In many way, the year 1997 ranks as one of the most significant in British history in living memory.

It was a tumultuous and transformative year littered with historic moments from landslide election wins to the death of a much-loved princess.

The year is, of course, most noted for a landslide general election victory for the Labour Party under Tony Blair; the transfer of Hong Kong, the largest remaining British colony, to China; and the death of Diana, Princess of Wales.

The election of Blair's Government in May of that year ended 19 years of Conservative rule in the House of Commons.

New Labour would usher in a new era in British politics and would remain at the helm for a further 13 years.

The transfer of Hong Kong to China is also widely recognised as the final act of the British Empire in July of that year.

A month later, the death of Diana, Princess of Wales was accompanied with an outpouring of national grief on an unprecedented scale.

In the world of music, big hits from that year include The Verve's classic 'Bittersweet Symphony', Blur's 'Beetlebum', 'Brimful of Asha' by Cornershop and 'Angels' by Robbie Williams.

It was also the year of the release of the much anticipated Oasis album 'Be Here Now' which was met with extraordinary fanfare following the success of their previous two albums but found little favour with critics.

Popular films of the day include 'Titanic', which would go on to gross a then-record $2 billion at the box office alongside a plethora of Oscar gongs including Best Director and Best Film.

Closer to home, we can see that Carlisle was certainly gripped by election fever and was a city where the same community spirit we see today could certainly be found.

In today's collection we see big political names such as John Major and John Presscott