History books about Devizes are legion, but the latest takes an interesting slant on well-known images of the town’s past.

Devizes Through Time has been put together by Bob Clarke, John Girvan and Jon Sanigar, with new images by Peter and Debra Melsom.

The cover shows what the reader can expect, with photos of the corner of New Park Street and Monday Market Street as it was in the 1930s and as it is now.

Although the Castle Hotel and St Mary’s Church are exactly the same, the Regent Cinema has long gone, replaced firstly by the Wadham Stringer car dealership and, now, the Chantry Court retirement flats.

Other town landmarks have disappeared, such as WE Chivers, the building firm, which had premises in Estcourt Street, on what is now the site of Morrison’s supermarket.

TH White’s original premises in Sidmouth Street are now occupied by another supermarket, Sainsbury’s.

The Union Workhouse, later St James Hospital, demolished in 1990, was replaced by St James Surgery.

In the introduction, the authors write: “It is difficult to find something new to say about Devizes. This is not because it is uninteresting or bland; more because it has a history of research and enquiry that is probably unrivalled anywhere else in the county.

“The concept of this series is to demonstrate Devizes Through Time and that, in our view, dictated the set of pictures we used.

“We have, however, attempted where possible to use previously unpublished images.”

There are some surprises in store for readers, such as the nuclear shelter below Devizes Library in Sheep Street and a view of the slums in Vales Lane that were demolished in the 1950s to make way for the building of Rendells Court and the Royal Mail depot.

Needless to say, the town’s railway past is well documented, with shots of the station and the Great Western Hotel.

The book was launched at the meeting of the Trust for Devizes in the town hall, last Thursday.