AN AMATEUR Gwent historian with an interest in photography has released his latest book in a local history series, 25 years after the first.

Retired maths teacher Ewart Smith has published his 156th book, the seventh in a series called Blackwood Yesterday: In Photographs, a quarter of a century after the first exploring the changing history of the town.

His latest book looks back at how the town and the surrounding areas of Cwmfelinfach, Ynysddu, Pontllanfraith, Oakdale, Cefn Fforest, Fleur-de-lys, Aberbargoed, Argoed, Markham and Hollybush have changed over the years.

Mr Smith, ex-head of maths at Tredegar Grammar School, which became a comprehensive in 1966, said: “I did my first book in the 1970s after I realised that during my travels in 1972 I knew more about Pompeii, Athens, Lebanon and Byblos than I did about my own local area.

“So when I came back I stopped playing golf with a friend and started spending my Saturday afternoons with my wife and our kids going to different churches across what was then Monmouthshire and taking photographs.”

The new book features completely new and different material to all of the previous books, with pictures dating as far back as the turn of the 20th century up right up to the present day.

With a description adjoining each photograph and accompanying information about the area’s local history, it charts some intriguing and interesting local changes in the area, which is now in Caerphilly county borough.

The photos in the book are a mix of those taken by Mr Smith and those supplied from a variety of sources. It is broken down into subjects such as religion, education, trade, industry, sport and events.

Mr Smith, 83, added: “When we as a family started looking at the area’s local history, we felt we had to have a mission, and that was to take a photo of all the old churches in the county from a set date in the 19th century. From there I published my first book in 1979 and then started looking at other areas of local history.

“I probably have enough different material for more books in the series but this is very much a hobby for me and from my love of the area. It’s important that there is a good bit of time between them. It’s not like my maths books, which sell-out quickly and have to be changed with the curriculums.”

Alongside local history, Mr Ewart, a graduate of Kings College London and Cardiff University, still publishes core Mathematics text books even though he retired nearly 20 years ago. His first maths book, ‘Examples in Arithmetic’, was released in 1981.

Blackwood Yesterday Book 7 is available for £14.95 locally and online via Amazon.