The Victorian parson is an unsung hero. Legend and literature portray him, at best, as the bearer of a thin veneer of piety which covers his hypocrisy; at worst, as a buffoon or a charlatan. Yet amid
Home of the most stunning public gardens in Britain, South East England’s wealth of internationally renowned gardens are a must see, and here the author provides a guide to the wonderful gardens the r
Top Withins Farm on Stanbury Moor, West Yorkshire, is internationally famous as the inspiration for Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights and visited every year by hundreds of thousands of people from all
Immortalised by the chronicler Froissart as the most beautiful woman in England and the most loved, Joan was the wife of the Black Prince and the mother of Richard II, the first Princess of Wales and
The quest for the Water Speed Record is one of the most dangerous, least forgiving and most unheralded of endeavours. Defined by the fatal crash of Donald Campbell in 1967 on Lake Coniston, it lacks s
Hadrian’s Wall is a major World Heritage site, set in stunning countryside in Cumbria and Northumberland, where the Wall and its forts are the most visited Roman remains in Britain. It runs through th
From its foundation by the Romans in the middle of the first century and its revival under Alfred the Great in the late ninth century, London grew and flourished. It prospered as a trading city, as we
Liverpool has many railway ?firsts’ in the world: an inter-city service, an electrified overhead railway, a large-scale marshalling yard, a deep-level suburban tunnel and one under a tidal estuary. In
Steamship Travel in the Interwar Years: Tourist Third Cabin offers a window into a bygone era in which modern steamships like the Queen Mary, the Normandie, and the Olympic transported new breeds of t
This is the fascinating story of the development of early British steam fire engines by a renowned expert on emergency services vehicles and equipment. Ronald Henderson, a member of the Fire Brigade S
"From a water-laden bog in the Cambrian Mountains of Wales to the mighty Bristol Channel, the River Severn carves its way through some of the most picturesque and varied landscapes in the country. Riv
Over the past generation the Class 66 has been one of Britain's most successful and reliable diesel locomotives. After being introduced in the late 1990s, the Class has been involved in various new c
When the author first moved to Southampton from Middlesex in 1985, he thought it was rather like a provincial town in comparison to London and its outer suburbs. But already things were beginning to c
London’s Docklands have a rich and varied history. Dating from the Middle Ages, they developed into one of the biggest docks in the world. The riches of Britain’s Empire found its way into the country
During the First World War the authorities emulated the simple slogans and strong graphic imagery of advertising posters to create a form of mass communication that was easily and instantly understood
A fascinating history of food, cooking and kitchenalia in the Georgian period, including contemporary recipes and colour illustrations and exploring how the Georgians have influenced our attitude to f
Reveals the compelling characters and often courageous actions of London's Lord Mayors as they respond to some of the most dramatic events in the City's history
The history of ancient Rome is the history of a city, of its people, and of its empire which at its height encompassed all the lands around the Mediterranean sea and which stretched from Britain in th
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution was established in 1824 and has a long and proud tradition of saving life at sea. Today, the volunteer lifeboat crews on the coasts of Cornwall, North Devon and
Alfred, son of Æthelwulf, king of the West Saxons, ran. Behind him, the takers of his land and kingdom fanned out, searching for the fleeing king ... Buried in AD 899 as the king of the English at hi
One way or another the Romans spent quite a lot of time in bed, in between conquering and civilising the known world. The men were intent on demonstrating their power and virility; the women were busy
The Wars of the Roses were a bitter and bloody dispute between the rival Plantagenet Houses of York and Lancaster. Only one man, Jasper Tudor, the Lancastrian half-brother to Henry VI, fought from the
Cornwall has long been recognised as being one of the hotbeds of English rugby enjoying a level of interest and support even outstripping that of football. Ten years ago Penzance and Newlyn rebranded
The medieval period is often thought of as the Dark Ages, a period of cultural stagnation and little economic and political advancement. However, Britain in this period survived invasion upon invasion
Today, the sight of a helicopter speeding toward some destination is familiar enough, but take a moment to consider: is there a life at stake? Is someone in peril and on a knife edge of survival, and
'I was happy that Coventry was selected as a target, as it was an important military objective... The night was clear and flying was easy. Missing the target was practically impossible.' Field-Marshal
Two weeks before Dunkirk, Anthony Eden, Minister of War, announced to the nation on BBC radio his concept of a Local Defence Volunteer force. The Germans were routing the French and British in Belgium
Espionage is one of the world’s oldest professions, and it played an integral role in Allied successes and failures during the Second World War. Equal to men in both their bravery and in the sacrifice
Born into poverty in the Scottish Border country in 1757, Thomas Telford rose to become a towering figure of the Industrial Revolution in Britain and the pre-eminent engineer of his day.Incorporating
The Yorkshire spa town of Ilkley is a popular tourist destination famous for its moor and home to the largest literature festival in the north of England. It is less well known that Ilkley is a town w
This fascinating selection of photographs traces some of the many ways in which the GWR line between Plymouth and Penzance has changed and developed over the last century.
The Harley-Davidson WLA was produced to US Army specifications during and around the Second World War. It was an adaptation of an existing civilian model, the WL, the 45 solo type, having a 45-cubic-i
During World War Two the inhabitants of Britain's towns and cities relied on government information on what to do in an air raid. Through these official publications the reality of the Blitz is vividl
BRISTOL ROVERS: THE OFFICIAL HISTORY is an up-to-date and definitive historical record of Bristol Rovers Football Club, relating the story of the club from its origins in 1883, through the glory years
