Below the northern face of Cleeve Hill, a spring brings water to the surface. Here, the River Isbourne begins its journey. Within a matter of feet, the water is put to its first use by mankind. This book is a record of how, over the last thousand years, a small country river has been put to use by the local communities. The most common use of the river has been for watermills, with twenty-two sites identified, but many other diverse uses have also been found for the water of the River Isbo...

**'A magnificent, rollicking narrative' Max Hastings, Sunday Times 'Top 25 Non-Fiction Books of the 21st Century'Sunday Times History Book of the Year 2015Britain's railways have been a vital part of national life for nearly 200 years. Transforming lives and landscapes, they have left their mark on everything from timekeeping to tourism. As a self-contained world governed by distinctive rules and traditions, the network also exert...

A charming history of one of the long closed rural branch lines on the Great Western Railway. The Lambourn Valley was one of the most quintessentially English branch lines in the days of steam.The Lambourn Valley Railway was born as an independent little railway that ran from Newbury up Berkshire's scenic Lambourn Valley to Lambourn. On the way it passed through 9 rural stations and ran through beautiful countryside.In this book we learn when the line was built and why. The...

A fascinating account of how the railways came to Surrey and the impact they had on the people who lived in the countyThe book the great days of the steam railways in the county. It shows how and why the lines were built, giving an account of the people who laid the lines and built the stations.

Brighton: that curious master of reinvention - whether it's considered 'London-by-the-Sea' or 'England's San Francisco', it's certainly a city with a reputation for being on the edge. Delve deep into the weird and wonderful history of 'Brighthelmstone', and find out how this dreary fishing village became a dazzling playground for the louche and wealthy: from the fashionable Regency period to the age of DJs, Brighton has always been home to the proudly quirky. But it's not all sun, sea and ...

The Forest of Dean is one of the largest areas of mixed woodlands in the UK with broadleaves and conifers of several species, flora and fauna, streams and ponds all masquerading the industrial remains of the Forest’s heavy industry - iron mines, furnaces, scowles and disused mines. Today it's an area for leisure, bordered by the River Wye to the west and Severn to the east.This book gives an insight into the industrial history and heritage of the area through to the present day wit...

During the reign of Queen Victoria, industrialisation changed every aspect of rural life. Industrial diversification led to a decline in agriculture and mass migration from country to town and city – in 1851 half the population lived in the countryside, but by 1901 only a quarter did so. This book outlines the changes and why they occurred. It paints a picture of country life as it was when Victoria came to the throne and shows how a recognisably modern version of the British countryside h...

Founded in 1894 by James Wright Beswick, Beswick Pottery remained in the family for three generations before becoming part of Royal Doulton in 1969.As owners and collectors of its products will testify, Beswick aimed to produce well-made ceramics at affordable prices: wares which could be used daily in the home as well as decorative ornaments for animal lovers of all ages to cherish.In this volume Val Baynton explores the range of products, revealing that f...

The nineteenth century was an era of scientific advance like no other in history. And no nation gained more from its forward momentum than Britain and her Empire. Railways were built, bridges constructed, rivers tamed and electricity harnessed, to the great benefit of all But progress was only achieved at high cost. Impatience for achievement too often resulted in catastrophe and disaster. In 1879, the Tay Bridge was the longest in the world and a wonder of its age. But on a stormy night i...

One of three smaller, more specific e-books, abridged from Philip Nixon's Exploring Durham History.The colourful threads that run through County Durham history have produced a rich tapestry of history, and this edition's focus on western County Durham is sure to appeal to all local history enthusiasts.

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...

On the edge of the Warwickshire coalfield, coal had been mined in Nuneaton since the fourteenth century and the town was a centre for quarrying and brick-making too. Coal had been mined in the Stockingford and Griff area of Chilvers Coton for five centuries, and by the mid-1860s, new capital, increasingly efficient mining methods, together with the building of the railways, brought about a golden bonanza of coal production in this area of Warwickshire. The building of railways and roads ge...