The earliest photographs taken in Leek and district, and the stories of the pioneer photographers who produced them, are featured in a new book entitled Victorian Views.

The book brings together over 200 photographs, many not previously published, which date from the 1860's onwards, complemented by detailed captions and biographies of Leek's first photographers.

"Leek's first professional photographer was Peter Rayner who opened his studio in St Edward Street – it was then called Spout Street – in 1857," explained the book's author David Cliffe. 

"Rayner was responsible for a large number of high quality pictures which give a fascinating glimpse of what life was like in the town in Victorian times. In many cases these were the first photographs ever taken of Leek buildings and the surrounding district and often record scenes that have long since gone.

"Rayner also produced huge numbers of portrait cards. There was a real craze for these in the days before people owned their own cameras."

Victorian Views is the result of several years' David has spent collecting and researching the photographs and finding out about the lives of the Moorlands pioneer photographers. In addition to many images by Peter Rayner, the book features the work of Henry Wardle, whose pictures date from 1860, and photographers of the later Victorian period such as William Sandeman and W.H. Horne.

"Wealthy people tended to be the ones who had portraits taken, but Henry Wardle – who kept the Britannia Inn at the time – also took photographs of ordinary Leek folk and today these are quite an important social record," David continued.

"I have also found what I believe is Leek's oldest surviving photograph. It shows part of Russell Street in the 1850's complete with a thatched cottage. Like many others in the book, this is the first time that picture has been published."

As well as street scenes and locations such as Rudyard Lake, the book includes pictures which record important events such as the opening of the Nicholson Institute in 1884 and Queen Victoria's golden jubilee in 1887.

The book is David's third, his previous works being a murder mystery novel set in Leek and an album of Edwardian photographs of the Moorlands.