Perfect for reading aloud, this collection of colour poems is sure to grab the attention and inspire any young reader to explore their own world of colour. Using rhyme, metaphor, similes, personification, onomatopoeia and alliteration, they look at the role that colour plays in our lives and are an excellent resource for teaching poetry.Colour plays an important part in all our lives but is so much more than simply the shade of a physical object. Colour can describe our inner most ...

The Channel Islands, self-governing British Crown dependencies lying o the coast of Normandy in France, have a fascinating military heritage. Jersey and Guernsey are the two largest islands, but other inhabited islands include Alderney, Sark and Herm. Open to invaders, including the Vikings, the islands passed to Norman control in the ninth century. Although King John lost all his mainland Normandy possessions, he retained the islands, which became an important strategic stronghold, heavil...

The Isle of Wight has been a popular holiday destination since the Victorian times, with the island known for its mild climate, beautiful scenery and historic connections. It also sits right at the entrance to the important Southampton and Portsmouth docks and because of this, there are a number of impressive castles and fortifications located on the island, including Carisbrooke Castle. Throughout history, the importance of the Isle of Wight has been recognised by invaders, and the island...

The story of Scotland’s castles is woven into the history of the country. These formidable structures have guarded the landscape since medieval times, and many of these structures are famous emblems of Scotland today. The royal castles in the strategically important cities of Edinburgh and Stirling still dominate their surroundings, but many others stand proud in more remote areas, often by lochs or the sea, on islands or in the mountains. Many simpler fortified structures were built along...

The history of the West Country has left a rich legacy of castles and other fortifications throughout its landscape, built wherever power and wealth needed to be displayed, strategic points controlled or territory and local populations defended. In this book author Andrew Powell-Thomas explores the castles built over the centuries in Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire. Many of them defend the region’s towns and cities, while others are dotted along the strategically important ...

Lying just a few miles off the Hampshire coast, the Isle of Wight is famous for its attractive landscape and historical connections. Its coastal scenery is varied, dotted with towns and fortifications built through the centuries to repel invaders, with a chalk downland spine to the island. Carisbrooke Castle held King Charles I during the English Civil War and royal connections continued with Queen Victoria, who made her home on the island at Osborne House. Other eminent Victorians followe...

The largest of the Channel Islands, Jersey is a self-governing dependency of the British Crown. It has retained its special identity through the centuries with many historic buildings, both in the capital St Helier and spread through the rest of the island, and rural and agricultural areas alongside more modern developments. The coastline to the south of the island boasts sandy bays while to the north the coast is distinguished by large cliffs.50 Gems of Jersey explores the many pl...

The landlocked county of Wiltshire, characterised by its high downland and wide valleys, has a rich military history that stretches back through the centuries. Evidence of Wiltshire’s military heritage can be seen throughout the county with numerous buildings and other structures still standing today, from ancient hillforts and medieval castles to military bases used in two world wars and the present day, as well as the army’s training area on Salisbury Plain. Wiltshire’s Military Heritage...

The county of Somerset can trace its origins back to Anglo-Saxon England, when it was a distinct part of the kingdom of Wessex, although the history of its peoples stretches back much further. Much of the county is agricultural and its wealth in the Middle Ages is seen today in Wells Cathedral, churches and the remains of abbeys. The north-east of the county was also a coal-mining area and Bridgwater became an important port in the Industrial Revolution. Today the county is as well known f...

The county of Devon, with its coastline north and south, wild moorland, and rolling rural countryside, villages, market towns, many characterised by local industries, and historic cities of Exeter and Plymouth, has a rich military history that stretches back through centuries. Evidence of Devon’s military heritage can be seen throughout the county with numerous buildings and other structures still standing proud today. Devon’s Military Heritage explores the long military history of the cou...

The county of Cornwall in the far south-west of England is surrounded by sea on three sides. Resisting Roman and Anglo-Saxon invaders, it retained its Celtic independence and remained separate from the rest of England into the Middle Ages. Cornwall has a rich military history that stretches back through centuries, and evidence of this military heritage can be seen throughout the county with numerous buildings and other structures still standing today. Cornwall’s Military Heritage explores ...

Wiltshire is one of the largest counties in southern England. Much of it is comprised of high chalk downland, most famously on Salisbury Plain, and wide valleys and vales, often with rivers running through them, but in the north-west Wiltshire runs into the Cotswolds and south-east Wiltshire lies on the edge of the New Forest. Wiltshire is unsurpassed in its ancient sites, from the Neolithic monuments of Stonehenge and Avebury to numerous barrows and burial chambers. Later ages have also a...