In the early Industrial Revolution, the small settlement of Rawtenstall became a crossroads for trade routes and steadily grew into a thriving town. It became a borough in 1891, taking in many of the much older hillside villages around, although they managed to retain their individual pride and character. Rawtenstall itself had great aspirations, and although these failed to develop, many of the fine buildings of the Victorian and Edwardian periods are still with us today. This book record...

Please write a review on Smashword if you use this book. If you have criticisms or can suggest improvements please email mail me (address in book)To tour central London, buy a travel card or Oystercard, climb to the top of the number 11 bus and open this e-book.Each stop is indicated and the things to watch out for after each stop are detailed. Suggestions are made about where to get off, what to see and where to take a walk. Connect up with other buses to other sites and t...

A glorious insight into the history, landscape and people of Britain, from The Sunday Times bestseller.Nicknamed the ‘Holiday Line’, the 300-mile stretch of railway from Swindon to Penzance opened up the South West to a new breed of holiday-makers in the Victorian age, laying the foundations of the modern tourist industry. Michael Portillo visits Swindon, the powerhouse behind the Great Western Railway’s extraordinary feats of engineering, travels through Brunel’s famous Box Tunnel...

A glorious insight into the history, landscape and people of Britain, from The Sunday Times bestseller.The first rail link between England and Scotland, the Preston to Edinburgh line transformed some of the most remote and inaccessible communities of Britain and fuelled the growth of resorts such as Blackpool and Morecambe Bay. Beginning at Preston, Michael Portillo takes a detour through the spectacular scenery of the Settle & Carlisle line, including the famous Ribblehead Viaduct...

A glorious insight into the history, landscape and people of Britain, from The Sunday Times bestseller.The Holyhead line was first built to carry mail from Wales to Ireland, but brought many changes to industries along its route, including perry-makers, Hereford cattle farmers, Cheshire cheese-makers and slate miners. Michael Portillo travels to Hereford to see the Mappa Mundi and visits Coalbrookdale, cradle of the iron industry and the home of the world’s first iron bridge. And b...

A glorious insight into the history, landscape and people of Britain, from The Sunday Times bestseller.The railway line between Brighton and London bridged the gap between capital, countryside and coast, fostering the rise of the new middle classes created by the Industrial revolution and transforming Brighton from a royal playground into a busy resort. Travelling through London, Michael Portillo visits Sydenham, site of the Crystal Palace, and the Burlington Arcade in Piccadilly, ...

This walk is one of twelve walks in John Wilks' Walks Through History - Birmingham series which contains twelve walks within the city. The whole book is available as an ebook or physical book or you could try this one out first. The book is a celebration of the beauty and poetry of the county. Each walk in this book has been chosen not only because it is a pleasant walk in its own right, but also because it goes past sites which reveal the rich and varied history of the county. Each walk i...

An A - Z illustrated guide to what you can see in the Cotswolds, with word and pen the Author describes this wonderful part of England. From the strange sounding Cotswold towns and villages such as Acton Turville and Wyck Rissington with this guide you will be shown sides of the Cotswolds that the average visitor often misses, the text is brought to life with well over 100 pen and ink sketches of Gargoyles and Hobbit like church entrances, Public monuments to medieval punishment tools, Cas...

Stevenage Through Time is a unique insight into the illustrious history of this part of the country. Reproduced in full colour, this is an exciting examination of Stevenage, the famous streets and the famous faces, and what they meant to the people of this area throughout the 19th and into the 20th Century. Looking beyond the exquisite exterior of these well-kept photos, readers can see the historical context in which they are set and through the author's factual captions for every picture...

You don’t have to travel far in this city to realize there is one major visual reference in this city, and that’s the superb castle perched high on the hill. Everything tumbles away from this most famous of landmarks. Countless alleyway and steep steps intertwine with tall terraces and imposing public buildings, constructed from rugged grey/green stone. Once through the pleasant parks that form a natural link between the old and new city, you are treated to imposing Georgian streets...

If you  want to see just how far Liverpool has come since hosting the Capital of Culture Year, there is probably no better place to start than down by the Mersey. The central area of the city has managed to pull off that delicate balancing act of keeping the best of the old while shoe-horning in the latest facilities.   'Liverpool One' shopping complex has attempted to create that most elusive of design tricks - creating street precincts rather than the usual central block ...

Langport is an ancient market town in the heart of the Somerset Levels. Set in a rural landscape of rivers, moors and hills, it owes its historical importance to its strategic position at a crossing point on the River Parrett. The town is encircled by the river on one side and the more populous parish of Huish Episcopi on the other. The medieval Hanging Chapel and the former buildings of Kelways Nurseries illustrate the area's religious and commercial roots. The area's quiet atmosphere bel...