A 78-year-old Stanbury man has spent the past 30 years researching and writing his village's history.

Dennis Thompson this month published his findings as a limited edition 275-page book.

He hopes the £14.95 hardback will be snapped up by present residents and people who grew up in the village.

Stanbury, a Pennine Country Village looks at industry, religion, pubs and schools, as well as Stanbury's early history.

One chapter looks at 19th-century proposals to bring the railway to Stanbury, as part of an abortive Colne-Bradford line.

Mr Thompson grew up in Oakworth but moved to Stanbury in 1949 with his wife Margaret. He read Joseph Craven's A History of Stanbury, published in 1907, which was based on the man's recollections and his grandfather's diary.

Mr Thompson began his own research in 1972, writing short leaflets on each subject and photocopying them for fellow residents.

Mr Thompson says: "I eventually accumulated so many facts and statistics that I felt these should be recorded for future generations."

Mr Thompson used Joseph Craven's book as a guide, but discovered many of the 'facts' were incorrect.

He says: "I felt I could do better than that. I wanted my book to be right, for posterity."

Mr Thompson carried out research in the public records offices in London, as well as archives around West Yorkshire.

He also relied heavily on the Keighley News, reading issues from the earliest to the present day. The result was Stanbury, a Pennine Country Village, which like Mr Thompson's original leaflets is divided by subject rather than chronology. There are separate sections about the Quakers, Scartop Chapel, the Wesleyan Chapel and St Gabriel's Church.

Separate sections look at the six local mills and four pubs, as well as the cemetery and war memorial, coal mines, Scartop Brewery, and Co-operative Society.

Anyone wishing to buy the book should phone Mr Thompson on 01535 643364.