A figurative illustrator has seen his work go on display at Chorley’s Astley Hall.

Around 40 of Tony Kerins’ paintings of the landscapes and industrial heritage of the Chorley area, including Anglezarke Moor, White Coppice and Rivington Pike, will be on show until May 26.

Kerins, from Adlington, has also captured people going about their everyday business, giving glimpses of local life over the years.

Although he left Adlington 40 years ago, and is now based in Dorset, he regularly visits family in the area, giving him the chance to sketch the places where he grew up.

He said: “There’s a magic about the history, the waterways and the moors which inspired me as a child, and still does the same today.

“So I’m proud to be presenting my paintings as an expression of the area and its people.

”The earliest work on display is from 1973 when Tony was a student at the then Manchester Polytechnic. He travelled the county sketching mills, quarries, fields, docks – anywhere people were working.

He said: “As well as the new paintings, I'll be showing many of my old sketches. It’s amazing how these drawings have the power to take me back in time. I hope the exhibition will have the same effect on local people, rekindling memories of places and times that have long gone.”

The show also includes examples of Tony’s professional work as an illustrator.

He has painted more than 300 book jackets for authors including Penelope Lively, Michael Morpurgo and Philip Pullman, written and illustrated his own picture books for Puffin and Walker Books, and illustrated the history and wildlife of many heritage sites.

Admission to Astley Hall is free. Call 01257 515151 or email contact@chorley.gov.uk