THE face of east Reading changed forever in the 1970s with the demolition of 16.5 acres of rundown Victorian housing.

Reading Borough Council enlisted the services of architects Broadway and Malyan, based on the first floor of the St John Ambulance Brigade headquarters in London Road, to lead the regeneration project in 1974.

The area earmarked for redevelopment was bounded by Orts Road to the south, King's Road to the west, Kennet Side to the north and Rupert Street to the east. Architectural technician Terry Allsop, who was also an enthusiastic amateur photographer, was given the job of recording all the buildings within the site - home to 393 people.

Terry, 72, from south Oxfordshire, said: "The people who were there had real pride in the area and a strong sense of belonging. I walked around with my camera and got fantastic feedback, there was no animosity.

"The area had become very run down but when they were new, the houses would have been quite desirable. The attention to detail was remarkable and the standard of workmanship superb. It was a privilege to be able to go down there, nobody else had done it and the photographs are very unique."

Terry, who lived in Francis Street, Katesgrove, spent six weeks taking snaps with his Exakta VX 1000 camera and was given permission by Southern Gas to climb the gasometer, resulting in stunning aerial shots.

He also captured the six pubs before they were demolished, including The Carpenters Arms, Orts Road, The Leopold Arms, Leopold Road, The Thames Tavern, formerly The Anglers Rest, Kennet Side

Around 120 photographs from Terry's collection feature in his new book, Newtown: A Photographic Journey In Reading 1974. It costs �10 and has been published by Two Rivers Press.