A MARRIED couple are taking us on a journey back in time after publishing a calendar using aerial archives of Widnes and Runcorn.

The stunning shots show the amazing changes that have taken place over the area in years gone by.

John and Lynn Quigley, who live in Northwich, initially decided to create a book entitled Northwich and Winsford Aerial Archives to document the towns’ histories.

John is a former Warrington Guardian photographer and has a passion for the art.

These used a collection of aerial photographs taken during the 1970s, 80s and 90s, during which time they ran a busy photographic studio in Northwich.

Part of the commercial side of the business involved taking aerial photographs in and around the north west, including Runcorn and Widnes.

In the mid-90s they moved to north Wales where they lived for 15 years before returning to Northwich, and on moving back in 2011, they noticed some ‘amazing changes’.

They had an aerial archive of how the area once looked, so they started the process of digitising all their negatives and produced Northwich and Winsford Aerial Archives.

As this proved to be very popular, they have now produced Runcorn and Widnes Aerial Archives.

John said: “For people who remember Runcorn and Widnes as they were, you may experience a touch of nostalgia as you look through it.

“For those too young to remember and newcomers to the area, you may find something of interest as you view the town's recent history.”

John’s passion for photography began after joining the Warrington Guardian as a trainee photographer in 1970, before setting up his commercial photographic business with Lynn in 1981.

They had a studio and a picture framing business in Northwich, with a contract with the Widnes World, to provide all the photography for World Group Newspapers.

John added: “I have always been interested in flying and aerial photography, and I would regularly climb to the top of the gas holder in Northwich when I worked for the Guardian to take photographs of the town.

“I would freelance commercially, taking aerial photographs all over the county from planes, helicopters, balloons – anything that would give me the ‘different’ angle.”

For more information, visit aerialarchives.uk