Canterbury has been evolving as a major ecclesiastical and trading centre for over two millennia. Successions of foreign invaders have each left their mark on the streetscape, giving us the city we have today. Opportunities for archaeologists to explore beneath today's street surface are rare (the Whitefriars Shopping Centre development was one such opportunity) but when it does arise there are untold treasures awaiting discovery.Post-war developments have attracted an ever-increasing number of visitors, not only from all over Britain, but from abroad as well. What makes this book so special is that much of the city centre was destroyed during the air raids of the Second World War, so many of the early views bear little resemblance to what can be seen today. It will therefore, give a flavour of how Canterbury looked before the war.

John Clancy is a keen local historian and avid postcard collector. He is a member of several organisations including the Kent Archaeological Society, the Friends of Canterbury Archaeological Trust and the Sittingbourne Heritage Museum. He is also a founder member of the Historical Research Group of Sittingbourne and edits their monthly magazine The Archive. Brought up in Milton Regis John now lives in Sittingbourne.