Search results for ""amberley publishing""

Hugh Llewelyn has travelled throughout Britain to gather this collection of his photographs of the diesel shunters. In addition to the main classes deployed by British Railways from the 1940s up to the present time, he also covers many of the rarer engines to be found working the docks and industrial centres. The shunters are shown in great detail and the images include not only the preserved examples, but also many of the neglected engines either in storage or abandoned. The result is a fabulous visual reference for rail enthusiasts with a wealth of detail for model makers.

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The discovery earlier this year in Winchester of human remains, almost certainly of Alfred the Great or his eldest son, has sparked renewed interest in England's most celebrated monarch. King Alfred's historical achievements, saving his kingdom from invasion by marauding Vikings and attempting both to expand and educate his realm, made him the founding mythic figure of England. The only English sovereign ever to be called 'the Great' - despite the fact that he was never even king of all England - Alfred used to be remembered as much through the stories told about him as his recorded accomplishments. This book offers a vivid picture of Alfred and his England, a place snatched from extinction at the hands of Viking invaders, but also of the way that history is written, and how much myth has to do with that. The book brings this story right up to date with the tale of the strange journey of Alfred's mortal remains, and their final discovery in his capital of Winchester.

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Herne Bay rose to prominence in the 1830s when a group of London investors recognised its potential and built a pleasure pier and promenade here, making it one of the UK’s earliest seaside resorts. Its popularity increased when the railway reached this part of Kent and continued to do so throughout the Victorian era. However, like many other seaside resorts, its popularity as a holiday destination steadily declined after the Second World War when there was an increasing preference for overseas travel. Following extensive seafront regeneration in the 1990s, a jetty was built to create a small harbour for leisure boats and from where tourists could take boat trips to a seal-watching site in the Thames Estuary. The Victorian seafront gardens were fully restored, as was the Central Bandstand, after many years of neglect and closure to the public. Today, Herne Bay is slowly regaining its popularity as a holiday resort and is a firm favourite with daytrippers. Its glory days are slowly returning.

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The impact of people and places in Wolstanton and May Bank is recorded in this pictorial record that recognises the contribution of village notables, dear old friends and long-gone institutions. A wealth of photographs depicting the joys of community life mingle with contemporary pictures, showing, often with dramatic impact, the shocking demolition of facilities we perhaps took for granted, such as The Plough, the Oxford Arms and The Marsh Head. Elsewhere, images of former shops such as Holdridge's, Swettenham's and the Spinning Wheel show how High Street shopping patterns have changed. Author Mervyn Edwards has only ever lived in Wolstanton and May Bank, and through this unique selection of old and new images, he presents a tribute to the place he happily calls home.

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At the beginning of 1941, Britain stood alone against Germany and Italy. The Battle of the Atlantic was in full swing. Hitler’s U-boats were operating in packs, descending on convoys and sinking many millions of tons of shipping. In May, the formidable German battleship Bismarck left port, heading out into the North Atlantic. After sinking the battlecruiser HMS Hood off Iceland, she was eventually cornered by the Royal Navy in the Bay of Biscay and sunk herself. A major breakthrough came when a naval Enigma code machine was captured from the U-boat U-110. With the attack by Hitler on Russia in June, convoys began to be sent up the coast of Norway to the northern ports of Murmansk and Archangel, carrying war material to support the struggling Soviets. December 1941 saw the war become a truly global conflict, with the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Indonesia bringing the United States into the war. Using many rarely seen images, Phil Carradice tells the story of 1941: The War at Sea.

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In the 1800s, a shepherd's hut or living van would have been an unremarkable sight in many regions of rural Britain. By the 1970s most lay abandoned as farming methods and industry left them behind. Today the humble shepherd's hut is making a comeback and these quirky collectors' items are fast developing a cult status of their own. Original huts and living vans command high sums and replica huts are being built in high numbers to satisfy demand. However, many who see one, have one or want one know little of their origin or the differences between them. This beautifully illustrated book explores the differences and takes a look behind the door at what living and operating in these small mobile spaces was really like.

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Devizes is a typical bustling Wiltshire market town. Architecturally the town boasts a variety of buildings spanning almost a thousand years, and over 500 are currently listed. The town, located centrally in the county of Wiltshire, continues to thrive as a commercial hub despite losing the canal to industrial traffic and the railway by the mid-1960s. A range of industries have made Devizes their home, including Brown & May and Wadworth's, and there has been major development in and around town. This series of images - many not published before - has been drawn from the collection housed at the Wiltshire Museum. The museum is also the recipient of all profits made by this book.

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How to fly, navigate, drop bombs and man the turrets of the legendary bomber using the manuals and instructions supplied by the RAF during the Second World War. An amazing array of leaflets, books and manuals were issued by the Air Ministry during the Second World War to aid pilots and crew flying the Lancaster bomber, and here for the first time they are collated into a single book. An introduction is supplied by expert aviation historian (and ex-military pilot) Gordon Wilson. Other sections within include information on the engineering of the Lancaster, the bomber crews, navigation, bomb-aiming, night operations and the famous Dam Buster raids.

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Christened by the Vikings 'the village by the cross', Crosby was a remote farming settlement until the advent of the railway. Little Crosby is still a village, but Great Crosby has been transformed into a leafy suburb of Liverpool. Recently, its centre has changed dramatically, but illuminating traces of its picturesque and historic past remain. Little Crosby retains its Catholic character and rustic look, with Crosby Hall, home of the Blundell family, an intrinsic part of the community. Blundellsands was founded by the Blundells in the late nineteenth century, designed on spacious lines for the affluent members of Liverpool society as a haven from the work place. They were attracted by the wonderful views over the shore from Liverpool to the Wirral, and the mountains of North Wales and the Irish Sea. It has successfully weathered the ravages of erosion and developers, and is now graced by the iron men of Antony Gormley's Another Place.

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Flying boats have been a familiar sight in the Solent since the dawn of aviation. Two of Britain's major manufactures, Saunders-Roe and Supermarine, were based in Cowes and Woolston respectively. The area has been home to flying boats of Imperial Airways and, latterly, BOAC and Aquila Airways. With a terminal at Hythe and then Southampton Docks, one could view not just majestic ocean liners but huge flying boats too, from the Empire boats of Imperial Airways to the majestic Saunders-Roe Princess, built in the post-war period. During wartime, BOAC operated their vital flying boat services from Poole Harbour. In fact, BOAC was based at Poole for longer than Southampton - a fact frequently overlooked, mostly due to wartime censorship. Post-war route expansion was also undertaken while still at Poole. Military aviation in the area saw flying boats operated from RAF Calshot and RAF Hamworthy, with types ranging from elderly biplanes to Sunderlands. Mike Phipp takes us on a tour of the Solent area and Poole Harbour's flying boat heritage using many previously unpublished images of the aircraft plus the men and women that flew and maintained them.

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Wales is a land of ghosts and dark legends, strange animals and unexplained phenomena. From the Abergele Ghost Ship to the Witch Lakes of the Brecon Beacons, Alvin Nicholas takes the reader on a comprehensive A–Z tour. Supernatural Wales is the definitive guide to Welsh ghosts, hauntings, monsters and mysteries. Here you will find haunted castles and manor houses, mountain spectres and ghost ships. Learn how to track mystery panthers, try your hand at ghost hunting and explore a land of lake monsters, sea serpents, vampires and werewolves. With well over 100 entries, Supernatural Wales covers everything from spooky secret passages to phantom armies and mystery light phenomena. Thoroughly researched, this book includes new information and first-hand research that will lead you to the heart of mysterious Wales. The book includes never-before-published OS grid references so you can walk where ghosts walk and stand, if you dare, where disembodied voices are heard and where grim goblins, spectral horsemen and dogs of darkness appear. Sure to delight both armchair enthusiasts and serious researchers alike, Supernatural Wales is packed with fascinating stories and intriguing information that will compel readers to refer to this book again and again.

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Cork City, Ireland's southern capital, is a place of tradition, continuity, change and legacy. It is a place of direction and experiment by people, of ambition and determination, experiences and learning, of ingenuity and innovation and a place of nostalgia and memory. The pictures within this book provide insights into how such a place came into being and focuses on Cork one hundred years ago. Cork's urban landscape is filled with messages about the past. As a port town, Cork was and still is strongly connected to the outside world - this small international city is ambitious in its ventures and links to a world of adventure and exploration. The photographs within the book help to show the human experience and sense of place and pride in the city, one hundred years ago and today. Views of streets, public spaces, churches, the docks, and an international exhibition to name a few, capture the energy and drive of a city - the legacies of which still linger on in the southern capital of Ireland.

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Lymington has long been in need of an illustrated history worthy of its past. From a Saxon settlement onwards as an internationally famous yachting centre, Jude James and Roland Stott present a beautiful and unique historical journey. This comparative volume looks at the contrasts between the industrial past of Lymington as a salt town, its ship building and local fishing industry, and the changes up to the present day. The important role of the Solent is examined, and also surrounding areas. Lymington Through Time not only provides a guide to the industrial past but also a record of the everyday, shops, businesses, and residents at work and play. This fascinating and colourful journey back in time will surprise and delight residents and visitors alike.

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The North Wales landscape contains everything from steelworks and collieries to national parks and seaside resorts. Thus, there was plenty of traffic to interest the various railway companies that would be established in the area. The main reason for a railway in North Wales, however, was to create a speedier link between Westminster and Ireland. Although the most important railway in North Wales was the Chester & Holyhead, the first to enter the locality was the Shrewsbury & Chester Railway, opened in 1846. The C&HR was opened two years later to connect London with Ireland via Holyhead. From these early beginnings, we explore the whole history of the railways in the area, through mergers and grouping, and the trains that ran on the lines, from 'The Irish Mail' to 'The Welsh Dragon' and summer excursion trains. Despite the 'Modernisation Plan' and 'Beeching Report', the lines to Holyhead and the Cambrian would, once again, see steam as preserved locos headed excursions from 1989 onwards, reliving those wonderful steam days. In Steam Around North Wales, Mike Hitches explores the railway history of the area in the glory days of steam. Days when the railway formed an important part of the infrastructure and thousands of passengers used the trains. Mike covers shed allocations, timetables and preserved lines in this well-illustrated book.

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Thomas Hardy celebrated the glorious county of Dorset through his writings. Today our vision of Dorset is very much that fixed by Hardy in novels ranging from Far From the Madding Crowd and The Mayor of Casterbridge to Tess of the d'Urbervilles and Jude the Obscure. Hurriedly produced in instalments for magazines, they were then reworked by Hardy with care and finesse, and turned into world classics. Steve Wallis revisits the Dorset heartland of Hardy's Wessex, and illustrates the changes that have taken place using old and new images. He charts Thomas Hardy's life and work through the places he knew and the locations he immortalised, from his birthplace at Stinsford, to his old age at Max Gate, with Swanage, Sturminster Newton, Weymouth and Wimborne in between. Join the author on this unique and nostalgic tour through time.

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Few towns conjure up such stirring impressions as Blackpool. Cheerfully unpretentious and brash with all the trimmings one would expect of a traditional seaside resort, Blackpool remains the iconic resort town, but there is more to its richly coloured history than you might think. This absorbing collection of images reveals the changing face of the town during the past century.These images help highlight Blackpool's remarkable transformation from a fledgling resort. Aspects of everyday life are featured here, including social occasions, the pleasure steamers that once plied their trade from the piers, seaside entertainment and old cherished street scenes of bygone Blackpool. This book is a valuable pictorial history, which will awaken nostalgic memories for some readers, while offering a unique glimpse of the past for others.

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Yorkshire People & Coal is the third title in Peter Tuffrey's Yorkshire People series, featuring photographs from the Yorkshire Post's picture archives. This volume makes use of the wealth of pictures and information held in the Yorkshire Post's archives on the county's long association with coal. Peter believes there has never been a period in coal mining's long history as eventful as the previous forty to fifty years and many of the pictures contained here are from that time. Images have been carefully selected to show how coal has had a wide-ranging effect on Yorkshire life. Most aspects of colliery life are depicted and not surprisingly several themes dominate throughout: disasters, strikes and pit closures. It might be that coal is becoming a fading memory to those who lived through the trials and tribulations of the past fifty or more years and present generations might find it hard to imagine a time when it was relied upon to provide heating, energy and a means of travel. However it cannot be denied that coal has left an indelible mark on Yorkshire's long industrial history and its final glory years are aptly portrayed in Yorkshire People & Coal.

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In 1066 the English were conquered by the infamous William the Conqueror. However, the English did not just roll over and die before their oppressors; far from it. For over five years the English violently rebelled against the invading Normans, murdering quislings, burning towns and sacking cathedrals. Peter Rex tells the story of each rebellion, their often colourful leaders (including Hereward the Wake, Edgar the Aetheling and Eadric the Wild) and the rebels themselves, whom the Normans called 'silvatici' or forest dwellers. He also considers William's attempts at pacifying the English, especially his notorious 'harrying' of the North, which amounted to genocide. For those who thought it was all over with King Harold's death, this book reinforces the view that the English are not so easily overcome.

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Stroud is the capital of the south-western Cotswolds, located at the divergence of the five Golden Valleys, named after the monetary wealth created in the processing of wool from the plentiful supply of water power. Five populated valleys converge at Stroud, ten miles south-west of Cheltenham, creating a bustle of hills. The bustle is not a new phenomenon. During the heyday of the wool trade the River Frome powered 150 mills, creating thirsty workers in need of refreshment. In this the fifth of his series of Pubs Through Time, Geoff Sandles takes us on an affectionate visual journey through the valleys' watering holes, and uses old and new images, as well as entertaining captions to bring the history of the Stroud Valleys' pubs to life. From Amberley to Woodchester, Stroud Valleys Pubs Through Time will delight and surprise those who regularly frequent these establishments and know the area well.

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Living in a 1966 Albion Chieftain lorry, converted to a home, Traveller Dave has spent much of the past two decades in Europe, working on farms and travelling around, all the time taking photographs of the other interesting traveller homes he has seen. From mid-1980s Glastonbury to France and Portugal, all manner of vehicles are shown here, creatively converted to full-time homes. Making their homes from redundant buses and lorries, travellers have made a fantastic variety of one-off mobile homes using their own creativity and materials they have recycled or restored and Traveller Dave has managed to photograph and document these colourful vehicles from the early 1980s onwards. Inside the pages of Traveller Homes, Traveller Dave takes us on a journey through the years, showing us how this alternative lifestyle has created a multitude of unique vehicles, each tailored to its owner's personal style and taste. Be surprised and amazed at the variety, creativity and style to be found within.

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Very few buildings that stood in the centre of Plymouth before the War still remain. The city was devastated by enemy bombing especially during 1941. Many of the old, narrow, congested streets were destroyed completely, changing the face of Plymouth forever. After the War, a new modern City Centre was built with first class stores and spacious streets. Vast changes have also occurred in the areas surrounding the centre. Some areas are now totally unrecognizable but often a bit of old wall, post or fence will be exactly the same as it was a hundred years ago making it easier to work out where an old building, factory or farmhouse might have once stood. This book will prove appealing to both people who are interested in the history of the city and also to those who are interested in how the area has changed over the years.

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During the First World War, Britain was nearly starved into submission, as so many ships were lost to German submarines. Basics such as butter, eggs, milk and meat were in short supply, so the British public had to find creative ways of making food go further. The Great War Cook Book gives us the flavour of life on the Home Front. With over 500 wartime recipes, author May Byron offers unusual alternatives to traditional ingredients to produce tasty and nutritional meals. From Ox-Brain Fritters and Fish Custard to Shepherd’s Pie and Trench Pudding, there is something for everyone. Some are outlandish and challenging and some familiar, but all offer the opportunity to make more for less. In the words of author May Byron, ‘If you cannot have the best, make the best of what you have.'

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A key element of the American dream is an unwavering belief in its uniqueness. Somehow, it has become an article of faith that the United States emerged from the political mists of 1776 as a fully formed and unparalleled political entity without a past and with a special destiny. America: Made in Britain provides an important corrective to this received wisdom about the US and an original insight into its ‘Special Relationship’ with the UK. Author Tom Arms explains how the United States was the result of political, social, economic, philosophical and religious developments that preceded the arrival of the Pilgrim Fathers by centuries and which continued to be the overwhelming influence on the political development of America during the colonial period and beyond. The colonists were almost entirely from the British Isles. They were governed by British laws. British philosophers guided their thinking. British economic needs determined their trade and future commercial developments. British religion, wars, suppression and political debates spurred immigration. The fight to restore cherished British rights and liberties drove colonists to the brink of rebellion and beyond. The Declaration of Independence and the US constitution are marked by British philosophical, legal and political fingerprints. The Magna Carta and English common law are regularly cited in US Supreme Court judgements. Because of this, what happened in Britain centuries ago has an impact on American life today. And what was done by the British in America also influences contemporary Britain. The Special Relationship that exists between the United Kingdom and the United States did not start with the Atlantic Charter. Its roots were laid before the arrival of the first Jamestown settlers in 1607 and have spread to link the two countries at every conceivable level.

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It was madness: Grand Prix drivers racing flat out from opposite ends of one long runway, only to turn away from each other at the last moment at corners improvised with hay bales. But such was the major part of the first Grand Prix course ever to be devised at Silverstone. Fortunately there were no head-on collisions, and the next year the organisers hit on a more sensible arrangement. But none of the many subsequent Grand Prix at Silverstone, for all the ever-increasing glamour and hype, have quite engendered the same excitement as that very first one in 1948, even though it was held on a long-disused airfield bereft of modern amenities. Silverstone’s First Grand Prix is a vivid recreation of that important day for British motor sport. But it is more than just the description of one historic race. We follow the various leading participants, both drivers and organisers, as fate draws them inexorably to Silverstone from different parts of the world and from very varied experiences, not least in the recent war. And after that one glorious day in early October is over and the RAC’s International Grand Prix of 1948 has become part of motor racing history, we learn what fate had further in store for them.

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In 2024 the determinedly independent Lincolnshire brewing firm of Batemans will celebrate its 150th anniversary. Nestling beside the Steeping River in the little town of Wainfleet, Batemans’ Salem Bridge Brewery forms a quintessential English scene – including an ivy-covered old windmill whose image is Batemans’ symbol to this day. A family business throughout all that time, Batemans has grown from small beginnings to become justly famous for their award-winning ‘Good Honest Ales’, which are mainly available in the East Midlands, Yorkshire and East Anglia. Along the way they have met and overcome many obstacles. This richly illustrated and thoroughly researched book takes you through the full story of Batemans, blending history with recollections to produce a fitting tribute to this unique firm.

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The acclaimed author of Hitler’s Art Thief takes readers into the shadowy world of the aristocrats and business leaders on both sides of the Atlantic who secretly aided Hitler and Nazi Germany. Hitler said, ‘I am convinced that propaganda is an essential means to achieve one’s aims.’ Enlisting Europe’s aristocracy, international industrialists, and the political elite in Britain and America, Hitler spun a treacherous tale everyone wanted to believe: he was a man of peace. Central to his deception was an international high society Black Widow, Princess Stephanie Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Schillingsfürst, whom Hitler called ‘his dear princess.’ She, and others, conspired for Hitler at the highest levels of the British aristocracy and spread their web to America’s wealthy powerbrokers. Hitler’s aristocrats became his eyes, listening posts, and mouthpieces in the drawing rooms, cocktail parties, and weekend retreats of Europe and America. Among these ‘gentlemen spies’ and ‘ladies of mystery’ were the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Lady Nancy Astor, Charles Lindbergh, and two of the Mitford sisters. They were the trusted voices disseminating his political and cultural propaganda about the ‘New Germany,’ brushing aside the Nazis’ atrocities. Distrustful of his own Foreign Ministry, Hitler used his aristocrats to open the right doors in Great Britain and the United States, creating a formidable fifth column within government and financial circles. In a tale of drama and intrigue, Hitler’s Aristocrats uncovers the battle between these influencers and those who heroically opposed them.

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Hill farming is a way of life and, although the hill farmer in the north of England has changed with the times, the traditions remain strong and the dramatic upland landscape is eternal. In Hill Farming in the North of England , photographer John Bentley has had access to the world of the hill farmer. Hill farming is round-the-clock work, season to season, still predominantly done on family farms. In this book farmers at work are shown through the seasons of the year, which dictate the farming calendar, from providing winter feed for the livestock – mostly sheep and cattle – to shearing, haymaking, lambing in the spring and ‘tupping’ in the autumn, and going to sales, shows and sheepdog trials. It is a visual portrait of a remarkable way of life and part of our farming heritage. Look through these photographs and you will quickly see the unique challenges of hill farming in the stunning but often harsh landscape of the north of England.

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Peter Tucker presents a photographic survey of London’s red buses from his teenage years in the 1990s to the present day. Buses featured in this colourful publication include the classic AEC Routemaster, the sophisticated Leyland Titan, the sturdy MCW Metrobus and intriguing National Greenway. There is also extensive coverage of modern designs including the Dennis Trident, Scania OmniCity and much-hyped New Routemaster. Buses are featured in London’s diverse urban environments, everywhere from Mile End, Waterloo and Westminster to semi-rural Biggin Hill and suburban Welling.

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The North Wales railway scene has seen many changes over the years. Both freight and passenger services have been discontinued and are gone now. Apart from a few exceptions, so are many of the traditional semaphore signals associated with the route. While the picturesque qualities of the landscape endure, major engineering works have transformed many areas. Covering two decades between the late 1970s and the late 1990s, the photographs featured in this book offer a nostalgic look back to an era when locomotive haulage and first-generation DMUs were the order of the day, eventually giving way to the next generation of motive power. Superbly illustrated throughout, this book will appeal to all those with an interest in the history of the railways in this region.

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In this book John Whiteley provides a photographic survey of modern traction in the North of England in the last years of British Rail and the first years of privatisation. The photographs cover the period from the early 1960s to the 1990s. At the start of this period BR was divided into regions, with the North of England covered by the London Midland Region and North Eastern Region, and Rail Blue became the predominant livery during the 1960s. Sectorisation in the 1980s brought visible changes to the railways, including new liveries and motive power, and this process was accelerated in the decade of privatisation in the 1990s. The area covered ranges from northern Derbyshire and northern Cheshire, including Chester, to Yorkshire, Lancashire, Cumbria and up to the Scottish border, as well as in and around Manchester and Liverpool. This photographic survey of two decades of modern traction in a period of great change in the railways of the North of England will appeal to all those with an interest in the history of the railways of this region.

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Haverfordwest is the county town of Pembrokeshire. In the Middle Ages, the town grew around its Norman castle and because of its strategic position on major routes in South West Wales from the coast, it soon became an important commercial centre for the area. In Secret Haverfordwest local author Patricia Swales Barker looks at the history of Haverfordwest below the surface of the town, from the changing story of its governance through the centuries, its religious and educational foundations, how its inhabitants were cared for in sickness, poverty and old age, the administration of justice through the years, to local charities, sport and leisure activities, the importance of the River Cleddau and the town’s trading links, businesses and industries drawn to Haverfordwest and the stories behind its street names. With tales of remarkable characters, unusual events and tucked-away or disappeared historical buildings and locations, Secret Haverfordwest will appeal to all those with an interest in the history of this town in Pembrokeshire in South West Wales.

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Chatham, lying on the River Medway in Kent, grew up around its naval dockyard, various army barracks and fortifications. Over the years the face of Chatham has changed: buildings lost, many once occupied by artisans and labourers, shops, chapels and residences removed due to extensive road projects, and cinemas and theatres now replaced or redeveloped. Impossible to ignore is the town’s history as a former military-industrial complex, with its barracks demolished and a Georgian naval dockyard that has also undergone much change now a museum and heritage centre. Lost Chatham presents a portrait of this area of North Kent over the last century to recent decades that has radically changed or disappeared, showing not only industries and buildings that have gone but also people and street scenes, many popular places of entertainment and much more. This fascinating photographic history of lost Chatham will appeal to all those who live in the area or know it well, as well as those who remember it from previous decades.

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Radio Hitler follows the life of Deutschlandsender, the Nazi equivalent of BBC Radio 4, and its sister stations that transmitted to Germany and the world at large. Using first-hand interviews, archives, diaries, letters and memoirs, this book examines what Nazi radio was and what it stood for. Detailed here is the vast ‘fake news’ effort, which bombarded audiences in the Middle East, Africa, the United States and Great Britain. A light is also shone on the home service stations that, with their monumental announcements including Stalingrad, the assassination attempt on Hitler and the invasion of France, provided the soundtrack to everyday life in Nazi Germany. Details of entertainment shows and programmes designed to lift morale on the Home Front are abundant and offer a fresh insight into the psyche of the nation. The book also looks at Nazi attempts to develop television throughout Germany and in occupied France. A rich cast of characters is featured throughout, including Ernst Himmler, brother of Heinrich, who worked as technical chief at Deutschlandsender, and Lord Haw‑Haw, the infamous British mouthpiece of the Nazi propaganda machine. Nathan Morley had unlimited access to former Reich radio studios and transmitter sites in Hamburg, Berlin, and Vienna, as well as to a vast archive of recordings and transcripts. The result is a fascinating and revealing portrait of propaganda, communication and media in Nazi Germany.

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Peterborough grew up around its cathedral, originally founded as an Anglo-Saxon monastery, but it was only in the nineteenth century that this city on the edge of the Fens started to grow to its present size as one of the largest cities in the east of England. The arrival of the railways and development of new industries in the early nineteenth century brought large numbers of people to Peterborough, and the expansion continued with its designation as a New Town in the 1960s, which led to a large programme of house building and redevelopment of the city centre. A–Z of Peterborough reveals the history behind the city’s streets and buildings, industries, and the people connected with it. Alongside the famous historical connections are unusual characters, tucked-away places and unique events that are less well known. Readers will discover tales of the importance of brickmaking, the tragic accident of a Victorian lady balloonist and parachutist, a pioneering eighteenth-century botanist and riots during the First World War among many other fascinating facts in this tour of Peterborough’s history. It is fully illustrated throughout and will appeal to all those with an interest in this city in the east of England.

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The busy London Underground may seem an unlikely location for heritage train operation, especially involving steam. However, this was the world’s first Underground railway network, and the original sections were built to main line gauge using steam traction. London Transport and its successor London Underground Ltd have been acutely aware of the significance of this and have strived to preserve and present their heritage. Over the decades, open days and special trains operated over parts of the system. This included the running of steam-, diesel- and electric-hauled trains for the public to ride on, while at the same time maintaining the normal level of Underground train service on these lines. These special trains ran not only in the open-air outer sections of the network, but even on occasion through the cut-and-cover tunnel sections of central London. New signalling systems mean that this is unlikely to happen again, but the London Transport Museum continues to offer a programme of exhibitions, guided history tours and open days at the Acton museum depot. This book looks back at the principal events since 1963.

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Completed in 1841 and covering a distance of around 118 miles, the Great Western Mainline, affectionately known as Brunel’s billiards table due to the flat terrain of the route it follows, links the great cities of London and Bristol. This book covers a period of enormous change, starting with the withdrawal of the much-loved HST fleet and the introduction of the Hitachi 800/802 IET fleet. Along with the IET fleet’s introduction, the push for electrification of the route has brought about unprecedented changes not only to the route itself but also to multiple units in operation. The DMUs have largely cascaded to the west as EMUs and Class 387s have begun to dominate passenger traffic. Freight and on-track plant also feature alongside unusual visitors and railtours.

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Cambridgeshire is a large and diverse county, and this is reflected in its churches. In the south, chalk provided flints for even the grandest of churches. The Fens in the north and east had no building materials of their own, so limestone was transported from further north and may best be seen in those churches that were owned or established by monastic houses. In the former county of Huntingdonshire limestone dominates, and bricks made from the local clays make an early appearance. In this book author John E. Vigar presents a selection of the most interesting churches from across the county, including the former counties of the Isle of Ely, Huntingdonshire and Peterborough, covering every period and type of church, from simple Saxo-Norman churches such as Hauxton, to late medieval churches where money was plentiful such as Whittlesey. Former monastic houses are represented by March and Ramsey, a rare seventeenth-century church at Guyhirn and one of the most important nineteenth-century churches in England at Cambridge All Saints, as well as many other ecclesiastical gems in the county. This fascinating picture of an important part of the history of Cambridgeshire over the centuries will be of interest to all those who live in or are visiting this attractive county in England.

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Gloucester’s history stretches back almost 2,000 years to its foundation by the Romans. This city has had royal connections throughout, from the Saxon warrior queen Aethelflaed to being the burial site of King Edward II in the cathedral but has also been associated with important names in manufacturing and industry, including the Gloster Aircraft Company and the Gloucester Railway Carriage & Wagon Company, Moreland’s matches and Wall’s ice cream. The importance of Gloucester’s port in its history can also be seen today in its docks and quays. The city was besieged during the English Civil War but held out against the King’s much larger army. It also has proud military connections with the Gloucestershire Regiment. Famous names associated with Gloucester include the eighteenth-century philanthropist Robert Raikes, the banker and miser Jemmy Wood and the Victorian poet W. E. Henley, as well as legendary or folk tale figures such as King Lucius, Humpty Dumpty and Doctor Foster. Celebrating Gloucester chronicles the proud heritage of the city, its important moments and what draws so many to this dynamic place today. Illustrated throughout, this fascinating book offers a marvellous and refreshingly positive insight into Gloucester’s rich heritage, its special events and important moments. Celebrating Gloucester will be a valuable contribution to the history of the city and will provide a source of many memories to those who have known it well over the years.

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Britain’s key importance in world history was a product of its constitution and its empire, but both, in turn, were sustained and supported by Britain’s role in achieving the first Industrial Revolution. In part this was a matter of coal and steam but far more was involved. Alongside the ‘push’ factors of entrepreneurs and resources came the ‘pull’ factors of consumerism, fashion and an ability to purchase goods. There was also the context of parliamentary government, the rule of law, a society open to talent, and no internal tariff boundaries. The combination of these factors produced vital synergies. They also ensure that the history of the Industrial Revolution is the history of a country, a people, and of the factors that made them exceptional.

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In 1970 two unlikely characters were part of Flying Scotsman’s tour of America and Canada. Describing their adventure of a lifetime are Richard Hinchcliffe, who was the thirteen-year-old son of tour manager George Hinchcliffe, and Bill Wagner, at that time a twenty-one-year-old train-chasing college student from Illinois. Their intense experience from the summer of 1970 is still very much part of their lives. Now, over fifty years later, they come together again using Wagner’s magnificent photographs and Hinchcliffe’s inside story to bring you their extraordinary record of how the world’s most famous steam locomotive captured American hearts. This is the untold story of Flying Scotsman’s 1970 tour of America from Texas to Wisconsin and into Canada. It hauled a trade mission along the eastern seaboard in 1969 – good for British business, but bad for the finances of the owner Alan Pegler. In 1970 the train set off again without the trade mission, calling at smaller venues, travelling on the cheapest tracks and meeting thousands of people along the way.

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The Bailiwick of Guernsey is a cluster of small islands in the English Channel, the largest of which are Guernsey, Alderney, Sark and Herm. With a history going right back to prehistoric times, Guernsey and its neighbouring islands are rich in folklore, legends and customs. Small island communities, by their very nature, tend to have a distinct heritage based on storytelling and these tales are passed down from generation to generation. The tales often originate from the truth, even if they are altered so much over the centuries that they end up as fairy stories, so the folklore of Guernsey reveals its history. It is also the foundation of what makes the people and culture of the islands distinct through their customs and their superstitions. What local people may take for granted as ʻthe normʼ, may seem absolutely fascinating or bewildering to a visitor. In this book local author Soo Wellfair explores the folklore and legends of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, as well as some of the things that could be considered ʻquintessentially Guernseyʼ. These strange and fascinating stories are accompanied by illustrations of places featured in the text, both present-day and historical, in this hugely entertaining book.

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Lancashire and its neighbours Greater Manchester and Merseyside form one of the most populated parts of England. In this book Peter Tucker takes us on a lively photographic tour of the region’s transport scene. The journey takes us everywhere from the Fylde coast to the peaceful Lune Valley, as well as the old industrial towns of Accrington, Blackburn, Nelson and Preston. Also featured are the bustling metropolitan boroughs that make up Greater Manchester and Merseyside, plus towns as diverse as Bolton, Ramsbottom and St Helens. Buses in Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside is packed with quality photographs and information about this fascinating part of England. It is sure to delight those interested in the transport history of the North West.

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Cotherstone village in County Durham is set on the River Tees, 4 miles from Barnard Castle. Today a large and pretty village, its history goes back to the Domesday Book and it has remains of a motte-and-bailey castle dating from the 1200s. In more recent times it became a well-known destination for holidaymakers from the growing urban centres nearby, and at one time was known as ‘Little Sunderland’ because of its popularity in that city. Cotherstone has connections with Hannah Hauxwell, who became famous through the television documentary series about her harsh life as a farmer on the Pennines above the village, and through the locally produced Cotherstone cheese. This fascinating history of the village of Cotherstone in Teesdale will be of interest to all those who have lived in the village or know it well.

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Lancashire is a county of contrasts, with heavily industrialised and urbanised areas, remote mountain and moorland and an extensive coastline. These contrasts are reflected in its churches, from buildings that have stood from the Middle Ages in historic towns and villages including the county town of Lancaster, Nonconformist chapels and Georgian structures, to the churches built during the industrial and Victorian age where the wealth and population of Lancashire grew massively and people flocked to popular new leisure destinations such as Blackpool, into the modern era of the last century. In Churches of Lancashire, author David Paul explores a cross-section of historical churches throughout the county, both the well known and those waiting to be discovered by a wider audience. This fascinating picture of an important part of the history of Lancashire over the centuries will be of interest to all those who live in or are visiting this attractive county in England.

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In this fascinating book, Rover expert James Taylor explores the special relationship between the royal family and their Land Rovers. Focusing on the Royal Review Land Rovers which travelled around the Commonwealth, the book reveals the details of the Land Rovers and the special additions and coachwork for their unique role. Although a Land Rover was first presented to George VI in 1948, it was Elizabeth II and her consort Prince Philip who would cement the relationship, not only with a royal warrant but evident customer loyalty over the ensuing years. Royal and Ceremonial Land Rovers covers the various models of Land Rover, including Range Rovers, from the early series, such as State1 with its basic steering, transmission and braking systems, to the luxurious and sophisticated Range Rovers of today, bringing to life an essential part of our motoring and royal history.

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First appearing in 1972, National Express coaches have become a familiar site on the UK’s roads, and are very much a part of popular culture, celebrated in songs and on television. With many former National Express vehicles finding their way to preservation, this book explores the history of this very British brand and celebrates the history and heritage of a British institution. The book covers the operations of the business, the evolution of the National Express brand and the development of the fleet up to the latest Caetano Levante, a vehicle designed to meet the operator’s very specific requirements for accessibility. Featuring driver stories and passenger memories, together with detailed images, photographs and designs, this book celebrates 50 years of coaching history.

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When it was launched in 1974, the Volkswagen Golf succeeded in replacing the legendary Beetle and setting new standards for the family hatchback for years to come. It would become one of the top three bestselling cars in the world. With its stunning design by Giorgetto Giugiaro, founder of Ital design, the new car also incorporated significant engineering features such as a transverse engine that allowed for more internal space. In this revealing book, VW expert Richard Copping follows the story of the development of the Golf and the critical management and design decisions that would make the car such a worldwide success. The author shows how the concept of continuous development at Volkswagen led to the appearance of the versions of the Golf that are covered in this book — the Mk 2 in 1983, the Mk 3 in 1991, and the Mk IV in 1997. He explores the various design and engineering changes that took place as the Golf evolved, including increased dimensions, new engines and of course the stunningly successful GTi. The fourth generation Golf also introduced powerful but economical diesel engines. The book also covers variants such as the Jetta, Vento and Bora, which accounted for most sales in the United States. Full of fascinating information, this book is a revealing analysis of the first four versions of the Volkswagen Golf.

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Dorset’s county town of Dorchester is famous for its association with the writer Thomas Hardy but its history contains much more that has often been overlooked. Secret Dorchester & Around delves deep into the town’s lost, forgotten and hidden histories, recounting some remarkable stories. The area was an important Iron Age stronghold, the huge hill fort of Maiden Castle outside today’s town being taken over by the Romans in the first century AD. The Romans left an extensive legacy in Dorchester including an amphitheatre at Maumbury Rings which was later used as an execution site for eighty rebels from the Monmouth Rebellion condemned to death by Judge Jeffreys at the Bloody Assizes held in the town. Two centuries later, the Tolpuddle Martyrs were sentenced in Dorchester to penal servitude in Australia following their attempts to set up a trade union of agricultural workers in the nearby village of Tolpuddle. With tales of remarkable characters, unusual events and tucked-away or disappeared historical buildings and locations, Secret Dorchester & Around will appeal to all those with an interest in the history of this town in Dorset.

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