By Margaret Crosby

Published at 11:08, Thursday, 03 May 2012

THE contrasts between the Whitehaven of yesteryear and the townscapes we see today continues to fascinate historian Alan Routledge.

then: Whitehaven Unemployed and Working Men's Club at the corner of Strand Street and Marlborough Street. The site is now occupied by the Admiral House flats complex.

His latest Whitehaven Then & Now publication is due out on May 8 and promises a fascinating glimpse into days gone by and a thought-provoking comparison between historic and modern scenes.

The townscape changes to this once-important British port over the last 150 years are pictorially compared and contrasted by Alan, himself no mean photographer, in 90 images.

With the once-flourishing trades of coal mining and shipbuilding now just a memory, Then & Now gives us a peek into the illustrious past of this west coast town and captures people and moments in time juxtaposed against their 21st century descendants. There are, of course, losses and gains, shops and businesses long gone accompanied by useful descriptions.

mR Routledge, who lives at Kells, was born in Lancaster and educated at Whitehaven Grammar School and Whitehaven College of Further Education.

He did National Service in the Army and worked as a chemical engineer for Marchon, a job that took him all over the world. He is involved with the Whitehaven Museum and Gallery at The Beacon.

Whitehaven Then & Now by Alan W Routledge, £12.99 hardback, published by The History Press, will be available from Michael Moon bookshop and other local outlets.

Published by http://www.whitehavennews.co.uk