RETIRED surveyor John Smallwood has revealed a behind the scenes look at one of the area's leading estate agents and surveyors.

Mr Smallwood, 85, who was a senior partner at Dacre, Son and Hartley when he retired in 1980, spent most of his working life with the firm.

And in the second instalment of his autobiography, A Surveyor's Lot, he takes a look at his work around Otley, Ilkley, Keighley and Skipton over 70 years.

A Surveyor's Lot is dedicated to his brother, Douglas Henry Smallwood, former chairman of Otley Urban District Council.

Douglas Smallwood, also a founder member of Otley Rotary Club, president of Otley Round Table and president of Otley Rugby Union Football Club, started in practice with just one clerk at a small office in Station Road, Otley.

John opened Dacre's office in Skipton in 1936 when he was just 21 years old and two years later he opened another office in Keighley.

Over the next few years he was much in demand, dealing with compensation claims arising from slum clearances and negotiating compulsory purchase orders for the redevelopment of town centres.

Mr Smallwood said: "The book is going very well. I have had appreciation from as far afield as Cyprus and I don't even know how it got there."

And he hasn't ruled out the possibility of writing a third book.

"I have written this one when I am 85, I might write another one when I'm 95 and call it 'that's my lot."

Married with three children, 12 grandchildren and eight great grandchildren, John now lives in Cullingworth.

A Surveyor's Lot costs £6.95 from bookshops or directly from John Smallwood at 5 Station Road, Cullingworth, Bradford BD13 5HN.