26 heartwarming nostalgic photos show how different Sunderland streets looked in the 60s

These evocative images wind the clock back six decades to the 1960s, showing how different the streets we call home looked back then.

They take us on a nostalgic journey across the North East as it was more than 50 years ago, from Sunderland and South Shields to Newcastle, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough and Northumberland.

You may recognise some of the lost landmarks in this retro photo gallery, from popular stores and cinemas to steepling chimneys and other reminders of the industrial landscape.

In one picture, the rubble of demolished homes is being cleared to make way for a new town, in another, children march through town playing homemade bugles, and, in a third, a family settles down for a picnic with the cranes and vessels of a famous shipyard as a backdrop.

These photos reveal a very different world, where youngsters had more freedom to play on the streets than they do today, but one in which the roads were getting busier.

Do these pictures bring back any happy memories for you of life in the 60s? If you’re after more 60s nostalgia, check out this look at how much school life has changed over the years.