A Tamworth Herald journalist has written a new book which portrays 200 years of the town’s history.

John Harper, the paper’s assistant editor, has compiled and written Tamworth: Past and Present based on his Picture from the Past history column which has been running in the weekly paper since 1994.

The book takes the reader on a conducted tour of the town centre and features more than 600 pictures, many of buildings, shops and businesses which have either vanished or changed beyond recognition.

John said: “After writing so many articles about the town, I suppose it was only a matter of time before the idea of a book came along.

“It proved rather more involved than I had envisaged because I didn’t want to repeat too much previously published material, and tracking down unseen photographs is incredibly time consuming.

“I was fortunate that several Herald readers lent photographs from their private collections, for which I am extremely grateful, and Tamworth Castle Museum were incredibly helpful, allowing me access to their magnificent photographic archive.

“I wanted to show how Tamworth has changed. We’ve had several excellent books of old postcards published about the town, but I hope that this book will enable readers to feel as if they are actually walking along the streets that were so familiar to our grandparents.”

The book also features pictures taken by Herald photographer Paul Barber in the 1960s and 70s.

John said: “Paul’s pictures show the old town during its last days. As the bulldozers were wiping away so many centuries of history, Paul had his camera at the ready.

“His brilliant photographs also enable us to take a look inside some old buildings that no longer exist, such as the Palace Cinema.”

John initially joined the Herald as a compositor in 1977 before becoming part of the paper’s editorial team in 1991.