Search results for ""the history press""

This is the history of York as you have never encountered it before! Travel back to a time when Erik Bloodaxe was resident monarch, or when William the Conqueror was in the middle of his relentless ‘harrying of the north’. There are no tea rooms or hanging baskets in this York, but the severed heads on the walls have a certain decorative effect and there are plenty of places to stay if you don’t mind risking cholera, plague and typhus! York has been the backdrop to some of the most significant and bloody events in British history. Read on if you dare!

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Carshalton in Surrey was deeply affected by the First World War: over 1,900 local men enlisted to fight. Of those men, 243 lost their lives and are commemorated on the war memorial. As we find ourselves commemorating the centenary of the war, it is more important than ever that these men are not forgotten. Drawing on over six years of research, this book brings together the stories of the lives – and deaths – of these men. Utilising a wide variety of sources and complemented by many previously unseen photographs, their stories are told here, from the fourteen sets of brothers who were killed, to the devastating effect of the Somme campaign in which nineteen local men lost their lives on the opening day alone.

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Around the round table there was always one seat which remained empty. This was the place left for the knight who would one day attain the Grail and restore the land. This mysterious piece of furniture, the Seat Perilous, has been part of Arthurian myth for a 1,000 years. It was the original hot seat – if you sat there and were not the one, you would be consumed by fire. These are the untold tales of the knights who went out into the world and the ladies of the lake they found there. This book follows them into an unknown interior where they encounter the Queen of the Wasteland and through her story, return with the greatest prize of all.

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Each summer a small and glamorous part of the 1930s comes back to life, recreating magic from an era long past. Evoking a tradition common in the English countryside before the arrival of radio, cinema and television, since 2000 Giffords Circus has delighted fans from far and wide with good old-fashioned entertainment, complete with acrobats, jugglers, horses, magic, puppeteers, dancers and comedy. Lavishly illustrated with a wealth of stunning colour photographs, Giffords Circus goes behind the scenes at the not-so-big top, to show how the magic and mystery are created.

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This fascinating selection of photographs illustrates the extraordinary transformation that has taken place in Doncaster during the 20th century. The book offers an insight into the daily lives and living conditions of local people and gives the reader glimpses and details of familiar places during a century of unprecedented change. Many aspects of Doncaster’s recent history are covered, famous occasions and individuals are remembered and the impact of national and international events is witnessed. The book provides a striking account of the changes that have so altered Doncaster’s appearance and records the process of transformation. Drawing on detailed local knowledge of the community, and illustrated with a wealth of black-and-white photographs, this book recalls what Doncaster has lost in terms of buildings, traditions and ways of life. It also acknowledges the regeneration that has taken place and celebrates the character and energy of local people as they move through the first years of this new century.

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The Battle of Goose Green was the first and longest land conflict of the Falklands War, which was fought between British and Argentine forces in 1982. The British forces, attacking over featureless, wind-swept and boggy ground, were heavily outnumbered and lacked fire support, but brilliantly defeated the Argentine garrison in a fourteen-hour struggle. If you want to understand what happened and why – read Battle Story. Detailed profiles examine the personalities of the British and Argentine commanders, including that of Victoria Cross winner Lt Col ‘H’ Jones. First-hand accounts offer an insight into this remarkable fourteen-hour struggle against the odds. Detailed maps explore the area of Darwin Hill and Goose Green, and the advance of the British forces. Photographs place you at the centre of this pivotal battle. Orders of battle show the composition of the opposing forces’ armies. Packed with fact boxes, this short introduction is the perfect way to explore this crucial battle.

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Standing in an ID parade of incompetence, waiting to be picked out as Britain’s stupidest criminal, we’ve assembled a line-up of bungling burglars, asinine assailants and thick thieves. Dipping their stolen bucket of opportunity into the well of other people's stuff, only to fall into the well themselves (and get the bucket stuck on their head), this book chronicles the crimes against common sense committed by these dim-witted deviants. Also featured in this compendium of criminal idiocy are: the bank robber who used a No. 72 bus as his getaway vehicle (it was almost as though the police knew where he was headed to next); the bag snatcher who robbed an elderly lady of the bad she'd just used to clear up responsibly after her dogs; and the burglars who left their four-year-old son, and a wallet containing full ID, at the crime scene. Also rounded up for routine questioning are the bank robbers who gifted the police a dropped map marking the preferred route from bank to hideout, and armed robbers who raided a laundry van to steal used towels whilst their intended target, a wages van, drove slowly past. Charged with being in possession of an idiotic plan and sentenced to a life term of stupidity, they're reversing the getaway vehicle into a police car and handing over their belt to the custody sergeant with the inevitable consequence of their trousers falling down. As thick as thieves indeed. It's a case (admittedly, a rather easy one) for the police to dial M for Muppet. This is an ideal gift book that will make you laugh out loud.

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17 July 1919 - Bettys Tea Rooms, one of Harrogate’s best-known businesses, opened its doors to the public for the first time. 14 December 1926 - Agatha Christie, who had mysteriously vanished eleven days earlier from her home in Surrey, turned up alive and well at the Old Swan Hotel in Harrogate. 24 April 1982 - The 27th Eurovision Song Contest, won by Germany, was held at Harrogate International Centre. Experience 100 key dates that shaped Harrogate’s history, highlighted its people’s genius (or silliness) and embraced the unexpected. Featuring an amazing mix of social, criminal and sporting events, this book reveals a past that will fascinate, delight and surprise both residents and visitors of the town.

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Did you know: Hull City is the only team in the English Football League which hasn't got a single letter that you can colour in? City’s early matches were played at The Boulevard, the old home of rugby league side Hull FC? Up to 2008, the nation’s favourite trivia quiz question was: which is the largest city in England to have never had a team in the top division? The answer, of course, was Hull – but promotion in May 2008 rendered the question defunct and the search is now on for an updated version. The Hull City Miscellany – a book on the Tigers like no other, packed with facts, stats, trivia, stories and legend. Now, with the club tasting previously uncharted highs, look back at what has made this club what it is today – the players and characters that have represented City over the years and the events that have shaped the club. If you want to know the record crowd for a home game, the record appearance holder or longest-serving manager, look no further – this is the book you’ve been waiting for. From record goal scorers, to record defeats; from Boothferry Park to Dean Windass – it’s all in The Hull City Miscellany – can you afford not to own a copy?

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Although small, Hayling Island has a rich and diverse history, greatly influenced by the Saxon, Roman and Norman invasions. The latter in particular has left its influence on its people and their fortunes. This book features a collection of photographs, etchings and sketches dating from 1820 to 1967, showing various aspects of island life. The original images were kindly loaned by residents of the island in the 1960s, and the only complete set still in existence is owned by John Rowlands. Inspired by his many fond memories of living on the island, John is passionate about making the Old Hayling Photographic Collection available for all to enjoy. In addition, a brief and fascinating history of the island written by an unknown author has been transcribed and edited to accompany the images. Offering a captivating history of Hayling, this book is sure to delight both past and present residents, as well as visitors to the island.

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The 1950s was a time of regeneration and change for Southampton. For children growing up during this decade, life was changing fast. They still made their own toys and earned their own pocket money, but, on new television sets, Andy Pandy (1950) and Bill and Ben (1952) delighted them. With rationing discontinued, confectionary was on the menu again and, for children, Southampton life in the 1950s was sweet. If you saw a Laurel and Hardy performance at The Gaumont Theatre, or made dens out of bombed-out buildings, then you’ll thoroughly enjoy this charming and nostalgic account of the era.

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Shaft sinking for the extraction of minerals has taken place for centuries, and for much of this time, coal mining was carried out in the North East of England. Various methods of pit sinking developed from the use of shallow bell pits to the excavation of deep shafts, in order to access rich seams of coal and other minerals for sale in rapidly urbanising areas such as London. In the close mining communities of Northumberland and Durham, those who dug the initial shafts, the sinkers themselves, were regarded as the mining elite. This book not only tells the story of mining itself, through upheaval and technological developments, but also focuses on the lives of miners and their families above ground in the emerging pit towns adn villages; places where religion adn miners' galas were an integral part of life. Peter Ford Mason, descended from three generations of County Durham miners, has written a fascinating investigation onto miming society, which makes a compelling read for anyone interested in the social history of the North East or the mining industry as a whole.

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Hereford has a darker side to its history, filled with strange – and sometimes unlikely – true tales. Was King Arthur a Hereford man? Why was its patron saint murdered by his would-be father-in-law? Why did another of its saints become the only saint to die excommunicated? Was a Bishop of Hereford involved in the murder of a king by the most frightful method imaginable? Did bones from the Cathedral graveyard really cure every disease known to man? Was a ghost really responsible for the destruction of the cathedral’s west front? Was the Hay Poisoner really guilty? Was a Hereford clerk the rightful King of England? These, and many other strange stories, will be revealed in this book…

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The images in this book, taken by professional photographer Graham Gough, capture the reality of life in the Black Country since the 1950s. Among the subjects covered by his stunning photographs are gritty poverty, poor housing, and social unrest, while the lighter side of life is not forgotten through scenes of the region at play. From historic events to riots and extreme weather and from changing streetscapes to celebrity snaps, all Black Country life is here.

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This fascinating selection of photographs illustrates the extraordinary transformation that has taken place in Ilford during the twentieth century. The book offers an insight into the daily lives and living conditions of local people and gives the reader glimpses and details of familiar places during a century of unprecedented change. Many aspects of Ilford’s recent history are covered, famous occasions and individuals are remembered and the impact of national and international events is witnessed. The book provides a striking account of the changes that have also altered Ilford’s appearance and records the process of transformation. Drawing on detailed local knowledge of the community, and illustrated with a wealth of black-and-white photographs, this book recalls what Ilford has lost in terms of buildings, traditions and ways of life. It also acknowledges and celebrates the character and energy of local people as they move through the first years of this new century.

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Dorothy O’Grady is uniquely placed in the annals of espionage. She was the first Briton condemned to death under the Treachery Act of 1940 after she was frequently spotted on the outskirts of Sandown (a prohibited area on the Isle of Wight), insisting time and again that her dog had strayed. Had her appeal not saved her from the gallows, she would have been the only woman of any nationality to suffer death under the Act during the Second World War – indeed, the only woman to be executed in Britain for spying in the 20th century. Yet the full story of her extraordinary brush with notoriety and its enduring legacy has never been told, despite the fact that it has more than once dominated the front pages of the British press and inspired both a BBC radio drama and a novel. Now, with the benefit of access to previously classified documents, the truth underpinning the O’Grady legend can finally be revealed. Following her appeal she served nine years in prison for her wartime crimes – but was she really a spy in the employ of Germany? Or was O'Grady, as she insisted years later, a self-seeking tease who committed her apparent treachery ‘for a giggle’? Or was there some other motivation which drove her to wartime infamy in a case which reverberated around the world? In The Spy Beside the Sea, author and journalist Adrian Searle examines all the evidence to reach a disturbing conclusion.

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Kabul is a name that has had much resonance in current affairs over the last few years, however its place in military history can be charted much further back to the first British incursions into Afghanistan during the 19th century. The First Anglo-Afghan War saw British India attempting to obtain power over Central Asia by gaining control of Afghanistan. The British had little understanding or appreciation of the terrain or tribal warfare in Afghanistan and incurred heavy casualties, despite being far superior in training and weaponry than the Afghan warriors they faced. In 1841 the British, having held Kabul for several years in an attempt to stop the Afghans colluding with the Russians, relaxed their grip on the garrison, allowing the Afghans to rebel, leading to the slaughter of over 16,000 British and Indian troops and camp followers. The outrage from the disaster resounded throughout the British Empire and reinforcements were sent to Afghanistan in 1842 to quell the Afghan troops. However, a rash of uprisings broke out around Kabul, leading to the murder of Indian sepoys and the imprisonment of British officers. In retribution an army was sent to support the British retreat from Afghanistan, laying waste to the city of Kabul on their way.

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At the nationalisation of Britian’s railways in 1948, the Scottish Region inherited 1,400 locomotives which had been constructed by the pre-grouping companies. The real veterans among these were a handful of ex-NBR and CR 0–6–0 tender locos dating from the 1880s. From the 1890s were a large number of 0–4–4s and 4–4–0s from the same sources. The rarest survivors were the ex-HR 4–4–0 ‘Loch’ and ‘Small Ben’ classes, totalling fewer than 10 examples that were allocated to the sheds in the far north of Scotland. From the late 1940s and ’50s enthusiasts from England would make the long journey north in what became known as the ‘Grand Tour’ to see these rare classes before they became extinct. Fortunately many of these intrepid souls carried cameras to record the locos and together with their Scottish counterparts were, by the early 1960s, witnessing rows of these veterans at sheds and dumps across Scotland awaiting the scrapyard. This new book is arranged chronologically, covers the whole of Scotland and shows the wide variety of steam power from the early examples mentioned above to more modern classes of the LNER, LMSR and BR Standard in operation. It is a must-have for all steam railway enthusiasts.

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Featuring the careers of forty-three men, this volume tells the story of the Battle of Cambrai, famous for being the first occasion when tanks were used en masse in battle. Its first day was so successful that church bells in Britain were rung in anticipation of a great victory. A tank crewman numbers among the recipients of the VC. Containing biographies of a broad cross-section of men from Britain and the Dominions including Canada, Australia, New Zealand and even the Ukraine. It includes a sapper, a former miner, who chose to stay with his seriously wounded colleague underground and die with him, rather than obey an order to leave him and save his own life; a maverick lieutenant-colonel who was relieved of his command and a padre who worked tirelessly over a period of three nights bringing at least twenty-five men to safety from No Man’s Land, who otherwise would have been left to die.

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From the momentous to the outlandish, this little book brings together past and present to offer a taste of Leeds. Learn about the movers and shakers who shaped this fantastic city. The great and the good; the bad and the ugly. Small wonders, tall stories, triumph and tragedy. Best places – worst places. Origins, evolution, future. Written by a local who knows what makes Leeds tick.

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Experience 100 key dates that shaped Sunderland’s history, highlighted its people’s genius (or silliness) and embraced the unexpected. Featuring an amazing mix of social, criminal and sporting events, this book reveals a past that will fascinate, delight and even shock both residents and visitors of the city.

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With screaming demons in Wealdon copses and dragons lurking in bottomless ponds, the folk tales of Sussex truly represent the diversity of the area. Meet knuckers and willocks, mawkins and marsh monsters, the Piltdown Man, Lord Moon of Amberley Swamp and the princess of the Mixon Hole. There is also something terrible crawling to Crawley from Gatwick, which develops a degraded appetite in a bin… From ghosts and madmen to witches and wise women, Michael O’Leary reveals many of the hidden horrors of Sussex – horrors that can be found in the most beautiful places, or that lurk beneath the seemingly mundane. Amid these dark tales are stories of humour and silliness, of love, lust and passion.

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This chilling volume brings together more murderous tales that shocked not only the county but made headline news throughout the nation. Covering the length and breadth of Buckinghamshire, the featured cases include the brutal slaying of a family of seven in Denham in 1870, the killing of a butcher’s wife in Victorian Slough for which no one was ever found guilty, a double shooting at Little Kimble and a killing near Haddenham in 1828, in which a letter written a year later sealed the killers’ fate, and the doctor who disappeared in 1933 and whose decomposed corpse was found in Buckinghamshire woods the following year. This well-illustrated and enthralling text will appeal to everyone interested in true-crime history and the shadier side of Buckinghamshire’s past.

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From hair-raising first-hand accounts of unexplained sightings and paranormal phenomena to the search for evidence of ghosts, this eerie and richly illustrated tour around the historic town of Spalding and the surrounding area features many chilling stories of ghostly encounters. Amongst the spooky tales included are a pub where a resident ghost was so determined to make his presence known that he hurled a beer bottle at a member of staff, a hotel where a mischievous spirit sits on the beds and leaves ghostly handprints on a mirror, a sports club where cheeky spirits make their presence felt literally, and the chilling story of an evil spirit so intent on harassing a local family that it could only be removed by exorcism. Also featured are exclusive and intriguing findings from the first ever paranormal investigation at the fifteenth-century Ayscoughfee Hall & Museum, in search of the legendary White Lady.

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Harold Lowe, Fifth Officer of RMS Titanic, was described by another survivor as ‘the real hero of the Titanic.’ After taking an active role in the evacuation, Lowe took command of a raft of lifeboats, distributing passengers among them so he could return to the wreckage and look for survivors – the only officer to do so. He succeeded in raising a sail, rescued the drenched inhabitants of a sinking lifeboat and towed another boat to safety. Lowe had a long and fascinating life at sea. The tragic sinking of the Titanic was only the most notorious incident in a career that took him as a fifteen-year-old runaway to the coast of West Africa and into action in Siberia during the Russian Revolution. Titanic historian Inger Sheil has worked closely with Lowe’s family to compile a gripping biography of this heroic Welshman.

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This is a hard-hitting account of growing up in Newcastle's West End during the uncertain years of the First World War and the Depression. Samuel Herbert had to grow up fast when his mother moved the family to a cockroach-infested tenement in Elswick while his Dad — a miner — was away fighting on the front line. Along with the shared ‘netties’ and the terrible living conditions, Samuel learned how to deal with the bullies and the gangs until he grew as tough as they were. His fight to get out of this poverty-stricken existence was always hindered by something and he continuously ended up back in that same sorrowful place called The Avenue. Along with the tragedy, however, came lots of laughs, and Samuel’s unique account demonstrates the humour, courage and indomitable spirit of the local population. Prepare to be amused and entertained, surprised and moved by these stories, which vividly capture the heart and heritage of this former mining community.

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Taking you through the year day by day, The Newcastle Book of Days contains quirky, eccentric, amusing and important events and facts from different periods in the history of the city. Ideal for dipping into, this addictive little book will keep you entertained and informed. Featuring hundreds of snippets of information gleaned from the vaults of Newcastle’s archives and covering the social, criminal, political, religious, industrial, military and sporting history of the region, it will delight residents and visitors alike.

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This is not a guidebook. This little book brings together past and present to offer a taste of Kensington & Chelsea. Learn about the movers and shakers who shaped this fantastic royal borough. The great and the good; the bad and the ugly. Small wonders, tall stories, TRIUMPH and tragedy. Best places – worst places. Local lingo, architecture, green spaces, events, traditions, fact, fiction. Origins, evolution, future. Written by a local who knows what makes KENSINGTON & CHELSEA tick.

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Samuel Herbert Dougal was intelligent, talented, and the recipient of a military medal. Outwardly, he seemed to embody all that Victorian England valued most. But he was also a career criminal whose appetite for sex and money propelled him through scandal after scandal; through the courts, prisons and asylums; and from woman to vulnerable woman. In 1903, the unexplained disappearance of Dougal’s latest inamorata, a wealthy spinster named Miss Holland, began to excite public speculation. A tireless hunt for the missing lady commenced, but, having been arrested on a sample charge of forgery, Dougal simply decided to wait it out. Meanwhile, on the outside, his real wife, Sarah, who had been the beneficiary of Dougal’s schemes over the course of a decade, had her own plans to escape official scrutiny. Would Miss Holland’s whereabouts be discovered? And who, if anyone, would be held to account for her disappearance?

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October 1944: Soviet troops launched a powerful attack on Budapest from the south, the culmination of a series of military, political, diplomatic and underground moves undertaken by Hitler, Stalin and Churchill since the collapse of the Axis front in the Balkans two months earlier. However, what had been planned as a bold stroke to knock Hungary out of the war and bring the Red Army as far as Munich quickly became a stalemate. The end result was that Stalin’s forces failed to reach Bavaria, but the dictator was not disappointed: Soviet pressure against the German southern flank forced Hitler to transfer a considerable number of his armoured reserves to Hungary and thus largely facilitated Zhukov’s drive on to Berlin. Here, Kamen Nevenkin tells the fascinating story of this ‘Market Garden’-like operation using a number of never before published German and Russian archival documents, including German papers exclusively held in the Russian military archive. The text is dynamic, easy to read and accompanied by previously unpublished photographs. A detailed tactical narrative, Nevenkin also uses first-person accounts to render a human tale of war to create an ultimately fascinating read.

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The villa remains one of the most potent architectural forms in western culture. The ideal of a rural retreat for relaxation and contemplation has endured from antiquity up to the present day. Yet there have been significant changes in the form and function of the villa and the social and economic circumstances of its occupants. Many of these changes took place in the Georgian period. This stimulating book brings together leading historians to look at the eighteenth-and early nineteenth-century villa in its wider context. Images of the villa-real or imagines - are shown to reveal much about contemporary attitudes. The role of Andrea Palladio is re-examined through the response of architects throughout the period to his work, including Colen Campbell's Stourhead and Lord Burlington's villa at Cheswick. The range of form, planning and sources of the villa is seen and not only in Robert Adam's designs but also in the variations of the villa found in Edinburgh and Glasgow where it provided a balanced contrast between city and retreat. Later in the period, changes in the demand for houses and the urban fabric brought the villa into the city where its élitist aspirations were replaced by democratizing principles.

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Inverness, capital of the Scottish Highlands, has long been an important administrative, legal and commercial centre. In the nineteenth century it also developed as a very significant base for tourism. Strategically situated on the Beauly Firth at the end of the Caledonisn Canal, it lay at the heart of a road and rail network which fanned out to the south, east, west and far north. It also acted as a distribution centre for the great military naval bases at Fort George, Invergordon and Scapa Flow. This addition to the Scotland in Old Photographs series illustrates the historic development of the city and the adjoining villages and towns with it. These include the famous spa at Strathpeffer, the Ross and Cromarty town of Dingwall, the Moray coast resort of Nairn and the military and naval centres of Ardersier, Cromarty and Invergordon.Also included are images of the battlefield of Culloden, where the Jacobite army made its last stand against government forces in 1746. Earlier last century Inverness was such an important centre for the landed and governing elite that Lloyd George held a cabinet meeting there when most of his government members were spending the autumn stalking and shooting on their vast Highland estates. The city's importance has continued, and the images contained here offer a striking record of a remote and beautiful city with a fascinating history.

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The contrasting suburbs of West, Upper, and South Norwood grew up during the nineteenth century, on the range of hills once covered by the Great North Wood. West Norwood was intended to be smart and exclusive, but that ambition was achieved instead by Upper Norwood, which enjoyed the highest ground, the freshest air and the best views. South Norwood, which developed after the arrival of the railway in 1839, was more industrial and commercial than its older sisters. All three were at their peak of prosperity late in the nineteenth century. The 200 photographs presented here for the first time, each with a detailed caption, show the district in the early twentieth century. A selection of contemporary maps helps to set the scene, and the book features a detailed index.

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This is not a guidebook. This little book brings together past and present to offer a taste of DURHAM. Learn about the movers and shakers who shaped this fantastic city. The great and the good; the bad and the ugly. Small wonders, tall stories, TRIUMPH and tragedy. Best places – worst places. Local lingo, architecture, green spaces, events, traditions, fact, fiction. Origins, evolution, future. Written by a local who knows what makes DURHAM tick.

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Britain’s great battlefield generals of the Second World War like Montgomery and Slim would have failed had not General Sir Ronald Adam been appointed Adjutant-General in 1941. As the army’s second most senior officer, he was responsible for providing the man- and womanpower for battle. He revolutionised recruitment practices and introduced scientific selection procedures to find the officers, NCOs and technicians that a modern army needed. Adam also recognised that soldiers needed to believe in the cause they were fighting for. This too led to controversy when the soldiers began to debate political issues about post-war Britain. Did Adam’s espousal of such discussion groups lead to the Labour landslide in 1945? How did this career soldier of conventional background, when given the authority, come to tread on so many toes, kick so many shins and break up so much of the War Office’s most revered items of mental and organisational furniture? This book reveals the true story of a Modern Major-General. Roger Broad has worked as an international journalist for the Financial Times, Economist Intelligence Unit, editor for European Community magazine and the UK press officer for the European Commission in the 1960s. Broad served as the UK head of the European Parliament and authored of European Dilemmas: From Bevin to Blair (Palgrave, 2001) and Conscription in Britain 1939-1964: The Militarisation of a Generation (Routledge, 2006). He also spent his National Service serving with the Royal Army Educational Corps.

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The paranormal histories of Luton and Dunstable are brought vividly to life in this, the first dedicated guide to the haunted and mysterious sites of these two unassuming Bedfordshire towns. Paranormal historian Paul Adams opens case files both ancient and modern to compile a chilling collection of supernatural experiences, ranging from apparitions on lonely Galley Hill and the phantom Dunstable hitch-hiker to the haunted corridors of the doomed Alma Theatre and the ghostly knights of Someries Castle. Richly illustrated and full of first-hand accounts, it will fascinate anyone with an interest in the unexplained.

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Cheshire is a county that associates with the giants of English literature, such as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and The Wierdstone of Brisingamen, but how did these fabulous tales develop from a supposedly flat county of boggy, cheese-making plains? This book uncovers some of the surprise and charm hidden in the folds of this unassuming landscape. For hundreds of years, Cheshire folk have been quietly telling their own tales about some of Britain’s great heroes, as well as wrestling with their own demons, dragons and boggarts. Let the Journey Man guide you along the canals, through the forests and safely past the sniddlebogs to some surprisingly spectacular heights where you can experience Cheshire’s own heroes alongside its eccentric traditions and fast-disappearing dialect. It’s not all salt and cheese… The Journey Man is an internationally travelled storyteller who has settled in Cheshire. He has been telling stories for some twenty years, and has been given the opportunity to gather and retell the folk tales and history of Cheshire. He now visits schools throughout the North West of England, as well as leading storytelling walks for all ages.

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W.H. Johnson digs deep into Sussex’s past, presenting the reader with centuries of criminality and vice, of wretched living conditions and blind fate which so often leads to appalling consequences. A Grim Almanac of Sussex chronicles the darker side of life in the county. This is a never-ending parade of woe, horror and misfortune: dreadful rail accidents, public executions, murderers, robbers, drunkards and general ne’er-do-wells all feature. If it’s macabre, if it’s ghoulish, if it’s bizarre, then it’s here!

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In 1933, at the age of 15, George Dunn left the small Welsh mining village of Blaina for St Albans in Hertfordshire as part of the government’s Labour Exchange Scheme. After marrying a local girl, he was conscripted into the Royal Engineers during the Second World War, and was part of the Dunkirk Evacuation in 1940. Now aged 92, he has seen three generations of his family grow up in Hertfordshire. This is the story of his life – from Wales to St Albans to active service and home again to Hertfordshire – with reflections on how life in the twentieth- and twenty-first century has changed. In this poignant book, the author shares vivid memories of his life in Hertfordshire and his wartime experiences. From touching recollections of enjoyable days spent with loved ones to the dark moments of falling bombs, this is an honest account of one man’s life. Together with rare images, this book is a personal and moving story.

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From the statue in front of the Bournemouth International Centre which depicts an architect sitting on a WC pan, to the Labrador which convinced the police to drain a pond, Bournemouth Curiosities is filled with little-known and surprising stories about the town. Exploring the history behind all sorts of curious and fascinating people, places and objects, this book is sure to delight all who know and love Bournemouth.

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Haunted Doncaster contains a selection of the reported sightings and stories from ordinary people in Doncaster who believe they have had an extraordinary experience. The majority of the haunted locations in this book have been investigated first-hand by the authors, who give the reader an insight into their experience and provide information about the stories behind the alleged sightings. Each tale is accompanied by an atmospheric black-and-white photograph. This book is aimed at anyone interested in the spectres that inhabit Doncaster’s homes, pubs, and highways.

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An innovation in aviation development, Concorde was the subject of political rivalry, deceit and treachery from its very inception. After their failure to be the first nation to develop a jet airliner for transatlantic flight or to send spacecraft into space, the US Government was adamant that they would beat other nations to the goal of supersonic flight and so development of the SST began. However, with McNamara and Shurcliff’s negative attitudes to the project, it was soon killed off. Thus began the ‘if we cannot do it, neither can you’ attitude towards other countries’ efforts for supersonic flight. This is the story of ten years of behind-the-scenes political intrigue, making use of inside information from two American presidents and the Federal Aviation Authority, as well as recently declassified papers from the CIA and President Kennedy on how the Americans planned to destroy Concorde and their own American SST. Lavishly illustrated with black and white and colour images throughout, Concorde Conspiracy is a must read for any enthusiast on supersonic flight and anyone who enjoys a real-life conspiracy.

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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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In the woollen industry’s heyday Gloucestershire had over 200 mills, producing cloth which was transported to markets all over the world: to Europe, Hudson’s Bay, India; it clothed the British Army and was used for coronations and even the Pope’s robes. The author’s previous and much-consulted work, Gloucestershire Woollen Mills, has long been out of print, making the time ripe for a fresh appraisal of this fascinating period in history. Wool & Water traces the origins of the water-powered industry from the late twelfth century to its demise, with two mills remaining in the twentieth century. Themes discussed include the organisation of the ‘domestic’ industry until the mid-eighteenth century; the development of the factory; fluctuations in trade and, finally, competition from Yorkshire. Containing previously unpublished material and unique illustrations from private collections, plus a comprehensive gazetteer of the county’s textile mill sites, Wool & Water is the ideal book for those interested in the industrial heritage of Gloucestershire.

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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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