This series of books really should be considered a triumph for Calne as they show the changes of Calne throughout time, and that people cared enough about the town to not only take these photographs, as well as preserve them for such a long period of time.
Many of the photographs in these books are well over 100 years old, with some displaying the town and its residents in the late 1800s. The author, Peter Treloar, has chosen some wonderful photographs to display the Changing Face of Calne, Haulage and Transport, Events and Celebrations, Commerce, and Groups - along with other topics. But these photographs without context would be meaningless to today's audience as many are beyond living memory. This is where the well written captions of the author bring life to the photographs for readers such as myself.
These captions really shine in the third book, Calne in Focus, as they are longer and provide much more detail. Another great development by the third book is the comparison photographs the author took. By taking an old photograph and placing it alongside a current (1984) photograph taken at as close as possible to the same location and angle, we can easily see the changes that have happened during the intervening time period. Treloar describes the changes between the two as only a knowledgeable local could.
A great read with fantastic photographs.
The books were reprinted in 2003 and some are for sale in the Visitor Information & Community
Information Centre as well as the Calne Heritage Centre. They are also available to loan from Wiltshire Library.
