This fascinating collection of nearly 180 old photographs records Rickmansworth and its surrounding districts from the middle of the nineteenth century to recent years. Rickmansworth is the gateway to the Chilterns. It was an ancient settlement that grew up at the junction of many waterways. In Victorian times the Grand Union canal was the main commercial highway. Rickmansworth retained very much the atmosphere of a country town, right up to the 1960s. Photographs included here show once familiar landmarks now swept away by new roads and other developments. The great country estates such as Moor Park, Rickmansworth Park and Loudwater are all depicted, along with scenes of busy rail activity in Rickmansworth, reflecting its once important position on the Metropolitan Railway network. It was from this time, and particularly during the inter-war years, that the town saw the growth of several high class housing estates within its boundaries and the town's greatest period of expansion. Chorley Wood, once called the 'perfect Metroland Township' with its breezy common and modern villas set amidst woodlands, Croxley Green and Batchworth Heath are also illustrated. Today Rickmansworth, like many small towns in the mid-nineties, is suffering from a period of decline but it is hoped that this collection a pride and a renewed interest in the important heritage that belongs to the town.