Totterdown Rising

by Kate Pollard

'Totterdown Rising is a book about a community that was split in half to make way for a road that was never built'. So opens the introduction to Totterdown Rising.

The book charts the history of Totterdown from its pre-bulldozed days through to the regeneration efforts of the 1980s. Employing reminisances of residents as well as painstakingly researched archive material Kate paints an effective picture of life in the neighbourhood before the act of 'civic vandalism' that was perpetrated on the area by the city planners.

Avoiding the cliches of portraying planners and developers as wholly evil or misguided Kate none-the-less brings a sense of the emotional loss and damage that was caused at a time when consultation with local people was largely unheard of. It stands as a reminder of the need today to be alert as a citizen to the grand schemes of those in power.

Anyone with an interest in Totterdown, its history or indeed anyone who enjoys reading a compelling tale of the not-too-distant past will enjoy Totterdown Rising. It is available in Patco supermarket on Wells Road, Broadwalk News in Knowle, other local booksellers or through online retailers. Totterdown Press (imprint of Tangent Press) ISBN 0-955352037. Price £10.