When this book was first proposed, the idea was to tape informal conversations with men and women who knew Baldock well and could recall incidents, people and places that would form a picture of the town over 70 years.

This aim was achieved, but so much more comes over than merely a social record of events in a small country town. There were different levels of society that mostly dovetailed surprisingly well, but occasionally jarred, and it was often the ‘gentry’ who caught the sharp edge of a tongue.

A mood is recaptured, the peace of the town in the early years, the varying scents and smells of the diverse industries are evoked, and people are remembered, whether it be for their kindness, personality, eccentricity or some other attribute.

The town over the years absorbed many newcomers; some were only temporary - the soldiers, refugees and evacuees in two world wars - while others, like the people who came from Wales, the Midlands and the North to work at the Bondor, staved and made their homes here.

The lasting impression is of a bustling, vigorous town that has seen good and bad times and has taken both in its stride with humour, understanding and a determination to make the best of things.

Over 500 photographs were collected together and, from these, more than 150 have been included in the book. Some were chosen to illustrate a particular memory while others were selected to show how the town has changed over the years while still retaining its instrinsic character.

Edna Page was born in Baldock and during her childhood lived at ‘19 Steps’ on the Great North Road. During the thirties she was a pupil at Pond Lane School and spent the first years of her working life at Blank’s, the newsagents, in Church Street. She has two sons and two grandsons.

Both Edna and Nora are active members of many of the town’s organisations including St Mary’s Parish Church and the Support Group of the Cancer Care Home at Moggerhanger in Bedfordshire.