A NEW book about Bishop's Waltham was launched yesterday.

Bishop's Waltham, Parish, Town and Church, by Peter Watkins, was sponsored jointly by The Friends of St Peter's Church and Bishop's Waltham Society.

The book had it's official launch at St Peter's Church, in Free Street.

Mr Watkins, a lay reader at St Peter's, and he gave a 20-minute presentation about his book on the night.

A retired historian, Mr Watkins read the subject at Cambridge and also taught it.

He has lived in Swanmore, just down the road from Bishop's Waltham, for around 30 years and has also written a book about his home village called Swanmore Since 1840.

Mr Watkins said: "I have always been interested in history. Barbara Biddell published a book on Bishop's Waltham in 2002 and it seemed to me that she had mostly written about the middle ages.

My book is about the period from 1800, but it does cover the middle ages as well, as Bishop's Waltham was founded by the Saxons 500AD."

It took Mr Watkins around 18 months to complete this book.

He said he spent at least one day a week at the Hampshire Records Office in Winchester.

His other sources included back copies of the parish magazine, that was established in 1890, and the 1841-1901 census.

"I suppose that writing and history are the two things I most enjoy. I would like to thank Bishop's Waltham Society and the Friends of St Peter's for all their support."

Mr Watkins said for his next project he was looking into getting published work he had done on the King Edward Foundation in Birmingham.

Copies of Bishop's Waltham, Parish, Town and Church can be bought from Mr Watkins and later from Bishop's Waltham Post Office in the high Street.

The 300 page book costs £15.

To buy a copy call Mr Watkins on 01489 894789.