Step back in time with over 300,000 vintage photos

2-3 minute read

By Niall Cullen | September 3, 2021

We're excited to welcome the Francis Frith Collection to the site, packed full of amazing old photos. Plus, we’ve opened more 1939 Register records.

We love vintage photos here at Findmypast. They offer a window into the past as nothing else can. That's why we're delighted to grow our family album of photos with the arrival of the Francis Frith Collection. Read on to find out all about this amazing resource and our other new releases.

Francis Frith Collection

Spanning from 1860 to 1970, get a glimpse of Britain and beyond way back when with Francis Frith’s captivating vintage photos.

A young boy selling matches, Greenwich, London, 1884. View full-size photo.

The vast archive covers over 9,000 cities, towns and villages across the UK, as well as special collections featuring the military, artistic pieces, royalty and much more.

A Punch and Judy show on the beach in Lowestoft, 1952. View full-size photo.

The Francis Frith Collection is not the only place you’ll find fantastic vintage photos. Rummage through the Findmypast Photo Collection to unearth rare wartime photos, milestone family moments and so much more.

1939 Register

One of our most popular collections has grown again. We’ve opened over 100,000 previously-redacted records and you’ll find them first at Findmypast.

Taken at the outbreak of the Second World War, the 1939 Register is one of the most important documents in modern British history. In it, you'll find the details of 41 million people who were in England and Wales at the time, giving you the chance to discover your family, home and town on the eve of war.

Newspapers

This week, we’ve released 11 new publications including:

Christian Times covering 1863-1871
Faversham News covering 1883-1888, 1890-1896, 1898, 1901-1903, 1905-1906, 1908-1911, 1913-1919 and 1986-1987
Fenland Citizen covering 1987-1988
Haverhill Echo covering 1982-1985
Hetherington’s Twopenny Dispatch covering 1836
Hour covering 1873-1876
London Chronicle covering 1800-1807, 1810-1811, 1813, 1816-1817 and 1819-1822
New Milton Advertiser covering 1928-1931 and 1987-1988
Spalding Guardian covering 1992
Weekly Mail (London) covering 1860
Week’s News (London) covering 1871-1879

Plus, we’ve updated 36 other papers with additional pages:

Birkenhead News from 1897, 1899 and 1912
Birmingham & Aston Chronicle from 1890-1895
Birmingham Mail from 1912
Birmingham Suburban Times from 1884-1887, 1889-1896 and 1898-1901
Blandford and Wimborne Telegram from 1879
Blandford Weekly News from 1888
Bridport, Beaminster, and Lyme Regis Telegram from 1878
British Army Despatch from 1854
Bury Free Press from 1985
Cambria Daily Leader from 1897, 1907 and 1910-1911
Central Glamorgan Gazette from 1876
City Chronicle from 1844-1845
Derby Daily Telegraph from 1983
Diss Express from 1987
Eastbourne Chronicle from 1865-1895, 1897-1907 and 1950
Express (London) from 1869
Glasgow Courier from 1860
Grantham Journal from 1992
Hull Daily News from 1896 and 1898-1899
Kenilworth Advertiser from 1870
Kentish Gazette from 1880
Leicester Evening Mail from 1914, 1919, 1928 and 1944
Liverpool Daily Post from 1865 and 1872
Liverpool Evening Express from 1906
Liverpool Journal of Commerce from 1882 and 1929-1930
Nantwich Chronicle from 1959
Saffron Walden Weekly News from 1993
Sainsbury’s Weekly Register and Advertising Journal from 1864
Shropshire Examiner from 1874
Stockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser from 1865
Suffolk and Essex Free Press from 1982-1986
Swansea and Glamorgan Herald from 1849 and 1851
Thacker’s Overland News for India and the Colonies from 1864
Weekly Times (London) from 1829
Weymouth Telegram from 1865
York Herald from 1876

There are countless secrets hidden in old photos. Learn where you'll find them and how to make the most of them with Findmypast. And if you have amazing vintage photos of your own, we'd love to see them. Post them on social media, tagging @findmypast for a chance to be featured.