RETIRED scientist Lyndon Murgatroyd is inviting fellow history fans to join him in a pub crawl through the centuries.

His 300-page book, A Pub Crawl Through Time, looks at the history of Congleton's ale houses past and present.

It took Mr Murgatroyd two and a half years to write, features 100 photographs, and is due to be launched next Monday.

"I decided to write the book after finding out about a pub for the local history group of the University of the Third Age," said Mr Murgatoryd, from Firbeck Close, Congleton.

"This began to get me interested, and the real fun has been putting the book together.

"The history of Congleton's old inns is fascinating, and in the mid 1800s almost every other building in the town was a pub or a beer house.

"Congleton far exceeded the ratio of pubs to people that the rest of Cheshire enjoyed, and it was not uncommon to find in excess of a dozen pubs within a 200 yards radius."

Mr Murgatroyd used village histories, trade directories, censuses and licensing records in his research for the book, being launched at the Bulls Head Hotel, Congleton.

Proceeds from the sale of the book are going to local charities, and copies can be obtained by ringing 271471 or from Congleton information centre.

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.