It is a valuable experience. Middlesbrough was a Victorian boom town. Living generations have only seen some of the great buildings of Exchange Square (above) in derelict decline, before the A66 ...

Old Middlesbrough by Paul Chrystal (Stenlake Publishing, £20.95) ... We are privileged to have a selection of pictures from the book, ...

His pictures are all inspired by his recollections of the old days, when the town's skyline was dominated by the chimneys of industry. "It was filthy, mucky and it was black, but it was fantastic ...