Tim Curr

Winchcombe, once a royal Saxon borough, lies in the secluded valley of the infant River Isbourne in the North Cotswolds. Through these pages its people and buildings are recorded over the last two hundred years. Here are the town's busy streets with their shops and public houses, many long-forgotten. We can see again the horse fairs and processions; the town's watermill, the First World War hospital and the later cottage hospital - now all gone.These images paint a mixture of continuity and change. In Winchcombe, St Peter's church remains the jewel in the crown and Sudeley Castle has risen from ruin to stately home. The arrival of the railway, its closure and restoration are charted and readers cannot fail to notice the change in road transport from horse-drawn vehicles to the ubiquitous motor car. This collection will delight all who are attracted to this picturesque Cotswold town.

We return to Bishop's Cleeve and its surrounding communities for a second volume of photographs. The story continues of the changes recorded down the years as seen through the dispassionate eye of the camera lens. Readers of our first volume will again be able to evaluate and compare a century of change across the area, echoes perhaps of a wider world. There are obvious changes - the dress fashions, road transport, building designs and materials, street furniture and so on. Then the observant reader may notice some more subtle features which have crept up to characterise our twenty-first century landscape. We hope our readers will derive much enjoyment and maybe enlightenment from this new set of photographs, many published here for the first time, portraying a variety of scenes below the Cotswold heights of North Gloucestershire.

Bishop's Cleeve Through Time is a unique insight into the illustrious history of this part of Gloucestershire. Reproduced in full colour, this is an exciting examination of the well-known streets and famous faces, and what they meant to the people of this area throughout the 19th and into the 20th Century. Looking beyond the exquisite exterior of these well-kept photos, readers can see the historical context in which they are set, and through the authors' factual captions for every picture, and carefully-selected choice of images, the reader can achieve a reliable view of the local history. There is something for everyone here, whether they have lived in the area all their lives, or whether they are just visiting Bishop's Cleeve for the first time. Bishop's Cleeve Through Time also shows how photography has continually evolved to keep up with an ever changing society.