The beaches and piers of Sussex are a world away from the bustling markets and mountain ranges of Pakistan.

During the 1900s, few British people could hope to visit such far off places as Asia.

Yet one woman has discovered an amazing link between her Brighton home and Peshawar, Pakistan's oldest city.

Maya Davis, 52, was given a 100-year-old book crammed with old black and white views of Brighton and the surrounding area by friends who had returned from Peshawar.

The mystery book, 101 Views: Brighton And Neighbourhood, was discovered alongside discarded items at a church jumble sale by David and Julie Fletcher, who worked as missionaries in the city for more than ten years.

Bought for just a few rupees, the book, which had somehow found its way across the continents to the Asian city, then embarked on a journey back to England.

Mrs Davis, of Brighton, said: "When my friends presented me with the book I was intrigued. It is amazing to imagine how it came to be in Pakistan in the first place and now it has managed to find it's way back here after all this time.

"I would love to discover who originally owned the book, who it was given to and how it came to be in Pakistan of all places."

One of the only clues to the book's colourful past is an inscription on the inside cover which appears to read: "For my old friend Birch from Thomas L Barlow, Brighton, 28th June 1905. Recd. August 2 1905."

Inside the burgundy book, published by Rock Bros Ltd, London, is another clue to the identity of who presented the gift. Beneath a photo of Preston Road and the entrance to Preston Park, showing an empty street with a lone horse and carriage, are the words: "My sister lives opposite".

Beneath the opening image of the Royal Pavilion in Brighton are the handwritten words: "King George IV lives/lived here", suggesting Birch did not come from Brighton.

The black and white photographs show bygone days of Brighton with a seafront free from cars and skateboarders. People leisurely walked along the piers in the late 19th Century and early 1900s or took a bumpy donkey ride.

The book also shows the Chain Pier in Brighton before it was washed away by the great storm of December 1896.

If anyone has information about who the book belonged to, contact the newsdesk on 01273 544514.