad’s motorbike and sidecar is covered just off camera, and their cousins are walking behind. One day, on Instagram, I saw it staring back at me on the British Culture Archive’s Instagram page.“
The photograph captures a pivotal moment where industry, community and politics converged in 1970s Britain. Working with Workers Press, Martin Mayer travelled through the country’s industrial heartlands, documenting scenes of collective action. This photograph in Salford places him within the networks of activism that shaped the era, documenting dock workers such as Harold Youd as key figures in a shifting social landscape rather than distant subjects of labour history.
"I thought our family were the only ones with copies, but it turns out the photographer Martin Mayer was uploading his archive, which BCA subsequently featured. So fifty-four years on, we decided to return to 26 Langton St to recapture the photo.”
- Jack Youd
Photo © Jack Youd, all rights reserved.
Thanks to Jack Youd and his family for recreating this remarkable photograph. Connecting with the people and communities behind these images is at the heart of the British Culture Archive’s work, ensuring that the stories they hold continue to be shared and remembered.
