Leek Through the Ages

This fascinating selection of photographs traces some of the many ways in which Leek has changed through the ages.

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Leek, nestled at the foot of the Pennines in North Staffordshire, is a small, quiet market town rich in history and still boasting a wealth of architectural gems scattered throughout its narrow streets. Its people are friendly and welcoming, and visitors from Stoke-on-Trent and beyond stop by regularly to search its antique shops and to learn of its wonderful textile heritage. It has strong connections with such august figures as William Morris, who lived in the town for a period, and architect Norman Shaw. Leek Through the Ages is the sister volume to Leek Through Time, published in 2012, and covers subjects not included in the earlier title. It contains early photographs of many of Leek's pubs, which numbered fifty-two within living memory - a considerable number for a town boasting only 20,000 residents today, a time of rapid population growth. School-leavers would declare that they were going to tour every pub in the town and drink a half pint of beer in each - where they would obtain the money to do this from and why many more young people didn't die of alcohol poisoning suggests that this was a vain boast.