Search results for ""carnegie publishing ltd""

This is nature writer Jan Wiltshire's second book, following the highly successful About Scout Scar. Cumbrian Contrasts celebrates the wonder of one of the most beautiful, diverse and precious parts of the British Isles. From the source of rivers high in the fells, through moorland solitudes to the urban fringe, and down to estuaries and the coast, the author paints a vivid portrait of a landscape and its wildlife. Words and images come together as a story which reveals the magic of the natural world. There are fossils, butterfl ies and flora at Smardale. Eider duck breed on Walney Island with its shingle flora, and natterjack toads mate on the Duddon Estuary. Skylark soar in song flight over Whitbarrow and there are dark green fritillary butterflies and frog orchid on Scout Scar. There's always something new to discover. This is writing that really makes you feel as if you are there, experiencing the beautiful, strange and rare in varied habitats. If you love the countryside and enjoy books that inspire, inform and entertain, then Cumbrian Contrasts will delight.

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Dr Henry Littlejohn's Report on the Sanitary Condition of Edinburgh (1865) was a landmark in urban management and public health administration. The Lancet described it as 'monumental'. The Report had a significance far beyond the boundaries of Edinburgh and his meticulous research produced penetrating insights into the links between poverty, employment and public health in Victorian cities. Insanitary City reproduces the full Report and sets it in this wider context. For over half a century, Littlejohn's career as Police Surgeon, Crown witness in murder cases and medical advisor to the Scottish Poor Law authorities, gave him an unrivalled overview of the problems confronting Victorian society. In 1895 he was knighted 'for services to sanitary science'.

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In 1807, 23,007 voters travelled to York to cast their votes for two county members in the general election. This study illustrates the working of the political process, with an account of what it meant to mobilise, convey, feed, lodge and deploy vast armies of supporters with military precision over a polling period of 15 days.

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This fascinating volume takes a look at aspects of Manchester's history in the centuries before its industrial heyday, a much overlooked yet crucial in its development. The topics are parts of an historical jigsaw, building in to a picture of Early Modern Manchester and its social, religious, political and economic life.

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At last, a brilliant historyof Lancaster Castle writtenespecially for kids!This is a book crammedwith fantastic facts, greatstories, and scary history,all with lots of pictures andfun.

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A unique and engaging book about the farms and farming communities of Brinscall near Chorley, Lancashire, that were broken apart in the name of progress. It takes the reader back in time, on a journey into the forgotten lives of Lancashire's lost hill-farming communities.

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LANCASTER CASTLE is one of Britain's major historic monuments. For over 900 years it has dominated the hilltop looking out over the river Lune and the city of Lancaster. Owned by Her Majesty the Queen in her role as Duke of Lancaster, the castle has a unique history, and who better to tell that history than Colin Penny and Graham Kemp. Between them they have almost 40 years of experience in managing the museum of the castle, researching its history and telling its tales to tourists from around the world. This book charts the growth and development of the castle from medieval times to the present day, but also explores the use of the site during the Roman period. Colin Penny and Graham Kemp give us an accurate historical account at the same time as bringing Lancaster Castle to life with their sometimes amusing and sometimes macabre anecdotes. This is no dry historical text, but a riveting story written by two people who have a passion for and intimate knowledge of this iconic building.

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Lancaster’s Williamson Park is truly iconic. Its beauty and vistas beguile all who come to explore its magical dells and secret gardens. It is beloved of residents and visitors alike, and is surely one of the very best of Britain’s public parks. The story of the park is fascinating, and it is one that goes back a long way. From its ancient beginnings as a Bronze Age burial site, it later became a place of execution for unfortunate individuals tried at Lancaster Castle, then a network of quarries where workers cut and heaved great slabs of sandstone to build the town below. It is this last part of the park’s story that was to shape the distinctive and dramatic contours of the park, topped by the stunning Ashton Memorial, visible from miles around. In this beautifully illustrated and captivating book, Suzanne Bradshaw not only reveals the long and varied history of the park, but also tells us about the people whose vision, skills and labour made it possible. The people’s park is certain to be a very popular read, and a classic for years to come.

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York is first and foremost a Roman city, and an extremely important one at that. This comprehensive, fully illustrated book is a unique and invaluable guide to York's Roman heritage, essential reading for all those with an interest in the city. Like Rome, its mother city, York was not built in a day. Nothing like it. The history of Roman York entails the unravelling of centuries of new development, refurbishment, military destruction, demolition and overbuilding, and this unravelling is essentially what this book is all about. To bring this story to life, The Making of Roman York has at its core a detailed walk around the city, with easy maps leading the reader effortlessly around the sites and sights, treading ancient Roman routes and footsteps.

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This is the story of how and why a small Lancashire village on the banks of the River Wyre became a bustling port, market and textile town in the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries. It is a tale of life, work, adventures and voyages, using newly discovered material to tell of the ships, mariners, merchants, farmers and people of Poulton and the harbours of Wyer Water. Why and how did a small market town like Poulton become such an important port? Did many young Skippool and Poulton men leave to become mariners, and did they return? And what is the legacy for the town today? The answers are all here in Graham Evans’ fascinating and detailed book, a real gem for those interested in Poulton, England’s maritime past, and local and family history.

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This unique new book records and celebrates the extraordinary wisdom and genius of Frederick William Dwelly, the first Dean of Liverpool. His creativity in the use of poetry, of music, of the commissioning of art, and in the use of the Great Space of Liverpool Cathedral set him apart from his peers and won huge admiration from all quarters. Above all, his liturgy was always centred around the value of the human being and he fostered worship that was dignified, imaginative and relevant for the thousands of people who attended services. Peter Kennerley's lively account of the work of a true master of liturgy is set in the context of the story of the cathedral itself, to create this highly readable, beautifully illustrated and fascinating volume.

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Growing up in Victorian Bolton was definitely not easy for Allen and Midge. Life was harsh, what with dangerous mill work,ever-present hunger, and their shoeless feet always cold. But these two young milltown boys were determined to have as much fun as they could, getting into plenty of mischief on the way. Their often hilarious escapades make for tremendously entertaining reading, but while we can laugh at some of their daring adventures, we have to remember that this is not fiction - these boys were real and all that is described here is true.

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This intriguing book is really a detective story, revealing what turned out to be a most unusual cast of characters and some eyebrow-raising family secrets. It is a story of wealth and privilege, unhealthily close family connections, and pedigrees of both the human and canine varieties. Centre stage are three eccentric, quintessentially English sisters - Letitia, Maud and Mary - whose story vividly captures a way of life that no longer exists. Spanning counties, grand houses and centuries, William M. Hartley draws on oral and archival sources to give us a fascinating glimpse inside `a most singular household' which adds greatly to the social history of both the North West and Great Britain.

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A fascinating look at the rich history of business in 'the first modern industrial district'. Essential reading for anyone interested in the history of the Manchester area.

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The Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths is one of the ancient livery company of the City of London. Illustrated with almost 60 colour photographs and maps, this book provides an important record of the Blacksmiths' Company, as well as a case study of one of the great survivors of London's medieval past, the City livery company.

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In many ways this book tells a familiar story in British industry: of innovation and enterprise in the early decades ...of worldwide dominance at a time when Britain was the workshop of the world ...of wars and economic downturns ...of foreign competition ...and of relative and absolute decline on the path of - de-industrialisation in the latter part of the twentieth century. For most of this period the farm machine industry grew and matured. It is an inspiring story of technological achievement and of industrial success, as farmers and engineers brought iron and steel to fields which had - previously been the domain of locally made timber implements and power provided by horses.Agricultural technology moved on, inexorably, from broad-cast seed and the sound of the threshing flail, via the portable steam engine and the threshing machine, right through to the modern world of giant tractors - each with the power of 200 horses - combine harvesters and - impressively efficient farming methods.This book traces the broad sweep of the whole industry over 200 years, looking at many individual companies and products to explain how and why the farm machinery industry developed in the way it did. Important individual machines are described and illustrated in detail. The British farm machine industry is unlikely ever again to be large by world standards, nor to dominate the world stage as once it did. Yet the author traces a rich vein of innovation, enterprise and technological inspiration, often taking place within the large number of relatively small-scale, craft-based workshops which were so prevalent in the early decades. Rather than mere manufacturing, therefore, perhaps it is this tradition of technical innovation and invention which marked out the British farm machinery industry for historical greatness, and perhaps it is this tradition which will continue to mark it out in the future.

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In many ways this book tells a familiar story in British industry: of innovation and enterprise in the early decades ...of worldwide dominance at a time when Britain was the workshop of the world ...of wars and economic downturns ...of foreign competition ...and of relative and absolute decline on the path of de-industrialisation in the latter part of the twentieth century. For most of this period the farm machine industry grew and matured. It is an inspiring story of technological achievement and of industrial success, as farmers and engineers brought iron and steel to fields which had previously been the domain of locally made timber implements and power provided by horses.Agricultural technology moved on, inexorably, from broad-cast seed and the sound of the threshing flail, via the portable steam engine and the threshing machine, right through to the modern world of giant tractors - each with the power of 200 horses - combine harvesters and impressively efficient farming methods.This book traces the broad sweep of the whole industry over 200 years, looking at many individual companies and products to explain how and why the farm machinery industry developed in the way it did. Important individual machines are described and illustrated in detail. The British farm machine industry is unlikely ever again to be large by world standards, nor to dominate the world stage as once it did. Yet the author traces a rich vein of innovation, enterprise and technological inspiration, often taking place within the large number of relatively small-scale, craft-based workshops which were so prevalent in the early decades. Rather than mere manufacturing, therefore, perhaps it is this tradition of technical innovation and invention which marked out the British farm machinery industry for historical greatness, and perhaps it is this tradition which will continue to mark it out in the future.

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Hidden Walks: South Lakeland takeswalkers to rarely trodden trailsthrough breathtaking countryside,using Junction 36 of the M6 as aconvenient gateway.

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This book is, quite literally, a barrel of laughs! Never has a beer cask climbed so many mountains, canoed across lakes, forded rivers, trundled over bridges and staggered over stiles. All this in search of the Lake District’s greatest local brews, while raising funds for our incredible Mountain Rescue volunteers. The wacky brainchild of Beth and Steve Pipe, this husband and wife team battled weather and all terrains, roped in volunteers, and survived marital disputes to accompany the itinerant, fundraising barrel on its unique Lake District tour. Of course, they also had to sample the way, forcing themselves to enjoy the very best ales from this stunning part of the UK. Brewers Loop is a brilliantly entertaining read, a useful guide for seekers of great beer, and a walking book – what else could you need!

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The time was 7.40 p.m., the date 15 February 1942. The light was fading fast, the Allied forces were encircled, and the bombardment was relentless, as Singapore fell to the Japanese. Discarding their weapons, the Lancashire Loyals quietly withdrew to their quarters, where they ‘composed themselves as best they could for the silent ordeal of the night, numbed and galled by the bitterness of enforced surrender’. So began three and half years of incarceration at Keijo POW camp in Korea. This is the previously untold story of the brave Lancastrians who endured, told by Chris Given-Wilson, whose father was one of those captured. It is a story of brutality, starvation and disease, but also one of survival, determination and creativity. Among the many ways the prisoners sought to keep their spirits up were the staging of surprisingly sophisticated shows, complete with Gloria d’Earie, the resident female impersonator; the growing of fresh vegetables to improve their health; and the regular publication of Nor Iron Bars (co-edited by the author’s father), with its satirical portrayals of camp life. Copies of this banned journal were successfully concealed from the guards to be smuggled home, and can be seen at the Lancashire Infantry Museum. Chris Given-Wilson writes with warmth and humour, to reveal both the best and the worst of human nature. This book should be read by everyone, but perhaps especially all proud Lancastrians.

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INGLEBOROUGH is the most iconic of the Three Peaks, probably the best known and most recognisable hill in the Yorkshire Dales. For more than two centuries, it has been a magnet for visitors, who have come to marvel at its majestic profile, to scale its challenging slopes, or to explore the enigmatic remains of the ‘hillfort’ on its summit. Turner, Ruskin, Southey and Wordsworth all captured it in paint or in words. Aristocratic travellers felt obliged to include the mountain and its caves in their itineraries. And for millennia Ingleborough has helped provide for those who lived around it – with peat for domestic fuel, stone for building and lime-burning, and pasture for sheep and cattle. In the distant past it acted as a place for communal gatherings and ritual. This beautiful new edition explores Ingleborough and its immediate surroundings in all its varied aspects, to create what is in essence the biography of a mountain. The author – a long-time Ingleborough enthusiast and scholar – describes how people and landscape have interacted over the centuries in an accessible, readable manner which will appeal to visitors and local people alike.

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Otters are charismatic and enchanting animals, with universal appeal, but most people will never see one in the wild. Leighton Moss is one of the best places in England to connect with these elusive creatures, although even here it is unusual to see one out of the water. More typical would be a tantalising glimpse of a distant head or tail disappearing into the reedbed. Yet in this unique and revealing book are mesmerising fi rst-hand accounts of many close and intimate encounters, collected over a decade of almost daily observations. With fascinating insight and attention to detail, patiently and quietly observing and recording, Elaine Prince follows the fortunes of eight families of otters as they mate, hunt, play and raise their young. The result is this engaging and invaluable volume, which contributes significantly to our knowledge and will delight anyone who loves otters and the natural world in general.

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This book is different from other books on York. Contained within its pages are hugely appealing photographic glimpses of how people lived, worked and played in the city a century ago, images full of human history, and so much more than the usual street scenes. All of life is here: children, soldiers, blacksmiths, revellers, shopkeepers, families, and some that delight in their mystery! But all is revealed by the authors in the rich captions accompanying each picture, allowing us to view and understand York as never before.

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Those who practised magic often made notebooks. Based on surviving evidence, this unique volume is an imagining of a seventeenth century spell book that might have been written by Lancashire `witch' Jennet Device. It gives an intriguing and entertaining insight into our ancestors' traditional beliefs, and is sure to bewitch all readers!

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From pre-war murmurings to postwar memorials, John Fidler’s engaging account of Lancaster in World War II draws on first-hand recollections, newspaper articles and museum resources to tell the tale of how the city fared with dignity and resilience in this most difficult of times. • A wonderful insight into the character of the people of Lancaster • Perfect reading, whether for those old enough to remember, or for anyone who wants to learn more about the history of the city • A great stocking filler or extra birthday gift!

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Copenhagen Street was no different from any street in any industrial town or city in the 1950s. Its landscape was identical to streets in Bolton, Birmingham or Bermondsey during this decade. Not only were the streets similar, their inhabitants all had the same tales to tell too. These people were working class, living from week to week, most just managing to pay the rent. Unfortunately, some could not. This book describes one such street, home to a community of ordinary hardworking and poor families. Yes, there was hardship, as they struggled to get by on too little in postwar Britain. But they didn’t give up, instead showing a remarkable resilience, an ability to bounce back in adversity, and often great humour: `Debt, Elsie?’ a woman proclaimed to her neighbour, as she pointed to her headscarf. `We’re in debt up to ’ere, love. I just wish we were taller!’ If your street in the fifties was cobbled, and lined with tiny terraced houses. If its scarred pavements were chalked for hopscotch, and its lampposts used as cricket stumps. If your family hid from the rent man’s purposeful knock, and you asked for a penn’orth of scratchings from the chippy, then this book will help you recall those hard but happy days when you were a kid.

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Alderley Park Discovered is written by former AstraZeneca chemist George Hill, whose carefully researched text is presented in a wonderfully lively and readable style. The 400-acre site is a unique and beautiful natural environment with a rich, varied history, beginning with the creation of the Park by the Stanley family from the sixteenth century. It is also home to a diverse range of wildlife, and George Hill's considerable knowledge in this area reveals its wealth in the middle section of the book. He then tells of the Park's remarkable scientific inception by ICI, moving on to its huge growth under Zeneca and AstraZeneca, revealing the inside stories of the groundbreaking heart and cancer drugs discovered on the site. Now, under the auspices of Manchester Science Partnerships, Alderley Park has become a hub for Life Sciences, and is set to be developed for new residential and leisure purposes into the future. This fascinating, lavishly illustrated and beautifully produced book will be of huge appeal to anyone with connections to the Park, including current and former employees, local people and historians.

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Philip Payton’s history of the great county of Sussex is a masterly piece of work. Combining sound academic research with a genuine talent for writing, this superb new book tells the story of Sussex from ancient times to the present day, exploring some very interesting themes along the way. “In writing this book I have been struck by just how much Sussex history is `invasion’ and fear of invasion. From those early hunter-gatherers to twenty-fi rstcentury migrants, such `invasions’ have often been enriching. But there have also been invasions on the grand scale, bringing death and destruction and sometimes wholesale upheavals in governance, religion and culture. Which brings us to another strong theme: violence. Civil confl ict, again detectable from earliest times, has been a regular feature of Sussex life, and the Civil War itself had a particular and vivid Sussex dimension. Most astonishing of all, perhaps, is the violence endemic in the Sussex countryside in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries – encompassing smuggling, mutinies, riots, and protests – an aspect of the county’s past that has almost disappeared from popular memory.”

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Since the foundation of the town by King John, Liverpool has had a church by the river. Over the following centuries dozens more churches came and went, but the imprint of the activity of the Parish of Liverpool on the city and people was profound. Particularly until the mid-nineteenth century (and at times afterwards) the history of the town was inseparable from her church, and their unusually strong relationship is not replicated in other cities. Control of the church sat with the corporation (down to the council’s instruction to the incumbent in 1612 to get his hair cut!), and the town claimed ownership of the church and its contents. Between the seventeenth and the nineteenth centuries the health and social care for the town was run from the church under the Elizabethan Poor Law. A beautiful book that makes essential and fascinating reading for anyone who loves Liverpool and its rich history.

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On a perfect summer’s day in August – as a faint breeze cooled the heat of the noonday sun and gently lifted the flags to display their mottoes and emblems – a huge crowd, mainly of working people, gathered on St Peter’s Field in Manchester to discuss the universal right to vote that we now all take for granted. Conspicuously present at the meeting were women, the breeze dishevelling their long hair as they enthusiastically doffed their hats to cheer. Suddenly, before the proceedings could begin, the peaceful crowd was savagely dispersed, the work of charging cavalrymen wielding recently sharpened sabres, backed up by the truncheons of the constabulary and the bayonets of the infantry. When the screams had subsided and the dust had settled on the blood-stained ground, the true horror of the attack started to become clear. Over 650 were injured and more than 17 died, many women and children among them Drawing on eight surviving casualty lists, full of information about the victims and their attackers, Professor Michael Bush gives us the first truly objective assessment of the day’s events. He shows that this was no mere act of dispersal. It was an act of terror and humiliation worthy of the epithet `massacre’, and unequalled in the history of Britain.

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This lavishly produced book brings together an impressive amount of new historical research which seeks to answer this question, providing fresh interpretations of Leicester's history since 1800. The chapters analyse the events, changes and characteristics that have shaped the city and given it its distinctive identity. The sights, sounds and smells of the city in the twenty-first century are products of cumulative layers of history, layers which are peeled back by a specially assembled team of historians, all of whom have lived and worked in Leicester for many years. The result is an important book which helps us to understand the city's past, so that we may better understand the present and know how to approach the future. Above all, this fascinating volume demonstrates that Leicester is a quietly confident city built on firm historical foundations of which Leicester citizens of today can feel very proud.

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Just like Robert Tanitch's critically acclaimed book on the London stage in the twentieth century, this wonderful new book is 'fascinating - absolutely wonderful for finding what you aren't looking for'. Presented chronologically, the concise and well-crafted entries describe all of the major new plays and revivals, great actors, famous performances and spectacular productions, with a wicked sprinkling of acerbic reviews and spicy criticism. Over 250 contemporary illustrations of theatres, actors, playbills and productions help evoke the dramatic atmosphere of a period in which the lavish was expected - including erupting volcanoes, one performance with a cast of 650, and a reconstruction of Henley Regatta, complete with real boats and 200 tons of water. This is a joyous celebration of 100 years of all things theatrical. A total pleasure to dip into - and a real feast for the eye - this book is a must for theatre-lovers the world over.

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Haworth parsonage and village will forever be linked inextricably with one nineteenth-century literary family. For it was here, in 1821, that Patrick Bront, an Irish Anglican clergyman, came from Thornton to be curate. He brought his three young daughters and son to Haworth, and it was here that the sisters grew up to become quite the most remarkable literary phenomenon of the century. As children, they knew the streets and the houses, the moors and the people. And, as Michael Baumber shows, many of the characters in the Bront novels were based upon real Haworth folk - some of whom recognised themselves in the women's novels and were not at all happy with how they had been portrayed - while the moors above the village figure prominently and famously as the haunt of the brooding Heathcliff in Emily's greatest work "Wuthering Heights". Patrick Bront the curate was himself a notable character in the history of the village, and his role in the social, public and religious life of the village is explored at several points. Surprisingly, the Bront novels mention little about the textile industry which by that time had become such a dominant force in the district's economy. Indeed, the industrial development of the region was such an important and all-consuming fact of life in early Victorian Haworth that it forms a major subject of this new book. The Bront's did, however, describe life in the district's rural homes, schools and communities at a time of particularly harsh living conditions and appalling death rates in the new industrial community of Haworth. The village's public health record was poor well into the twentieth century, and Patrick Bront endured the deaths from tuberculosis (or other illnesses aggravated by it) of all four of his children between 1848 and 1855. Yet, as Michael Baumber's highly readable new book shows, the history of Haworth actually stretches back millennia: his book tells the whole story of the Haworth district from the early Mesolithic right up to the popular tourist magnet that the village now becomes during the summer months. The book also features the hamlets of Near and Far Oxenhope and Stanbury, providing a clear and illuminating account of how Haworth developed in the particular way that it did. Fully illustrated, with many rare old photographs, this book offers many new insights into the village and also its occasionally ambivalent relationship with its most famous literary residents.

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From Furness to Liverpool, and from the Wyre estuary to Manchester and Warrington - civil war actions, battles, sieges and skirmishes took place in virtually every corner of Lancashire. Presenting the history of the Lancashire civil wars, this work explains the events which our ancestors witnessed in the cause either of king or parliament.

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Chief Superintendant Ian Hunter of the CID, retired, is a good old fashioned copper. He has been at the heart of the investigations into some of the Lancashire's most notorious murders, including the 'Handless Corpse' Case, the 'Black Panther', and the 'Mad Dog of Pudsey'. In this revealing book, Detective Hunter tells us how, in these and other hideous murders across the counrty, the perpetrators were finally brought to justice. Modern science can certainly help to convict a criminal, but as these accounts show all too clearly, without instinct, observation and sheer bloody hard work at the start, no case would ever be solved.

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The Sandhole was Preston’s place of debauchery and shame. But Victorian morality ensured that it never appeared on any town maps, and despite regular reports in the newspapers of the time, it doesn’t even survive in folk memory. It is a part of Preston’s history that has been completely lost. Until now. Local author and historian John Garlington came to the Sandhole, metaphorically speaking, by accident, while researching his family history. After some hesitation, he decided to explore further, uncovering a world of poverty, desperation and barbarism, inhabited by those who never really had any chances in life. This carefully researched book is revealing, readable and important. Not to be missed.

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The thirty-three cases in this excellent book give a unique and fascinating insight into life in the Victorian period, in Liverpool and beyond. Although murder can never be condoned, it is clear from the accounts of the lives of the accused and their victims that the world they inhabited was a harsh one, where people were pushed to the very end of their tethers on a daily basis. It seems little wonder sometimes that people snapped under the strain, and this is clearly what happened in some of the cases described here. Others, however, are much more brutal and premeditated and still have the ability to shock 150 years on.

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Interest in local history just continues to grow. For the professional and amateur alike, in the context of the local experience the past becomes real and immediate, as the stories of individuals, families and communities emerge from our research. And now more than ever, a wealth of primary and secondary source material is within everyone's reach. This invaluable book, written by one of our most eminent and experienced local historians, and now completely updated, provides clear, wise and always practical advice about the process of research and writing. It gives essential guidance on a wide range of key topics, including finding sources; transcribing, analysing and interpreting evidence; writing; historical perspectives and methods; and ways to present and publish the finished product. Using examples and exercises the author guides the reader through the whole process. Written with humour and understanding, and attractively illustrated, this book is an enjoyable and fascinating introduction to the subject, especially useful to those who enjoy local history but wish to write and possibly publish, and to students on local history courses who want authoritative guidance on the preparation of dissertations and theses.

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On 10 October 1810, 27 men came together to form the Independent Order of Oddfellows, Manchester Unity. This book portrays the life of the Oddfellows since its birth. It is also suitable for historians, those connected with the study of friendly societies, and those interested in British social history.

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Oxfordshire is full of the weird, wonderful & mysterious. From Faringdon to Banbury, Henley to the edge of the Cotswolds, and not forgetting Oxford itself, local author Mike White shines a light into the darkness to chill, amuse, surprise and, above all, entertain. Standing stones that do more than stand, odd & out-of-place animals, highwaymen & other ne’er-do-wells, eerie lights in the skies, riotous behaviour of various sorts, witches & cunning folk, both cursing & curing, and, of course, a plethora of ghost stories. 'Sometimes I wonder whether it is possible to step outside the door in Oxfordshire without running into something slightly supernatural.'

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This informative and entertaining book, written by well-known Canterbury historian, Doreen Rosman, explores 500 often overlooked years in the life of the city. In these readable and well-illustrated pages can be found accounts of the destruction of Becket’s famous shrine and Canterbury’s great monasteries; tales of hundreds of Protestant refugees who brought new weaving skills to Kent; the story of disgruntled citizens who rioted against a parliamentary ban on Christmas festivities; and insights into the lives of the Georgian social élite. The author traces the development of the city, its industries, military connexions, and leisure activities. She tells of its devastation by German bombers, but also charts its renaissance with the construction of new shops, housing estates, schools, and universities. Throughout it all, the cathedral’s great Bell Harry Tower, which was completed around 1500, has continued to soar over the rooftops, a welcoming landmark for pilgrims long ago and for the thousands of students and tourists who come to Canterbury today.

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RECIPE FOR A GRAND DAY OUT Ingredients: This brilliant book Walking boots Sense of fun & curiosity An empty stomach Instructions: 1. Choose one of the easy circular walks 2. Walk through gorgeous countryside 3. Enjoy snippets of history & folklore 4. Partake of food and drink at some of the great pubs and cafés suggested 5. Go home happy and refreshed! From Fleetwood to Walney Island, make the best of one of the most beautiful bays in Britain using this entertaining guide.

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This fascinating book, by a leading historian of the city, tells Manchester’s story from the Romans to the first steam-powered factories, showing how the centuries before the Industrial Revolution formed the foundation for the city’s later greatness. The Origins of Manchester is highly readable, scholarly, well illustrated and wide-ranging. It is certain to appeal to anyone with an interest in this great city.

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Primrose Hill exercises a hold upon the imagination of everyone who climbs it. The site of William Blake's vision of the sun, and the subject of one of W.H. Auden's earliest poems, it is a green sanctuary offering superb and ever-changing views over London. Long before it became a public park in 1842, Primrose Hill attracted duellists, poets, revolutionaries, soldiers and sportsmen, as well as prospective developers and large numbers of ordinary Londoners. Martin Sheppard's scintillating history of Primrose Hill, one of London's great landmarks, recounts the many remarkable events on the hill over the centuries. He also conveys the everyday experience of visitors to it since it first became a popular place of excursion in the eighteenth century.

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This lavishly produced book brings together an impressive amount of new historical research which seeks to answer this question, providing fresh interpretations of Leicester's history since 1800. The chapters analyse the events, changes and characteristics that have shaped the city and given it its distinctive identity. The sights, sounds and smells of the city in the twenty-first century are products of cumulative layers of history, layers which are peeled back by a specially assembled team of historians, all of whom have lived and worked in Leicester for many years. The result is an important book which helps us to understand the city's past, so that we may better understand the present and know how to approach the future. Above all, this fascinating volume demonstrates that Leicester is a quietly confident city built on firm historical foundations of which Leicester citizens of today can feel very proud.

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An authoritative and complete guide, by a range of expert contributors, to exploring the natural history of Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside. Lavishly illustrated in full colour throughout. `Wow! This is a real classic. Every sort of living thing is here, whether it swims, slithers, walks, creeps, crawls, flies or stands resolutely rooted to its appointed spot, safe in the county of the red rose. This is your personal guide to a wonderland overflowing with fascinating, really wild life, there for you and your family to discover.' (From the foreword by David Bellamy.) Take a walk on the wild side in the old county of Lancashire and you will be rewarded with a cornucopia of living things. From the dizzy heights of Leck Fell to deep under the sea in Morecambe Bay, you are in for lots of surprises, big and small. You never really know what you are going to see next, but whatever it is this book will give you all the fascinating facts you could want. Red squirrels in Formby, sealife in Morecambe, birds in Bowland and otters on the Hodder and Ribble; read this book and wherever you wander, a walk in town or countryside will never be the same again. `Wildlife of Lancashire' is aimed at anyone who enjoys exploring the natural wonders of our region, and is packed full of superb images of treasures both common and rare. Intended to stimulate the general reader rather than inform the expert, the book is written in a clear and readable style, making it a real joy to use. The Wildlife Trust has been working for the past forty years to try to ensure that the wildlife of both town and countryside will be cherished by future generations.

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