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10 Jun 2026

Exhibition preview and film screening - Shirley Baker: Children at Play

Stapleford Granary
Bury Road
Stapleford
Cambridge
CB22 5BP

5pm to 10pm
Free admission, no booking required.
Facilities
Toilets
Parking
Family friendly
Wheelchair access
Cycle racks
Disabled toilet

Shirley Baker (1932 – 2014) was one of Britain’s most compelling yet underexposed social documentary photographers.

The theme of children at play was always fascinating to Shirley. Her photos capture a time of significant upheaval and housing development in Salford and Manchester when many children were delighted by the playground of wasteland rubble and old cars to play in.

Shirley’s photographs have sometimes been described as a stark record of inner-city hardship. Her subject matter expresses her curiosity for play, maternal nurturing, women’s daily lives and human interaction which lifts her photographs above any limiting view of them as purely historical documents.

This exhibition, kindly loaned by Shirley's daughter Nan Levy, is a large selection of these images, which express the joy and creativity of children at play, and the sense of community that brought people together.

This event includes a film screening at 6pm: Shirley Baker: Life Through a Lens written by John West and directed by Jason Figgis.

Bar open and small bites menu available. If you would like to order food, you can book a table by emailing  ace@staplefordgranary.org.uk

Please visit the website for more information.

Exhibition - Shirley Baker: Children at Play
Exhibition - Shirley Baker: Children at Play
Exhibition - Shirley Baker: Children at Play
Exhibition - Shirley Baker: Children at Play
Exhibition - Shirley Baker: Children at Play

Stapleford Granary
Bury Road
Stapleford
Cambridge
CB22 5BP

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