Search results for ""the history press""

Jack the Ripper’s brutal murders have left an ineradicable stain on the gloomy streets of Whitechapel and surrounding area. Disturbingly, his infamous butchery was just one of many equally deplorable atrocities committed in the area, which collectively cast a shadow over the history of London’s East End and shocked the nation as a whole. Cases featured here include that of Henry Wainwright, tried in 1875 for the murder and dismemberment of his mistress, Harriet Lane; Polish-born Israel Lipski, charged with the murder of fellow lodger Miriam Angel in 1887; Myer Abramovitch, executed on 6 March 1912 for the gruesome double murder of Mr and Mrs Milstein at their home at Hanbury Street in 1911; and Harold Hall, who savagely murdered Kitty Roman with a penknife at Miller’s Court, Whitechapel in 1909, within sight of the room where Jack the Ripper’s final victim, Mary Kelly, was killed.

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Curious Buckinghamshire is a guide to over 100 unusual and extraordinary sights from all parts of the county. Featured here are tales of unsolved murders, witchcraft, hangings, poltergeists, ‘cunning men’, underground caves, backswording and riots, as well as myths, legends and folklore from around Buckinghamshire. Illustrated with a range of photographs and original drawings, Roger Long’s entertaining stories will inspire Buckinghamshire residents and visitors alike to greater exploration of both familiar and unknown sights of this historically rich and curious county.

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This is a charming compendium of historical oddities, curious customs and strange events from across West Yorkshire. Laid out in an easy to use A-Z format it explores a vast range of subjects, from folklore and legends to Yorkshire's strangest buildings, artefacts and memorials (including a drinker's tomb made from a beer barrel). Here also are some of Yorkshire's most eccentric characters and famous former inhabitants, and the stories behind some of the oddest events that have occurred in the county - and perhaps even in the whole of the British Isles. With countless Civil War curiosities, tragic tales and hilarious happenings, 'tha couldna mak it up!'. Richly illustrated with both modern and archive images, it will delight residents and visitors alike.

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Like many young men of the time, the boys of King Edward VI School saw the outbreak of the First World War as an opportunity for bravery and excitement. By the time the Armistice was signed in late 1918, thirty-one old boys and one Master had been killed. For such a small grammar school the cost was significant, as too were the number of awards for gallantry, including a Victoria Cross. Set against Stratford-upon-Avon and the boys’ schooldays, this intriguing book details the boys’ war and their involvement in the major battles on the Western Front, in Italy, Salonika, Macedonia, Gallipoli, Bulgaria and Russia. Ultimately a tragic and moving account, it captures the heart of a small community and represents the sense of adventure with which young men went to war.

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The third in Guy Halford-MacLeod’s series on the history of independent airlines in Britain after the Second World War, battling against ever-changing government policies, this well-organised book takes us from Harold Wilson’s first administration through the Thatcher years, to the surprising acceptance of Open Skies within the European Community. Britain’s Airlines focuses on the airlines, their managers, the aircraft they flew, and the conditions they contended with for survival. Guy Halford-MacLeod explains how the airlines made and remade themselves, ducking and diving in a slippery and difficult ring; and records the exploits of some well-known heavy-weights, Freddie Laker, Lord King, and Richard Branson. There are unfamiliar slants on the stories of the time, and this readable book offers both structure and expert analysis of the complex issues which faced the airlines and their regulators.

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With a quarter of million cars a day crowding onto the M25, and millions more standing nose-to-tail on our A-roads, Britain is now officially Europe’s largest car park. In Germany it’s illegal to drive on a motorway at less than 37mph, but over here it can be a struggle even to reach such a speed during daylight hours. Over-stressed, over-taxed, with petrol at well over a pound a litre and the morning and evening rush hours merging into one, UK motorists have become the slaves of the machine rather than its master. People, even so, are still keen to go places – according to the Times the A–Z to of London is the most shoplifted book in Britain – and so far at least there’s not better way of doing it than by car. Written with the suffering millions in mind, Blood, Sweat and Tyres is the antidote.Casting a wry eye over the world of modern motoring, and highlighting some of its strangest and more bizarre aspects, it seeks to put the sheer awfulness of commuting into some kind of perspective. Or at least to give the victims – motorists, their passengers, friends and families – something funny to read and to reflect on whilst they join the queue. Find out: why the most successful Le Mans driver of all time wishes he could race a 90 year old lady; why the Fab Three bullied Ringo into selling his favourite French supercar and how big a forest your average football team would need to plant to offset the massive carbon footprint of all the gas-guzzlers in the players’ car park.

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During the great age of steam, most railways in Dorset were operated by the Southern Railway and the Great Western Railway. These Dorset railway companies and daily life on the branch lines during this era and beyond are recorded here amid a wealth of informatively captioned photographs collected by authors Ted Gosling and Mike Clement. Bygone railway stations are affectionately recalled, together with the open cattle trucks and luxurious Pullman coaches that served our great –grandfathers’ generation. This book is a tribute to the men who worked on the demanding coal-fired locomotives of this age for they were truly the unsung heroes of Dorset’s railways.

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For more than a thousand years the Afon Conwy – the River Conway to the English – provided a military gateway into the heart of North Wales, firstly for the legions of Rome and then the English armies seeking to subdue the people of Wales. In later, more peaceful times, it proved a seemingly impossible barrier to the spread of transport links which sought to open up new and improved communications with Ireland – a barrier that can prove troublesome even today. A Postcard from the Conwy takes the reader on a journey in words and pictures along the entire length of the river and its headwaters, using more than 200 old postcards from the authors’ extensive collections. It is a pictorial record of soaring mountains and tranquil lakes, majestic bridges and castles, houses great and small, sailing boats and steamers – all immortalised by past generations of photographers and artists for the benefit of innumerable tourists and travellers.

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Built by Nobles of Girvan gives a wonderfully comprehensive account of one of Scotland’s finest boat-building companies –Alexander Noble & Sons Ltd of Girvan – from its founding in 1946 to the present-day. The phrase ‘Built by Nobles of Girvan’ is synonymous with the construction of finely crafted wooden fishing vessels – in particular some wonderfully elegant and successful ring netters – yet to think of the yard as a builder of ringers only is to deny it its versatility. While the ringers take pride of place in this book it also covers the other types of fishing vessels built in Girvan, including forty-footers, seiners and trawlers as well as the yard’s diversification into construction, using steel, of both fishing and non-fishing boats.This book is the master list of Nobles’ fishing boats. It records the main dimensions of each boat, the major changes which took place during her lifetime and her ultimate fate. The history of the yard is covered in an insightful introduction which includes some fine fishermen’s tales of big catches and happy days spent fishing, as well as detailing the other activities that took place there such as that of maintenance and repair work. Featuring over 180 photographs, many previously unpublished and from the Nobles archives, each fishing vessel is illustrated by at least one image, allowing readers the incredible opportunity to revisit the grand sight of a varnished Nobles boat in her heyday.

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This book contains all manner of grim and ancient punishments from London’s long and bloody history. Over the centuries, many hundreds have expired inside the capital’s dank, rat-infested cells, or whilst ‘dancing the Tyburn jig’ at the end of a swinging rope, and many of the sites in this book have become bywords for infamy. From the Tower and Newgate prison to the Clink and the Fleet, this book explores London’s criminal heritage; also including the stocks and pillories that lie, almost forgotten, in churchyards and squares across the City, and the many shocking punishments exacted inside the region’s churches, workhouses and schools, it is a heart-breaking survey of our nation’s penal history. Richly illustrated, and filled with victims and villains, nobles, executioners and torturers, it will delight historians, residents and visitors alike.

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This collection of old photographs and postcards provides the reader with a fascinating and informative guide to Chippenham and its history over the past hundred years. The book spans the expansion and development of the thriving market town by the River Avon from the nineteenth century to the present day. The history of the area is told through images of events as diverse as Queen Victoria's Jubilee and the recurrent floods throughout the town's past. The book chronicles the changing appearance of the town and follows themes such as the growth of the fire service and the participation and experience of Chippenham in the two world wars. The photographic material is accompanied by corresponding captions amassing to a wealth of historical detail. This tribute to Chippenham is sure to interest the casual visitor and to reawaken memories of long ago for local residents.

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Racing in Doncaster contains a fascinating selection of photographs, charting the ups and downs of this historic course. Famous races, horses, jockeys and trainers can all be found here, along with much detail about the St Leger, Doncaster’s most celebrated and lucrative race of all. Peter Tuffrey has gathered together well over 200 images, many unpublished, to present a comprehensive photographic history of the course, the meetings, and the runners and rider who have graced Doncaster’s turf. This is must-have for all racing enthusiasts.

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Brunel's main line from Paddington to Bristol was, and still is, the most important of the Reading railways. For over 125 years steam dominated this great route, its green-liveried engines, adorned with brass and copper trim, each exhibiting the characteristic style that typified the designs of the Great Western Railway. Among the photographers who regularly recorded the railway scene at Reading was Walter Gilbert, whose trademark was quality. Wally, as he liked to be known, took his camera both east and west from Reading. Captured here through the lens of his camera are striking reminders of the years between 1950 and 1963 - so different from the modern experience of high speed trains and turbo units. Taken from the collections of a number of other enthusiasts, Kevin Robertson illustrates locations such as Henley-on-Thames and Didcot and shows locomotives and trains both at work and at rest. This superb collection of photographs will evoke strong memories for many, and prove an important guide to this part of our railway heritage.

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This seasonal anthology of festive fare will delight Oxfordshire readers - and those further afield - during the season of goodwill, from Advent to Twelfth Night. Here are reminiscences of Christmases past at Blenheim Palace and Broughton Castle, and, contrastingly, the simpler pleasures enjoyed at Flora Thompson's rural Lark Rise. Cecil Day Lewis describes 'The Christmas Tree' in verse, and Henley's first peace-time celebrations after the end of the First World War are poignantly recounted. Pam Ayres and Mollie Harris mingle in this anthology with distinguished Oxford scholars, J.R.R. Tolkein, Robert Southey, John Donne and Joseph Addison, and share with us their experiences of yuletide. This book also includes ghost stories, local carols and traditions and folklore, including the ancient ceremony of bringing in the boar's head at Queen's College and the Boxing Day wren hunt. An Oxfordshire Christmas makes an ideal gift for all who know and love the county.

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This fascinating volume celebrates every aspect of Whitby's Gothic past. With a detailed exploration of the town's connection with Dracula (including historical events such as the beaching of the Dmitri and a visit to many of the book's most famous sites), it will delight all lovers of Gothic fiction. Featuring a complete tour of attractions including the abbey and the churchyard - and full details of the gargoyles, tombstones and many other strange carvings to be found there - it evokes Whitby as it was when Stoker visited. However, Dracula is not the only strange tale told in Whitby, and this volume also collects together many other local ghost stories and legends to make this a volume that no bookshelf in Whitby and far beyond will be complete without.

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Dee Gordon’s new book is the unique and fascinating result of many conversations with people who lived and worked in Stepney during the 1950s and ’60s. Vivid memories are recounted – focusing particularly on social change. As well as school days, work and play, transport and entertainment, there are also memories of Stepney Green, the Royal London Hospital, Charrington’s Brewery, Tubby Isaacs, Cable Street, and Brick Lane. Anyone who knows Stepney, as a resident or as a visitor, will be amused and entertained, surprised and moved by these stories, which capture the unique spirit of the East End.

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For the first time, this book traces the complete history of the world's first jet airliner, and how this aircraft was developed from the civil airliner the Comet into a succession of military aircraft named Nimrod, which has been the RAF's primary Maritime Patrol Aircraft since the 1970s. It includes much previously unpublished data, including information on a remarkable Nimrod version that was unfortunately abandoned, and a version that was previously kept secret. Written by highly respected aviation expert Bill Gunston, Nimrod: The Centenarian Aircraft includes cutaway drawings for each aircraft, detailed numerical data, and is the first publication to record dangerous problems with a vitally important RAF aircraft.

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For decades the high walls of Birmingham's Winson Green Gaol have contained some of the country's most infamous criminals. Until hanging was abolished in the 1960s it was also the main centre of execution for convicted killers from all parts of the Midlands. The history of execution at Winson Green Gaol began in 1885 with the execution of Henry Kimberley, who had shot dead a woman in a Birmingham public house. Over the next seventy-five years many notorious killers took the short walk to the gallows here. They include the poisoner 'nurse' Dorothea Waddingham, IRA terrorists Peter Barnes and James Richards, and child-killer Horace Carter.Winson Green also saw the execution of Stanley Hobday, the West Bromwich murderer apprehended following a pioneering nationwide appeal on the BBC wireless; former police officer James Power, who committed a brutal murder in the shadow of the prison walls; ruthless Staffordshire killer Leslie Green, who battered to death his former employer, and Ernie Harding, who, in 1955, became the last man hanged for child murder. Steve Fielding's highly readable new book features each of the forty cases in one volume for the first time and is fully illustrated with rare photographs, documents, news cuttings and engravings.

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This absorbing collection of photographs and ephemera illustrates life as it was for the coal-level miners of Gwent throughout its industrial past. Accompanying the images are detailed and informative captions that allow the reader to fully understand levels mining in the region. This book begins by examining the coal levels that were operational in the 1980s, including fascinating photographs of men, mines and horses. The second chapter explores the older levels, including their owners, numbers employed, wages and deaths. The final chapter takes a look at the last remaining working levels in Gwent, and reminds us that the current generation may be the last to extract coal using the methods of their forefathers. Colin Spencer is a retired coal miner with twenty-six years' experience in the industry. Here he provides an expert insight into levels minding, using rare images to portray the stark realities of the profession to the reader. This book promises to fascinate anyone interested in mining of the Gwent region.

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In 1939, John Wright, a four-year-old boy from a deprived but loving Middlesbrough home, was uprooted from his family and evacuated to a large house in North Yorkshire, requisitioned as a nursery school. His story is not unlike any other during the upheaval of wartime, but in this remarkably lucid and detailed set of recollections, a seventy-three-year-old man tells his story of love, loss and life with the delight and fear of a wartime child. His poignant memories of cruelty and hurt are set against a beautiful voyage of discovery as a young boy explores the Yorkshire countryside and comes of age in a unique environment, only to be struck by an unbearable tragedy. A bittersweet tale of innocence and stark realities, Child from Home explores why wartime means so much to our collective memory - and reveals the devastating effect we have on children as we try to protect them from conflict.

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Coronations are very public occasions, typically seen as meticulously planned formal ceremonies where everything runs smoothly. But behind the scenes at Westminster Abbey lie extraordinary but true stories of mayhem, confusion and merriment. In this book we travel through over a thousand years of England's history to reveal the real character of its kings and queens. Also packed with facts about how the service, traditions and accessories have changed over the years, Crown, Orb & Sceptre provides both a compelling read and an accessible and irreverent reference guide to one of the most spectacular ceremonies in England's heritage.

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From heart-stopping accounts of apparitions, manifestations and related supernatural phenomena, to first-hand encounters with phantoms and spirits, this collection of stories contains both new and well-known spooky tales from around the county of Essex. Drawing on historical and contemporary sources, Haunted Essex contains a chilling range of ghostly phenomena. From the well-known story of Robin the Woodcutter of Coggshall, to how Thundersley's 'Shrieking Boy's Wood' acquired its name, along with details of the horrific reign of Mathew Hopkins, Witchfinder General, this phenomenal gathering of ghostly goings-on is bound to captivate anyone interested in the supernatural history of the area.

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Once, Southampton was a medieval town borough and a thriving port. Now it is a glittering city, having risen like the proverbial phoenix from wartime ruins. Sadly the once great liner traffic did not rise again with it. Like the rest of Britain, Southampton had to find a new identity. This collection of photographs, enriched by Robert Cook's captions, charts the challenges and changes up to the present day, and a world in which there are no easy answers.

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The railways which operated in Worcestershire were controlled by the Midland Railway and the Great Western Railway, whose struggle for supremacy had considerable effect on the development of railways in the county. The most important route through the county linked the great industrial centres of the Midlands and the seaport of Bristol, while lesser routes included the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway, Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway, the Severn Valley Railway, and numerous branch lines. The photographs in this book illustrate not only the county's trains and locomotives but also many of the stations, locosheds and locomotive building works, and the picture is completed with timetables and shed allocation.

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Glastonbury, with the distinctive landmark of the Tor, is a familiar name to many. Its fame lies not simply in its renowned festival, but in its legendary associations with King Arthur and with Joseph of Arimathea, whose staff was supposed to have grown into Glastonbury Tor. Philip Rahtz has excavated extensively in and around Glastonbury, and disentangles the myths from the truths, giving a comprehensive survey of this remarkable place from the earliest times to the present day.

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It may come as some surprise that in such a popular area of military history there is no book that focuses on the experience of the Victorian soldier - from recruitment to embarkation, fighting and perhaps returning, perhaps dying - in his own words. Dr Manning's meticulous research in primary sources gives the lie to the received image of the disciplined, redcoated campaigner of Victorian art and literature: for one thing, by the time he arrived at his destination, the coat would have been in rags. The distances covered on march were unbelievable, through desert and disease-ravaged swamp. Lavishly illustrated throughout, all the major Colonial campaigns and most of the minor ones are featured. To understand how what was in reality a tiny standing army controlled the largest empire the world has ever seen, this book is a must.

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This exhaustive and affectionate history is crammed with information and rare pictures from the famous Shepperton Studios. From assistants to directors, producers, stars, prop men, production managers and studio executives, the author has interviewed over 200 industry people and has painstakingly researched the history of the studio site from its first recorded use in the Doomsday Book through its redevelopment as one of Britain's first major film studios in 1932. The studio has housed classic movies featuring comedy great Will Hay, to blood-churning horrors starring Todd Slaughter through the studio's covert use during the Second World War as a camouflage manufacturing plant and on to its reopening with great classics such as The Third Man, The Tales Of Hoffman, Dr Strangelove and I'm All Right Jack, and on to modern greats such as Flash Gordon, Alien, Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves, The Crying Game, Chaplin, Gladiator, Troy, Batman Begins, The Da Vinci Code and The Golden Compass. This is their story.

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This is the story of how the Great War affected Biggleswade through the experiences of those who fought and those who remained behind. The book does not follow the pattern of many in this field in giving basic details of the men from communities who were killed during the Great War, but builds and humanises their stories in the context of the war, and how this impacted upon a typical town of the period. Letters from the men at the front feature throughout, and reveal the stoicism, fortitude, humour and determination of those who fought. The author uses his own research, war diaries and local newspapers to weave local, national and international strands of the story together. Out of a population of just over 6,000 Biggleswade saw 199 of its men killed, whilst hundreds of others were wounded. This fascinating account does not seek to glorify war but strives to ensure that these men are not forgotten, and that their sacrifice is remembered.

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There can be no better example of Victorian enterprise than the amazing success story of Blackpool whose pioneering spirit embodied all the unflagging, indomitable confidence of that age - "He who dares wins". This was the watchword, and bold publicity coupled with diligent application of the town's motto "Progress" proved it to be true.There were great natural advantages: 7 miles of flat, golden sands washed twice daily by no ordinary sea but "the bounding main". With the help of the railways, equally confident and zealous, the workers were speedily brought from sprawling, industrial areas and once in, they were captivated. Here was splendour in buildings and interiors envisaged only in fairy tales. Here was safe bathing (all the rage) and the facilities that went with it. Here was a cornucopia of entertainment and daylong merriment extending into night. Every Bank Holiday after the opening of Blackpool Tower signalled some new and entrancing addition to the pleasure domes. The crowds came in their thousands year after year, as children, with their own children, and with their grandchildren, to "wonderful Blackpool, the most progressive resort under the flag".This book is a truly wonderful record of the growth of Blackpool into the national treasure it is today.

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Ely in Old Photographs is a wonderful collection of archive images that records the life of Ely through the ages. Chris Jakes takes us on a journey, looking at the city's life, streets and businesses during the Victorian and Edwardian periods, between the wars and in the postwar era. He also includes detailed information on the evolution of the drainage system in the surrounding fens, upon which the prosperity of Ely has always depended. It also shows the consequences of its failure, when nature has triumphed over man's ingenuity. The final section of the book takes a look at the group of small villages which lie within the city boundary, but which are some 2 to 7 miles distant from the city itself. They all have their own character and sense of community, and are proud to be both separate yet part of the whole. From Ely Cathedral to the River Great Ouse, this book covers the history and heritage of Ely and the surrounding area, using images to bring the past to life.

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The vivid accounts in this book are taken from the early days of tank warfare and give an idea of the crucial role that tanks played in breaking the murderous stalemate on the Western Front. This influence was acknowledged by friend and foe alike and, while not decisive, it certainly hastened the end of that dreadful conflict, saving thousands of Allied lives and ushering in a new era of mechanised warfare. David Fletcher, the editor, draws his material exclusively from the archives of the world famous Tank Museum at Bovington Camp, Dorset. His linking narrative guides us through the war, battle-by-battle, from 15 September 1916 to the Armistice, using first hand accounts of the tank actions. A wealth of original photographs showing the tanks and their crews, both in action and at rest, support these vivid accounts. Tanks and Trenches is an invaluable aid to our deeper understanding of the war on the Western Front, seen as it is through the eyes of those who were actually there.

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The book covers the history of municipal transport in Luton from the first horse-drawn buses and the town's electric trams, through to the sale of the undertaking in 1970 to United Counties, the bus company which dominated services in the rest of Bedfordshire. The book includes comprehensive information on the buses operated by LCT and the routes they served. Much of this detailed reference material for the enthusiast is contained in the appendices, allowing the bulk of the book to be devoted to the narrative history of the company. This will have a nostalgic appeal as a local interest title to all who have lived and worked in Luton in the LCT era and beyond that to many bus enthusiasts nationwide.

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This is a terrifying collection of true-life tales of ghosts, poltergeists and spirits of all kinds in the streets, buildings and graveyards of York. Drawing on historical and contemporary sources, Haunted York contains a chilling range of ghostly phenomena. From the medieval stonemason who haunts York Minster to a re-incarnation mystery at St Mary's Church, the spectres of King's Manor, Micklegate Bar and Exhibition Square and the many spirits to be found in the city's public houses, this phenomenal gathering of ghostly goings-on is bound to captivate anyone interested in the supernatural history of York.

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This dictionary of Shropshire place-names examines their origins and meanings. It includes not only towns, villages and hamlets, but also rivers, streams, hills, fields and woods, as well as streets, buildings and public houses. A comprehensive description of the origin and evolution of each name is given, which brings to life the history of the place in a new and remarkably revealing way. Few are aware of the background of the names that are part of our everyday language, and Anthony Poulton-Smith brings this aspect of Shropshire's rich history to life.

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Sussex has a good claim to be the birthplace of the seaside pleasure pier, for although Ryde Pier on the Isle of Wight has the earliest origins as a pier, the famous Chain Pier at Brighton was the first to be used as a fashionable promenade. There followed a rich succession of piers, as from the 1860s until around 1910 as they were constructed in Brighton West, Worthing, Bognor, Hastings and Eastbourne. In their heyday they were the place to be seen. Brighton even boasted a 'moving pier', the extraordinary Electric Railway, affectionately known as the 'Daddy-long-legs'. One of the country's finest piers, Brighton Pier suffered a decline in popularity in the 1950s and '60s, enduring a high-profile demise after dereliction from fire and storm damage. Nonetheless there is hope for it yet and the county of Sussex should be proud to have retained six of its piers including three of Britain's finest.

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Many people have written biographies of Charles Darwin, but the story of his family and roots in Shrewsbury is little known. This book, containing original research, fills that gap. The key player is Charles' father, Dr Robert Darwin, a larger-than-life character whose financial acumen enabled Charles to spend his whole life on research unencumbered by money worries. Through Susannah, Charles' mother, we are introduced to the Wedgwood family, whose history was so closely interwoven with the Darwins. The stories of Charles' five siblings are detailed, and there is a wealth of local material, such as information on Shrewsbury School and its illustrious headmaster, Samuel Butler. The book is fully illustrated with contemporary and modern pictures, and will be of interest to anyone wanting to discover more about the development of Shrewsbury's most famous son.

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This book is an entertaining romp through the history of our capital city from its origins as a simple market place in 50AD to the sprawling metropolis we know today. In it, the reader will discover many fascinating and unknown facts, ranging in timescale from the Romans to the twenty-first century. With chronological chapters dealing with themes such as royalty, politics, war, education, business and commerce, crime and punishment and transport, along with wonderfully illuminating accounts of the history of rhyming slang, words, street- and place-names, this is a revealing insight into London life through history. Other fascinating pieces of information on famous Londoners, famous firsts and events that shaped the city are also featured. Full of intriguing facts gathered from many years of research, this book will be a valuable addition to every Londoner's bookshelf.

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King John long ago acquired the epithet 'Bad,' and he is reputed to be the worst of England's kings. Before his death in 1216, his desperate exploitation of his subjects for ever more money had turned him into the mythical monster of Hollywood legend. In marked contrast to his brother Richard, John appeared incompetent in battle, failing to defend Normandy (1202-04), and was unsuccessful in recovering his lost lands in 1214. A continuing crisis was a constant need for money, forcing John to drain England of funds for campaigns in France, demanding unlawful and oppressive new taxes. Adding to his evil reputation was an ill-tempered personality and a streak of pettiness or spitefulness that led him to monstrous acts, including murdering his own nephew. King John's unpopularity culminated in a final crisis, a revolt by the English baronage, 1215-16, aimed at subjecting him to the rule of law, that resulted in his grant of Magna Carta.

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The many influences of the past on our diet today make the concept of 'British food' very hard to define. The Celts, Romans, Saxons, Vikings and Normans all brought ingredients to the table, as it were, and onwards the Crusades gave us all manner of spices. The Georgians enjoyed a new level of excess and then of course the world wars forced us into the challenge of making meals from very little. The post-war period brought convenience foods, and health issues which are being felt widely now. This is the first study of the rich history of our food, its fads and its fashions to be combined with a practical cookbook of over 200 recipes from each age for use today. Offerings include tasty beach BBQ ideas from Celtic times, a hearty Roman Army lentil stew and ideas for festive feasts from every period.

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Les Pugh is well known in the Stroud area for his absorbing memories that have appeared over the years in the Stroud News & Journal. Recalling life from the early 1900s, these columns have now been collated into this fascinating book giving a glimpse of a life few now remember. Ninety-three-year-old Les vividly recollects his childhood, particularly his schooldays at Eastington C of E School before he moved on to Marling Grammar School in Stroud. After leaving school he worked at R.A. Lister in Dursley for forty-nine years and recounts his fellow workers with admiration and kindness. Included are fond memories of his marriage to childhood sweetheart Peggy, their life together with daughter, Rosemary, and the hardship and community spirit of the war years.

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For over a thousand years Greenwich was the site of a thriving ship and boatbuilding industry. A variety of ships were built up and down the Thames, but it was here on the south bank of the river where London's shipbuilding evolved when the Royal Docks of Deptford and Woolwich were established by King Henry VIII, who's palace stood between the two at Greenwich. On Greenwich Peninsular, Greenwich Marsh, all types of river craft and sea-going vessels were once built, and the marsh area gradually became a vast commercial zone for the manufacture of all types of shipping and industrial commodities. The riverfront itself was filled with cranes, wharfages and ships loading or un-loading their cargoes. A multitude of river craft, from small rowboats to giant steamers, once made their way along this point in the river, and the boroughs of Greenwich, Deptford and Woolwich became synonymous with new technology and engineering.

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Stirling District, which includes parts of the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, is one of the most beautiful parts of Scotland - and one of the most mysterious. This is a comprehensive guide to the county' ancient sites and archaeological curiosities, from tourist attractions such as Stirling Castle and Dunblane Cathedral to strange carvings, stone circles, healing wells and hidden cairns. With countless tales of encounters with ghosts, magical beings and monsters, a full list of all Stirlingshire's witch trials and the real story of Robert Kirk, the 'Fairy Minister', who is reputed to have been abducted by the Little Folk in the seventeenth century, this fascinating addition to Geoff Holder's best-selling series will delight residents, walkers and tourists alike.

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The Wrekin Brewery of Wellington, Shropshire, was in business for 100 years from 1870 until 1969. Of all the breweries in east Shropshire, it was the most successful. From 1929, the brewery actively pursued a programme of public-house acquisition which resulted in an unprecedented area being provided with its award-winning ales, stretching to include towns throughout Shropshire, Herefordshire and Powys. Most of the photographs included in the book have never been published. and are supplemented by chapters revealing a brief history of the brewery and the nature of its public houses.

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The history of East Sussex theatres is particularly fascinating due to the sheer variety of venues that hosted plays, opera shows and musical entertainment.Tina Lakin's interest in the rise and fall of the many piers in the county where extravagant balls and concerts were held, led her to discover the weird and sometimes tragic tales that have arisen in these spectral structures.Included in the book is a history of entertainment, from Greek tragedies to the rise of the music hall and circus acts through to the modern-day tattooist shows and successful events at Glyndebourne. From the spectre of a waif-like orphan searching for the glamour of the theatre, a phantom orchestra playing on a seaside promenade to the ghost of an unrequited backstage love affair the tales will both surprise and mystify the reader.Illustrated with over fifty unusual images, the tales will enchant the lovers of ghost stories and those interested in the rise and decline of entertainment on Britain's south-east coast. Accompanied by interesting pictures of bygone times as well as some contemporary images, a complete history of area's theatrical hauntings are gathered here. This collection of thought-provoking eerie tales is sure to appeal to anyone with an interest in the paranormal or theatre history.

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Human remains can answer all sorts of questions about our ancestors - what sort of diet they ate, what age they lived to, what sort of living conditions they experienced and how they died. The Neolithic is the earliest period from which significant numbers of human burials survive in Britain. This book looks at the history of the study of such burials and how new scientific techniques have massively expanded what we know about our Neolithic ancestors. As well as the treatment of the dead, issues such as health and subsistence are considered, along with evidence of conflict and also the extent to which the people of Neolithic Britain can be considered a distinct population. This is the only book specifically dedicated to human remains from the Neolithic and fills an important gap left by other books on the period.

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This book examines the role of Akeman Street, the Roman road stretching from St Albans to Cirencester, in a unique and unusual way, choosing to look not at the technology of the Roman road, as more traditional studies do, but rather to look at the 'human' aspect of the road, by examining its effect on the peoples of the surrounding landscape. Tim Copeland looks at the people who would have travelled this road, what effect these travellers and the road itself had on the settlements and countryside through which Akeman Street passed and how the changing history of Roman Britain from its beginnings in the first century to its end in the fourth was echoed in the story of this most Roman of constructions.

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Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard, was one of the most notorious pirates ever to plague the Atlantic coast. He was also one of the most colourful pirates of all time, becoming the model for countless blood-and-thunder tales of sea rovers. His daring exploits, personal courage, terrifying appearance, and fourteen wives made him a legend in his own lifetime.The legends and myths about Blackbeard have become wilder rather than tamer in the 250 years since his gory but valiant death at Ocracoke Inlet. It is difficult for historians, and all but impossible for the general reader, to separate fact from fiction. Author Robert E. Lee has studied virtually every scrap of information available about the pirate and his contemporaries in an attempt to find the real Blackbeard. The result is a fascinating and authoritative study that reads like an exciting swashbuckler. Lee goes beyond the myths and the image Teach so carefully cultivated to reveal a new Blackbeard - infinitely more interesting as a man than as a legend. In the process, he has captured the spirit and character of a vanished age, ‘the golden age of piracy.’

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Wapping, once a vital part of the Port of London, has undergone many changes since the Second World War. Slum clearance, the closure of the docks and redevelopment have irrevocably altered the landscape of the area. This volume, combining the memories of over thirty people of Wapping during the earlier part of the twentieth century with a painstakingly researched historical narrative of the area, provides an important legacy of an age which has now vanished and a community which has changed forever. Whilst working as a GP in Wapping for twenty years, Martha Leigh became fascinated in the first-hand memories from people who had lived and worked in the area between the First and Second World Wars. As well as recreating a view of working-class life in an enclosed community during the period, the book covers the decline of the docks, family life, work, housing and leisure as well as tackling more esoteric subjects such health, gender roles and attitudes towards Jews.

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