SCHOOLS, rock bands and world wars will be among subjects highlighted by Keighley historians during this year’s Heritage Open Days.

Amateur and professional historians will host stalls at Keighley library as part of an all-day musical event on Saturday, September 9.

Elsewhere in the town historic buildings, including Keighley Town Hall and the old police station, will lay on special activities to mark the annual UK-wide celebration.

In the library foyer Keighley Schools Heritage Group will as usual showcase lots of old school photos and members will be available to chat with people.

The group is also organising a display about Worth Village, which they describe as “Keighley’s lost community”.

The group has provided the pictures on this page, including pupils from Parkwood Junior School in the 1950s and Worth Valley Infants School in the 1940s.

Another picture depicts Eastwood School pupils at Keighley railway station ready for their trip to York in 1939.

The picture shows the price of a day trip to Morecambe as 4/2d, just over 10p in today’s money.

Other Keighley groups will host information stands in the library foyer about local history and family history, with experts ready to help solve tricky family history.

The Men of Worth Project volunteers will answer questions about local military ancestry.

The library will also have an American-style diner serving frothy coffee, milkshakes and doughnuts.

Downstairs in the children’s library at 11am there will be a Rhyme Time event with a sing-along featuring woodwind instruments, a parachute and bubbles courtesy of Little Notes.

Keighley Town Council is hosting guided tours and talks at the old Keighley police station and courthouse on North Street, now Keighley Civic Centre, on Saturday September 9.

The joint tour and talk will take one hour, and will take place every half hour from 10am to noon.

The town council will also open the doors of the council chamber in the nearby Keighley Town Hall in Bow Street from 1pm to 4pm.

Visitors will be able to drop in and view at their own pace, and meet the current town mayor.

Call 01535 618252 for further information.

Back at the library, this year’s flagship event will be upstairs in the Local Studies Library – a display of memories, photographs and information about Keighley bands from the Dance Hall Days to the end of the 1960s.

Live music will be played by indie/folk/punk band Foxes Faux (11am), ‘dad rock’ singer Nathan Gill aka Dayner Sin (noon), 50s rock ‘n’ roll band The Presidents (2pm) and teenage singer-songwriter Neve Mirfield (3pm).

Music historian Gary Cavanagh will give a talk on local 1950s and 1960s bands at 1pm, including recorded music by some of them.

Visit heritageopendays.org.uk for details of other events in Keighley and surrounding towns.

Heritage Open Days, first held over two decades ago, is co-ordinated centrally by the National Trust. A spokesman said: “The event is England’s biggest festival of history and culture, involving more than 40,000 volunteers. It’s a chance to see ‘hidden’ places and try out new experiences.”