It's the happy valley with lots of memories for author David

Of course, at only 21-year-old and hailing from a little further north anyway, I wasn't actually there, but those days are brought back to life in two books written by Otley author David Alred.

Mr Alred's first book, Washburn Valley Yesterday, came out in 1997 and provoked a mountain of interest.

His decision to compile a book came from his love of walking and landscape scenery.

He began by giving slide shows in the area: "I got an excellent response from the shows and a lot of people approached me to say that I should do a book, and that's how the first one came about.

"From there a lot of people came forward with their own pictures and I ended up with something like 2,200 of the Nidderdale Valley."

Readers raided their cupboards and attics for more pictures and Mr Alred once again set to work.

His two new books, Washburn Valley Yesterday Volume II and Nidderdale Yesterday, depict in black and white the history of farming, railways, reservoirs and businesses, as well as plenty of shots of clubs and organisations across the years.

Mr Alred explained his interest in the Wasburn Valley in the introduction to the book: "I was first attracted to the valley as a young Bradfordian keen on bird watching.

"Later, when living in Guiseley and then Otley, I would walk, often with my wife Joan and our two daughters, on its many footpaths, pursuing natural history and photographic interests.

"A curiosity about the valley's recent past gradually developed and I experienced a frustration - shared, I believe, by many others - that so much of its historical and social interest had disappeared, and could no longer be seen and photographed.

"A once thriving textile industry, attractive old mills, inns and farm buildings, agricultural scenes once the norm, and generations of people who knew them now all gone."

The collection of pictures for both books has been a labour of love for Mr Alred, who is very keen to keep a permanent record of recent history.

He said: "An individual photograph can tell us a great deal, but put together with others, its interest can be greatly increased.

"Together they can provide a fascinating and valuable record of times gone by."

So much so, in fact, that Mr Alred is always looking for people who have photographs or documents that could be in his next book.

In the introduction to Wasburn Valley Yesterday Volume II, he appeals for anyone who has old photographs to contact his publishers, and he is particularly keen to find pictures of the construction of Lindley Wood, Swinsty or Fewston Reservoirs, or any early pictures of the valley's textile and corn mills.

He said: "It's such a shame that we haven't got pictures of these reservoirs because those images might be lost now.

"It would be great if anyone who has pictures could get in touch with me, even at home, and we could arrange a meeting to look through the pictures."

But even though Mr Alred wants more material, what he has filled the books with has already done locals proud.

As Mr Alred said: "They look like family photo albums to some people and it is like a different world to what we are used to now.

"I think it's very important for people who have old pictures of their families to keep track of who is who and where the pictures are.

"Time dims the memory and if photos are passed down through the generations people forget details - once they are gone, they are gone for good."

Mr Alred is now thinking about compiling a second Nidderdale book, and is even contemplating creating a Wharfedale book, but has said that it would be a difficult task.

"I do already have a modest collection of Wharfedale pictures, but it is such a huge area, it would be a difficult task.

"The problem is that we would get a lot of picture from Ilkley and Otley, and none from the other areas of Wharfedale, so if anyone has some of those, they can contact me."

Not only are the pictures in Mr Alred's books wonderful for locals to look through - and even more so if they know people featured in the books - but the books are still lovely to look through for people like me who don't know the area very well.

What makes this book different to any other of it's kind is that some of the pictures date back decades while others are from the not too distant past, leaving some members of the community stars in their own right.

Just looking at the fashions, the cars and the hairstyles makes the books a joy to read, as well as the history behind what is a very interesting part of the world, no matter whether you are a local or not.

lAnyone who has any old photographs or information about Washburn Valley, Nidderdale, or Wharfedale can contact David Alred on 01943 466409.