A FAMILY business in Bury may have gone on to become a household name, if only builder William Byrom had been born a few years later.

In a new book he hopes to have published, William (88) remembers his own life and times in Bury and wonders what might have been.

The firm, established by his great-uncle, James Byrom, was responsible for constructing some of the town's favourite old buildings.

Bury's Theatre Royal and Opera House, Crompton Street Post Office and the Co-operative Bakery in Market Street were among them.

But with the "terrible" 1920s came hard times for the firm and, despite William's sound business brain, he was too young to be trusted at the helm. In 1929 the firm went into liquidation.

William's son, Bernard, who helped with the book, said: "My father decided to do the book because he's always being asked what it was like to be around 80 years ago. "He was born just too late. The rest of the family didn't have James Byrom's business acumen but with his own skills and drive my father might have been able to carry the family firm forward. Who knows, it might have been ranked alongside Wimpey's or McAlpine's now."

William was born at a house in Byrom Street, Woolfold, which was home to a family of ten. The road was built by and named after his great-uncle James.

William later lived with his wife, Gertie, in Maudsley Street, Bury, Bernard's own family home.

Undeterred by the family firm's demise, William became a builder in his own right. He also served as a Churchill tank commander in the Guards Tank Brigade during the war.

Upon his return, the young perfectionist continued his career in the construction industry, helping to pioneer multi-storey building techniques across the country. His personal motto was "The best is just good enough", the title given to the book.

The content of the book was dictated by William into a tape recorder. Bernard compiled it into manuscript form, checking key dates and events for accuracy, and the pair are now looking for a publisher.

While William now lives in Lowton, near Wigan, and Bernard has moved on to Bedfordshire, both feel the memoirs, which are packed with local detail, would interest people in Bury.

Bernard said: "My father and I think it will interest a lot of younger people as well as reviving memories for older people.

"There's a lot of interest nowadays in first-hand memories so we thought it would be a good idea to publish a book about an interesting life."