Category Archives: Travel Guides
Bradshaw`s Guide South Eastern Railways: London, Chatham & Dover: Part 4
This fourth volume of illustrated Bradshaw`s Guides takes the traveller from the London Bridge and Victoria stations via the former South Eastern Railway to the `watering places` of the coast of Kent. Along the way the train calls in at a number of locations including Greenwich, Woolwich, Gravesend, Rochester, Chatham, Margate, Broadstairs, Ramsgate, Deal, Dover
Filton Airfield Through Time
An airfield was first established at Filton, just north of Bristol, in 1911 after the establishment of the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company. The company and its descendents have used the airfield ever since to develop aviation technology. Filton Airfield has also played host to a military presence, starting with the Royal Flying Corps in
Bradshaw`s London: George Bradshaw`s Classic Guide of 1862
Famed for his railway hand-books – recently rediscovered through Michael Portillo`s television series on the great railway journeys – George Bradshaw also produced this Hand Book to London, which was originally published in 1862. Presented as a series of walks within central London, as well as a trip along the Thames by steamer and a
London City Airport Through Time
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
Clifton Through Time
Described by the poet John Betjeman as `the handsomest suburb of Europe`, Clifton stands overlooking the centre of the ancient maritime city of Bristol. Made famous by Brunel`s Suspension Bridge, Clifton is also well known for its splendid Georgian and Victorian architecture and its beautiful surroundings and views. It is home to the University of
Georgian London: the West End
The eighteenth and early nineteenth century saw the dramatic expansion of London – wide and elegant boulevards, formal landscaped squares, crescents, blocks of tall redbrick terraced houses and stone-built Classical public buildings all appeared in Britain for the first time. Throughout London`s sophisticated West End, in Bloomsbury, at Covent Garden, the British Museum and the
Bankside: London`s Original District of Sin
On the south bank of the Thames and demarcated by Blackfriars and Tower Bridges lies the district known as Bankside, the Borough and Southwark. Its origin was in a Roman settlement nestling around the southern end of London Bridge, until the eighteenth century the only bridge across the Thames in London. Being separated only by
The Story of Soho
Soho has always been a source of fascination. A district quite unlike any other in London, where glamour meets squalor and then often merges. It is different, never mirroring the changes of its more fashionable neighbours. It seduces and destroys in equal measures. The Windmill Theatre opened in 1932 and, after entertaining audiences through thirty-two
Lost London in Colour
This fascinating compilation of early London photographs takes us on a tour of one of the world`s greatest cities, but rather than picturing the historic scenes dating back to the 1850s in the traditional sepia and black and white monochrome, new realism is given here by reproducing the images in full colour. We can therefore
Brunel in London
Brunel and London. It might not seem an obvious association, but John Christopher puts the case that it was London, not Bristol, that was the most important centre of Brunel`s activities. It was here that he lived, worked and died. The city is dotted with examples of his works, some obvious and some less so,
The Story of Stonhenge
A comprehensive illustrated history of the prehistoric megalithic structure at Stonehenge and those who built it. Stonehenge is the best known but least understood prehistoric monument in the British Isles. Other stone circles are impressive and atmospheric, but none approach the sophistication of Stonehenge. The stones visible today represent the final phase of a monument
The Lost Works Of Isambard Kingdom Brunel
ISAMBARD KINGDOM BRUNEL is famous for the engineering wonders he left behind – from the SS Great Britain to the delights of Paddington and Temple Meads stations, but much of what he designed has been lost. From the ships Great Western and Great Eastern to the majestic water towers of Crystal Palace, the Hungerford Bridge
Bloomsbury and Fitzrovia Through Time
This compilation of photographs explores two of west central London`s historic areas through rare images, many unseen in over a century, alongside modern photographs for comparison. Bloomsbury is renowned for its fine architecture, rich cultural heritage, universities and specialist hospitals while Bohemian Fitzrovia is a colourful restaurant centre set in busy streets dating from the
Belgravia and Knightsbridge Through Time
Belgravia and Knightsbridge represent the wealthy face of modern London, but it was not always that way. Belgravia did not exist before the 1820s, its site a bleak expanse of open countryside. Knightsbridge was a straggling settlement along the main highway from the west. Proximity to London and the Royal Parks was the key. Grand
Great Plague of London
The bubonic plague epidemic which struck England in 1665-6 was responsible for the deaths of almost a third of London`s population. Its sheer scale was overwhelming and it was well-recorded, featuring in the works of Pepys and Defoe and described in terrible detail in the contemporary Bills of Mortality. Often remembered because of its devastating
The GWR Bristol To Bath Line
It was a railway just waiting to be made. The capital, London, was in the east; Bristol, second city in the land, 110 miles to the west or a sea journey of 672 miles. By the late 1820s, technology had improved to a state where the very latest form of transport, a steam railway, could
Welsh: The Biography
A popular and “unashamedly pro-Welsh” history of Wales, with a strong focus on the pre-modern era. A lively and opinionated narrative is peppered with liberal quotation from primary sources, and the story of warfare, resistance and rebellion alternated with reflections on the development of Welsh culture, language and poetry.
The GWR Bristol To Taunton Line
Sorely neglected by railway authors, the line between Bristol and Taunton was part of the Bristol & Exeter Railway. A fascinating line, it was built to serve a moribund coalfield and a grand harbour scheme which proved a dismal failure. The line had many interesting features: two short dock branches, one of which had a
Central Bristol Through Time
Brycgstowe, `the place at the bridge`, as the Saxon founders of Bristol once called it, is a city of destiny. Once the second port in the country and one of the wealthiest cities in Britain, it has enjoyed centuries of prosperity based on manufacturing, seafaring and trade. Geographically split between the counties of Gloucestershire and
Soho and Theatreland Through Time
With its trendy bars, quirky shops and historic restaurants, Soho is an exciting cosmopolitan slice of London`s entertainments district. It is also Theatreland with more cinemas and historic theatres than anywhere. Featuring rare photographs from the Victorian era to the 1960s with comparison images from the present day, this book takes a journey through teeming
