But the author discovered a tale of fascinating characters and fabulous architecture.

"The book is about Knutsford buildings and the stories they have to tell," said the father-of-three last week.

Flicking through A Window of Knutsford will be like looking into the past of some of the town's best-known landmarks.

Richard Harding Watt's architecture will be compared to its Italian origins with the history of the Town Hall and Sessions House also investigated.

For Matthew there were some surprising finds during his seven-month investigation into the past.

"It's hard to imagine that where Booths car park is now there was a gaol," he said.

The old prison was also used to train new church ministers at the end of the First World War.

"It was for those who had seen the light while they were fighting," said the lecturer, whose first book was about Alderley Edge.

Research took Matthew around Knutsford and to the records' office in Chester as he delved into the town's archives.

He also journeyed to Belgium in pursuit of one of the lines to his story.

Travelling was not the toughest part of his task, but meeting the seven-month deadline was.

Last week Matthew was proof-reading his pages in time for the September launch at Knutsford's Literature Festival.

"I did not know what I would find out about the buildings and that is what made it an interesting process," he said.