Search results for ""amberley publishing""

This fascinating selection of photographs traces some of the many ways in which Devon has changed and developed over the last century

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A guided tour of the historic city of Ripon, showing how the areas you know and love have changed over the centuries.

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This fascinating selection of photographs traces some of the many ways in which Wakefield and the surrounding area have changed and developed over the last century.

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This fascinating selection of photographs traces some of the many ways in which Cranbrook has changed and developed over the last century.

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A fascinating and evocative look back in time at this Cumbrian town, its people and their way of life.

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This fascinating selection of photographs traces some of the many ways in which Dorset has changed and developed over the last century.

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Based on declassified wartime reports, this in-depth dossier details the inner workings of the Organisation Todt which not only built the Autobahns, but also Germany's Siegfried Line and Atlantic Wall.

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This fascinating selection of photographs traces some of the many ways in which Heswall has changed over the last century.

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A fascinating collection of merged historic and modern images that ingeniously reflect the changes in Birkenhead through the decades.

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A fascinating exploration of the underground world and its history beneath the surface of the Black Country.

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New paperback edition - An amazing story that is still largely unknown in the English-speaking world - the plot to blow up Napoleon, an early terrorist attack on Europe's most powerful man, with striking parallels to today.

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Stunning original photographs illustrate this document of locomotives and railing stock in the UK after their working life has come to an end.

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A lavishly illustrated history of lightships, written by an authority on the subject. Rare images and detailed information contained within this book.

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A photographic celebration, mostly previously unpublished, of the bus scene in South and West Wales in the 1960s.

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In 1839, Samuel Cunard travelled from his native Nova Scotia to Britain to raise capital to found his fledgling steamship company, which was to be named the British & North American Royal Mail Steam Packet Company. Quickly shortened to the Cunard Line, the first ship set sail for Canada and America in July 1840 and opened the steamship trade to the Americas. The fleet rapidly expanded to become the dominant force on the transatlantic route, with feeder services from the Mediterranean too. Never having lost a passenger's life at sea, Cunard was also one of the safest of the steamship lines and operating comfortable ships. By the 1900s, few lines could match the company's vessels for speed or luxury and the advent of the four-funnelled Mauretania, Lusitania and Aquitania just confirmed the pre-eminence of the line. During the inter-war years came the Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth and the line could boast the fastest and largest ships in the world. Never a line to stand still, in 1969 came Queen Elizabeth 2 and in the 2000s came the world's largest liner, RMS Queen Mary 2.

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As capital of Scotland, Edinburgh has always boasted a bus service to be proud of. The municipal operator survived deregulation and avoided becoming part of the big bus groups that expanded rapidly throughout the UK. The company transformed from Edinburgh Corporation Transport into Lothian Region Transport and subsequently Lothian Buses, with a wide network of routes expanding throughout not just Edinburgh, but the whole of the Lothian area. Most recently the company has split into a ‘family’ of operating groups not only providing core bus services in the city, East Lothian, Midlothian and West Lothian, but also a large range of city and out-of-town open-top tours and coach excursions. It also boasts a heritage fleet of old Edinburgh vintage vehicles as well as superbly restored London-liveried Routemasters available for private hires. Here, Richard Walter looks at the Lothian Buses story. A range of rare and previously unpublished images from the present and the past explore how the vehicles, the routes and the locations have changed over the second part of the company’s first hundred years.

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From birth, Nazi propaganda bombarded children with images romanticising war and a glorious death for the Fuehrer and Fatherland. Third Reich social planners emphasised physical activity over the intellect, all toward ensuring absolute loyalty to the Fuehrer and to Nazi ideology, ultimately in preparation for military service. Well over 3 million boys and girls were involved in organisations such as the Hitler Youth. Evidence of the intensity of the indoctrination programme can be seen in the use of some 200,000 special trains required to transport 5 million German youth to the 12,000 HJ camps during the reign of the Third Reich. With an incredible selection of photographs, most of which are previously unpublished, Paul Garson offers a fascinating glimpse into the lives of children of the Third Reich.

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People have been looking for the sites of the long-lost and mysterious battles of King Arthur for a thousand years. In this book, the result of extensive consultation with experts across academic disciplines, the author’s researches point to fascinating new conclusions about Arthur’s life. Much of the history of the time was lost because of some kind of natural catastrophe around AD 540. But the warrior elite, of which Arthur was part, went on to rule what later became known as Wessex, the cradle of the English nation – for which King Arthur became a founding legend. Don Carleton’s study – arguably the first attempt at an ‘authentic history’ of King Arthur for generations – offers a compelling case for a new location of the long-lost Battle of Badon, King Arthur’s greatest battle. The king and warrior who emerges from this work will be, to some readers, uncongenial. In this portrait, Arthur appears to have been a wily but amoral, boastful blond Irish raider, unrestrained in his ravaging, who used his battles to carve out a kingdom among the Britons and ended his life as a shambling, incoherent shadow of a warrior, a danger to himself and to everyone around him.

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The West Midlands city of Wolverhampton has a fascinating history. Originally a medieval market town, it grew rapidly during the Industrial Revolution through the new coal-mining and manufacturing industries because of its mineral resources, particularly iron, coal and limestone. With the decline of these industries in the late twentieth century, Wolverhampton has had to change yet again, but in spite of the many changes that have occurred here the city has retained its identity. This fascinating selection of old and new images of Wolverhampton will be essential reading for all those who know this part of the West Midlands.

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In this profoundly personal journey through British history, Martin Wall traces the influence of Magic and Myth from the earliest times to the present day. Our abiding myths have endured since before the time of the Druids, reaching their apotheosis in the Arthurian tales and the Glastonbury legends, stories which retain their dynamism and imaginative power. These mythic templates, constantly reinvented, provided a legitimating mission for the British Empire, which mediated them to a worldwide audience. Our spiritual inheritance is shot through with magic. But this book takes in more obscure mysteries, such as ‘Who put Bella in the Wych-Elm?’, a localised ‘tribe of witches’, and a host of extraordinary characters like Doctor John Dee, William Blake, and the notorious Aleister Crowley. In this fascinating account of the occult origins of British culture the author depicts our island story as an outworking of magical destiny - a challenge to us to create our own imaginative system.

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Mary Tudor’s childhood was overshadowed by the men in her life: her father, Henry VII, and her brothers Arthur, heir to the Tudor throne, and Henry VIII. These men and the beliefs held about women at the time helped to shape Mary’s life. She was trained to be a dutiful wife and at the age of eighteen Mary married the French king, Louis XII, thirty-four years her senior. When her husband died three months after the marriage, Mary took charge of her life and shaped her own destiny. As a young widow, Mary blossomed. This was the opportunity to show the world the strong, self-willed, determined woman she always had been. She remarried for love and at great personal risk to herself. She loved and respected Katherine of Aragon and despised Anne Boleyn – again, a dangerous position to take. Author Sarah Bryson has returned to primary sources, state papers and letters, to unearth the truth about this intelligent and passionate woman. This is the story of Mary Tudor, told through her own words for the first time.

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The Landscape Garden: the quiet but startling national revolution that overthrew the parterres, avenues and canals of formal European-style gardens littering Britain in the eighteenth century. Thousands of landscape gardens were created for the wealthy, often looking so natural that we hardly recognise them as the hand of man. Steered by brilliant designers and visionary owners, the fashion for landscape gardens took hold across the country. Using water, grass and trees, designers softened lines and created seemingly natural planted park landscapes. Landscape gardens were on a huge scale, and all the work was done by hand. By the 1750s this had developed into the landscape park and garden epitomised by ‘Capability’ Brown, the most famous of the eighteenth-century garden designers. In this book by garden historian Sarah Rutherford, discover Britain’s greatest contribution to the visual arts worldwide. This book is part of the Britain’s Heritage series, which provides definitive introductions to the riches of Britain’s past, and is the perfect way to get acquainted with landscape gardens in all their variety.

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What unacknowledged theme can be found across 250 years of English history? What thread runs throughout the Plantagenet Royal House, including as it does the ‘cadet’ houses of Lancaster and York, to the beginning of the Modern Period in 1485? It is the influence on events of the royal women; in particular, the queens. Without children, there is no dynasty, no ‘house’. Plantagenet Queens and Consorts examines the lives and influence of ten figures, comparing their different approaches to the maintenance of political power in what is always described as a man’s world. On the contrary, there is strong evidence to suggest that these women had more political impact than those who came later – with the exception of Elizabeth I – right up to the present day. Beginning with Eleanor of Provence, loyal spouse of Henry III, the author follows the thread of queenship: Philippa of Hainault, Joan of Navarre, Katherine Valois, Elizabeth Woodville, and others, to Henry VII’s Elizabeth of York. These are not marginal figures. Arguably, the ‘She-Wolf ’, Isabella of France, had more impact on the history of England than her husband Edward II. Elizabeth of York was the daughter, sister, niece, wife, and mother of successive kings of England. As can be seen from the names, several are ostensibly ‘outsiders’ twice over, as female and foreign. With specially commissioned photographs of locations and close examination of primary sources, Steven Corvi provides a new and invigorating perspective on medieval English (and European) history.

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The first transcontinental railroad in the USA was completed in 1869. In the following years, until the turn of the twentieth century, many more railroads were built by different companies. Passenger trains declined from the 1950s and today there is only a minimal long-distance passenger service operated by Amtrak, leaving the railroads to concentrate on moving freight. From the 1970s until the 1990s many railroads merged to give the two main railroads there are in the west today: Burlington Northern Santa Fe and Union Pacific. As well as the two mega railroads, there are many regional and shortline railroads to add diversity. Locomotives in the USA today are mainly built by General Electric and Electro Motive Diesel. Modern diesels for long-distance mainline freight trains are up to 4,400 hp with six axles. These long-distance trains can weigh up to 20,000 tonnes and often have multiple locomotives that can be at the front, middle and rear. There are also many older diesels for local work, some dating from the 1950s. This book features a selection of photos of mainline and branch-line trains with a wide selection of different locomotives and paint schemes across the western states.

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Humanity has always looked to the stars, but it hasn’t been until relatively recently that we have managed to travel into space. Carolyn Collins Petersen takes us on a journey from the first space pioneers and their work, through the First World Warled technological advances in rocketry that formed the basis for the Space Age, to the increasing corporate interest in space. This detailed examination of our steps into space is viewed from our potential future there – on Mars to be exact – and considers how we will reach that point. The author concludes with our current advances and our immediate ambitions in space exploration. The future and its scientific possibilities are enthralling: who will be the first to step on Mars? Will matter/antimatter annihilations take us to the Kuiper Belt, or will it be ion propulsion? What is the Alcubierre Warp Drive? Will it take us to the stars?

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The Georgian era is known for its lavish fashions and sumptuous food, as well as being a time of great social and political change. It saw the birth of the Industrial Revolution, the abolition of the slave trade and the expansion of the British Empire throughout the world. It is also an era greatly associated with the Arts – prolific writers and artists such as Shelley, Wordsworth, Austen and Turner changed the British cultural landscape. History is not just about kings and queens, or battles lost and won, it is also about the way ordinary people lived and changed the world around them. Mike Rendell covers some of the weird and wonderful facts about the era, as well as debunking some of the myths, in easy-to-read, bite-size sections. Find out about the vicar who discovered aspirin and the man who made his fortune from a toothbrush, alongside the personal lives of the monarchy.

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The iconic Hawker-Siddeley Harrier was designed to fight the Cold War from the fields of West Germany but won its battle spurs in the Falklands, Belize and Afghanistan. It was controversially scrapped by the British Government fifty years after entering service with the RAF and its loss raised serious questions over Royal Navy fleet protection. This book not only describes the aircraft and its operations but includes quotes from the pilots who flew and fought in it. Author David Oliver describes the development and production of the Harrier from the original Kestrel project, which was the only successful attempt at a vertical take-off and landing aircraft at the time. He follows the Harrier into service with the RAF and also covers the development of the Sea Harrier, with its special characteristics and its extraordinarily successful performance in the Falklands War where its unique engine made it an agile fighter. He also describes the use of the Harrier in other deployments such as Belize and Afghanistan, covers Anglo-US developments and examines the legacy of the Harrier in the shape of the F-35B Lightning II multi-role fighter.

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500,000 Years in the Life of a River. The longest river in England, the Thames, has witnessed the entire history of a country and its capital. The Story of the Thames looks at history from the river’s perspective, investigating how the life of the nation has affected the river and, in turn, how the river has been viewed by those who live along its length. In doing so it spans 500,000 years (longer than human history) and extends from source to mouth. The Thames is often taken for granted. People assume that it is simply there, flowing passively through the human world, unchanging. That is not the case. The river has changed both physically, initially due to natural causes and latterly as a result of human intervention, and in how it is used. It has been viewed in very different ways in response to the needs and expectations of society at different times. Beginning with geology and the ancient past, this book focuses on the social and economic changes exemplified in the life of the river, as well as touching on episodes of national and political history in which it was involved. Andrew Sargent explores the ritual deposit of metalwork in the river in the Bronze Age, the working river of the Middle Ages and post-medieval period, the development of leisure (e.g. Three Men in a Boat), the river in wartime, and modern environmental conservation.

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Throughout the six years of conflict which began on 3 September 1939, military manoeuvres, bombs and calls for dedication to the war effort became the normality for children. For them this was a time of great excitement. Imagine the thrill of soldiers and tanks in the streets, Anderson shelters built in back gardens and barbed wire sprouting on beaches, the Battle of Britain and those spectacular dogfights, the Blitz and masses of shrapnel to collect, searchlights lighting up the night sky, the arrival of American servicemen and their inexhaustible supplies of chewing gum! From Dunkirk to D-Day, through Doodlebugs to Victory, there was hardly a dull moment and remarkably little fear for children as they learned, collected and played under these bizarre circumstances.

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Henry Tudor, the future Henry VII, has been called the most unlikely King of England. Yet his rise from obscurity was foretold by the bards, and by 1485, the familial bloodbath of the Wars of the Roses left Henry as the sole adult Lancastrian claimant to the throne. The hunchback usurper Richard III desperately wanted him dead, and in his exile Henry Tudor was left with no choice. He either invaded England or faced being traded to Richard to meet certain death. Henry’s father, Edmund Tudor, Earl of Richmond, was the son of a Queen of England, sister to the King of France, and of an obscure Welsh court servant, who had been born in secrecy away from court. Edmund’s death at the beginning of the Wars of the Roses left Henry to grow up in almost constant danger, imprisonment and exile. In 1485, his ‘ragtag’ invading army at Bosworth faced overwhelming odds, but succeeded. Henry went on to become England’s wisest and greatest king, but it would be his son Henry VIII and granddaughter Elizabeth I who would take all the credit.

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Warrior, prince, lover and rogue: there is much to be said for the Essex man. Henry VIII, Daniel Defoe and Wat Tyler are all covered along with many more in this exciting exploration of Essex Boys. Pepys and Dickens captured Essex in words, while the heads of great Essex families administered its laws and kept the county in order. Men of Essex have battled Viking marauders, defied Norman warlords, sailed with ‘hearts of oak’ against the Spanish Armada and vanquished Napoleon on both land and sea. A man of music, science and literature, the Essex Boy will always be a man of many guises. Strong and loyal, passionate and ruthless – he is here in the pages of this book. Augustine Courtauld, Byrhtnoth, Charles Dickens, The Coggeshall Gang, Colchester Jack, Daniel Defoe, Daniel London, Daniel Mendoza, Dick Turpin, Eudo Dapifer, The Lords Rich, Henry VII, Henry VIII, Humphry Repton, The Ingrave Scribes, John Ardley, John Pell, Captain Oates, Myles Graye, Philip Sainty, Prince Albert Edward, Richard Parker, Sir John Hawkwood, Nathaniel Hedge, William Hunter

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On the outbreak of the First World War, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle tried to enlist in the military in order to set a good example to others, despite being fifty-five. His offer was refused, but he was still active in support of his country, in particular lobbying on behalf of British servicemen to improve their conditions and safety. Conan Doyle began work on The British Campaign in France and Flanders shortly after 1914, of which this volume contains an edited selection. His analysis of the opening year of the war examines the movements of troops throughout many of the major battles, charting both victories and desperate retreats along with individual accounts of heroism and action. The impeccable style and vividly insightful descriptions with which he depicts the Western Front mark him as one of the century’s greatest writers.

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London City Airport was first conceived as part of the regeneration of the London Docklands at the start of the 1980s, a pilot landing on Heron Quays to prove it could be done. Built on the land between the Royal Albert Dock and the King George V Dock, the first commercial services operated from the airport in October 1987, with the official opening by HM The Queen in November of that year. The airport has since become a hub for people travelling to and from the City of London.Now in its twenty-fifth anniversary year, London City Airport is still looking at expansion, with a plan for phased expansion up to 2030. In London City Airport Through Time, Paul Hogan uses a wonderful collection of photographs as well as interviews with some of those involved, to show the development of this key player in British aviation.

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Shoreham is the oldest airport in the UK, aviator Harold Piffard first flying from there in 1910, although the aerodrome only officially opened on 20 June 1911. It served as a base for Alliott Verdon Roe (founder of Avro) and John Alcock (one of the first men to fly the Atlantic). At the start of the First World War, the first flight of British military aircraft left from Shoreham to join the fighting in France. In the 1930s the airfield became an airport for Brighton, Hove and Worthing and a new terminal building in the art deco style was opened in 1936. This building is still in use today and is now Grade II listed. During the Second World War, Shoreham again served as a military airfield, coming under attack several times. The airfield is still operational today and is used by light aircraft and flying schools and as a venue for an air show and a filming location. In this book, aviation historian Peter C. Brown takes us through the history of this key centre in early British aviation.

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To visit Whitby's 'Yards' is to step back in time. Hardly changed from the Middle Ages, this is where one can still meet old Whitby - a secret Whitby - unspoilt and untroubled by the holiday visitor. The yards, alleyways and ghauts are fascinating places to explore. Though often private, there are enough remaining to catch a glimpse of what this small seaport must have been like two or three hundred years ago. Today, over eighty named yards still exist out of more than one hundred and there are, in addition, another thirty or so places of similar character but perhaps called 'steps', 'lane', 'square' or 'place'. The origins of the yards lay in the days of medieval Whitby and its development. Join Alan Whitworth on this affectionate and lavishly illustrated account, which will surprise and delight anyone who knows the area.

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Hertfordshire, one of the Home Counties close to the capital, features some spectacular countryside including the chalk escarpment fringes of the Chilterns, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and many beautiful valleys including the Lee and the Colne.In 50 Gems of Hertfordshire local author Abigail Hamilton-Thompson explores the unique locations that make the county special and the many breathtaking views in the unspoiled countryside. She investigates the hidden delights in historic towns such as Ware, Royston and the city of St Albans. From nature reserves to Roman Verulamium, churches to caves, watermills to windmills and the geological rarity that is Hertfordshire puddingstone, readers will venture on a journey of discovery around the treasures of the county.

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Cornwall is a popular holiday destination best known for its dramatic coastal scenery and wonderful beaches. In this book, John Husband takes the reader on a tour of the places situated off the beaten track to discover the essence and true character of Cornwall. The coastal path takes us to dramatic cliffs, which are ablaze with colour in spring, and the smaller coves and harbours where sustainable fishing still goes on much as it did in the heyday of the local fishing industry. Cornwall's heritage can also be found in the many prehistoric sites dotted across the landscape of the inland moors, surrounded by the remains of the ancient volcanoes that form the tors and crags of Bodmin Moor and West Penwith. More recent remains are found here too, including the romantic outlines of ruined engine houses left behind after the mining boom of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, which now form part of the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage Site. This book reveals all this and more, showing why this county remains so special.

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Formed in 1969, four years later in 1972 the state-owned National Bus Company introduced a corporate livery and identity for all its subsidiary companies and continued as such until the early 1980s, except within the Tyne & Wear and West Yorkshire PTEs where other liveries were used. As a consequence of its Market Analysis Project, several local fleet names made an appearance. After it was announced that the NBC subsidiaries would be sold to the private sector in 198688, a number of them began to adopt new liveries in preparation for new ownership.This book explores these transitions through a range of photographs with detailed captions, showcasing the numerous changes that took place in the early to mid-1980s.

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In these days of ubiquitous, non-stop media and information you would think that there were few secrets anywhere left to reveal: but when it comes to Harrogate there remain a surprising number of facts and idiosyncrasies which, over the years, have remained obscure, to say the least. Secret Harrogate is an historical journey through one of England’s most visited towns, unearthing nuggets of its early history and spectacular development into one of Europe’s foremost spas. This book reveals and unravels scores of fascinating and little-known details about Harrogate that will fascinate and inform its many visitors as well as its current inhabitants, many of whom probably thought they knew it all. The book gives a unique perspective on the many less-obvious aspects of Harrogate’s history and will go a long way to explaining why today’s Harrogate is as it is, and how it may develop in the future.

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Bournemouth Airport was first opened as RAF Hurn on 1 August 1941, one of the bases established by the RAF to counter the Luftwaffe presence across the Channel in northern France. RAF Hurn would go on to serve as a base for the development of radar in aircraft and as a base for bombers and fighter-bombers supporting the D-Day invasion of France. BOAC operated civilian services from Hurn as early as January 1942, flying at first just to Cairo but later to Madrid, Lisbon and Ireland, and between the end the war and 1 June 1946 Hurn was Britain’s main international airport. After the departure of BOAC, Hurn was used as an industrial centre by companies such as Airwork, de Havilland and Vickers-Armstrongs, as well as playing host from 1948 until 2011 to the College of Air Traffic Control. Bournemouth Airport today serves airlines such as Ryanair and various charter services. In this book, Mike Phipp takes a look at the history of Bournemouth Airport from its early years to the present day.

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The Merseyrail service on the Wirral gets plaudits for its service levels, but this is nothing new. The lines to West Kirby and New Brighton from Liverpool are remarkable for their pastoral, seaside locations and the fact that they were electrified as far back as 1938. This book shows the Wirral lines in action over the past fifty years, including special trains, the centenary open days and normal trains. In recent years the electrified network has been extended to Chester. Today the line is the location of some of Britain's oldest trains all are more than forty years old. But the new trains have recently arrived and are already making an impact. The line is seldom featured in books, but here is celebrated with 180 rare and previously unpublished photographs.

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Whenever people are asked about military vehicles, the first things that usually come to mind are jeeps and tanks. Although those vehicles did make up the majority of vehicles used by armies across the world, they are only part of a much larger and wider ranging selection. These include trucks, transporters, tracked vehicles, armoured personnel carriers and heavy artillery guns.The preservation of military vehicles movement began in the UK in the 1960s and has continued to gain momentum ever since. Now, many vehicles live out their days in the hands of preservationists, who take them to events and shows around the country.In this book, Royston Morris presents a wealth of full-colour images and informative captions to showcase the variety of vehicles regularly on display.

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Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) and Alaskan Air Command (AAC) were Major Commands of the United States Air Force. Pacific Air Forces controlled units stationed in Hawaii, Japan, South Korea and the Philippines. PACAF was responsible for an area of over 100 million square miles; its forces primarily faced the threats posed by the Soviet Union, the People's Republic of China and North Korea. Alaskan Air Command was responsible for providing air-defence forces, which were operationally tasked by North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), as well as other tactical units stationed within the state of Alaska. Both commands received modernised equipment during the 1980s, and they were supported by aircraft deployed from the contiguous United States by Strategic Air Command, Tactical Air Command, Military Airlift Command, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve units.Take a step inside the day-to-day operations of PACAF and AAC in the 1980s.

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Great Railway Journeys: The Flying Scotsman Route to Edinburgh is the fifth in Roger Mason's Great Railway Journeys series. It is a captivating record of what can be seen from trains running from London King's Cross to Edinburgh.The forty-one chapters feature statues and monuments, including those paying tribute to the footballer Jackie Milburn and the Prime Minister 2nd Earl Grey. There are cathedrals, castles, viaducts and so much more. These are accompanied by fascinating stories, including how the heroine Grace Darling rowed through a storm to rescue shipwrecked sailors. Another tells of Scotland's worst-ever fishing disaster in which 189 people lost their lives. There is an account of the 1895 railway races from London to Scotland, which cannot fail to enthral, and nor can the tale of how, in 1926, striking miners derailed the Flying Scotsman train.In a follow-up to the highly successful London to Oxford and London to Cambridge, this is a must-read for anybody who knows and uses t

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Tours are a common part of the itinerary of holidaymakers in the UK. There are long-distance tours, using the most modern coaches fitted with the latest seating and features for both passenger and driver comfort and relaxation, and local tours using modern single- and vintage double-deck buses both open- and closed-top. With an array of themed tours available, the choice is endless.Join Richard Walter as he travels around the UK and beyond to offer a flavour of how the tour business has blossomed and continues to grow. The book is illustrated throughout with images featuring scenic and contrasting locations, showcasing the variety of buses and coaches used in the touring industry.

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An accessible history of Lichfield from prehistory to the present day highlighting the cityâs significant events and people.

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A fabulous collection of ghost hauntings in Suffolk, from the infamous Black Dog of Bungay to the headless Anne Boleyn stalking visitors at Blickling Hall. The serene, low-lying countryside of Suffolk, with its scattered farms, water-meadows and extensive coastline, seems an unlikely area to be associated with ghosts and demons. Yet, a motley array are said to haunt the region. The most famous is the Black Dog, a spectral hound, which in the year 1577 terrorised and killed parishioners in the churches of Bungay and Blythburgh, and continues to exert a strong presence today. Other strange phenomena include phantom coaches, rattling through the countryside at night, drawn by spectral horses and driven by a headless coachman, and the freshwater mermaids who lure young children to their deaths in pools and rivers. Tobias Gill the black drummer haunts the crossroads near Blythburgh where he was hanged for the murder of a servant girl, and Mrs. Short, the 'Queen of Hell', can still raise the hairs on your neck if you wander in the region of Boulge Hall near Woodbridge. Famous characters such as Anne Boleyn, Earl Hugh Bigod, and St. Edmund add an additional lustre to folk tales of the area, and strange happenings occur in many of the churchyards, Suffolk having more churches per acre than almost any other county. This fascinating account of local 'sightings' deals with all the traditional historical legends as well as modern day sightings, and investigates their relevance and significance for the modern age.

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