As Anne Newby tackled decades of debris in a school cupboard clearout, she had no idea of the nostalgic goldmine she was about to discover.

For, nestled among the broken and forgotten pieces of everyday life at Monkwearmouth School, lay a dirty cardboard folder.

"I knew there was a lot of junk in that cupboard, but it wasn't until I started cleaning that I realised just what was stored there," Anne said.

Pulling the grimy folder from the pile of rubbish, she blew away a layer of dust before opening it. Inside was a treasure trove of forgotten photos.

"They are fantastic – they really are," said Anne, who has worked as a secretary at Monkwearmouth School since January 1980. They show so many different sides of the school in the past, from plays and public speaking competitions, to sports days and swimming."

Dozens of the black and white gems date back to the 1950s and 1960s, when Monkwearmouth was a grammar school based in Swan Street.

There are also scores more taken at its present site, in Seaburn's Torver Crescent, where the school moved in 1963. PE and geography teacher Adam Walter, who joined the school in 1975, two years after it turned comprehensive, is also delighted at the find.

He is now planning to exhibit a selection of the long-lost pictures at Sunderland History Fair this Saturday and said:

"I can't remember these photos ever having been on display before during my 33 years at the school.

"In fact, I don't believe that anyone has seen them for the past 40 or more years, which is such a shame, as it is wrong to shut them away."

Among the highlights of the collection are pictures of school shows, such as Pepys and The Mikado, with the pupils wearing fancy costumes.

There are also candid shots of students at work and play, including a boy in his vest and shorts, blowing up a balloon for sports day.

And there is even one of a young Hilary Armstrong, now MP for North West Durham, taken in 1962 – after she won a debating contest.

"There are some absolutely wonderful photos," said Mr Walter. "But they need to be seen and shown; they can't just be left in the cupboard.

"That's why, when I read about this Saturday's History Fair in the Echo, I thought it would be a great chance to put them on display.

"We will be exhibiting some on boards and will have others with us for visitors to look through and, hopefully, help identify people and dates."

Mr Walter will join dozens of exhibitors at the Sunderland Heritage Forum event, which is to be held at the Seaburn Centre from 10am to 4pm.

Other highlights will include displays by a Roman re-enactment group, nostalgic bus tours, history lectures and a mining banner exhibition.
"I really think the discovery of these old photographs will open up a whole new avenue for the school," said Mr Walter.

"What I'd really love to do now is put them on the school website, although it would be a big task and probably take quite a while to do.

"It would be nice to let people print off the pictures too. Perhaps we could even raise money for the school that way, through donations."

* Mr Walter will be welcoming visitors to his stand at Sunderland History Fair from 10am this Saturday. Admission is free.

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