During the late Victorian/early Edwardian period, the development of the motor car represented the peak of technological experimentation. Termed 'horseless carriages', these cars were mainly construct
A brief history of the design and use of railway carriages in the UK, ideal for those interested in railway and social history.Evolving from the horse-drawn stage coaches that they soon eclipsed, rail
The history of the Rootes Group (1913-1978) and its subsidiaries - Hillman, Humber, Singer, Sunbeam, Karrier, and Commer.This is the story of the Rootes Group which was both an important British car m
An engaging introduction to the workings of church buildings and churchyards, explaining the integral elements of a working church and how they have changed over time.The parish church is a symbol of
The 00 gauge train set was the ultimate "boy’s toy" of the 1950s and ’60s .Electric 00 gauge trains were introduced by Trix and Hornby Dublo in the mid-1930s, but the Second World War quickly halted p
The 1970s was a decade of style contrasts: every extreme of fashion was met by an equally trendy opposite reaction. Ankle-length maxi skirts vied for attention with super-short hot-pants. Outfits in v
Vespa and Lambretta remain the two most iconic motor scooter brands, even four decades after the latter’s demise. But what made them such a European sensation in the postwar era? And why were they par
Sir Christopher Wren (1632–1723) is now mostly remembered as a genius of architecture – but he was also an accomplished polymath, who only came to architecture quite late in life. Most famous as the m
The 1970s was a decade of style contrasts. More so than in any other decade, every extreme of fashion was met by an equally trendy opposite reaction. Ankle-length maxi skirts vied for attention with s
More complex and imposing than any other vehicle in the British emergency services, the fire engine has a long and interesting history. At first a blaze could only be tackled by buckets of water being
The rood screen was used to divide the nave and chancel--the secular and the sacred--in parish churches in the Middle Ages. The screen was a visual spectacle, adorned with images of saints and surmoun
Between the 1940s and the 1960s the microcar posed a challenge to large companies producing cars in huge volumes to a uniform pattern. The microcar was the opposite, produced by small entrepreneurial
The London and North Eastern Railway, or LNER as it was familiarly known, was one of the Big Four companies that took control of Britain's railway network following the "Grouping" in 1923. This networ
Brunel called his Great Western Railway the "finest work in England" and it certainly contained many special and groundbreaking new features, but none was as unorthodox as the decision to abandon the
Victorian pumping stations are colorful cathedrals of utility. Their imposing and striking exteriors enclose a highly decorative cast-iron frame, built to encage mighty steam engines. They are gloriou
William Hillman was an early maker of cars in Coventry: he produced cars from 1907 before selling his company to the Rootes Brothers in 1928. Three years later came the Hillman Minx, the first of a li
From the horse-drawn trams of the nineteenth century to the larger electric models of the early twentieth, this reliable form of public transport revolutionized town travel by making it affordable eno
For a hundred years the Royal Air Force has been at the forefront of the UK's defenses, protecting its allies, attacking its enemies, and, in the 1950s and 1960s, providing a key part of Britain's Nuc
The Land Speed Record is a fascinating story of human endeavor--of man and machine battling time to be the fastest. Since 1898 many have dreamed of being the fastest on earth, first with electric, the
The streets and public spaces of London are rich with statues and monuments commemorating the city's great figures and events--from Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square and Sir Christopher Wren's Great
