HERE'S a bustling town centre scene in Blackburn from the 1950s.

A police officer in a white coat and white gloves - so he could be clearly seen by motorists in all weathers and all times of the day - is on point duty at the junction of Church Street, Darwen Street and King William Street, which appear to still be cobbled.

He's standing on the site of the ancient town cross, from which the old market gradually spread, but had disappeared by the mid 1800s as Blackburn's industry and population expanded.

And one officer or another regularly stood there in all weathers, until their services were taken over by traffic signals.

A mix of private cars, wagons and even a horse and cart make up the traffic driving round the centre, as crowds of shoppers also go about their daily business.

Looking up King William Street, it's narrow enough to make it one-way and has a dog leg corner, thanks to the shop building, jutting out, in the centre of the image, whose name starts with an H.

The Burton's tailor's shop was a feature store at the junction for many years, but in even earlier times the building had been the Prince of Wales Hotel.