Barrow-in-Furness and its surroundings have changed rapidly over the last century and a half. The contrast between the old and the new is stark, and nowhere is that better illustrated than in the photographs featured in this book. Focusing on themes including work, transport, entertainment, buildings and leisure, author Gill Jepson chronicles the changing face of the town across the decades.

The transformation from agriculture to industry and the movement of the urban centres is fascinating. The old occupations of iron ore mining have given way to the newer ones of submarine building and renewable energy. The landscape is testament to the rapid growth of the town and its infrastructure, and there are numerous images that illustrate quieter and more agrarian times.

Barrow Island, now home to a shipyard, was once a rural estate with just one house - the Michaelson mansion. Many old buildings were swept away under regeneration plans in the 1960s and 1970s and some of these too have now disappeared. The town is forever changing and meeting the requirements of the modern age and yet echoes the old-world filter here and there, reminding us of a time gone by.

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