VISITORS to Sunnyhurst Wood Visitors' Centre in Darwen can see how the town used to look, thanks to the latest exhibition there.

'Darwen and Beyond' is a collection of photographs from the late Victorian and Edwardian eras.

The Victorian photographs of Darwen have been loaned by Alan Holden, on behalf of Darwen Camera Club.

They capture Darwen's streets, parks and people, as well as the celebrations for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee and the opening of Darwen Tower.

The Edwardian photographs, by Alfred Shaw, are a small part of a huge collection of 1,500 original negatives, which are now in the community history section of Blackburn with Darwen Library and Information services.

They show Mr Shaw's cycling trips to local beauty spots, including the Ribble Valley and the Yorkshire Dales and many of the photographs have not been on public display for almost 50 years.

All the photographs have been reproduced from the original glass plate negatives so are of a high quality.

The exhibition starts on Saturday, February 7, and continues until Saturday, March 21.

The centre is open every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, from 1pm to 4.30pm. Admission is free.

For further information, contact Peter Coultherd on 01254 55423 or the visitor centre on 01254 701545.