These striking images offer a glimpse into Birmingham’s past and show the harsh reality of communities living in slum housing.

Decades ago a significant population of people in the city were living in slums and often life was hard and short. Photographs documented here show how much change has taken place on the streets after the demolition of the slums, following slum clearance campaigns.

The Industrial Revolution of the previous century had firmly established Birmingham as a powerhouse, and it was a leading light in commerce, education and engineering. For those left behind though, trapped in hastily-built Revolution-era slum housing, they might as well have lived in an entirely different world.