Largs Then and Now - a new history book on the town in photographs

A new photographic book showcases the Largs of yesterday and compares it to its modern look today.
Largs Then and Now by Hugh Maxwell is available from Stenlake Publishing and has a range of photos of popular areas in Largs from many moons ago, and pictured alongside is the current scene today.
The book blurb explains: “A fishing and weaving place from early times, the 19th century brought steamers to its pier and trains to its station and the town prospered and grew as a result. Wealthy Glasgow folk built mansions and villas. Hotels, cafes and shops sprang up to serve the visitors.
“As with all seaside resorts the 1950s were the last great decade, after which package holidays lured the visitors away. While the town is fundamentally still very recognisable, the decline in trade and shift in fortunes has caused change to the buildings and streetscapes, reflected in this book comparing old photographs with how those scenes look today.”
Fascinating photos include Largs Town Centre, the Moorings, Irvine Road including the former Burns Tavern bar, Gallowgate Square, and pictures of the local seafront.
It is part of a series of local history books published by Stenlake Publishing over the years, which include old photographs of Fairlie, West Kilbride, Millport, and Wemyss Bay and Inverkip. One of their books also includes a special range of photos of Millport by the late Largs and Millport News photographer Walter Kerr.
Clyde Coast Picture Palaces includes a photos of the Viking Cinema on its cover, and showcases how cinema architecture has traditionally ranged from the grandiose to the distinctly basic, and the cinemas along the Clyde and Ayrshire coasts exhibit these extremes and everything in between.
One of the intriguing photos in the Largs Then and Now Book includes a picture of a canoeist in Largs Main Street during floods in 1930, and this well known local photo, which used to be exhibited in The George Hotel many years ago.