A PARIS-based photographer who fell in love with the Sandy Hill Estate in Farnham during the 1980s has published a retrospective of his time on the estate.

Chris Shaw took the photographs for his new book Retrospecting Sandy Hill between 1986 and 1989 whilst studying at West Surrey College of Art and Design.

The book contains more than 50 pictures of residents and friends in the estate and provides a fascinating reminder of life in Farnham three decades ago.

Chris said: “I’m originally from the dark north of England and had a big culture shock coming to Farnham, so went to the estate to see normal people and have a laugh.

“I gave people photo prints which led to more pictures - the camera was an excuse really.

“I liked talking to normal people about cars and motorbikes instead of the rich kids at the art college. I felt alienated from my fellow students, but found a home on the Sandy Hill Estate.”

While at college Chris created a scrapbook of his Sandy Hill photos, which he sadly lost on a train to London. Retrospecting Sandy Hill is his attempt to recreate the scrapbook.

The photographs show black and white stills of people around the estate. They have a stripped-back feel and show the estate as it was back then.

After leaving college, Chris worked in menial jobs for years while taking photos, which provided inspiration for other collections such as ‘Life as a Night Porter’.

In recent years he has become a successful photographer with his work exhibited in galleries and books around the world. He now resides in Paris, but Retrospecting Sandy Hill serves as a trip back to his past.

His publisher Aron Mörel said: “Chris and I had spoken for a bit about doing a book and agreed to do this series.

“The way he treated the body of work to make it a book is just phenomenal, ripping up all the pictures and adding the text into the notebook.”

Retrospecting Sandy Hill is currently on a limited release, with 500 copies for sale online at www.morel

books.com/chrisshaw.html for £35 plus shipping.