Anthony Meredith, Gordon Blackwell Silverstone Circuit Through Time

Annotation

With the liberal use of many previously unpublished photographs contrasting past and present, Silverstone Circuit Through Time shows how a wartime airfield developed, stage by stage, into the country's premier motor racing circuit, the annual home of Formula One's spectacular British Grand Prix. Though touching on some of the great personalities associated with the place, it is essentially a book about the circuit itself. There is much nostalgic emphasis on the 1950s and 1960s, when love of the sport and a willingness to make the best of things had to compensate for the somewhat primitive facilities on offer. The remarkable turnaround of more recent years is also fully explored, as a fairly ramshackle venue reflecting the dreamy surrounding countryside turned itself into a high-tech entertainment centre bristling with ambition for the future.