Spirit of Belper - Adrian Farmer

From the celebrations for the coronation of Edward VII in 1902 to the mixed reception for the geese sculpture on the A6 roundabout as a new century dawned, this book chronicles not just the changes to the town itself but to the people within that town.;As Belper changed from an industrial town dominated by the mills and the Strutt family owners to the vast modern community of today, the book records events which shaped the area and its inhabitants. These include the building of the East Mill and demolition of the Round Mill, West Mill and Jubilee Clock, royal visitors and celebrations, as well as the activities which involved so many of the townspeople, including parades, and school, church, scouting, army cadet and Babington Hospital events.;Individuals are also picked out for special mention, from Belper's World War I VC hero Gunner Stone to Coronation Street star Tracy Shaw, but anyone who has lived in the town during any part of the 20th century is sure to see either themselves or many faces they recognize, particularly amongst the extensive Belper News photographs from the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, some of which have never been seen in print before. This is a useful treasury of a town and its people in the most significant century the world has ever seen.