Sheffield Retro: 37 Stunning old pictures transformed into colour show Sheffield life as it was in 1981

It was the year of Prince Charles’ wedding to Lady Diana Spencer, with street parties across Sheffield, and some making the journey to London to line the streets.

And closer to home, it was the year the Yorkshire ripper was arrested by South Yorkshire Police in Broomhall, Sheffield, and the famous bendy buses were launched on our streets.

There was a lot going on in 1981. But in the newspapers, it was still all being recorded in black and white photographs.

Now, we have used AI to take some of our old photos, and transform them from that original black and white that our photographers used 42 years ago, into colour for the very first time.

It means they now look closer than ever to how those who were there remember them. We have previously done similar transformations for pictures taken in 1967 and in 1975.

Included in our gallery of 37 fascinating pictures, we have found pictures of the BBC in Norfolk Park for the famous TV show of the time, Multi-coloured Swap Shop. There are pictures of people with flags heading to London to watch the Royal wedding.

And there are marches along streets that have transformed since those pictures were taken.

Now we have moved on a few years – but the pictures are just as beautiful.

Take a look and see what you remember in colour from 1981.