A COMMUNITY celebrating the millennium proved to be the springboard for a book chronicling the history of Lydford. Compiled by churchwarden Barbara Weeks, the work is the latest in the Halsgrove series of local history books. The Book of Lydford features different aspects of the village, generously illustrated by old photographs and historic records obtained from local inhabitants. Lydford was historically an important town and borough, the boundaries once encompassing most of Dartmoor. The church dates from about 650AD and the castle from 1195 and for centuries tin and silver were mined and minted there. The castle was the seat of the feared Stannary Courts and the prison to which its convicts were reputedly sent and hanged first and tried later. The 17 chapters outline various aspects of the history of the village, from Iron Age to present day. St Petroc?s Church and the Methodist Chapel have their own chapters, as does the school, the castle and the Women?s Institute. One of Lydford?s most famous characters ? made famous by the inscription on his grave ? also has his own, albeit brief, chapter. namely George Routleigh, watchmaker, with photographs of one of his last known clocks and the full text of the grave inscription. Perhaps lesser-known was Captain Ratcliff Hunter, who was awarded the Military Cross and Bar in the first world war for conspicious gallantry. His memorial is a plaque, inscribed with a poem he wrote, fixed to a rock above the Black Pool rock. The parish council intitiated a new tradition in the village, whereby each year, when a new wreath is laid on the war memorial, the old wreath is taken to Captain Hunter?s memorial. There are many fascinating stories contained in the informative book, including a macabre one connected with the lengthy Lych Way. It concerns a traveller who begged shelter in a Dartmoor cottage during a spell of exceptionally bad weather. He opened a large chest in his bedroom and found to his borror that it contained a body. When he questioned his hosts, they were quite unabashed and said that it was a safe place for the corpse to rest until a change in the weather made the journey to Lydford possible. From photographs of extreme weather, through events, farms, people, places, clubs, the gorge, railway, wartime, past pupils of the school to numerous ones connected with the church, anyone who has lived in the area may well find themselves featuring somewhere in this book. Bellringing features largely in the details of St Petroc?s Church. Possibly the oldest of those photographs features a choir and ringers outing to Bournemouth in 1908, when the return fare from Bridestowe to Bournemouth by train was 2s 6d. The photo of young handbell ringers in more recent times shows them as a happy group of youngsters with cheeky smiles! This detailed, absorbing book with its wealth of information and illustrations will appeal to those who have lived locally, but also to anyone else interested in local history. The Book of Lydford is priced at £19.95 and is available from local bookshops or from Halsgrove Direct on 01844 243242. ANN PARSONS