Salford is often seen as the smaller twin of Manchester, its neighbour across the River Irwell. In fact, Salford was a borough long before Manchester achieved that status, but during the Industrial Revolution Manchester grew more rapidly. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the local economy was driven by the textiles industry and the town’s location as a port on the Manchester Ship Canal. Although it entered a period of industrial decline in the twentieth century, Salford today is...

As recently as the 1870s the whole area which is now Salford Quays was largely empty, occupied by little more than a medieval hall and a racecourse. But in 1887 the construction of the Manchester Ship Canal began, and the largest docks were built on the Salford bank of the canal. These docks were called ‘Manchester Docks’ though they were often referred to as ‘Salford Docks’ both by locals and on maps. The docks reached their peak traffic in the 1950s, but in 1982 the docks were closed and...

Salford is often seen as the smaller twin of Manchester, its neighbour across the River Irwell. In fact, Salford was a borough long before Manchester achieved that status, but even in the 1530s John Leland described it as 'a large suburb to Manchester'. However, during the Industrial Revolution, Manchester grew more rapidly than Salford, although together they were the first 'shock city' of the industrial age, described in graphic detail by writers such as de Tocqueville and Engels. While ...

The canal received its Act of Parliament in 1791, and was opened from Bolton and Bury to Salford in 1797. The canal never reached Manchester. It was connected to the River Irwell in 1808 and to the rest of the canal system in 1838. The canal is just over 15 miles long, and has three arms radiating out from Nob End in Little Lever; all seventeen locks are on the Salford arm. The canal principally carried coal, and there were over 6 miles of tramways linked to it. As the collieries closed, t...

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...

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 ...

The Esk Valley Railway is certainly one of the best railway journeys in the North of England, and could be considered far more picturesque than the more famed North York Moors Railway. It passes through woods, valleys, pasture, agricultural plain, moorland and industrial landscape; whereas the North York Moors Railway rumbles its way through the heavily-wooded Newton Dale with almost no view except brooding forest.Charles Dickens travelled the Esk Valley route from Whitby to Grosmont when ...

The City of Newcastle is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne. It is thought that the city has had almost 2,000 years of continuous habitation, dating as far back as Roman times. By the eighteenth century, Newcastle was the most important city in the North East, and it continues to be a thriving and populous centre to this day. This is the second collection of images from John Carlson and Joyce Carlson. With an introduction by Howard Goldsbrough, the book draws on numerous pictoria...

Bournemouth has an easy and relaxed feel to it, the mixture of fine buildings, colourful parks and its glorious beaches, ensure Bournemouth is still one of the south coast’s premier destinations. There is certainly no shortage of things to see and do, in and around Bournemouth. As you descend into Bournemouth from any of its many approaches (it sits in a valley or chine), you immediately feel that Bournemouth has that extra dimension. Bookopedia Compa...

Sunderland 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 Sunderland, 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. Through the author's factual captions for every picture,...

Gillingham was once an independent and separate borough with its own character and personality, but in 1998 it lost this separate identity when it joined Chatham, Rochester and Strood to become part of the unitary authority of Medway Council. Today, Gillingham's High Street stretches from the railway station to Medway Park. The original settlement of Gillingham stood on the bank of the River Medway where today there is the Strand leisure park. Together with neighbouring Chatham, Gillingham...

As residents and regular visitors to Blackpool will know, and as the recent extensive changes to the town centre and promenade show, Blackpool never stands still. The on-going nature of Blackpool's development was all too apparent during the preparation of this book and the town's motto of 'Progress' is particularly apt. This book of historic and up-to-date views of Blackpool looks at some of the remarkable changes that have taken place in the town in both its better-known areas and in som...