Search results for ""amberley publishing""

Dorking has long been a popular market town in the Surrey Hills. Lying on a number of major routes, in the eighteenth century the town became an important stopping place for stagecoaches between London and the south coast. Dorking’s proximity to London also attracted wealthy residents who built large estates around the town, a number of which remain today. Dorking was home not only to its market but beneath the streets there is an extensive cave system. Important roles were played in the town by the old workhouse, one of its residents being a Victoria Cross holder, the community hospital and its three police stations, including investigating the foiled assassination of Lady Beaverbrook. The First World War brought Dorking an influx of refugees from London’s East End and in the 1930s Oswald Mosley tried to make the town a centre of Blackshirt activity. Accounts of conscientious objectors are included, as well as the time the RAF nearly dropped an atomic bomb on the town and Dorking’s present-day role in a number of film and small-screen favourites. With tales of remarkable characters, unusual events and tucked-away or vanished historical buildings and locations, Secret Dorking will appeal to all those with an interest in the history of this town in Surrey.

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The Highland Clearances was a dark episode in Scottish history when many thousands of people were forced off lands that they and their kin had lived on for generations. Some boarded ships destined for the colonies of America and Australia, others ended up on small barren plots by the coast or in city slums. A few men were outspoken against the atrocities, and one of them was Donald Ross. Donald Ross was a Highlander, born in Sutherland in 1813. His father was the miller on the Skibo Castle Estate and Donald took over the mill when his father died. He and his family were subsequently evicted, fighting against their eviction in the Supreme Court but losing the case. Donald moved to Glasgow and within two years, as Agent for the Poor, helped over 1,500 people receive poor-relief payments, which were being withheld by local parish boards. In the 1850s Donald became the most outspoken critic of the Highland Clearances and wrote many detailed newspaper articles and pamphlets about mass evictions on Barra, Knoydart and Skye. His most famous publication was The Massacre of the Rosses, in which he graphically described the women of Strathcarron being brutally beaten by policemen for refusing to accept eviction notices. Donald supplied over 8,000 books and pamphlets for emigrants on the ill-fated Hercules. He also raised a lot of money to help poor people in the Hebrides, particularly during the infamous Potato Famine. However, Donald’s efforts were cut short by a scandal that saw him and his family emigrate to Nova Scotia. Donald’s inspirational story makes him an unsung hero of the poor.

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A reappraisal of this unique northern industrial town situated at the end of a long peninsula, Barrow-in-Furness Reflections seeks to record the changing face of the town over time. Its fortunes are in flux, and it faces huge challenges to take it forward. The evidence of the town’s ambitious and aspirational past is writ large in its buildings and community, and encouragement can be taken from these. The area has an abundance of fascinating and beautiful places and a wonderful natural environment to enjoy, often overlooked because of the industry Barrow is famous for. However, its beaches, countryside and heritage sites such as Furness Abbey and Piel Castle are just as much a part of the town and its community as the townscape. Through blended images readers can see how the landscape, streets, buildings, industries, the dockyard and aspects of everyday life have changed with the passing of time. Local author Gill Jepson presents this fascinating visual chronicle that ingeniously mirrors Barrow-in-Furness past and present. This cornucopia of visual delights awaits discovery by the unsuspecting visitor and will not disappoint.

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The Erewash Valley line, linking the busy railway junctions at Trent through the once bustling yards of the iconic railway location of Toton and to the main line at Clay Cross, has seen much in the way of change over the last half a century. Infrastructure, traffic types, wagon and locomotive classes have all seen a mixture of rationalisation, overhaul, replacement, withdrawal and investment. This changing scene has provided enthusiasts and photographers with outstanding variety and opportunities to record the changing times, and while the amount of traffic lost can be lamented, the modern-day photographer can still find good variety. With 180 previously unpublished photographs, this book provides a snapshot of diesels working over the route through this period of change, from the corporate British Rail era to the early years of privatisation and up to the present day.

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The last years of the twentieth century saw considerable changes to the railway scene in County Durham, including ECML electrification, the demise of the coal industry and the introduction of modern rolling stock. This book shows how the railway scene in this part of North East England changed during that time. The coverage starts in the late 1980s and continues to the turn of the century and beyond. Richard Allen’s stunning photographs encompass the traditional boundaries of the county, including those parts that subsequently became part of Cleveland and Tyne and Wear.

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People have lived in the Frome area since prehistoric times and the present town dates back as far as the Saxon era. In the early days it was famous for the quality of its cloth, but the industry and trade declined in the eighteenth century. Over the centuries it has had its fair share of rioting and crime, as well as some notable personalities and eccentrics such as Thomas Bunn, an eighteenth-century philanthropist. It was also the birthplace of Benjamin Baker, builder of the Forth Bridge, and, more recently, Jenson Button, the racing driver. Today it has over 370 listed buildings – more than any other Somerset town – fourteen pubs and two thriving bookshops, as well as an increasing creative and artistic community. In this book, local authors Mick Davis and David Lassman take a journey through Frome to discover some significant and little-known aspects of its rich and varied past. From buildings and streets to people and events, A–Z of Frome highlights fascinating aspects of the town’s history. Here are stories of UFO sightings, a world-famous Roman coin hoard, local inns, the search for underground tunnels and much more. Illustrated throughout, this book will appeal to local residents, visitors and anyone interested in the town’s fascinating and illustrious history.

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In July 1484 Tudor agent William Collingbourne – executed for treason in 1484 – tacked up a lampoon to the walls of St Paul’s Cathedral: ‘The Catte, the Ratte and Lovell our dogge rulyth all Englande under a hogge.’ That cat was Sir William Catesby, one of Richard III’s principal councillors and Chancellor of the Exchequer, executed after the Battle of Bosworth. The rat was Sir Richard Ratcliffe, who fought with Richard during the Scottish campaigns. And the dog was Francis Lovell, not only an ally of Richard III but his closest friend, and one of the wealthiest barons in England. Author Michèle Schindler returns to primary sources to reveal the man who was not only a boyhood friend of the king-to-be as a ward of Edward IV, but also linked to him by marriage: his wife, Anne FitzHugh, was first cousin to Richard’s wife, Anne Neville. Lovell served with the Duke of Gloucester, as Richard then was, in Scotland in 1481. At Richard’s coronation, Lovell bore the third sword of state. In June 1485 he was tasked with guarding the south coast against the landing of Henry Tudor. His loyalty never wavered – even after Bosworth. He organised a revolt in Yorkshire and was behind an attempt to assassinate Henry VII. Having fled to Flanders, he played a prominent role in the Lambert Simnel enterprise. He fought at the Battle of Stoke Field in 1487 and was seen escaping, destination unknown. His final demise provides an intriguing puzzle that the author teases out.

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Nearly forty female agents were sent out by the French section of Britain’s Special Operations Executive (SOE) during the Second World War. The youngest was 19 and the oldest 53. Most were trained in paramilitary warfare, fieldcraft, the use of weapons and explosives, sabotage, silent killing, parachuting, codes and cyphers, wireless transmission and receiving, and general spycraft. These women – as well as others from clandestine Allied organisations – were flown out and parachuted or landed into France on vital and highly dangerous missions: their task, to work with resistance movements both before and after D-Day. Bernard O’Connor uses recently declassified government documents, personnel files, mission reports and memoirs to assess the successes and failures of the 38 women including Odette Sansom, Denise Colin, and Cécile Pichard. Of the twelve who were captured, only two survived; the others were executed, some after being tortured by the sadistic officers of the Gestapo. This is their story.

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Everyone is familiar with the story of D-Day and the triumphal liberation of France by the Allies: a barbaric enemy was defeated by Allied ingenuity, courage and overwhelming military force, helped by dreadful German command errors and the terrible state of Wehrmacht forces in the West – but is this all true? The Wehrmacht was hugely experienced, equipped with some of the best weaponry of the war and was holding its own in Italy and Russia at the time. Berlin knew the invasion was coming and had had years to prepare for it. So how did the Germans view the impending invasion and campaign, did they feel ready, what forces did they have and could they have done better? Previous histories have focused on the ‘clash of the generals’; the battle between von Runstedt and Eisenhower, Montgomery and Rommel, but on the German side in particular this was a battle that would be fought by divisional and regimental commanders; the ‘German D-Day colonels’ upon whom the real business of trying to defeat the invasion fell – it was they and their men, outnumbered and outgunned, who somehow held Normandy for ten whole weeks against the greatest seaborne invasion force ever assembled, and occasionally even came close to defeating it. In the end they lost, and the majority of these unsung leaders ended up killed, wounded or captured in the fighting. As for their men, they ranged from élite Waffen-SS stormtroopers through to bewildered teenagers, old men, ‘recycled’ invalids and even anti-communist Eastern legions. Written from the ‘other side’ and told through the words of the veterans, this book is a revelation.

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The landlocked county of Wiltshire, characterised by its high downland and wide valleys, has a rich military history that stretches back through the centuries. Evidence of Wiltshire’s military heritage can be seen throughout the county with numerous buildings and other structures still standing today, from ancient hillforts and medieval castles to military bases used in two world wars and the present day, as well as the army’s training area on Salisbury Plain. Wiltshire’s Military Heritage explores the long military history of the county, not only the battles that took place on its soil, including between warring Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and Danish invaders and during the English Civil War, but also the measures that were taken to defend it against possible attack. It also covers the heritage of the military units that were raised in the county and which were sent to fight in conflicts abroad. The Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry was originally raised in 1794 and fought in the Boer War and both world wars, and is part of the Royal Wessex Yeomanry based in Wiltshire today. Wiltshire’s airfields played a significant role in both world wars, including during the Battle of Britain, and in recent years the town of Wootton Bassett became Royal Wootton Bassett because of its role in military funeral repatriations. This book will be of interest to all those who would like to know more about Wiltshire’s remarkable military history.

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Did you know about the church in Ethiopia that claims to have the Lost Ark? How about the time it rained for two million years? Or the engineer working with the US Navy who developed the Slinky toy? We’ve all been taught about Tutankhamun and Henry VIII, but that’s not all there is to the history of our wonderful planet. Indeed, with the passage of time a lot of the best bits have fallen into obscurity. In this fascinating book, Jem Duducu digs into our past and returns with some of the most interesting, funny and downright strange facts you never knew. There are unusual artefacts and unique locations, obscure wars, and many heroes, villains and remarkable individuals who haven’t received the coverage they deserve – until now!

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1980 to 1995 was an extraordinary time for the railways of Britain, especially the freight sector. In 1980 there was a unified, monochrome railway. Freight traffic was still abundant, with marshalling yards active and many branch lines still operating. There were hundreds of collieries. In the early 1980s, Sectorisation arrived. The freight division was separated from the passenger side and further sub-divided into different freight sectors. New locomotives were introduced, and the older types started to disappear. As the eighties progressed, the freight sector was constantly changing. The mixed freight train became a thing of the past but new traffic flows developed, particularly in containers and aggregates. The coal sector steadily declined and branch lines became disused. In the early nineties three new freight companies were created in anticipation of privatisation and then finally privatisation itself arrived, with all freight traffic being taken over by an American company. It was a period of enormous change and adaptation, and the story is told here through the images of two photographers who were keen observers of the railway scene throughout the whole of this fascinating period.

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George Elliot was a self-made Victorian entrepreneur who rose from humble beginnings as a pit boy in England’s north-east to become one of the biggest coal owners in the world. His aptitude in engineering would later lead to him being deeply involved in the manufacture and laying of the first Transatlantic Cable. He became an MP and was created a Baronet by Queen Victoria. He worked extensively with Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli and Ismail Pasha, the ruler of Egypt at the time of the Suez Canal’s construction, it which he played a part. This book includes an overview of the Industrial Revolution and its radical effects on the lives of people in Britain, the laying of the Transatlantic Cable, and a blow-by-blow account of the building of the Suez Canal. Also discussed are Elliot’s relationships with notable figures of the era, including Disraeli, ‘Railway King’ George Hudson, and the writer Bram Stoker.

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Before the West Coast Route electrification was completed in 1966, the electric locomotive was quite a rare beast on Britain’s railways, with the exception of the Manchester to Sheffield service that had been electrified from 1954. There were plenty of EMUs running on suburban systems around large cities and in the south of England, but otherwise steam was king. This all changed when BR announced their Modernisation plan in 1955, which envisaged that steam locos would be replaced by diesel and electric traction by around 1975. The aim was to have all the main lines and the busiest suburban services electrified using the 25,000-volt system with overhead wires rather than the third rail system used on existing electrified routes. This book of largely unpublished colour photographs by George Woods aims to show the different electric locomotive types used on the BR network since 1966, and the variety of trains that they hauled.

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Following deregulation in 1986, the established bus operators suddenly found themselves being challenged by new independent operators, some of whom ultimately disappeared from the scene while others were swallowed up by the larger groups. After Yorkshire Rider, an arm of West Yorkshire PTE was privatised in 1988 and grew following its acquisition of former NBC subsidiary West Yorkshire Road Car Co. It was subsequently purchased by Badgerline/FirstBus, who became the dominant operator in the city. Arriva and Transdev also have a presence in Leeds. This book takes a look at all the transport developments and changes that have taken place within the city between 1986 and 2022 and, with many new liveries and vehicle types, illustrates the ever-fascinating scene.

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Delivered in bite-sized diary chunks, Jan-Marie Knights takes the reader on a journey into the world of Tudor high society. This is a world of love affairs, tragedy, marriage and death; the realm of flamboyant dress, opulent jewellery and burning passions. The Tudor period continues to enchant and mesmerise the world, and here the reader can delve into the social calendar of the era. Running the gamut of society occasions – from solemn marriages to sombre funerals, and decadent feasts to lavish large-scale gatherings – The Tudor Socialite is an essential book for any Tudor fan who wants to experience life as a wallflower in the Tudor court.

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The larger bus operators, whether municipal or company owned, have traditionally trained their own new drivers. Normally older vehicles from the fleet were retained and adapted for training, adorned with ‘L’ plates. In earlier days they would usually just retain fleet livery. Sometimes they might receive a separate livery, to warn other road users. When the National Bus Company introduced corporate liveries of red or green for its fleets, many of their constituent companies used yellow for their training and service vehicles. Then, as recruitment became more difficult from around the 1980s, colourful liveries with invitational recruitment slogans tended to appear and this has continued since. Rather surprisingly, companies often bought in buses for training from other companies rather than converting their own, and these might be types not otherwise represented in their fleet. This book looks at a variety of training vehicles from around the country over the last fifty years, including examples that have survived into preservation.

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Launched in 1980 as the Austin Mini-Metro, the Metro was a critically important car for British Leyland and was hailed as the car that saved the company. This book looks in detail at the car’s design, development and sales success from its initial design stage to the end of production in 1998, by which time it had evolved into the Rover 100 – an astonishing eighteen-year production run. As well as looking at the cars in detail, the book also includes interviews with some of the key people involved in its design and development. Craig Cheetham covers the full story of the Metro from the initial rough sketches in 1975, including the engineering developments. The launch of the car and its reception by the media and the public is featured, as well as the rebranding process as the company was reorganised under the Rover badge. A revised Metro was fitted with a new K-Series engine. The launch of the turbo-charged MG Metros, as well as the GTA and GTi versions, are covered alongside the Metro’s circuit racing successes. The author also reveals some of the design ideas for a Metro replacement that never made it to production. Including advice for both current and prospective Metro owners and what to look out for, Austin and Rover Metro: The Full Story is a gold mine of information about one of Britain’s most significant car models.

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ERF Limited was formed in 1933 when Edwin Richard Foden founded the company with his son Dennis. Under the guidance of design engineer Ernest Sherratt, the best components available at the time were assembled to create vehicles that soon earned a reputation as good lorries capable of earning good revenue with reasonable running costs. This approach continued, more or less, until the end of the company and proved to be a very successful and lucrative business plan with a lot of development costs being borne by the component suppliers. This book is a broad overview of the company, with almost 200 photos offering an insight into the range and model types that spanned the years. The majority of the images included here are previously unpublished and offer a wonderful tribute to this much-loved manufacturer.

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For thousands of years, the landscape of Wiltshire has played host to carefully concealed hoards of material wealth; from tools to weapons, jewellery to money. Over the last two hundred years, the discoveries of these previously hidden treasures have led to the rewriting of our understanding of this country and the people who lived in it. In this book, archaeologist Richard Henry examines ten of the most significant of these hoards. Through considering these finds in relation to their landscape context and scientific analysis, it is clear these items have much to tell us - from medieval silver coins that reflect the battle for power during the Anarchy (1135–1153), to Roman saucepans and wine strainers that may suggest ritual consumption at tribal boundaries. Hoards from Wiltshire explores the types of objects hidden away and the motivations for doing so, deepening our understanding of the people who used and deposited them as well as the history of the county as a whole.

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Bridlington History Tour provides a fascinating glimpse into the past of this Yorkshire coastal town. With its bustling harbour, beautiful beaches and picturesque promenades, it is easy to see why it has become a favourite destination for holidaymakers. In this book, author Mike Hitches guides readers around its streets and buildings, showing how its famous landmarks used to look and how they have changed over the years, as well as exploring some of its lesser-known sights and hidden corners. This pocket-sized guide reveals how the town has altered and highlights the way of life for past generations. With the help of a handy location map, readers are invited to discover for themselves the history and the changing face of Bridlington.

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In 1973 David Christie moved house from Essex to Scotland, but it wasn’t till 1974 that he discovered the joys of sailing on Calmac’s ships. An initial sail on King George V at Oban in her last season was a great introduction but mostly, over the next three years, I focussed on Queen Mary on the Clyde, now safely back in Glasgow at the Science Centre. Most of the Clyde piers are covered, with emphasis on Rothesay. Ferries also feature with old and new on the Rothesay and Dunoon runs and the smaller boats at Largs. The west coast features with Oban as the main terminal, then Mallaig, before a session on the pre-bridge Skye ferries. A single visit to Ullapool finishes this journey back to the seventies.

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Swindon played an important role in the railway industry from its Victorian roots up to the sound of the final works hooter in 1986. This was without doubt the end of an era; today the works site is a shadow of its former past – gone is the mighty ‘A’ shop, along with the carriage and wagon shops east of the Gloucester line. With electrification now through the town, the railway landscape has been totally transformed. Covering two decades between the late 1960s to the late 1980s, the images in this book represent not just the works, station and yards during this period, but also the main line and local area to Stratton St Margaret in the east, Wootton Bassett to the west and Purton on the Gloucester line to the north. This was a period of transition when Western Region hydraulics were giving way to diesel electric power, with HSTs eventually arriving in the area.

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With images and vivid recollections, we journey away from the main line to valleys, quarries and factories. Industries as diverse as slate, iron, paper, glass, food and tourism relied on dozens of small railways to keep people and goods moving. At quarries, factories and picturesque rural stations, Brian and Ian Reading explore scenes, many of which have now changed beyond recognition. This photographic tour includes the Isle of Man Railway, Stewarts & Lloyds Minerals at Corby, British Industrial Sand at Middleton Towers & Leziate, the Wissington Light Railway, Richard Garrett Engineering Leiston Works, Bowater’s Railway at Sittingbourne, Kemsley & Ridham Dock, the Vale of Rheidol Railway, the Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway, Dinorwic Quarries (Padarn) Railway, Penrhyn Quarry Railway, the Talyllyn Railway and the Festiniog (Ffestiniog) Railway. People, machines and landscapes are crystalised on film for future generations; reawakening memories for those who lived through this time of change and offering a fascinating insight for those who are too young to have been trackside during this intriguing period of railway history.

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Victorian & Edwardian Oxfordshire illustrates through words and pictures the county in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It was a time of change for all levels of society. In the countryside, agriculture was becoming increasingly mechanized and there were bitter struggles over agricultural wages. In Oxford, significant social changes were taking place, the first colleges for women opened in 1879, religious tests in the universities were abolished in 1871 and in 1877 dons acquired the permission to marry. By 1912 William Morris had made his first car in Oxford and begun a process of industrialization and employment opportunity hitherto undreamt of. The area covered by this book is that of the old county, before 1974 and the reorganization of county boundaries. The photographs, printed here in sepia, depict the farmer and his labourer in the countryside, the traditional industries and the interaction of the city and the university in Oxford. The home life of rich and poor, sports and pastimes, traditional country customs, religious life and education are all depicted in this collection. The text, composed of a series of extracts gathered from a variety of contemporary sources, helps to bring alive these glimpses of life in the county of a time that is only just outside living memory.

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This fascinating photographic collection represents a journey both through time and also along the byways of a truly scenic part of rural England. Edwardian photographers' lenses enable us to glimpse celebrations such as Empire Day, we revisit tranquil streets with long-closed shops and pubs and we witness the arrival of the first local motor bus in 1905. Victorian bowls players are shown, along with solemn-faced schoolchildren wearing starched pinafores and Eton collars. The present day images include Painswick's Art Couture Festival, together with views taken from Painswick Beacon and from the church tower. Artists such as Montague Rivers reveal how they interpreted the architecture and townscapes of long ago. Nor, of course, would the Slad chapter be complete without photographs of both Laurie Lee and the legendary Rosie.

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Falmouth, situated on the beautiful River Fal, and with one of the finest natural harbours in the world, developed and prospered to become the base for the famous Packet Service between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries. It has a rich maritime history with many interesting buildings including Arwenack Manor, home to the infamous Killigrew family, who were responsible for the early growth of the town. With the arrival of the railway, the town soon developed a strong commercial interest with the Falmouth Docks, founded in 1859, closely followed by the growth of tourism that is still important to the town today. With excellent yachting facilities, safe bathing beaches and a wealth of attractions, the town offers a rich experience for its many visitors.

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Leicester is an old town with a long history reaching back across two thousand years of human activity and experience. Historically, it is a very well-documented town. Leicester has a rich antiquarian record with plenty of other writings and documents that add to our knowledge of how our predecessors lived and, just as importantly, what they experienced during their lives. This book details the various hauntings and lore of Leicester; from the malevolent Black Annis to the debated involvement of medium Robert James Lees in the case of Jack the Ripper. It concludes with a guided tour of all the mentioned locations.

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Wakefield was a prosperous market town in the Middle Ages, but it was transformed by coal mining during the Industrial Revolution. Mining dominated the local economy until the last pits closed in the 1970s and 1980s. Trade in cloth and cloth finishing were also cornerstones of Wakefield’s economy, drawing in merchants from across the north. Local families – the Milnes’s and the Naylors – dominated the trade until the economic depression of the 1820s and increasing mechanisation. Cloth production started on a small scale and many houses in the area had a weaving shed until the arrival of the first steam-powered mill in 1781 and the rapid expansion of fulling and scribbling mills in Wakefield. Yarn spinning was more successful, and the huge Plumpton Park complex on Westgate became the largest employer in the town. Heavy industry also came to Wakefield. Steam engines were constructed at Fall Ing Foundry from 1791 and the railways became a major employer. Greens Economiser Works were a major concern until the 1960s. The city has been transformed once more, with the major employers today being warehouse distribution bases, retail parks and shopping outlets. Wakefield at Work explores the working life of this Yorkshire city and its people, and the industries that have characterised it. The book will appeal to all those with an interest in the history of Wakefield.

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Preserved (or heritage) railways have, in the majority of cases, at least one working steam locomotive and either a diesel unit or a diesel locomotive. However, the main thing these railways need to keep them going is the general public coming along and riding the trains. It’s all very well having a decent-sized fleet of working locomotives, but without any carriages to carry people in, you might as well call your railway a museum. The carriages on a heritage railway are just as important as the locomotives. With nearly 200 previously unpublished images, Royston Morris looks at some of these often-underappreciated stars of the preservation scene.

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The city of Aberdeen has been shaped by its natural surroundings and location on the North Sea coast. Long before the 1,000-plus years of the city’s recorded history, the area’s prehistoric people built megalithic stones and circles, and for centuries the area’s granite from nearby quarries was used to build the city, as well as exported around Britain wherever the hard-wearing stone was required. Over the centuries a vast number of crafts and skills went into the development of Aberdeen, a city that sits between two rivers, each enabling trades such as fishing, papermaking, shipbuilding and textiles. The city was a major fishing port and an important Scottish trading centre with the Continent, and when oil was discovered in the North Sea in the 1960s and 1970s, Aberdeen became the oil capital of Britain. Today the north-east of Scotland’s natural landscape again dominates work and labour in the move to invest in new energy sources, harvesting wind and wave power. In Aberdeen at Work, authors Lorna Corall Dey and Michael Dey explore the working life of this city and its people, and the industries that have characterised it. The book will appeal to all those with an interest in the history of Aberdeen.

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The exact definition of east Scotland can be difficult to define due to its wide geographical areas, but for the purpose of this book the bus services covered are from a wide range of destinations including Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Perth, Fife, the Borders and the Lothians. Each of the areas covered are unique and require a complex network of routes through smaller towns and villages as well as larger cities, as well as linking railway stations, park and ride facilities, airports, shopping centres and hospitals. Not only do large well-known operators such as Stagecoach, First and National Express serve the communities here, but so do companies such as Borders Buses (part of the Craig of Campbeltown West Coast Motors group), Lothian Buses, Lothian Country Buses, East Coast Buses, Moffat & Williamson, Rennies, Prentice, Eve’s, Ratho Coaches and Edinburgh Coachlines. In this book, Richard Walter illustrates the scenic and contrasting areas that these buses operate in. The bus remains an essential lifeline in many of the smaller towns and villages and vehicles change and adapt as necessary, from the provision of contactless payment and USB ports to the carrying of bikes.

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For centuries visitors to Monmouthshire have been seduced by its picturesque landscape and breathtaking beauty. Poets, princes, priests, peasants, painters, politicians, and even pirates have all sung the praises of this unique little corner of Wales. It is a county with an elusive nature and a turbulent past, but one whose sublime splendour is evident in its surrounding hills, scattered castles, sleepy churches, rolling rivers, rising mists and ancient woodlands. William Wordsworth once famously described Monmouthshire as the place where ‘the heavy and the weary weight of all this unintelligible world is lightened’. In 50 Gems of Monmouthshire local author Tim Butters takes an illuminating journey along the high and low roads of one of the UK’s most popular counties in search of the landmarks, the historic curiosities and the natural wonders that make this little patch of the UK so magical to both visitors and residents alike. Among the places the author visits are the romantic ruins of Tintern Abbey, the Skirrid on the edge of the Black Mountains, the Monmouth and Brecon Canal and the Kymin hill, with its spectacular views of Monmouth and the eighteenth-century Round House and temple in honour of British naval victories.

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Second Generation DMUs in Scotland covers the modern diesel multiple units introduced by BR from 1981. It features locations from across Scotland, and also looks at Carlisle. This book covers units from the experimental Class 140s, introduced in 1981, to contemporary examples including Class 185s still in use with TransPennine Express. Possibly the best unit introduced to Scotland are the Class 156 units based at Corkerhill depot in Glasgow. These units can be found working from Newcastle to Mallaig. The new generation of DMU fleets can go faster and travel further and have generated a huge following. Here, Colin J. Howat combines previously unseen historical black-and-white photography with modern digital examples to tell their story.

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With construction beginning in 1997, the Turbostar family of diesel multiple units are by far the most numerous design of such units introduced to the privatised railway. Over the next fourteen years, over a hundred units belonging to this family have been built at the Derby Litchurch Lane works of Adtranz/Bombardier Transportation to operators across the country. They have become a recognisable sight across the network, sharing many design similarities with the Electrostar family of electric multiple units. Today they can be seen from the north of Scotland to the south coast, conveying passengers on many local and long-distance services. This book takes a look at the varied services undertaken by Turbostars, covering both past and present operators.

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King Richard III remains one of the most controversial figures in British history. Matthew Lewis’s new biography aims to become a definitive account by exploring what is known of his childhood and the impacts it had on his personality and view of the world. He would be cast into insecurity and exile only to become a royal prince before his tenth birthday. As Richard spends his teenage years under the watchful gaze of his older brother, Edward IV, he is eventually placed in the household of their cousin, the Earl of Warwick, remembered as the Kingmaker; but as the relationship between a king and his most influential magnate breaks down, Richard is compelled to make a choice when the House of York fractures. After another period in exile, Richard returns to become the most powerful nobleman in England. The work he involves himself in during the years that follow demonstrates a drive and commitment but also a dangerous naïveté. When crisis hits in 1483, it is to Richard that his older brother turns on his death bed. The events of 1483 remain contentious and hotly debated, but by understanding the Richard who began that year, it will become clearer what drove some of his actions and decisions. Returning to primary sources and considering the evidence available, this new life undoes the myths and presents a real man living in tumultuous times.

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From the granting of borough status in 1614 through to its development as an industrial port and then as a fashionable seaside resort, the west Cornwall town of Penzance has a proud and distinctive history. This is embodied in the many fine buildings that have survived to illustrate its fascinating and varied past. Penzance in 50 Buildings examines the history of the town through a selection of these buildings, from the eccentric early nineteenth-century Egyptian House to the cutting-edge Truro and Penwith College campus, celebrating the town’s architectural heritage in a new and accessible way. Local author and historian Michael Sagar-Fenton guides the reader on a tour of remarkable and individual buildings that tell the story of the town in their own unique fashion.

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The Wirral Peninsula is a place of contrasts. The large north-eastern towns differ dramatically from the rolling green acres of mid-Wirral and the breezy open shores of its western edges. Much has been written about this unique region over the years. Port Sunlight is particularly and deservedly renowned, as is a particularly popular group from the 1960s who performed on this side of the Mersey many times. There are, however, many lesser-known stories to tell of this exceptional peninsula and Secret Wirral sets out to illustrate some of these tales. Les Jones tells of the rise and fall of New Brighton’s Tower Grounds before chronicling the role the peninsula has played in the burgeoning entertainment industry. The many myths and legends that have built up on these once wild and windswept shores are covered in a later chapter, before a selection of unusual facts on some of Wirral’s diverse villages are discussed. The extraordinary history of the groundbreaking Birkenhead Park provides the contents of the penultimate chapter before some unusual facets of Wirral’s sporting and leisure industry concludes an evocative and interesting excursion through secret Wirral.

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Well placed to discuss the art of skiing, Arnold Lunn was editor of the Climber’s Club Journal and the Alpine Ski Club Annual, founded the Oxford University Mountaineering Club, invented the skiing slalom race and was eventually knighted for his services to British Skiing and Anglo-Swiss relations. Originally published as a cheap handbook for skiing, this Classic Guide is devoted to the needs of the beginner, from the technical aspects of how to ski to what to wear while doing it, published during a time when the Alps were relatively unexplored by British skiers. As ski lifts were an unknown entity during the early twentieth century, Arnold Lunn traces the difficulties of a ski-runner and the problems encountered while mountaineering in the dangerous winter alps.

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The north Cornwall seaside resort town of Bude has undergone quite a transformation since its humble beginnings as Stratton’s unremarkable neighbour. As one local candidly put it, ‘Stratton was a market town when Bude was just a furzy down.’ Initially known for its beach sand properties, which worked wonders on soil and proved favourable with many Cornish farmers, Bude expanded rapidly following the construction of the sea canal in the early nineteenth century. The Victorians sought it out as the ideal holiday resort. Bude – known in the Cornish tongue as Porthbud – has proven a hit with holidaymakers as an idyllic seaside destination. Whether surfing at Widemouth Bay, exploring cliffs and hidden beach coves, or simply enjoying a spot of fishing, the charming resort has emerged as a tourist hotspot. Author Dawn G. Robinson has compiled a captivating collection of postcards that capture the beauty and charm of this seaside spot.

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Athletic contests in running, walking, jumping and throwing are among the oldest of all sports and their roots are prehistoric. Athletics events were depicted in the Ancient Egyptian tombs in Saqqara, with illustrations of running at the Heb Sed festival and high jumping appearing in tombs from as early as 2250 BC. The original and only event at the first Olympics in 776 BC was the stadion, a stadium-length running event. The turn of the century was a time of renewed interest in the sport, with the foundation of the Amateur Athletics Association in 1880, the first modern Summer Olympics in 1896 and the International Amateur Athletics Federation in 1912. In this classic guide, Montague Shearman traces the evolution of athletics and shares his expertise in training and discipline.

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Have you ever wondered how to know you are really in love? How to woo your beloved with a handkerchief? How about how to write a foolproof love letter? The Classic Guide to Dating is full of practical advice for the young lover (or would-be lover), guiding him or her through every stage of courtship, marriage and beyond. Revealing many of love’s hidden mysteries, Henry J. Wehman has produced an essential and timeless volume for anyone who has ever wondered how to find true love. Featuring indispensable lists, such as twenty ways to pop the question, as well as a useful appendix of love poetry, The Classic Guide to Dating is an (almost) complete guarantee of success.

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The Leicester City FC Miscellany is packed full of fascinating facts, figures, trivia, stats, stories and anecdotes all relating to the long and colourful history of Leicester City Football Club. From the most memorable matches and the men who helped shaped the club’s history; to the more gruesome games and the unsung heroes, this book tells the tales that have seen the football club become the force it is today. The ultimate guide to footballing trivia, the Leicester City FC Miscellany is a book no self-respecting Foxes fan should be without.

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This is the third in a series of books celebrating the finest gardens in Britain and follows on from the best-selling 'The Cotswold's Finest Gardens' and 'The Finest Gardens in Wales'. The Finest Gardens of the South West is an inspirational celebration of the very best gardens in the West Country of England, covering an area from Cornwall to the Wiltshire and Hampshire borders. Using informative, evocative text and stunning imagery, garden writer and broadcaster Tony Russell captures the very essence of the fifty finest gardens within this region and explores their history, design, plants and personalities. The diversity of gardens to be found in the South West and within this book is truly astonishing. Within these pages you will find gardens full of subtropical plants, such as Tresco on the Isles of Scilly and Overbeck’s in Devon, modern-day creations at The Eden Project and University of Bristol Botanic Garden, historical restorations at The Lost Gardens of Heligan and Hestercombe in Somerset and botanically important gardens such as the Royal Horticultural Society’s garden at Rosemoor and Trewithen in Cornwall. All the gardens featured within this book allow public access at some time during each year. The Finest Gardens of the South West is quite simply one of the finest books on the subject and essential reading for anyone interested in visiting and understanding gardens. Just like its predecessors, it will undoubtedly become a best-selling classic, a book that works equally as well on the coffee table or as a faithful companion in the car.

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The 1970s was a decade of change. Supermarkets began to take over from traditional stores, high-rise office blocks appeared on the skyline, and Leicester’s first shopping centre replaced familiar Victorian shops and hotels. It was a time of industrial unrest. The lights went out as coal stocks diminished. Pay packets were depleted as Leicester’s workers faced a three-day week, prices in the shops began to soar, and we all shivered during the ‘winter of discontent’. It was a turning point in the way we viewed ourselves and the world. Social attitudes to mental health, homosexuality and feminism were still rooted in the past, but the world was changing. People took to Leicester’s streets to support anti-racism, and we began to clean up our environment. In Leicester in the 1950s Stephen Butt remembers what made the decade so special for so many, but also the events which were to change significantly the course of Leicester’s future.

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At the beginning of the 1950s, Leicester was an industrial city picking itself up from the debris of the Second World War. Compared with nearby Coventry, Leicester has been a relatively safe place, but the effects of the Blitz were still very evident in New Walk and in the residential areas of Highfields and Stoneygate. After years of operating on a wartime economy, Leicester’s major industries – textiles, hosiery and machine tools – faced the challenge of returning to domestic production, and in assimilating a large male workforce returning from the battlefields of Europe and beyond to civilian life. In Leicester in the 1950s, Stephen Butt traces the vibrant lives of those recovering from the destruction of the Second World War.

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This is the remarkable life of Sir Cyril Taylor, relating his experience as a toddler in a Congo mission, a teenage platoon commander amid the Kenyan Mau Mau insurgency and a brand manager for Procter & Gamble in the early 1960s. His life's achievement has been as a social entrepreneur and educator, helping found the American Institute for Foreign Study, one of the largest study abroad organisations in the world. Since 1964, it has benefited 1.5 million young people through its Study Abroad, Camp America, Au Pair and Gifted Children programmes. An education reformer and adviser to ten education secretaries - Conservative and Labour - he helped establish 3,000 specialist schools and over 1,500 academies. Sir Cyril elucidates the lessons he learned regarding the reforming of support for children in care, young offenders, gifted and talented children, and schools in general. His record as a social entrepreneur is unique and makes this book a must-read for policymakers everywhere.

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In 1888, Englands Football league came into being and ever since a player has been recognised each year for the highest number of goals scored in the league, First Division or Premier League. The first was John Goodall of Preston North End, with 21 goals, the most recent, Didier Drogba, with 29. The Football leagues top scorer was Dixie Dean of Everton, in 1927/28, with an impressive tally of 60 goals.

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