The small town of Bruton is one of Somerset's hidden gems. With a history of settlement that stretches back to pre-Conquest times, its charming highways and alleyways ('bartons') have retained much of their ancient character. Although Bruton's industry is now very much a thing of the past, its even older association with education still, in part, defines the town today. This book focuses on the town's rich architectural heritage of schools, churches, businesses, and homes, and the tale of ...

From an acclaimed social and architectural historian, the tumultuous, scandalous, glitzy, and glamorous history of English country houses and high society during the interwar periodAs WWI drew to a close, change reverberated through the halls of England's country homes. As the sun set slowly on the British Empire, the shadows lengthened on the lawns of a thousand stately homes.In The Long Weekend, historian Adrian Tinniswood introduces us to the tu...

Why did London Underground once employ a one-legged man to ride up and down the escalators at Earl's Court tube station? What did Hitler plan to do with Nelson's Column? Why is London's only medieval mummy a prostitute named Clarice la Claterballock? How did a beer flood in Tottenham Court Road drown nine people? Where can you see a pair of Queen Victoria's knickers?Containing chapters covering London past and present; buildings and streets; famous and unexpected Londoners; arts, li...

A level 1 Oxford Bookworms Library graded reader. Written for Learners of English by John Escott. Come with us to London - a city as old as the Romans, and as new as the twenty-first century. There are places to go - from Oxford Street to Westminster Abbey, from Shakespeare's Globe Theatre to Wimbledon Tennis Club. And things to do - ride on the London Eye, visit the markets, go to the theatre, run in the London Marathon. Big, beautiful, noisy, exciting - that's London.

The English West Country is a land of exceptional landscapes: many miles of wild, unspoilt coastline and vast expanses of wild moorland; great cities such as Exeter, Plymouth, Bath and Bristol; and market towns, villages and hamlets. Farming, mining, quarrying, fishing and trade are the traditional industries of the counties of Wiltshire, Somerset, Dorset, Devon and Cornwall.On one level, the West Country is the most English of all English regions, home of clotted cream, thatch, church spi...

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...

Strange laws, heroic deeds, surprising revelations, and quirky stories that have shaped the unique history of Britain’s capital.London’s long history is extraordinarily rich—and whether your interest is political, social, architectural, or historical, you’ll find a variety of topics in this alternative guide to London.Learn about:· Roman ruins· Notorious crimes· Hidden tube stations· The famous London smog· Cockney rhyming...

Spooky, gruesome, weird but true things about one of the world's greatest cities come alive in The A-Z of Curious London. Discover London's tiniest house, a 4,000-year-old mouse made from Nile clay, and have a giggle at things people leave on London's transport (including false teeth, a human skull and a park bench - yes, really.) Why did a dentist keep his dead wife on view in a shop window? Where did a shopkeeper murder 150 customers? Which Queen showed her boso...

Exploring West Yorkshire's History - is a journey through the wonderfully varied landscape of West Yorkshire, and examines its rich history through contemporary colour photographs and words. Many of the areas we will explore throughout our journey have been designated Areas of Outstanding Beauty. West Yorkshire is a place of history and legend, with its many ruined castles and abbeys. Moving from its ancient origins to its modern day splendour, the guide invites you to discover one of the ...

Donnybrook is one of the most iconic areas of South Dublin, a prosperous and peaceful suburb that is well-known as the being the heartland of Leinster Rugby. It derived its name, however, from the violence and carousing that were a regular feature of the area in the 1800s, and this book tells the story of the development and the journey from these inauspicious beginnings to its current form through a series of rare and beautifully produced photographs.

Tucked away in a corner of East Devon is the beautiful, unspoilt Axe Valley. At the mouth of the River Axe is the friendly coastal resort of Seaton. This idyllic town is depicted here in an attractive volume of period sepia photographs and modern colour images. Seaton's rich history, from its development into a Victorian seaside holiday resort to the inception of the Seaton tramway in 1970, has been faithfully captured and compared with the Seaton of today. The reader is also given an insi...

This new collection of images traces some of the changes that have taken place in and around this vibrant community over the centuries. It is a town with a long and surprising history, which began with the imposing Norman castle in the control of the infamous Mortimer family. Due to its position in the borderlands, by the Tudor period it became the virtual capital of neighbouring Wales, and the castle was home to some of the country's best known nobles.Though the town's importance declined...