A PHOTOGRAPHIC treasure trove documenting post-war life at one of Southend’s best-known companies has been unearthed.

Hundreds of old photographs showing workers at Ekco Plastics in Priory Crescent, Southend, were discovered in the Ecomold office on Prittlebrook Industrial Estate. They were found in a couple of old filing cabinets which hadn’t been opened for years.

The pictures, in six albums, also show the plastic products and the factory itself in the years following the Second World War. They document life at the company from 1945 until the 1980s.

Representatives from the company, now called Ecomold, handed the archive over to the town and to Southend Museum during a ceremony at civic house, Porters.

Also present were former Ekco employees, members of the family of founder E K Cole, company historian Chris Poole and Ken Crowe, from Southend Museum.

Mr Crowe said: “This is a very exciting find for the museum.

“We already have the photographic archive for the radio and TV manufacturing section of the company and these pictures of the plastic mouldings side of the business complete the picture.

“John Anderson, an IT supervisor at Ecomold, got in touch with Chris Poole, the Ekco historian, who contacted me. We aim to make the photos as accessible as possible. We will scan them to record them digitally and put some of them online.”

Mr Crowe also said he wanted more examples of Ekco’s plastic products for the museum collection and urged anyone with old goods bearing the Ekco stamp to get in touch.

He said: “They made a range of things, from baby’s highchairs to car parts and bits for cameras.

Derek Jarvis, Southend’s councillor responsible for culture, said: “These photographs offer a fascinating insight into what was the local community’s largest employer for many years.

”It really is wonderful news the albums have been found in such excellent condition.

“I’m sure the photos will evoke lots of memories when they are displayed at Southend Museum.”

To contact Mr Crowe, call the museum on 01702 434449 or e-mail: kencrowe@southend.gov.uk