St Neots used to be in the county of Huntingdonshire, but it is now in Cambridgeshire. If you ask locals what St Neots is famous for, they will probably give you one of the following answers: that at one time it had the most public houses per capita in the British Isles; or that it is called St Neots because some monks went to St Neot in Cornwall in 974, stole the saint's bones, and carried them 300 miles away to the banks of the River Great Ouse, thus founding the Priory of St Neots. Ther...

A dedicated history of a once busy rural station on a branch line of the Great Western Railway.Boxford was for many years a bustling little rural station on the branch line from Newbury to Lambourn. It is closed now, but some of the older residents can still remember the trains rattling through the station.In this book we learn when Newbury West Fields was built and why. The impact the station had on the surrounding area is explained and the type of freight and passengers 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...

Did you know?Butcher Keith Boxley of Wombourne made the longest continuous sausage in 1988. It was 21.12km in length!The first general strike in the Black Country took place in 1842. The widespread public unrest was regarded nationally as the first ever general strike.Hell Lane in Sedgley was described as the 'most unruly place' in the Black Country. A woman who lived in the lane was said to have been a witch and could turn herself into a ...

The Little Book of Birmingham is a funny, fast-paced, fact-packed compendium of the sort of frivolous, fantastic or simply strange information which no-one will want to be without. Here we find out about the city's most unusual crimes and punishments, eccentric inhabitants, famous sons and daughters and literally hundreds of wacky facts. Norman Bartlam's new book gathers together a myriad of data on Brum. There are lots of factual chapters but also plenty of frivo...

A glorious insight into the history, landscape and people of Britain, from The Sunday Times bestseller.Although not initially a fan of rail travel, Queen Victoria was soon converted and pronounced herself ‘quite charmed with it’, and railway companies provided sumptuous royal carriages for her use. The railway route from Windsor to Weymouth transported her to Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, her favourite royal residence. Michael Portillo also discovers one of Brunel’s most grac...

Widnes is an industrial town within the borough of Halton, in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, with an urban area population of 57,663 in 2004. It is located on the northern bank of the River Mersey where the estuary narrows to form Runcorn Gap. Directly to the south of Widnes across the Mersey is the town of Runcorn. Upstream and 8 miles to the east of Widnes is the town of Warrington, and downstream 16 miles to the west is the city of Liverpool. Historically part of Lancashire...

From the Barbican and the Hoe to the city centre and beyond, Derek Tait takes us on a tour of Plymouth, explaining the history behind the well-known landmarks of this fine city. Devastated by bombing, very few buildings that stood in the centre of Plymouth before the Second World War still remain. With the narrow, cobbled streets destroyed, the face of the city was changed forever. After the war, a new, modern city centre was built, with first-class stores and spacious streets. Today, some...

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,...

Hereford 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 Hereford, 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, ...

Redcar, Marske & Saltburn Through Time is a wonderful collection of old and new photographs of this historic area of Yorkshire. The older images are printed alongside a contemporary full colour photograph, which illustrates the same scene. The contrasting illustrations show how the area has changed and developed during the last 100 years. The photographs illustrate shops, schools, garages, churches, houses and street scenes, each photograph is captioned and the book has an introduction whi...

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...