Jack Metcalf was blinded by smallpox at the age of six, but he did not let this stop him from leading an astonishing and adventurous life - becoming an expert horseman, gambler and guide. He eloped at the age of twenty-one; ran numerous enterprises; joined the military as a musician, and led the Yorkshire Blues onto the battlefield at Culloden.

Knaresborough has a fascinating history which goes back to the days of King John and beyond, but this book concentrates on the last one hundred years or so of the town's life. This collection of around 250 old photographs shows not only the quaint and picturesque buildings and streets of old Knaresborough but also many of the people who have lived and worked in the town over this period. Here are tradesmen, shopkeepers, school children and their teachers, choirs, scouts, amateur dramatics, stone-laying ceremonies, market scenes and social activities that bring to life each period they depict and at the same time highlight just how much things have changed.