Hungerford: A Pictorial History by Dr Hugh Pihlens

Hungerford has always been a market town, supplying the needs of the surrounding area. The town’s development has been greatly influenced by its position, lying as it does on the ancient London to Bath road, the Kennet and Avon Canal and the Great Western Railway. The coaching era brought increased prosperity to which the canal added after its opening in 1810. The railway, however, had the opposite effect, after its arrival in 1847, by taking trade and people to bigger towns to the east. The second half of the 19th century was a depressed and testing time for Hungerford, whereby it was spared the worst of the Victorian re-developements that transformed most old towns, but from the early years of the 20th century it has seen a resurgence of prosperity and growth.

In this easy-to-read book, the author reviews the entire history of the town and makes skilful use of a superb selection of well-captioned old photographs to provide a vivid, visual impression of the place and its people over a hundred years ago and of its changing life and the scenes since then. The book will evoke nostalgic memories for many and will give pleasure to everyone who loves the old town. It provides a wealth of information and insight into the making of the present town as well as a rich pictorial archive of its past.

2nd edition