When Alan Whitworth was at school in Thornton little did he know that, decades later, he would write a book about the village.

Born and schooled in Huddersfield, he lived in Thornton there for seven years, during which period he attended Bradford College of Art.

While living there he met and married a local girl, whose parents lived at number 10 Hill Top.

Not only has Alan, 63, written books about Thornton, he has also penned around 150 books about different cities, towns and villages in Yorkshire, including Bradford.

Most of his books take a look at communities through time, comparing images of yesteryear with the same view in modern times.

Much of the material is compiled from postcards collected by Alan over the years. “I find them at specialist postcard sales, antique fairs and ephemera shops," he says. "I file them away and then when I write a book I set about finding an updated picture of the same view.

“I use the postcards I have collected as illustrations for the books,” he says. “They are historic pictures in their own right. A lot of places such as various mill complexes, have been demolished for redevelopment.”

His favourite image in his book 'Thornton Through Time' is that of Coffin End in Market Street - the unusually-shaped group of buildings constructed in the 19th century at a time when house and plot shapes were made to fit the boundaries of the land. “I like the quirkiness of it,” he says, "It hasn't changed."

In some images spanning decades, little has changed: the origins of Thornton began in Headley, in the Pinchbeck Valley around three miles outside Bradford. It was here that prehistoric man first settled, with evidence including burial remains. In this green and pleasant landscape, with the exception of a line of pylons, not a lot has changed. With its steep cobbled streets, much also remains the same in Thornton village and would be familiar to the Brontes, who were born here and raised before moving as infants to Haworth.

Alan was among those who helped to save the graveyard of Thornton Bell Chapel, and was instrumental in getting the ruins listed.

“The churchyard has been re-landscaped now - they have done a great job,” he says.

Market Street, says Alan, who now lives in Sleights near Whitby, appeared busier a quarter of a century ago.

Alan, who also previously lived in Allerton and for a time during his student days in a squat in Manningham, has fond memories of his time in the village. Part of his time living there was spent in a caravan in a fields at the bottom of Green Lane. “It was a freezing cold winter and I ended up in hospital with hypothermia,” he recalls.

The former graphic designer, who also worked in the printing industry, is still collecting postcards, and still writing books.

“I really enjoy it - often I have a few books on the go at once.”

*Thornton Through Time is published by Amberley Publishing and costs £14.99, amberley-books.com