Book Review: Sittingbourne & Milton Regis, Past and Present

Sittingbourne & Milton Regis, Past and Present by John Ganey. ISBN 0-7509-2297-4 pp. 128. £9.99.

This recent volume by Sutton Publishing in their Britain in Old Photographs will be of great interest to many. I was interested to read in the introduction how the picture postcard changed in style and evolved to allow the address to be written on the same side as the message so that by 1902 the cards were in their current format.

John Clancy is to be commended for putting against many of the old photographs the modern view. This vividly shows how the area has changed so dramatically in the last 50 years.

The author is to be congratulated in capturing these 200 plus photographs for posterity and with them such a wealth of history. The book also demonstrates that even within very recent times enormous changes have taken place to some areas of the town. Milton once a thriving port and noted for its oysters lost both important industries with the introduction of a thriving paper industry. Silt dogged the port and fine paper particles killed off the young oysters.

As we look back over the last 1000 years of history the author has brought together many of the salient points of history in the development of the region and brought to life many of the photographs with lucid captions. Clancy remarks about Milton Creek, "Very little is now left of this once lively area; only tantalizing glimpses remain if you know what to look for and where it is." He has helped us in this quest.

Duncan Harrington.