Photographer's 350-mile quest around Black Country

Izons and Co Ltd building in Oldbury

A man has driven 350 miles around the Black Country to capture photographs of the area.

Ian Hughes, 63, took about 150 pictures in places including Dudley, Oldbury and Tipton, as part of an exhibition to celebrate Black Country Day on 14 July.

His photographs currently feature in Wolverhampton Central Library to share the area's industrial heritage with others.

"It is inescapably the cradle of modern technology and the industrial revolution and should be remembered with pride and all it stands for," he said.

Jars of sweets stacked outside Teddy Grays sweet shop in Wednesbury

Mr Hughes, who lives in Pendeford, Wolverhampton, said the project had left him fascinated by the Black Country's history.

"I have learnt so much that I can hopefully pass to future generations," he explained.

It is not only photographs that feature in the display, but coins, glass, nails and bricks.

Canal boats sit calmly on Caggys Boatyard in Tipton

The multiple arches of blue brick viaducts

Mr Hughes said he hoped people would learn something new through the exhibition and rediscover a sense of pride.

He said the exhibition had brought back strong memories for people, who were "left taken aback by what they saw".

A street scene in the Black Country Museum

Ducks swim in the Smethwick Top Lock