Photographer's treasure trove of bygone era captured in new book

A NEW book is shining a light on the changes that have been seen in Carmarthen during recent decades.

- IAN LEWIS

Artist and photographer Martin Walters, 86, has sifted through a life's worth of his photos and curated more than 2,000 images down to a collection of a couple of hundred for his book, which is a wonderful glimpse into the town's past.

Speaking about the book, called The Changing Face of Carmarthen, Martin said: "It documents some of the changes that have taken place during the last 70 years in the town. There are 164 pages with over 230 photographs in colour and black and white."

Martin's photos start in the late 1960s, but the book also goes back a little further to the 1950s, thanks to the photographs of the late JF Jones, who was curator at Carmarthen Museum, when it was located in Quay Street.

Martin, speaking at his home in the town, said: "It's my life's work of photos, there were so many to choose from, but I wanted to show how the town has changed since the 1950s. That's where JF, or Fred as he was known, came in, because I was able to use some of his earlier photos, which were entrusted to me when he passed away.

"In the book there are photos of his which document the royal visit of Princess Margaret in 1957, there were people on the roof of the building that is now the Days shop, to get a good view.