CHILDHOOD memories of play will come flooding back with the opening of a new exhibition at Bolton Museum.

Photographs illustrate the changing face of play showing youngsters entertaining themselves with the favourite yesteryear pastime of top and whip to today's children playing football.

Street and Playground celebrates playing out — from backstreets and pavements to parks and wasteland — over the past seven decades.

Celebrated Worktown photographer's Humphrey Spender pictures capturing children at play are paired with the work of contemporary photographer Les Monaghan — who was inspired by Spender for his own project documenting the everyday lives of children in Breightmet.

Mr Monaghan said: “Spender was able to use a hidden camera to take his photographs, he would not speak to the people because, by his own admission, he was too posh and did want to alienate people.

“I had to engage with people to take photographs of the children."

He added: “I found girls recreating America’s Next Top Model, which was influenced by the media

“But I also saw, although I couldn’t photograph it as there was no one around to seek permission from, two boys holding sticks and pretending they were horse riding Spender himself could have taken that photograph."

The exhibition also includes work by Caroline Edge and other photographers.

Cllr John Byrne, Cabinet Member for Culture, said: “We try to change the photographs in our Worktown Gallery every six months or so, and the next theme is Street and Playground, which will run until the end of June.

“The exhibition features some of the photographs taken by Humphrey Spender when he visited Bolton in the late 1930s as part of the Mass Observation project.

"These black and white candid photos of children playing are in stark contrast to the photographs taken by modern-day photographer Les Monaghan. Les’ photos were taken in Bolton in 2009 as part of a Bolton at Home project entitled ‘photobreightmet’.

“Les worked with the community for several weeks before taking his photographs and he liaised with the families of every child captured on camera — something which the Mass Observationists didn’t do in the 1930s. Their aim was to covertly monitor and document everyday life in Bolton."

He added: “The Street and Playground exhibition is a celebration of children playing out on the streets and it enables us to bring together two different styles of photography. Visitors will notice that Bolton looks different and the children look different to how they are today. It’s well worth a visit.”

The exhibition opens Saturday, January 31 to Sun 28 June.

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