A GREAT grandfather has revealed many of our city’s secrets in a new book.

Jim Reeve, 80, the author of the 2013 book Chelmsford Through Time, has published his sixth book, Secret Chelmsford, filling it with tales of the city’s past.

The book is true labour of love, one which took Mr Reeve a year to complete and includes ghosts, brothels – even murder!

Mr Reeve, pictured, who lives in West Hanningfield, said: “I first came to know Chelmsford when my grandfather would take me to the market there when I was a small child.

"The cattle market would be on and he would go into a pub and I’d have to sit on the front step and wait for him.

“People would ruffle my hair and, if I was lucky, I would get a lemonade!

“So, I have fond memories of the city.

"But, the more I have delved into its past, the more interested I became.

"I was quite surprised by stories I uncovered, its history really fascinates me.”

Mr Reeve, who used to be a policeman at Elephant and Castle, before becoming a housing manager for Basildon Development Corporation, has also written books about Basildon and Wickford.

He said: “It all takes a lot of time to do the research and compile everything.

“But I do it because I love it. It was great doing the research.Iused the records office and went to a lot of the sites.

"I also took a lot of the photos myself.

"I also spoke to lots of people who had experiences of ghosts, which was very interesting.”

Mr Reeve’s book, Secret Chelmsford, can be purchased through Amberley Publishing at £14.99.

Visit jim-reeve.com for more.