Wakefield city centre has undergone a complete makeover during the twentieth century, something that still continues today as it tries to come to terms with modern building regulations, commercial and consumer needs, and the requirements of the motorist. Dubbed the 'Merrie City' in the Middle Ages, the city has a long history as a prominent market town and epicentre for the wool trade.

Wakefield then developed further in the eighteenth century, thanks to its links with the corn, coal mining and textiles trades. Evidence of the city's intriguing past survives in its iconic buildings and structures, which include Wakefield Cathedral, the old Wakefield Bridge and the listed buildings in the Civic Quarter. Join author Peter Tuffrey as he reveals the bygone scenes and modern views of this historic city and the surrounding area.

Barnsley & District Through Time

by Peter Tuffrey

Published 15 September 2015
The South Yorkshire town of Barnsley first described as 'Berneslai' in the Domesday Book has an illustrious history and has long been associated with the glass-making and coal-mining industries. There are no longer remnants of the previously ever-present Barnsley British Co-operative Society instrumental in aiding the area's growth as a mining community. Much of the town centre was reconstructed in the 1960s and development continues to this day. Some attractive older buildings still survive, demonstrating that not all has changed in Barnsley.

Surrounding Barnsley are Bolton on Dearne, Cudworth, Goldthorpe, Elsecar, Penistone and Wombwell, suburban towns and villages that reflect the importance of industry to the area. Peter Tuffrey takes the reader on a fascinating tour of Barnsley and its neighbours, making Barnsley & District Through Time essential reading for anyone who knows and loves this part of South Yorkshire.

Central Sheffield Through Time

by Peter Tuffrey

Published 15 October 2011
Sheffield city centre suffered heavily in the Luftwaffe attacks of December 1940. More than 660 lives were lost and many houses, buildings, and business premises were destroyed in the city centre. Rebuilding was slow and there were no signs of normality until the 1960s. This peaked in the 1970s, until a severe economic decline followed in the ensuing decade, resulting in the closure of many of Sheffield's steel mills and associated industries.In compiling this book Peter Tuffrey has tried to illustrate and describe how certain areas of the city centre have changed following the Blitz, economic decline, and regeneration through the City Centre Strategy. More importantly, it is a fitting tribute to all those people who lost their lives in the terrible nights during December 1940, and the thousands made redundant throughout the 1980s.

Doncaster Through Time

by Peter Tuffrey

Published 15 February 2016
Doncaster has always benefited from its location. It stands on the Great North Road, superseded by the A1, the primary route for all traffic from London to Edinburgh, and due to its strategic geographical importance it emerged as an industrial centre in the mid-nineteenth century. Beneath the town lies a huge coal seam and it was this that prompted Doncaster's exponential population growth. In the early part of the twentieth century Doncaster became one of the largest coal-mining areas in the country, with the industry becoming one of the most significant local employers. However, along with many other areas, a large number of mining jobs were lost in the mid-1980s, and several pits closed. Today, coal mining has been eliminated with no collieries surviving. The demise of coal saw a domino effect that led to the removal of many other tertiary industries.

In recent years, however, the city's fortunes have changed. Its centre has undergone redevelopment including the construction of an Education City campus, currently the largest education investment of its kind in the UK. The Doncaster Lakeside, incorporating Doncaster Rovers at the Keepmoat Stadium, is a massive new development and the ever-popular 'Dome', opened in 1989 by Princess Diana, contains a state of the art swimming pool, gym and ice rink. The Frenchgate Centre, a shopping centre and transport interchange, has also been extended to connect with the railway station and bus station. The Waterdale area of the town centre is currently undergoing rejuvenation, with a new theatre (known as CAST), new civic offices and a new public square already having been completed, on part of the site of the old Waterdale car park. These changes, and many more, are all documented in Peter Tuffrey's fascinating collection of old and new photographs of Doncaster.