Search results for ""the history press ltd""

1066 is the one date in British history that every schoolchild knows. The victory of William the Conqueror over King Harold at Hastings, and the subsequent imposition of Norman rule over the whole of England and Wales, effectively marked the creation of the country as we know it today. A surprising number of historic sites from this turbulent period survive: battlefields, castles, churches, monasteries. Peter Bramley’s beautifully illustrated field guide and companion to the Norman Conquest gives full details of both the events and the personalities associated with each of these sites, together with the historical background and the reasons for the end of Anglo-Saxon rule. Arranged by region, it covers England, Wales and Normandy, and provides invaluable information for anyone visiting or planning to visit any of the sites connected with the Conquest, as well as anyone interested in the history of this period in general.

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The Battle of the Aisne fought in September 1914 introduced a new and savage mode of warfare to the soldiers of the British Expeditionary Force, their French allies and to the German Army. Both officers and men were trained to fight mobile wars. When they reached the north bank of the Aisne, the ‘Old Contemptibles’ would be stopped by the Germans entrenched on high ground, armed with machine guns and supported by heavy artillery. The British commanders would naively send their troops on futile assaults up slopes devoid of cover to attack the German lines dug in on the ridges along the Chemin des Dames and concealed by woodland. The British did not even have grenades. The BEF suffered 12,000 casualties. Their commanders, who were not trained to fight a modern war, were lost for a solution or even a strategy. It was on the Chemin des Dames that the first trenches of the Western Front were dug and where the line that would stretch from the Swiss frontier to the North Sea began. The Battle of the Aisne saw the dawn of trench warfare and a stalemate that would last for the next four years. Wide-ranging archival research by author Paul Kendall makes this the first in-depth study of the battle in print. His correspondence with surviving relatives of those who fought brings a human face to the terrible casualty statistics that would come to define the trenches.

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Edinburgh is one of the most beautiful cities in the world – with one of the darkest histories on record. Sweeping through the centuries in a blood-soaked catalogue of assaults, assassinations and all-out attempts at annihilation, this volume reveals the hideous tapestry of death, disease and disaster that lies beneath Edinburgh’s stunning façade. You’ll never see the city in the same way again…

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For the unwary visitor, Hereford appears to be a peaceful place. But, for half its existence, it was a strategic centre in an often troubled and bloody border between England and Wales. It can be no surprise, then, that the city and the surrounding countryside hide dark secrets and uncanny events. From the ghost of a verger who brought down the cathedral tower to the unquiet spirit of a careless chemist, the city has a rich history of spectral phenomena. This book is no mere gazetteer, but an in-depth re-telling of the stories that will make you look at the place with fresh eyes, whether you are a tourist or resident.

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Chatham is a town steeped in history and strange folklore, but much of its ghostly past, and present, remains unwritten. For the first time ever the spectral secrets of this place are uncovered as we delve into ghost stories obscure and well known. The book features an array of haunted houses and shops, and sheds new light on classic local legends at locations like Chatham Dockyard and Fort Amherst. Many stories appear for the first time in print, with information gained first-hand from witnesses who’ve experienced the phenomena. Richly illustrated, Haunted Chatham is your guide to one of Kent’s most supernatural places.

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The Second World War widows were the ‘forgotten women’, largely ignored by the government and the majority of the population. The men who died in the service of their country were rightly honoured, but the widows and orphans they left behind were soon forgotten. During the war and afterwards in post-war austerity Britain their lives were particularly bleak. The meagre pensions they were given were taxed at the highest rate and gave them barely enough to keep body and soul together, let alone look after their children. Through their diaries, letters and personal interviews we are given an insight into post-war Britain that is a moving testament to the will to survive of a generation of women. The treatment of these war widows was shameful and continued right up to 1989. This is their story.

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Everything you ever wanted to know about the Second World War, from the highest-rated fighter aces to the most inventive escape equipment used to break out of Colditz; from army pay by rank to the largest battleships; from the most stirring speeches to the biggest tactical errors; from the strangest regimental mottoes to the plays most performed by ENSA; and from the dates each country joined the war to the most unlikely spies. All the major events and dates in the war are covered in detail, but equal emphasis is placed on the human experience of combat. Often poignant and always revealing, World War II: the Book of Lists offers a unique insight into the deadliest conflict in human history.

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The Little Book of Norfolk is a repository of intriguing, fascinating, obscure, strange and entertaining facts and trivia about one of England’s most colourful counties. It is an essential to the born and bred Norfolk folk or anyone who knows and loves the county. Armed with this fascinating tome the reader will have such knowledge of the county, its landscape, people, places, pleasures and pursuits they will be entertained and enthralled and never short of some frivolous fact to enhance conversation or quiz! A reference book and a quirky guide, this can be dipped in to time and time again to reveal something new about the people, the heritage, the secrets and the enduring fascination of the county. A remarkably engaging little book, this is essential reading for visitors and locals alike.

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From eyewitness accounts of unexplained sightings to the search for evidence of ghosts, this book features over fifty chilling tales of ghostly encounters from around Wearside. Featuring the ghostly nuns of Franklin Street, a headless horseman in Newcastle Road, and the phantoms who haunt the Royal Infirmary, Haunted Wearside is guaranteed to make your blood run cold. Richly illustrated and drawing on historical and contemporary sources, this collection will delight everyone interested in the paranormal.

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Winding its way from Winchester to Canterbury, through the counties of Hampshire, Surrey and Kent, can still be found one of England’s most ancient trackways. Well trodden and beloved of walkers throughout southern England, the Pilgrims’ Way serves as a hidden by-way linking those that travel along it with some of the countries oldest cathedrals, castles and abbeys, yet it remains an enigma to many of those who regularly follow its tracks. From the Neolithic through to the Victorian pilgrimists, Derek Bright brings together a mass of evidence and re-evaluates how we should view this ancient trackway that Ivan D. Margary described as one of the most important in Britain. Using evidence of roadside crime, prohibitive legislation, and the everyday hazards facing wayfarers, he makes decisive arguments for how the road has served travellers over time.

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The band playing ‘Nearer my God to Thee’ as the ship went down is probably one of the most famous stories relating to the Titanic. The bravery of the band and their leader, Wallace Hartley, is one of the endearing stories to come out of the worst disaster to happen to a British passenger liner. Who comprised the band? Who was Wallace Hartley and where did he come from? Not much has been written about this enigmatic band leader or of his part in the tragedy, beyond a few mentions in the many books on the disaster. But he was one of the most important characters in the story of Titanic. Yvonne Speak has spent years researching the life story of Wallace Hartley and has conducted interviews with remaining members of his family. Here she tells his story and remembers this most British of heroes.

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There’s never a dull moment in this entertaining collection of experiences as Geoff Body and Bill Parker present often hilarious highlights from the careers of railwaymen around Britain over the last fifty years. Featuring daring robberies, royal visits, lost passengers, bomb scares, coffins, circus trains and ladies of the night, it chronicles both successes and disasters, with accounts of moving a farm and a circus, 245 miles of marooned railway, footplate adventures, animal capers and many equally fascinating subjects. Geoff Body and Bill Parker both enjoyed long careers on the railways and they have brought together this assortment of memories from all parts of the country. Signal Box Coming Up, Sir! is an entertaining and instructive journey for anyone with an interest in life on the railways.

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Discover the spooky side of Bolton with this terrifying collection of true-life tales from across the town. Featuring eyewitness accounts from a haunted room, sealed up for forty years at the Blue Boar pub, to the ghostly female resident at the Old Duke and the Westhoughton poltergeist, this book includes pulse-raising narratives that are guaranteed to make your blood run cold. Richly illustrated, and featuring eyewitness interviews and previously unpublished investigation accounts carried out by the authors and the Lancashire Hauntings team, Haunted Bolton will send a chill up the spine of all who read it.

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The Little Book of Sussex is a funny, fast-paced, fact-packed compendium of the sort of frivolous, fantastic or simply strange information which no-one will want to be without. Here we find out about the most unusual crimes and punishments, eccentric inhabitants, famous sons and daughters and literally hundreds of wacky facts (plus some authentically bizarre bits of historic trivia). David Arscott’s new book gathers together a myriad of data on Sussex. There are lots of factual chapters but also plenty of frivolous details which will amuse and surprise. With chapters on folklore, history, geography, celebrity Sussexians and much more, this is an ideal book for all those who know and love this quintessentially English county.

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During the First and Second World Wars thousands of men and women refused the call to arms. Reviled, starved and beaten, theirs was a battle of conscience. In the First World War, seventy-three conscientious objectors died as a result of their treatment, and hundreds more were imprisoned. During the Second World War, many conscientious objectors performed other, non-combatant duties with great heroism, including bomb disposal, and joining the fire service and ambulance crews. Unable to turn a blind eye to the dark realities of war, these men and women, who came from all classes and backgrounds, wrestled with their moral values, and their struggles, motivations and stories are brought together in this moving and challenging history of war’s outcasts.

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With the country’s oldest university and the ruins of both a magnificent castle and one of the grandest cathedrals of medieval Europe, St Andrews is one of the most beautiful and historic places in Scotland. But it’s also one of the most haunted. Here are investigations into St Andrews’ most famous ghost (the White Lady) and its most famous paranormal location (the Haunted Tower, with its real-life Victorian mystery of mummified bodies); the numerous phantoms, historical and contemporary, that appear to cluster around the medieval quarter of The Pends and St Leonard’s School; and spectres of castle and cloister, town and gown. There is also the Pitmilly House poltergeist, whose fire-raising activities resulted in a payout by an insurance company. Join paranormal expert Geoff Holder in an exploration of the darker side of St Andrews.

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Drawing on his detailed knowledge of the city’s history, in this book Brian Lee takes the reader on a pictorial journey of the Cardiff of yesteryear. A fascinating selection of archive postcards has been chosen to reflect the changing fashions and pastimes in the city. They also show changes in types of transport, and the developing character of streets and districts as they took on the form that is familiar today. Informative captions accompany the images to relate the history of the people and buildings. Including chapters on the castle, civic centre, city-centre streets, parks, religion, transport, the docks, leisure and sport and also the 1909 Pageant of Wales, this book is sure to enthral anyone who knows and loves this vibrant city.

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The post-war era was British speedway’s golden age. Ten million spectators passed through the turnstiles of a record number of tracks at the sport’s peak. With league gates as high as 80,000, speedway offered a colourful means of escape from the grim austerity of the times. A determinedly clean image, with no betting and rival fans mingling on the terraces, made speedway the family night out of choice. The sport thrived despite punitive taxation and Government threats to close down the speedways as a threat to industrial productivity. A three-division National League stretched from Exeter to Edinburgh and the World Championship Final attracted a capacity audience to Wembley. Test matches against Australia provided yet another international dimension. Even at the height of its popularity, speedway was a sporting edifice built on unstable foundations, which crumbled alarmingly as the 1950s dawned and Britain’s economic and social recovery brought competing attractions like television.

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E.J. Rudsdale’s role as a museum curator and air-raid shelter superintendent at Colchester Castle during the Second World War gave him the perfect opportunity to record life on the Home Front in his journals. Seventy years later, the selected extracts gathered here provide a remarkable insight into wartime life. Rudsdale’s writing is characterised throughout by his wry observations of wartime officialdom and his lack of conformity with the prevailing views of the time. He was a pacifist, which gives his journals an unusual perspective. However, even as a civilian he could not escape the conflict, living in a garrison town threatened by invasion and regular bombing raids. His journals, therefore, record anxious and tragic events, but throughout it all his sense of humour is never diminished.This absorbing collection demonstrates Rudsdale’s ability to bring a scene vividly to life and each account highlights the daily pressures that people endured as they valiantly tried to carry on with normal life in spite of the war.

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From AD 61, when Queen Boudicca – outraged at her treatment at the hands of the Romans – marched on the city and burned it to the ground, London has been hit by wave upon wave of destruction. This fascinating and unique book tells the story of over 2000 years of disaster – fire, water, disease, pollution, accident, storm, riot, terrorism and enemy action. It chronicles well-known episodes like the Great Plague of 1665 and the Blitz, as well as lesser-known events such as whirlwinds and earthquakes. This new edition also includes the recent terrorist attack on 7 July 2005, as well as a new section on the crises which have plagued the financial City, including the near-collapse of Britain’s banks during 2008 and 2009. London’s Disasters ultimately celebrates the spirit of the people of London who have risen above it all and for whom London is still a great city in which to live and work.

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Like many of the families in this book, Rex Sly follows in the footsteps of his ancestors who were also farmers in the Fens. The land was reclaimed by forebears, giving this unique bond between ‘soil and soul’ - each generation wishing to leave their soils as a sustainable inheritance to the next. The variety of crops which are grown has changed little over the past half-century, but the traditional farms have been largely replaced by high-tech agro-businesses. Not all farms in the fens are large, though, and the richness of the soils still enables the small grower to survive in a niche marketplace. The greatest change has been from the grower to the consumers’ shopping baskets. The marketing chain has changed from markets and merchants to the vast supermarket network: fast and efficient for the grower and value for money for the public. The corn exchanges which witnessed the rise and fall of agriculture over one and a half centuries of history are now no more than farming monuments. The ever-increasing demands on our soils are of concern to those in the Fens. Each generation is replaceable - fen topsoil is not.

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These lively and entertaining folk tales from one of Britain's most ancient counties are vividly retold by local storyteller Kirsty Hartsiotis. Their origins lost in the oral tradition, these thirty stories from Wiltshire reflect the wisdom of the county and its people. From the Giant's Dance to the Great Western Railway, no stone is left unturned to discover the roots of the county. Discover the Moonraker's passages and Merlin's trickery, dabchicks and the devil, the flying monk of Malmesbury and a canal ghost story. These tales have all stood the test of time, and remain classic texts that will be enjoyed time and again by modern readers.

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The Sheffield United – a book on the Blades like no other, packed with facts, stats, trivia, stories and legends. Sheffield United FC enjoy a notable history. Names such as Ernest Needham, Jimmy Hagan and Alan Woodward have worn the famous red and white stripes hundreds of times. As has the mercurial Tony Currie plus the infamous William ‘Fatty’ Foulke - a huge keeper who walked off the field at a whim and once dumped a forward on his head in a muddy penalty area. The Sheffield United Miscellany charts these events and many more in an intriguing format. Well known events are covered as are some priceless trivia gems - who can claim to have known the club was founded on the site of one of snooker’s most hallowed venues and hosted the obscure winter sport of bandy? Also featured are a wide range of statistics, quotes and biographies from the club’s 110-year history, making it a must for any Blade. Can you really afford not to own a copy?

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The Little Book of The East End is a funny, fast-paced, fact-packed compendium of the sort of frivolous, fantastic or simply strange information which no-one will want to be without. Here we find out about the most unusual crimes and punishments, eccentric inhabitants, famous sons and daughters and literally hundreds of wacky facts (plus some authentically bizarre bits of historic trivia). A reference book and a quirky guide, this can be dipped in to time and time again to reveal something new about the people, the heritage, the secrets and the enduring fascination of the original home of the Cockney which is now far more diverse. A wonderful package and essential reading for visitors and locals alike.

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This absorbing collection delves into the villainous deeds that have taken place in Norwich and its surrounding areas. Cases of murder, robbery, assault and fraud are all examined as the darker side of the city’s past is exposed. From cases as famous as the murder of William of Norwich, which led to the expulsion of the Jewish race from England in 1290, to little-known crimes such as the tragic case of a man suffering from depression murdering his fiancée, this book sheds a new light on the city’s criminal history. Illustrated with a wide range of archive material and modern photographs, Murder & Crime Norwich is sure to fascinate both residents and visitors alike as these shocking events of the past are revealed for a new generation.

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The introduction of the transom stern into the seiner-trawler fleet in the mid-twentieth century was one of the most radical departures in Scottish wooden fishing craft design since the development of the cruiser stern after the First World War. During the 1970s there also grew a colossal demand for steel boats, particularly among the herring trawling and purse seining fleets of north-east Scotland. By 1973 more than 15 British firms were building steel boats for Scottish owners. Based on her original fieldwork and using her own photographs, Gloria Wilson traces these developments and their links to economic and social trends in the fishing industry, both ashore and afloat. This fascinating book charts the tragedies and bizarre twists of fate that characterised this turbulent era, including the boats that were lost with all hands, and the boatyards forced to close, leaving half-built vessels on their slipways.

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Oxfordshire’s best-known employers are the manufacturers of cars, blankets and cakes, as well as those dealing in tourism, education and publishing. It is still essentially a rural county and many of its trades and crafts are related to the countryside. A number of Oxfordshire businesses have been handed down through several generations, adapting and modernizing as necessary over the years. Many have finally closed after decades of trade, but are nevertheless fondly remembered, one or two even reappearing as exhibits in the county’s museums. Some major employers have failed to survive, while others have become part of high street chains and at least one has expanded to form its own. Featured in this book are carvers and barrel makers, university employees and leather-workers, hop-pickers and bee-keepers, brewers and marmalade makers, railwaymen and bus drivers, thatchers and blacksmiths, and, of course, shops galore, including an ironmonger’s which dates back to Tudor days. With 200 superb photographs, this book will appeal to everyone with an interest in the history of the county, and also awaken memories of a bygone time for those who worked, shopped or simply remember these Oxfordshire firms, trades and businesses.

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Brierley Hill is one of the heavily industrialised towns that make up the region known as the Black Country. Like many such towns it can easily be divided into many smaller communities that, while being part of Brierley Hill, have quite an independent existence and identity of their own.This book sets out on a journey across Brierley Hill that begins at the parish church and ends at one of the principal crossroads in the town centre, and then we make our way around the satellite communities of Brockmoor, Bromley and Pensnett. We find ourselves in a world that was dominated by many local pits where coal and fireclay were extracted, much of this coal being used in the manufacture of iron. When steel came along, Brierley Hill became the home to a large and important steelworks at Round Oak. Other companies came into the area to manufacture products using steel and some became very large local employers and integral parts of the community. Large scale industry and mining may have gone but the communities they spawned survive and this books provides a glimpse of the shops, pubs, schools, chapels and churches and other facilities that once made each ‘village’ so self-sufficient, intertwined with their railways and canals of industry.With over 200 historic and fascinating photographs, this book is a must-have for locals and visitors alike, capturing Brierley Hill as it used to be and how it has been shaped into the place that it is today.

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'Carefully compiled' in 1867 'from prison documents, ancient papers, and other authentic sources,' this extremely rare book contains the full details of the crimes, trials and executions of every murderer, highwayman, rogue and rebel ever to swing from the York Tyburn. From nobles such as Lord Hussey, Sir Robert Aske and the Earl of Northumberland (who mounted the scaffold 'with a firm step'), to notorious villains such as William Nevinson, Dick Turpin (whose right leg started to shake as he awaited the drop) and Knaresborough schoolteacher-turned-murderer Eugene Aram, it is an enthralling tour through the executions of the North. Including the last words and prison letters of many of the condemned, and laced with a grim humour (as seen in the case of the murderer who begged the hangman to check the rope carefully lest it break and leave him 'a cripple for life'), it will fascinate anyone with an interest in criminal history.

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The first edition of William A. Guy's "Principles of Forensic Medicine" was published at the start of Victoria's reign; the final edition, from which these selections derive, was published towards the end, just a few years after the Whitechapel horrors had pushed the emerging science to the forefront of the public's consciousness. With this guide in hand, a detective could tell whether the victim had suffocated, drowned, been shot, stabbed, or struck by lightning, spontaneously combusted, frozen to death or expired due to starvation - or, as the guide warns, was not dead at all, but simply in a state of 'suspended animation'. Suggestions include examining the face of the deceased for an 'expression of angry resistance', a clear indication of murder, and studying the demeanour of the nearest and dearest in cases of suspected 'secret poisoning'. With original woodcuts, case studies and notes on identifying the corpse and walking the crime scene, Victorian CSI will fascinate lovers of crime fiction and of true crime alike.

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The popular seaside resort of Scarborough has long been a haven for holidaymakers, but the town also harbours some disturbing secrets. Discover the darker side of Scarborough with this fascinating collection of spine-chilling tales from around the town. From poltergeists and mummies to the Headless Man and the mysterious story of the vanishing houses, this book includes many pulse-raising narratives that are guaranteed to make you blood run cold. Illustrated with over sixty pictures Haunted Scarborough will delight everyone interested in the paranormal.

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Brummie Kid is a fascinating recollection of the experience of growing up in the slums of Nechells and Aston. All the harshness of daily life is remembered here by local author Graham Twist. Despite hard living conditions and a distinct lack of money, a strong community spirit prevailed and families and neighbourhoods were close-knit. In these tough times you hoped nobody noticed you going to the 'pop shop' to pawn precious valuables, siphoning petrol from cars under the nose of the local bobby, or sneaking into the flicks without paying – though everyone was more or less in the same boat. Here are more funny, heart-warming stories from the backstreets of Birmingham which are sure to rekindle old memories.

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Around Norwich is not just another book on this fine city. Combining many previously unpublished photographs of outstanding quality and interest with well-researched captions, including many new facts and stories, one of the county's foremost local historians has created a fascinating narrative of the city, suburbs, people, shops and events of the past. Some images will be reassuringly familiar, some have changed or are lost beyond recollection. In one of its most turbulent centuries, the city has lived through the coming of the trains and the tram system, the Baedeker Blitz of 1942 and the construction of the inner link roads in the 1960s. It also takes a look at some of the sports and entertainment; from Norwich City FC playing at 'The Nest' to The Hippodrome Theatre. This book will be an enduring and nostalgic record, of interest to anyone who knows and loves the City of Norwich.

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Herefordshire Murders brings together twenty-eight murderous tales, some which were little known outside the county and others which made national headlines. Herefordshire was home to one of Britain’s most infamous murderers, Major Herbert Rowse Armstrong, who, in 1921, poisoned his wife and attempted to poison a fellow solicitor in Hay-on-Wye. However, the county has also experienced many lesser known murders. They include the case of two-year-old Walter Frederick Steers, brutally killed in Little Hereford in 1891; eighty-seven-year-old Phillip Ballard, who died at the hands of two would-be burglars in Tupsley in 1887; Jane Haywood, murdered by her husband near Leominster in 1903; and the shooting of two sisters at Burghill Court, near Hereford, by their butler in 1926. Nicola Sly’s carefully researched and enthralling text will appeal to everyone interested in the shady side of Herefordshire’s history.

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This colourful evocation of Christmas in Cheshire will enliven many an evening around a blazing fire. Wonder at the Mayor of Chester's sumptuous banquet where the tables groan under the sheer weight of food; experience the joy of the newly-wed Reverend and Mrs Brandt as they arrive on a frosty Christmas Eve at Gawsworth Rectory, their new home; feel your flesh creep at the tales of the ghosts of Christmas past which haunt the eerie country house at Poulton Lancelyn in the Wirral; spare a thought for the poor farmer to whom Christmas is just a week with three Sundays in it; ride with the whipper-in of the Cheshire Forest Hunt on a Boxing Day meet that went perilously wrong; and follow the Duke of Westminster's gamekeeper in a taxi cab full of cards and gifts, as he struggles across Cheshire to deliver them all in time for Christmas. So, shut out the cold night, draw the curtains and put another log on the fire. Then settle down in the warmth to enjoy this enthralling anthology of A Cheshire Christmas, the perfect stocking filler for all who know and love the county.

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The history of Special Operations Executive (SOE) seems to spring a never-ending run of surprises, and here are some more. This book explores the mysterious world of the tools SOE used for their missions of subversion and sabotage. An often grim reality is confronted that is more akin with the world of James Bond and Q's workshop than previously believed. Written by two scientists, one of whom served in the SOE and one who was tasked with clearing up after it was disbanded; their insider knowledge presents a clear account of the way in which SOE's inventors worked. From high explosive technology to chemical and biological devices; from the techniques of air supply to incendiarism; from camouflage to underwater warfare; and from radio communications to weaponry. SOE: The Scientific Secrets is a revelation about the tools that allowed the murky world of spying and spies to operate during wartime.

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Danger and excitement; courage and selflessness and gripping stories of life and death in the air: Lady Luck took these heady ingredients and mixed them into the lethal cocktail that is military flying in peace and war. From First World War biplanes to twenty-first-century fast jets, mid-air collisions and many other crashes, hundreds of airmen from all corners of the world left their mark - quite literally - on the landscape and collective memory of the east of England. Featuring a wealth of previously unpublished photographs and with original research and crew correspondence, Dying to Fly ensures these airmen cease simply to be names carved in cold memorial stone or entries in some dusty, long-forgotten documents, and pays tribute to their passing by bringing their courage and human-interest stories into light of day to be remembered with respect.

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A companion to his successful first book, James Pottinger’s new volume Scottish Fishing Boats: A New Look looks farther afield, and covers the fishing history of the areas of north-east Scotland, the west coast and Shetland. Topics covered include miscellaneous types from today and the past, pursers, smaller craft, visiting boats and boats which were lost to sea or have been scrapped. A number of older boats are included to illustrate shapes and designs, which are often held to retain a measure of character and individuality, perhaps not as prevalent today. Touching on some of the changes in boat types and fishing methods, as well as changes and developments in design and catching methods, this second selection of images brings the story of Scotland’s fishing boats up to date.

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The Great Western Railway’s Swindon Works was the largest employer in the area, even during the early British Railway years. For well over a hundred years thousands of apprentices and ‘trainees’ passed through its doors to learn the trades of the railways. Throughout its lifetime the apprenticeship process was hard work with many constraints, particularly in the early periods when even marriage was forbidden. However, alongside the hard work of ‘doing time’ (a colloquial term for apprenticeship), there were undoubtedly good times as the young boys were absorbed into the ‘family’ of workers ‘Inside’ (as Swindon Works was known locally). Doing Time Inside chronicles the changes of the apprenticeship process from its earliest times during the Industrial Revolution; through the varied work of two world war periods; the changes of thinking and policy in the post-war era; the significant developments of the 1960s; and the decline of apprenticeship until the closure of the Works in 1986. Full of fascinating photographs and documents, many previously unpublished, as well as numerous engaging first-hand accounts of the different ‘apprenticeships’ on offer, the books presents an in-depth study of apprenticeship in the railway world.

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Curiosities of Cheshire is a comprehensive and fascinating guide to over 100 remarkable and curious sites, buildings and structures from around the county. Included in these pages are mysterious rock carvings, a garden designed around John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress, a giant’s grave, the shortest canal in England, as well as the distinctive architecture of Richard Harding Watts’s Knutsford. Richly illustrated with over 100 contemporary and historical photographs, Robert Nicholls tells an alternative history of Cheshire that will fascinate both residents and visitors alike.

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Dark and foggy Victorian streets, the murderous madman, the arsenic-laced evening meal - we all think we know the realities of Victorian crime. Adrian Gray's thrilling book recounts the classic murders, by knife and poison, but it also covers much more, taking the reader into less familiar parts of Victorian life, uncovering the wicked, the vengeful, the foolish and the hopeless amongst the criminal world of the nineteenth century. Here you will encounter the women who sold their children, corrupt bankers, smugglers, highwaymen, the first terrorists, bloodthirsty mutineers and petty thieves; you will meet the 'mesmerists' who fooled a credulous public, and even the Salvation Army band that went to gaol. Gray journeys through the cities, villages, lanes, mills and sailing ships of the period, ranging from Carlisle to Cornwall, showing how our laws today have been shaped by what the Victorians considered acceptable - or made illegal.

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The Picts, the most powerful nation in northern Britain for some 500 years, mysteriously disappeared from contemporary records in the ninth century. All that remains of the language they spoke are a few fragments in the names of places or people. Their most enduring memorial is a unique system of symbols carved on stone monuments, engraved on objects of silver and bronze and scratched on the walls of caves - symbols whose interpretation has been as elusive as that of the Egyptian hieroglyphs before the discovery of the Rosetta stone. In this important book, Dr Cummins seeks to unravel the code behind these mystifying symbols by following up a variety of historical and archaeological clues. In doing so he opens up a deeper understanding of who the Picts were and the world in which they lived. This book is a must-have for anyone interested in the Picts and fascinated by the perennial mysteries of the Dark Ages.

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From heart-stopping accounts of apparitions, manifestations and supernatural phenomena, to first-hand encounters with phantoms and spirits, this collection of spooky sightings from around the city of Plymouth is guaranteed to make your blood run cold. Richly illustrated with over 100 pictures, Haunted Plymouth contains a chilling range of tales. From the ghost of Sir Francis Drake on Plymouth Hoe, poltergeist activity in one of the city’s Elizabethan inns and the shade of a lady in white at Widey Court, to French prisoners of war at Devonport Dockyard and a phantom pair legs at a Mutley house, this gathering of ghostly goings-on is bound to captivate everyone interested in the paranormal history of Plymouth and will chill all but the sturdiest of hearts.

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For countless holiday-makers, a trip to the seaside resorts of the West Country used to mean travelling on the network of lines operated by the Great Western and the London and South Western railways. Before the reshaping of British Railways following the Beeching Report in 1963, a wide variety of trains operated in Devon. This book chronicles these trains during a period of dramatic change, as lines were closed down, steam traction was phased out and the thundering express and the hard-working tank disappeared. A wealth of these lost images can be found within this evocative collection of over 200 photographs. Comprising the work of both amateurs and professionals, the book also reveals glimpses of the stations, the people who worked on the lines, and of the high days and disasters. Brought together here as a collection, they pay homage to the great days of steam.

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Wales is especially rich in the folklore of place, and this collection brings a new perspective to the history of Denbighshire, the oldest inhabited area of Wales. With hills, valleys, moorland and coast, this varied land has inspired many tales of ancient battles, strange creatures and curious customs. This compilation of stories from the ancient lore of the modern county of Denbighshire includes local legends, folk tales, stories of magic and mystery and tales of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Discover dragons and devils, ghosts and giants, witches and cunning men, poets, heroes, saints, kings and queens and, of course, Y Tylwyth Teg, The Fair Folk. A speaker of both languages of Wales, the author has collected some unusual material which will be of particular interest to non-Welsh speakers, who will meet these tales for the first time here.With illustrations from local artist Ed Fisher complementing the tales, this volume will be enjoyed by old and young alike. Mae'na groeso cynnes Cymreig yma i bawb. There is a warm Welsh welcome here to all.

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A biography of the man who founded St Dunstan's for blinded service personnel.

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For the first time, the story of Jersey in the First World War is revealed. Whilst the island's role in the Second World War is well documented, a generation earlier another devastating war had struck Jersey, jeopardising the lives and liberties of its people. In 1915, a band of 300 young men known as the Jersey Company volunteered to fight for king and country in a war beyond the comprehension of many. Feted as heroes, they proudly took their place in the trenches of the Western front. But the war was to have a devastating effect - both on the Jersey Company and their island. Soon the volunteers were not only fighting the enemy, but also waging a bitter struggle for continued recognition and support from home. Accompanied by some incredible rare photographs, this book tells the moving but ultimately tragic story of one small and unique unit caught in the maelstrom of the Great War. This is an eye-opening account of one of the most important periods in Jersey's history and promises to fascinate anyone interested in the island's extraordinary past.

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Princes Risborough, a small, pleasent town nestling in the Chiltern Hills, has seen many changes over the years, especially since the Second World War. In this delightful record, many stories and anecdotes have been gathered from the people who have lived and worked in the town throughout the post-war period. Long-time Risborough residents Mike and Angela Payne have interviewed scores of people about living and working in the town. The book includes untold stories, personal memories and the contributions individuals have made. All this is complemented by over sixty pictures, some previously unseen, from the authors' and local people's private collections. This volume provides a glimpse into how the town has changed and developed, as seen through the eyes of those who know it best. Bringing back nostalgic memories of real life in Buckinghamshire town, this truly is a book for the people by the people.

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