Northampton as it used to be: 32 pictures of children growing up in the 1960s when life was a lot different

By David Summers

Published 9th Jan 2026, 14:21 BST

These latest images from the archives of the Chronicle & Echo show children growing up in the town in the 1960s.

Arguably a simpler time, long before mobile phones, consoles and social media, these pictures show children at play and at school.

This photograph is captioned as "Raphael Tuck's party"

1. Looking Back Growing Up In The Sixties Special

This photograph is captioned as "Raphael Tuck's party" Photo: Chron

This is how a toy shop should look - the negative did not include a location, or a date, but it was clearly a magical time

2. Looking Back Growing Up In The Sixties Special

This is how a toy shop should look - the negative did not include a location, or a date, but it was clearly a magical time Photo: Chron

We think this may have been the same shop, with the assistant showing off the Subbuteo Continental game, which would probably be worth a fortune now.

3. Looking Back Growing Up In The Sixties Special

We think this may have been the same shop, with the assistant showing off the Subbuteo Continental game, which would probably be worth a fortune now. Photo: Chron

This image shows a bakery in Northampton with a young girl ready to tuck into a hot cross bun. The picture was dated 1969

4. Looking Back Growing Up In The Sixties Special

This image shows a bakery in Northampton with a young girl ready to tuck into a hot cross bun. The picture was dated 1969 Photo: Chron