TEN years ago two Worcester photographers produced a book about the city. It was a snapshot that caught one moment in time. With absolutely nothing from the past, it showed the way Worcester was in 2002. Now, a decade later, the pair have decided to do it again.

The original Worcester Book proved so successful that Clive Haynes and Mike Hallett have repeated the format with 444 full colour photographs, taken by 29 photographers and spread over 120 pages.

“We asked a number of local photographers, whose work we know, to submit photographs and these were the ones we’ve chosen,”

said Clive.

“It was a very difficult task and we could probably produce two more books with the images left over.”

As both Clive and Mike have lectured in photography at Worcester College of Technology, they possess a wealth of contacts and local knowledge, so whatever their final selection, you have to respect it.

Mike said: “Our anticipation was that this would be an amazing year, with the story being revealed in a way that would be both spectacular and memorable.

“The narrative became much more than revisiting the people and places highlighted 10 years earlier with the original Worcester Book. This year has been a particularly sparkling 12 months and our photographers recorded that celebratory experience.

“This is the story of Worcester in a year and a day from September 1, 2011, until September 1, 2012, and will be remembered as the year of the London 2012 Olympics.

“In Worcester we were home to the Olympic Flame in the city overnight, and for a short time became the focus of a nation’s pride. Our photographers recorded this once in a lifetime opportunity in the knowledge that they were producing a snapshot for future generations.

“It was the year of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and we celebrated in style and in a manner befitting the Faithful City, despite the sometimes inclement weather.

“We welcomed the Queen to open the Hive, the new library and heritage centre at the bottom of the Butts. With its gold exterior, it’s the subject of intense discussion.

Some love it while others hate it; almost everybody has an opinion.

“The homecoming for our troops, with 800 men and women cheered on by thousands, became another memorable day.”

The idea of recording a place or an area is not new and its value in showing recent history cannot be underestimated. In particular, it goes back to the work of Sir Benjamin Stone, Francis Frith and Francis Bedford more than a century ago. The manner in which Worcester Cathedral was depicted and revisited by these and others, has saved for us the changes to this central point of our city.

More important in showing a social history from the minute to the momentous, was the impact of Mass Observation, set up by sociologists in the latter part of the 1930s, notably with Stephen Spender as photographer.

The picture magazines, particularly Picture Post, captured the visual world that later became part of the televised world. The recording of a place in a day, the seasons or a year, has become common parlance and here is another brick in the wall.

􀁥 The Worcester Book is edited by Michael Hallett and Clive Haynes.

It can be previewed and purchased online from blurb.co.uk/bookstore/ detail/3565523.