Vernon Frost

A colourful, complex mix of contrast and continuity typifies much of what has happened to Handsworth during the past century. Soho Road, and nearby, provide a prime example of radical change: bright, lively shops run by people of West Indian, Pakistani and Indian background share space with an elegant Muslim mosque and imposing Sikh Gurdwara (temple) silently calling into question a famous poet's dictum, 'Oh, East is East and West is West, and never the twain shall meet'. Handsworth (and part of Perry Barr) remains a residential suburb, its most famous residents surely being Boulton, Watt and Murdoch, the trailblazing eighteenth-century entrepreneur engineers whose work attracted world-wide acclaim. Even just a skim through these pages will reveal intrinsically interesting as well as highly nostalgic comparisons and contrasts, of then and now.

Central Birmingham Through Time is a unique insight into the illustrious history of this major city. Reproduced in full colour, this is an exciting examination of its 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 author's factual captions for every picture, and carefully-selected choice of images, the reader can achieve a reliable view of the city's history. There is something for everyone here, whether they have lived in Birmingham all their lives, or whether they are just visiting for the first time. Central Birmingham Through Time also shows how photography has continually evolved to keep up with an ever changing society.