40 nostalgic photos capture people and places of the North East before WW2, from hard graft to glory

The striking images show life as it was up to 125 years ago, in the early 1900s, before the horrors of the Second World War.

They reveal how much the region’s streets have changed over the last century, and how significantly life has altered for ordinary people in that time.

Miners are seen down the pits and washing in front of the fireplace in a tin bath, a steam train is hoisted through the air, and youngsters get a closer look after a ship runs aground.

In other pictures, a publican prepares to fulfil a time-honoured tradition by handing out free beer, drinkers gather at the world’s ‘biggest’ bar, and crowds flock to witness the opening of a new landmark.

The photos also capture a feline mascot which may have been key to Newcastle’s FA Cup triumph, a canine referee at Whitley Bay, and an unemployed shipyard worker from Sunderland showing the resourcefulness for which people of the North East are renowned.

How well do you recognise the streets pictured in these photos, and do they show the conditions your parents, grandparents or great-grandparents experienced?