Search results for ""the history press ltd""

In this, the fourth book of Spellmount's Campaign in Context series, Rupert Matthews looks to the ill-fated invasion of England by King Philip II of Spain. The Armada of 22 warships and 108 converted merchant vessels sailed under the command of the Duke of Medina Sidonia in 1588, but found itself harried by storms, fireships, and the redoubtable English fleet. In The Spanish Armada, Rupert Matthews considers the characters of the commanders such as Francis Drake, Medina, and the opposing monarchs, and as with his previous titles in the series he carefully balances the evidence from textual sources with knowledge of the theatre and reconstructed weaponry in order to explain the events of the battle to the general reader, and the context in which it took place.

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Pudsey is a small town between the two West Yorkshire conurbations of Leeds and Bradford. In the eighteenth century Pudsey was a community of small farmers and clothiers, but with the advent of steam power came a population explosion. Most of the workers were engaged in the making of woollen cloth, or in the engineering industry. This collection of almost 200 photographs shows the events and people of Pudsey and district from the heyday of the mills to the present. Buildings that have disappeared are pictures, together with vanished lanes and fields. There are people at work, family groups, sports, teams, everyday scenes of shopping, and much grander occasions. This collection of old photographs will entertain and enthral all who know Pudsey, residents and visitors alike.

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The River Medway has long sustained those who have lived along its banks. Collated by maritime journalist Wilf Lower, Medway Tales: Life on the Dividing River comprises a lively collection of feature articles detailing the people of the Medway and the fascinating stories that they have to tell. Some are newcomers, bringing innovative ideas and crafts, whilst others have spent their lives on the river and have a unique and valuable knowledge of it. Together they create a fascinating social landscape, combining images of a disappearing past with future hopes and aspirations that often includes preservation of traditions. Featuring many previously unpublished photographs, the evolution of life on the river is traced from the older traditional industries through to the newer water leisure activities and the development of tourism. This book is a fascinating miscellany of what was, is, and may be the future of the River Medway.

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Cumbria is home to some of Britain's most breathtaking prehistoric archaeology. King Arthur's Round Table, for instance, is a spectacular Neolithic henge and the largest of its kind in Britain. Furthermore, Cumbria's rural landscape has preserved the arrangement of its ancient monuments - some more complete, even, than at Stonehenge. Prehistoric Cumbria is the first book to consider the development of Cumbria from the end of the last ice age until the arrival of the Romans. Famous for its stone axe factories and stone circles this book attempts for the first time to put prehistoric Cumbrian sites and objects into the social context of the men, women and children who used them. Using the latest archaeological research Dr David Barrowclough considers what life was like in the prehistoric past in Cumbria, considering aspects of daily life and death, food procurement, trade, ritual and belief.

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The archetypal Routemaster is arguably the most recognised vehicle in the world, as witnessed at the recent Beijing Olympic handover ceremony. Buses have been operating on London's streets since 1829, originally with horse-drawn omnibuses, and the London Omnibus Company was founded in 1855 to regulate the various services. The first motorised buses made an appearance in 1902 with the LGOC beginning to manufacture the buses itself two years later. For six decades London went its own way with specially designed buses. More recent innovations such as the 'bendy' bus have not been popular, but today practicality of pushchair and wheelchair access has consigned the Routemaster to a nostalgic, but much-loved, position. With full-colour photographs, this book comprehensively tells the story behind London's famous red buses.

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An Oxford Childhood is a personal reminiscence of growing up in Cowley, Oxford in the 1920s. The author's detailed memories describe every aspect of life in the years following the Great War. The clothes she wore, the furnishings of her parents' house and the food they ate are graphically remembered.She describes the fun they had with a newly made rag rug, trying to identify the pieces of old clothing that it was made from and remembers that on bath nights, in front of the fire, mother covered the hearth with newspapers to prevent splashes staining the black leading. She describes schooldays, shopping, street games, the 'cat's whisker' crystal set and the arrival of Welsh miners who walked to Cowley from Wales to find work at the new Morris Motor Works. This charming book is illustrated with drawings by Max Surman and some delightful contemporary photographs.

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On the banks of the River Chor, in the heart of the Lancashire countryside, Chorley and its surrounding villages boast a wealth of history. In over 200 photographs, Jack Smith brings to life the changes brought by the Industrial Revolution upon an area rich in natural beauty and resources. Once a medieval market town, Chorley was transformed by changes in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Cotton mills were built for spinning, weaving and bleaching; coal mining and quarrying were carried out nearby, while canal and railway links helped to increase Chorley’s prosperity. In this book, images of streets, buildings and people are seen together to create a fascinating record, not only of the physical development of the town, but also of changes in costume and custom, transport and trading, sport and entertainment. Chorley and its twenty-three villages are all illustrated in this book, which will captivate anyone interested in this part of Lancashire.

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The North American cruise industry is the largest sector of the trade by a long way. Of the 2007 cruise market, which totalled over 16 million, US cruise vacationers alone represented over 70 per cent of the total. With stunning photographs, many of which are in colour, this general history looks at the companies and ships that are dedicated to this particular market. From the big players, the luxury market and niche cruising, to disasters and predictions, this illustrated book covers the whole industry, past, present and future. Authors, Roger Cartwright and Peter Rushton, consider why the taking of an ocean voyage for the pleasure of the journey itself, and not simply as a means of travelling from A to B, came to be so popular, and what the arrival of the mega-ships means for the new age in cruising, providing the perfect guide to cruising and its history across America.

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Worcestershire Murders brings together numerous murderous tales, some which were little known outside the county, and others which made national headlines. Contained within the pages of this book are the stories behind some of the most heinous crimes ever committed in Worcestershire. They include the murders of the entire Gummery family at Berrow in 1780; Catherine Gulliver, killed by John Butler at Ombersley in 1864; and Maria Holmes, slain by her husband at Bromsgrove in 1872. Cases from the twentieth century include two unsolved murders - the body of an unidentified woman found in a tree in Hagley Wood in 1943, and the brutal killing of Florrie Porter at Lickey End in 1944. Nicola Sly's carefully researched and enthralling text will appeal to anyone interested in the shady side of Worcestershire's history.

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Wiltshire Murders brings together numerous murderous tales, some which were little known outside the county, and others which made national headlines. Contained within the pages of this book are the stories behind some of the most heinous crimes ever committed in Wiltshire. They include the murder of Eliza Jones, stabbed to death by her common-law husband in 1836; the shooting of a policeman in 1892; Mary Ann Nash, who disposed of her illegitimate son in 1907 by dropping him into a disused well; and Edward Richards, who died in Trowbridge during an attempted robbery in 1925. Nicola Sly's carefully researched, well-illustrated and enthralling text will appeal to anyone interested in the shady side of Wiltshire's history, and should give much food for thought.

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These tales from Lincolnshire's forgotten past are testament to the sinister side of the county's coastal resorts and inland market towns. Retold for a new generation are shocking stories of drunken brawls in towns, death from poison and jealous rages. Mixing genuine historical documents with contemporary photography to show the scenes where these disturbing dramas were played out, Wynn's collection of true crime provides a mesmerising evocation of the past. It is sure to haunt the imagination of any reader with an interest in the darker history of Lincolnshire.

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This is the essential guide to everything strange, marvellous, mysterious and paranormal in Glasgow, with a street-by-street description of all things bizarre and supernatural connected with the city. As well as a complete guide to all of the city's gargoyles, legends and relics, it includes tours of the Necropolis, the Cathedral, museums both famous and little-known, and Glasgow's hidden archaeological wonders. Many forgotten aspects of the city's murky history are also here, including pseudo-scientific marvels such as the re-animation of a corpse in 1818 ('His chest immediately heaved! He drew breath!'), along with the 'man monkeys' and leprechauns ('the only one ever captured alive') of the freakshows at the Britannia Music Hall. From the links between St Mungo, Merlin and werewolves to the urban legends of the Glasgow Underground, it will transform the way you experience the city. Containing more than 100 photographs and filled with countless tales of miracles, hauntings, curses, witchcraft, UFOs, big-cat sightings, vampires, murderers and bodysnatchers, The Guide to Mysterious Glasgow will delight residents and visitors alike.

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This creepy collection of true-life tales takes the reader on a tour of the streets, alehouses, cemeteries and city walls of Chester the ancient city many claim is the most haunted in the North. Drawing on contemporary and historical sources, it contains many chilling accounts of spirits, spectres and poltergeists including 'Sarah', who has been known to throw people who mock her down the stairs, the strange tale of dreadful curse that struck the Great Eastern in 1859 and the ghost who booked himself a room at The Coachhouse. Containing more than sixty photographs by local photographer Ed Brandon, this book will delight anyone with an interest in the paranormal history of the area.

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A pub with a deceased barmaid who simply refuses to leave, a Grey Lady in the Theatre Royal; a poltergeist in the Garrick's Head pub; a man in a black hat at the Assembly Rooms. Bath is one of the few British cities which may justifiably be called beautiful. It is also one of the most haunted of British cities. Bath is an ancient place and, at the height of its fashionable popularity in the eighteenth century, it was almost the country's alternative capital and the scene of social intrigues and skulduggery of the sort that its ghosts seem to reflect. Even the Circus, regarded as the epitome of the classical in domestic architecture, has a ghostly young lady who sings. This book combines a love and appreciation of Bath with the recounting of tales about its best-known ghosts. David has also researched local archives to find less familiar phantoms, spooks and spectres.

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London's Underground is associated with a multitude of ghostly stories and sightings, particular stations and abandoned lines, many of which are in close proximity to burial sites from centuries ago. This chilling book reveals well-known and hitherto unpublished tales of spirits, spectres and other spooky occurrences on one of the oldest railway networks in the world. The stories of sightings include the ghost of an actress regularly witnessed on Aldywch Station and the 'Black Nun' at Bank Station. Eerie noises, such as the cries of thirteen-year-old Anne Naylor, who was murdered in 1758 near to the site of what is now Farringdon Station, and the screams of children who were in an accident at Bethnal Green Station during Second World War, are still heard echoing. These and many more ghostly accounts are recorded in fascinating detail in this book, which is a must-read for anyone interested in the mysterious and murky history of London's Underground.

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This is the essential guide to everything strange, marvellous and paranormal on the beautiful and rugged Isle of Arran. Why did the police in 1889 bury the boots of the victim of the Arran Murder below the high-water mark? What happened to the miracle healing stone of St Molaise? What is the truth behind the history of Robert the Bruce on Arran? Where have encounters with fairies been reported in the twenty-first century? Here are collected tales of folklore, witchcraft, magic, mermaids and ghosts, both historical and contemporary. Every stone circle, chambered cairn and standing stone is described, as are caves, old graveyards, castles, Viking sites, carved stones and ruined churches, all with walking directions and notes on access. This book will transform the way you experience Arran.

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Too often dismissed as the unready king - unprepared, ill-advised, and incapable of dealing with the military and political crises that faced the Anglo-Saxon kingdom, not least of which were a series of Viking onslaughts - King Aethelred has gone down in history as an incompetent failure. This new biography redresses the indictment, placing Aethelred into his proper historical context. Central to the study is the authoritarian manner in which the king ran the English kingdom for much of his reign.King Aethelred is shown to have made effective use of the infamous Danegel and to have demonstrated royal power on a number of occasions with devastating results. While there were mishaps, disasters, and family intrigue, Aethelred managed to come through these crises until the final Danish invasion of 1013. Illustrated and including original reconstruction paintings, this study gives an insight into the turbulent politics of a 38-year reign and addresses the manner in which King Aethelred used his authority as a medieval English monarch.

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Illustrated with more than ninety photographs, both archive and modern, this comprehensive history of Walsall presents various aspects of the town's history, from law and order and politics to transport, education and health and the history of the Saddlers football club. It includes the histories of those industries which have made the region famous, including ironwork, leatherwork, lorinery, buckle making and brewing, and mining for ironstone, limestone, dolerite and coal, and stories of well-known residents of the past.

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This 1900s take on marriage, written by the editor of the magazine Health and Vim, is the perfect gift for anyone getting married.

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Basil D'Oliveira's selection for the tour of his homeland in 1968 set in train a sequence of events that would ultimately lead to South Africa's exile from international sport for over twenty years. Ironically, this enforced separation would draw the cricketing nations of England and South Africa together into a close relationship. A generation of world-class players, lost to Test cricket, found their place in the English counties; as the years in exile became decades some chose to pursue their international ambitions in the colours of their adopted country. At the same time, English players were heading in the opposite direction, risking censure and exile, as members of rebel touring parties.Exiles and Kings examines the modern history of English cricket through the lens of this complex and, at times, uneasy relationship, examining the impact made by a number of players from the African cricketing nations. From the traumas of the late summer of 1968, through the years of exile and rebellion, to the redemption delivered by another South African batsman at The Oval in 2005, Exiles and Kings demonstrates that the African imprint on English cricket is clear and indelible.

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This light-hearted yet well-researched exploration of punishments given to criminals in Shrewsbury over the centuries features tales of criminals and their misdeeds from the Romans to the last execution to take place in Shrewsbury in 1960. The informative account also explains how different devices, such as the stocks, pillory, ducking stool, brank, guillotine and whipping post were used. Stories of Shrewsbury's criminals such as Thomas Hughes who was whipped for stealing a turkey, Squire Smallman who was hanged in 1829 and Josiah Mister who was executed for attacking the wrong man, are bound to captivate anyone interested in Shrewsbury's more shadowy history.

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The town has long been associated with a strong haunted heritage and reputation. Incredibly the local authorities still employed a professional ghost-layer right up until about 150 years ago, long after most other local towns had dispensed with the services of such dubious characters! Anyone interested in the supernatural history of this area will be fascinated in this phenomenal gathering of ghostly goings-on.

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From heart-stopping accounts of apparitions, manifestations and related supernatural phenomena to first-hand encounters with ghouls and spirits, this collection of stories contains new and well-known spooky tales from in and around Poole. Drawing on historical and contemporary sources Haunted Poole contains a chilling range of ghostly phenomena including the town’s own tragic Romeo and Juliet tale, legendary Poole pirate Harry Paye and his ghostly galleon, the screams of Alice Beard and ghoulish beggars wandering the streets. This incredible gathering of ghostly goings-on is bound to captivate anyone interested in the supernatural history of the area.

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This is a guide to everything supernatural, paranormal, folkloric, eccentric and, above all, mysterious that has occurred on the dark waters of the enigmatic Loch Ness and the surrounding area of Inverness. Containing Celtic gods and martyrs, telepathy, exorcism and magic, mermaids, demons and saints (and based on texts both ancient and modern), it is a fascinating introduction to the heritage of the area. This is a guide that the armchair adventurer or the on-location visitor can revel in. Comprehensive entries covering Inverness' tombstones, simulacra, standing stones, gargoyles, ruins, churches and archaeological curiosities are complemented by more than 100 photographs. The book also includes notes and cross-references to enable the reader to follow up the sources.

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This creepy collection of true-life tales takes the reader on a tour through the streets, cemeteries, alehouses and attics of Bradford. Drawing on historical and contemporary sources and containing many tales which have never before been published, it unearths a chilling range of supernatural phenomena from poltergeists to Victorian spirits and spectral hounds. Illustrated with more than fifty archive photographs, this book will delight anyone with an interest in the supernatural history of the area.

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Trident was the world's first tri-jet and the first civilian aircraft certified to be able to land automatically in Cat B conditions, in a fog. Notoriously, in 1972, 118 people were killed when a BEA Trident airliner ploughed into waste ground only a few yards from the Staines bypass on the outskirts of Heathrow Airport-London. There were no survivors when the plane crashed, less than four minutes after taking off for Brussels. The impact broke the plane's spine, ripping off the tail section and sending it spinning through the air. The book is written with the assistance of Neil Lomax of the Trident Preservation Society in Manchester; and includes pictures of their recent Trident restoration project.

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Clevedon was a small but prosperous farming settlement until the population outgrew the houses and cottages available in the late eighteenth century. These were replaced by comfortable Regency villas, followed later by the Victorian mansions and large houses descending the slopes towards the old village itself with its working terraces. Many of the photographs in this fascinating collection show the evolution of Clevedon into a seaside resort and its later identity as a dormitory town for Bristol. Though it now has a motorway junction, it once had two railways and, previous to that, excellent carriage links to the city. The sea has also played its part and the town no proudly boasts the only Grade 1 Listed pier the country open to the public. Another wonderful survival is the Curzon, the oldest continuously running purpose-built cinema in Europe and where the first moving images of the town where shown in 1912. Featuring over 200 old photographs and informative captions, this will delight anyone interested in the history of Clevedon.

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A history of Sunnyvale Pleasure Gardens.

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Using a postcard collection, this book includes locations such as the church where Agatha Christie married one Christmas Eve, a street of eighteenth-century houses, the railway through the rocks of Avon Gorge, Royal York Crescent and more. This work aims to show that evidence of the past can be seen in everyday surroundings.

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"The Women's Land Army" was the forgotten victory of the Second World War. While troops fought on the front line, a battalion of young women joined up to take their place as agricultural workers. Despite many of them coming from urban backgrounds, these fearless, cheerful girls learnt how to look after farm land, operate and repair machinery, rear and manage farm animals, harvest crops and provide the work force that was badly needed in the years of the war. Back-breaking work such as thinning crops, continuous hoeing and digging made way for disgusting tasks such as rat-killing. Yet despite it all, the land girls were exuberant, fun-loving and hard-working, and became known for their articulate, feisty, humorous and modest attitude. It therefore comes as no surprise that despite hostility and teasing at the beginning, these robust farm workers won the hearts of the nation, and at the disbandment of the Land Army in the 1950s, the farming community were forced to eat their words. With delightful photographs documenting the camaraderie of the Land Army and real-life memories from those who joined, this nostalgic look at one of the real success stories of the Second World War will make modern women stand proud of what their grandmothers achieved in an era before our own.

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From heart-stopping accounts of poltergeists to first-hand encounters with ghouls, this will appeal to anyone who wants to know more about Shrewsbury's mysterious history. Drawing on historical and contemporary sources, this collection of tales contains a chilling range of ghostly goings-on. Discover the headless apparition at the castle gates, ghostly monks from the abbey church and a whole family of spirits in Milk Street. The phenomenal gathering of spooks in Shrewsbury will captivate anyone interested in the supernatural history of the area. Martin Wood is a town crier and toastmaster. He has had an interest in ghosts for many years and for the past ten years has been leading evening tours of Shrewsbury, looking at the sites of known ghosts.

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In September 1930 nearly 400,000 children were evacuated from London, followed by many more from other cities in the UK.Many of them were unaccompanied, and for most it was the first time away from home and parents. Yet this well-known disruption of childhood was a drop in the ocean compared to the effect of conflict on children throughout the world. Children have always been the victims of war, and this fascinating new history examines the effects of war on the young, including those from Britain, Germany and Finland during and after the Second World War, as well as children in more recent conflicts in West Africa, among many others. Taking first-hand accounts from survivors, diaries and authentic documents, this eye-opening history reflects the untold story of hundreds of thousands of children whose lives were affected by the horrors of war.

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Life in a workhouse during the Victorian and Edwardian eras has been popularly characterised as a brutal existence. Charles Dickens famously portrayed workhouse inmates as being dirty, neglected, overworked and at the mercy of exploitative masters. While there were undoubtedly establishments that conformed to this stereotype, there is also evidence of a more enlightened approach that has not yet come to public attention. This book establishes a true picture of what life was like in a workhouse, of why inmates entered them and of what they had to endure in their day-to-day routine.A comprehensive overview of the workshouse system gives a real and compelling insight into social and moral reasons behind their growth in the Victorian era, while the kind of distinctions that were drawn between inmates are looked into, which, along with the social stigma of having been a workhouse inmate, tell us much about class attitudes of the time.The book also looks at living conditions and duties of the staff who, in many ways, were prisoners of the workhouse. Michelle Higgs combines thorough research with a fresh outlook on a crucial period in British history, and in doing so paints a vivid portrait of an era and its social standards that continues to fascinate, and tells us much about the society we live in today.

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Presenting a collection of over 200 archive images, this work provides insights into the changing history of Smethwick over the years. Each image is accompanied by a caption, describing many aspects of life in the town. It includes chapters on work, schools, transport, streets, industry and local events.

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A changing history of Elland over the last 100 years.

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A beautifully illustrated guidebook to Perthshire's hidden treasures - stone circles, ancient castles, haunted forests, sacred wells - and where to find them.

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A unique overview of a part of Lowland Scotland, with its own, very different, archaeological record.

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A beautiful collection of more than 180 archive images from the Edinburgh Room.

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Describes the origin of the monuments and their construction, including the pits, standing stones and posts found beneath the later mounds, their location within the country side and what this might mean for contemporary society. This work also discusses the nature of platforms, pavements, internal cairns and earthen round mounds.

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A collection of images and captions.

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The abundant Roman inscriptions to be found in British museums tell us much about the everyday life of the inhabitants of Roman Britain - about their hopes and fears, their work and their beliefs. Nor is a fluent command of Latin essential for understanding their meaning. As John Rogan shows, by learning a few basic rules and formulae anyone can become proficient at reading inscriptions, guide the reader through the steps necessary for deciphering them.

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Scotland's response to the Great War has, up until now, largely been marginalized or ignored. With a proportionally higher number of volunteers than any other home nation, Scotland's youth played a significant part in Britain's war effort. Here is the first study of Scotland's response to the call to arms; the true story behind the raising, the training, life in the trenches and the sacrifices faced by those battalions raised in Scotland. This book focuses on the experiences of those who served in the Scottish divisions. Charting the course of emotions from initial enthusiasm in August 1914 through to outright disillusionment with the continuation of the war in 1917, the author clearly shows how life at the front line produced both physical and emotional changes in those caught up in the horrors of trench warfare.

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New and well-known spooky tales from around the historic City of Oxford.

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The murder of Rasputin on the night of 17 December 1916 has always seemed extraordinary: first he was poisoned, then shot and finally drowned in a frozen river by Russian aristocrats fearful of his influence on Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra.

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From its inception, P&A Campbell dominated steamer travel on the Bristol Channel, both for tourism and trade between Bristol and South Wales. The steamers of Campbell's were a regular sight as they were down to the north Devon coast, Lundy Island, and the Somerset piers. This book presents the history of the early P&A Campbell years.

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From heart-stopping accounts of apparitions, manifestations and related supernatural phenomena to first-hand encounters with ghouls and spirits, this collection of stories contains new and well-known spooky tales from in and around Hastings. Drawing on historical and contemporary sources Haunted Hastings contains a chilling range of ghostly phenomena. From the haunted staircase at Hastings library in Claremont and the singing spectre of Hastings College, to the mysterious witches' footsteps in the Stag Inn and the phantom coach and horses that gallops up the High Street on a dark winter's night, this phenomenal gathering of ghostly goings-on is bound to captivate anyone interested in the supernatural history of the area.

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Coventry, home of much of Britain's car industry, saw its first public transport in 1884 when a tramway system was developed from the city to Bedworth. It survived through the First World War but, for the advent of the Second, would have succumbed to closure in 1939. This first volume covers the history of Coventry's transport.

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Presents the experiences of Scottish soldiers during the Second World War in their own words. This book includes descriptions ranging from the brutal hardships suffered by General Slim's 'forgotten' 14th Army as it fought its way through Burma to the large scale onslaught of the D-Day landings to the deprivations of the Siege of Malta.

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