Doncaster has always benefited from its location. It stands on the Great North Road, superseded by the A1, the primary route for all traffic from London to Edinburgh, and due to its strategic geographical importance it emerged as an industrial centre in the mid-nineteenth century. Beneath the town lies a huge coal seam and it was this that prompted Doncaster’s exponential population growth. In the early part of the twentieth century Doncaster became one of the largest coal-mining areas in the country, with the industry becoming one of the most significant local employers. However, along with many other areas, a large number of mining jobs were lost in the mid-1980s, and several pits closed. Today, coal mining has been eliminated with no collieries surviving. The demise of coal saw a domino effect that led to the removal of many other tertiary industries.In recent years, however, the city’s fortunes have changed. Its centre has undergone redevelopment including the construction of an Education City campus, currently the largest education investment of its kind in the UK. The Doncaster Lakeside, incorporating Doncaster Rovers at the Keepmoat Stadium, is a massive new development and the ever-popular ‘Dome’, opened in 1989 by Princess Diana, contains a state of the art swimming pool, gym and ice rink. The Frenchgate Centre, a shopping centre and transport interchange, has also been extended to connect with the railway station and bus station. The Waterdale area of the town centre is currently undergoing rejuvenation, with a new theatre (known as CAST), new civic offices and a new public square already having been completed, on part of the site of the old Waterdale car park. These changes, and many more, are all documented in Peter Tuffrey’s fascinating collection of old and new photographs of Doncaster.

Peter Tuffrey was born in Doncaster in 1953. He studied Fine Art at Doncaster College of Art from 1970 to 1971 and then at Leeds University until 1974. He held the position of Keeper of Fine and Decorative Arts at Doncaster Museum and Art Gallery 1975-1995, was a freelance writer 1995-2000 and PR Media Consultant for Doncaster Rovers 2000-2002. He was Area Manager for the Music Ground Group of Companies 2003-2010. He is now working as a freelance writer. In his spare time, he has built up a massive photographic archive of the region's towns and villages. With this he has produced over fifty publications. He has also written many articles for local and regional newspapers. He lives in Doncaster.