- .Martin Snelling, 44, of Hampshire, has collected more than 6,000 retro photos from auctions and car boot sales
- .Slides discovered recently include Queen Mother at show in 1960 and passengers boarding early flight at Heathrow
- .Mr Snelling wants to reunite photos with families featured in them and has launched a campaign on social media
- .Do you know any of the people in these pictures? If so, email jack.crone@mailonline.co.uk
The memories may have faded, but these newly-found photos of bygone Britain are so clear they look as though they could have been taken yesterday.
The remarkable collection portrays a forgotten age in the years after the Second World War as the country learned to enjoy itself once more.
Old-fashioned shops line streets dotted with classic 1950s and 1960s cars, couples wear their finest clothes as they enjoy an al fresco meal on their patio and children flock in their masses to church for Sunday schools.
Happy as a sandboy: Two women and a young boy enjoy a day out at the beach at Hunstanton, Norfolk in 1960
Other pictures show Heathrow in its earliest days, with passengers boarding a silver British European Airways plane directly from the tarmac.
Another sees a family group enjoying a lazy summer's day in a punt and others show a country fair where a new car can be won for just a shilling.
The slides, dating back to the 1950s, were among 200 found on eBay by collector Martin Snelling.
He has spent the past six months collecting more than 6,000 retro slides as part of an art project documenting the changing face of Britain.
Al fresco: A couple enjoy a spot of lunch on the patio outside their home on a sunny day in St. Ives in April 1958
March: A man carrying a torch is followed by a large procession including a judge and a priest in St. Ives, Cambridgeshire, in 1960
Bygone age: The Queen Mother is pictured visiting an agricultural show as crowds look and take pictures in this colourful shot from 1960
The amateur photographer regularly picks up boxes of the pictures at auctions and car boot sales but bought the most recent batch of 200 slides for £13 on eBay.
The seller posted two boxes to the amateur photographer but when he opened them up he found they were all taken in St Ives, Cambridgeshire.
Mr Snelling, 44, believes almost all of the 200 pictures were taken by one man named David Bryant and he wants to return them to him or his family, and any others to their original owners.
Quaint: A woman walks up a road winding parallel to the seafront at Bournemouth in this stunning picture taken in 1958
Early days: A British European Airways flight is boarded by passengers at Heathrow in this colourful photo taken in the late 1950s
Scenic: Passengers casually lean out of the window of a steam train as it snakes through the Welsh hills in September 1958
The father-of-three, from Portchester, Hampshire, said: 'They show a lot of family moments like christenings, weddings and family holidays and I want to return their memories to them.
'The colours are amazing and still remain strong. They have been placed in glass and have obviously been in storage which has protected them from the light.'
He added: 'I think I was searching eBay one day because I was in a creative rut. I picked up some slides for about £3 and got addicted.
Boating: A group of men and women in swimsuits use oars to paddle along the Great Ouse this photo taken in 1960
Artistic: Weathered boats docked in water near a church surrounded by trees at Hemingford Grey on the Great Ouse, near St. Ives
Sunday school: A large group of children gather for church school on a sunny day in Spring in St. Ives, Cambridgeshire in 1958
Commemoration: A group of men march up Market Hill, St Ives, Cambridgeshire, in this picture captioned Battle of Britain Parade, from 1960
Wrapped up warm: A young girl wearing matching red gloves and wellington boots pictures in a garden in St. Ives in 1960
'I just thought it would be interesting to see how people and places had changed over the past few decades.
'My wife isn't best pleased because the house is now full of boxes of photographic slides.'
Mr Snelling bought the latest slides on eBay on January 2 from a man who himself found them at an auction in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire.
Break from the slopes: A group of skiers are seen relaxing and drinking outside a bar in Wengen, Switzerland in 1959
Old-fashioned: A woman cycles along a road passing Bryants gift shop in an unknown location in this photo taken in 1960
Bargain! A car is offered as a competition prize, entry for which is just one shilling. The sign 'help the spastics' is an outdated reference to people with cerebral palsy and is no longer acceptable to use
The seller knew nothing of their history but Mr Snelling has since posted some on social media and thinks he may have found potential relatives of David Bryant in St Ives, Cambridgeshire.
So far, a man claiming to be the grandson of Mr Bryant has got in touch via Facebook.
Pensive: This photo dates back to May 1958 and was captioned as the Bournemouth Round Table Conference
Procession: A group of officials carry a torch through the street in front of onlookers on Market Hill, St. Ives, in 1960
Dated: A woman walks past Barton Chemist on Bridge Street, St. Ives, Cambridgeshire, in 1960
Happy memories: This photo, captioned Brian & Daphne's Wedding, was taken on April 4 1958 in St. Ives, Cambridgeshire
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