Category Archives: Travel Guides
Islington
Islington retains a distinct personality which dates back to the days when it was a villages in the countryside visited by Londoners for leisure pursuits. This fascinating collection of nearly 200 old photographs of the Borough takes a nostalgic look back at some of the changes of the last hundred years. We see the old
The Grand Pier Weston-Super-Mare
Subject to both natural and man-made dangers, of the ninety-one pleasure piers that once decorated the British coastline, just fifty-five remain. For over a century, the Grand Pier at Weston has stood as a prominent symbol of this British seaside tradition. For over sixty years, the Grand Pier was owned and run by successive generations
Haunted Canterbury
Haunted Canterbury is a compilation of ghostly legends and tales from a medieval city steeped in a history of spooky goings on. From the story of a tower haunted by a former Archbishop, to accounts of child ghosts, including one spotted by Charles Dickens, the reader is taken on a tour of Canterbury’s churches, pubs,
Railway Walks: GWR & SR
Jeff Vinter, consultant to the BBC`s popular “Railway Walks” series, here guides the walker along ten of the best railway paths in the south of England, ranging from the Camel Trail in scenic north Cornwall to the densely wooded tracks of the Forest of Dean, and taking in the Downs Link across the rolling countryside
Railway Walks: LMS
Jeff Vinter, consultant to the BBC`s popular “Railway Walks” series, here provides a detailed guide to ten of the best railway walks in the territory of the former London Midland and Scottish Railway. These range from the Midland Railway`s express line through the Peak District to the incredible Cromford and High Peak Railway, built before
Hamstead And Primrose Hill
The superb photographs in this book take the reader on a fascinating journey through the recent history of Hampstead, Kilburn, Belsize Park, Swiss Cottage, Primrose Hill and Chalk Farm. The pictures give an unforgettable impression of familiar streets and districts as they developed, and the book offers an evocative insight into the daily lives and
Lambeth, Kennington and Clapham
This book aims to give a visual impression of the northern and western parts of the borough of Lambeth as they appeared in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Starting from the riverside area at the northern end, historically known as Lambeth (as distinct from the much greater extent of the modern borough), the
The Little Book of the London Underground
With 980 million passengers a year, more than 250 miles of track, literally hundreds of different stations and a history stretching back nearly 150 years, the world`s oldest underground railway might seem familiar, but actually, how well do you know it? Do you know, for example, who the Queen sat next to when she first
City of London
This book paints the fascinating picture of the events and people which helped shaped the city we know so well today, including the building and wartime destruction of some of its characteristic features. Focusing on the famous heart of London, most of the images date from the Edwardian period and slightly after, when London was
The Plagues of London
In this absorbing history Stephen Porter uses the voices of stricken Londoners themselves to describe what life was like in the plague-riven capital.
Haunted London Underground
London`s Underground is associated with a multitude of ghostly stories and sightings, particularly on stations and abandoned lines, many of which are in close proximity to burial sites from centuries ago. This chilling book reveals well-known and hitherto unpublished tales of spirits, spectres and other spooky occurrences on one of the oldest railway networks in
England`s Other Cathedrals
England`s great cathedrals are widely considered to be the country`s finest and most beautiful possessions. Few people realise, however, that in addition to these famous buildings there are many others that share, or once shared, some of that greatness. These `other cathedrals` have very varied origins. There were cathedrals established in Anglo-Saxon times that subsequently
Haunted London Pubs
London is a historical city full of mysteries and curiosities, and is home to many of England`s oldest and most quirky pubs. It comes as no surprise that these pubs have a great deal more than their fair share of ghosts, phantoms and ghouls or, as the old joke goes, spirits galore! A menacing ghostly
White Funnel Steamers: A Photographic Legacy
The White Funnel Fleet of P&A Campbell had a long and successful association with England`s south coast, with the company`s Bristol Channel steamer excursions perhaps being their best-known operation. Covering the period from the 1880s to the 1950s, from the tentative beginnings when brothers Alexander and Peter Campbell took up the challenge of the busy
Tasting the Past: Recipes from the Stone Age to the Present
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
Walking London Wall
London`s City Wall was the second biggest building project undertaken by the Romans in Britain after Hadrian`s Wall. Originally built using 90,000 tons of quarried Kentish stone, its many layers enshrine the victories and catastrophes of the eventful story of the City of London, spanning two thousand years up to the present day. Yet incredibly,
Portsmouth: A Century of Change
Almost all the images in this collection of intriguing photographs have never been published before. They cover over a century of Portsmouth`s rich history, during which street scenes changed beyond recognition. Communities grew and then were fragmented by war, road schemes and redevelopment. Independent shops and businesses such as tailors and milliners went out of
The Englishman,the Moor and the Holy City
In 1601, an English traveller sets off into the unknown to discover the East. Leaving behind a wife and children, he journeys to Alexandria, overland to Cairo and then to Gaza, encountering plots against his life and racing camels along the way. But Henry Timberlake then meets a companion who will change his life. A
