THIS week our pictorial look- back down the years is all about power.

Here you can see some of Yorkshire's mightiest power stations, in various stages of construction, working life and demolition.

Our main picture, taken in 1971, shows the contrast between tradition and technology, as the gargantuan cooling towers of Ferrybridge power station loom over a quiet village churchyard.

The hectic business of burning coal for the region's energy needs might be going on in the background, but as far as the man with the mower is concerned, it's just business as usual.

We also show Ferrybridge's near-neighbour, Drax, churning out the power in 1989.

Picture three takes us to Ferrybridge in 1987, when two cooling towers were demolished.

Brotherton Parish Church stands witness as the explosive charges go off and the stacks begin to give way.

Ferrybridge appears again, this time during a major overhaul, in the fourth picture.

It's 1966, and the power station is undergoing

a reconstruction. With five towers already standing tall, engineers are hard at work on a further three.

The overhaul prompted calls for a major study of the effects which power stations have on health.

Our final picture features Drax again, where a huge feat was under way in 1968.

The Drax chimney is half-built in the picture, standing at a height of 486ft. It was well on the way to its completion, when, at 850ft, it would become the tallest chimney in Britain.

For a glance at what the finished product looked like, see the bottom left-hand corner of picture two.

Updated: 09:41 Friday, September 13, 2002