Incredible Then and Now Photos: Brown Recycling Through the Decades

Our Top ‘Pics’: Brown Recycling Then and Now Photos.

If you haven’t already heard, Brown Recycling are celebrating 100 years in business throughout 2026.

As part of this landmark year, we’ve dug deep into our archives and picked out photographs featuring several people and places in our history, capturing a single snapshot in time. By visiting the locations and capturing then and now photos, it gives us a new perspective on the evolution of the business. Equally, it showcases the different modes of transport our recycling business has relied on through the decades.

This blog also provides an excellent commentary on how some things around us have changed completely, and some things have stayed exactly the same. Read on to see our selection of then and now photos.

Photograph: Washerwall Lane, Werrington, Stoke-on-Trent. Taken circa. 1926

The earliest photograph in our archive, the shot captures Ernold Brown (left), brother of our founder Samuel Brown, making his way down Washerwall Lane. Ernold is delivering water and milk to local residents and businesses.

The cottages on the left have long been demolished, but the house in the right of the picture remains standing. Incredibly, the brickwork, windows and chimney are the exact same as they were almost a century ago.

Photograph: Sneyd Colliery, Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent. Taken circa. 1915–1925

Whilst we don’t have a like-for-like modern day photo for this one, it’s still worth including to showcase just how much the landscape has changed over the decades! We call most of what you see home now, with our Vanguard House headquarters, Florida Close and Nevada Lane sites all on the land previously occupied by Sneyd Hill Colliery.

The road snaking its way through the middle of the photograph is Sneyd Hill, with Moorland Road running parallel to it at the top where you see the row of terraced houses. The spoil tip in the foreground is now Sneyd Hill Park. This area is now known as Sneyd Hill Industrial Estate. At its peak, Sneyd Colliery produced 500,000 tonnes of coal a year.

Photographs: Southfields Farm Bungalow, Wetley Rocks, Stoke-on-Trent. Taken circa. 1960

These two photographs were captured in the back garden of Southfields Farm in Wetley Rocks, where 2^nd generation Herbert Brown resided for a short time with his wife Flora. After this, his sister would occupy the property, ensuring the bungalow remained in the family.

On the first picture, Herbert (right) can be seen with his grandson Rod (left) riding a horse in the back garden. The two trees in the background now have more trees for company but still stand proudly and look almost exactly the same as they did 66 years ago.

The second picture captures the bungalow itself. If you look closely, you can see William, Herbert’s son and 3^rd generation Brown, and Rod stood in the porch. The porch is no longer there, but the building retains many of its original features.

Photograph: Southfields Farm, Wetley Rocks, Stoke-on-Trent. Taken circa. 1975

Southfields Farm also served as the company headquarters during this period, when Brown Recycling operated solely as a skip hire business under the name H. BROWN & SON.

Based on the registration plate of the skip loader, the photograph was likely taken between 1974 and 1976.

This site is currently occupied by a plant hire company, who kindly gave us full access.

Photographs: Southfields Farm, Wetley Rocks, Stoke-on-Trent. Taken circa. 1982

The next two photographs were also taken at Southfields Farm but a few years later. Based on the registration plate of the Leyland Constructor, plus the Ford Granada making an appearance just off to the right, we’re confident this picture was captured between 1981 and 1984.

The building in the images served as a vehicle maintenance garage and refuelling station for the fleet. Remarkably, the building still stands exactly as it was in the early 1980’s, complete with green, albeit faded, garage door and pitched gable roof. However, the adjoining building has been demolished to make way for a more modern structure.

Photograph: Southfields Farm, Wetley Rocks, Stoke-on-Trent. Taken circa. 1997

The final photograph in the blog is harder to date. The rear loader bin lorry in the background can also be dated to approximately 1991 based on the registration plate. However, Rod Brown himself, featured (right) in this photo, has verified this image was taken in 1997. This suggests this vehicle stayed in circulation for many years before being retired.

The business sold Southfields Farm in 1998 to move to Sneyd Hill permanently, ending a near four-decade association.