Stamford Mercury Archive Trust member John Smith launches new book about William Stukeley, vicar of All Saints Church

A collection of illustrations showcasing the history of Stamford have been collated in a new book.

Titled William Stukeley’s Stamford - Stamford in the 1730s, it has been created by a founder member of the Stamford Mercury Archive Trust.

The trust owns a manuscript volume of Designs of Stanford Antiquitys which contains about 30 of William Stukeley’s original drawings.

Founding member John Smith has pulled some of the pictures together in the latest publication.

Trust chairman Philippa Massey said: “Designs is an important resource for understanding the physical appearance of Stamford in the first part of the 18th century, and the selected drawings here present a representative picture.

“The aim is to give the reader some understanding of the contemporary background and William’s Stukeley’s part in the life of the town.”

William Stukeley was an antiquarian. He was born in Holbeach but later moved to Grantham and became the vicar of All Saints Church in Stamford.

The latest book is available to buy directly from the Stamford Mercury Archive Trust, which is based at the Mercury office in Cherryholt Road, Stamford.

Anyone wishing to purchase a copy should visit during opening hours which are Tuesdays from 10.30am until 12pm, Thursdays from 9.30am until 11.30am and Fridays from 1.30pm until 4pm. Copies cost £10 and payment is by cash only.