Having just read the book Devizes through Time, featuring Devizes past and present, I found it to be, like the curate’s egg, good in parts.

The parts that were far from good involved areas of my home town that were described as slums.

Having lived in North Park Street, circa 1950, I remember fondly Sheep Street, Vale’s Lane, Wharf Street and Newport Street as vibrant, close-knit communities where hard- working folk were fiercely proud of their little homes, with the polished door knockers and well-scrubbed door steps, and would be appalled to hear them called slums.

Perhaps small terraced homes of Orange Grove or Philly’s Court did not have the facilities of today’s modern houses, but they were most certainly not slums.

Although I’m not familiar with two of the co-authors of this otherwise excellent tome, I’ve known John Girvan since he was a little boy growing up at Rotherstone and, as a respected historian of the town, I’m surprised at his involvement in disparaging an important part of our town’s history.

Robert Hayter, New Park Street, Devizes.