Photos reveal poverty in 1960s Sheffield

These photos from housing and homeless charity Shelter shine a light on poverty in 1960s Sheffield.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Taken by photographer Nick Hedges, who has documented social affairs in the UK for more than 50 years, they reveal the slum-like conditions many residents in the city lived in.

In 1968, Nick was commissioned by Shelter to photograph the state of housing in Britain. He spent three years visiting some of the country’s poorest and most deprived areas, helping fight the myth that only people on the streets are homeless.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

According to research from Sheffield University published in November, 116 neighbourhoods in Sheffield are among the most deprived 20 per cent in England in terms of income.

Sheffield, 1969: Boys in a playground. Credit: Nick Hedges / ShelterSheffield, 1969: Boys in a playground. Credit: Nick Hedges / Shelter
Sheffield, 1969: Boys in a playground. Credit: Nick Hedges / Shelter

Nick said: “When I was commissioned by Shelter to take these photographs, I never imagined that decades later they would still have such impact.”

Related topics: