In "Roman Manchester," Charles Roeder presents a meticulous exploration of the significant Roman settlement of Mancunium, utilizing an engaging narrative style that combines rigorous historical analysis with vivid storytelling. Roeder meticulously examines archaeological evidence, ancient texts, and modern interpretations, illustrating how Roman Manchester was not merely a military outpost but a thriving community interwoven with trade, culture, and infrastructure. His literary approach ba...

This book provides a friendly and accessible introduction to Hadrian's Wall in the form of 100 questions and their answers. Designed to appeal to all who have heard of (but do not necessarily know much about) this important monument, the themes covered include Building the Wall, Using the Wall, After the Wall, Visiting the Wall, and Understanding the Wall. It includes a select bibliography. Written by an archaeologist who has walked, driven, cycled, flown, illustrated, photographed and eve...

From its earliest origins to the present day, this award-winning, beautifully written book describes the endlessly changing character of Britain's countryside.'A classic' Richard MabeyExploring the natural and man-made features of the land - fields, highways, hedgerows, fens, marshes, rivers, heaths, coasts, woods and wood pastures - he shows conclusively and unforgettably how they have developed over the centuries. In doing so, he covers a...

A TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR‘An absolute joy to read and an early contender for every list of History Books of the Year’ Sunday Telegraph‘On nearly every page a random passage takes one’s breath away’ The TimesHave you ever heard the march of legions on a lonely country road?For two thousand years, the roads the Romans built have determined the flow of ideas and folkta...

The beautiful site the Romans called Vindolanda lies in south-west Northumberland, in the district of Tynedale, more or less half way between the North Sea east of Newcastle and the Irish Sea to the west of Carlisle. It is just within the boundary of the Northumberland National Park, and is a part of the World Heritage Site of Hadrian's Wall. The Wall itself was built on the whinstone ridge a mile to the north, with the fort of Housesteads two miles to the north-east, and that of Great Che...

When the Celts first arrived in Ireland around 200 B.C., the island had already been inhabited for over 7000 years. Drawing on a wealth of archaeological evidence and the author's own mastery of the subject, Ancient Ireland returns to those pre-Celtic roots in a bid to discover the secrets of the island's first inhabitants: Who were they? And how did they live? Few accounts of the period are as exhaustively researched; fewer still are as alive with historical insight and compelling detail....

In the 1960s Geoffrey Grigson travelled around England writing the story of the secret landscape that is all around us, if only we take the time to look and see. The result is a book that will take you on an imaginative journey, revealing hidden stories, unexpected places and strange phenomena.From green men, ice-scratches, cross-legged knights and weathercocks to rainbows, clouds and stars; from place-names and poets to mazes, dene-holes and sham ruins, via avenues, dewponds and v...

"A superb new book . . . explores the history of Britain's first National Park from the Stone Age to the modern day . . . lavishly illustrated."—Reflections MagazineThe moors of the Peak District provide some of the finest walking country in England. The pleasure of rambling across them is enhanced by a knowledge of their history, ranging from prehistoric times and the middle ages to their conversion for grouse shooting and the struggle for the "right to roam" in m...

This vintage book contains a detailed guide to horse-brasses, first published in 1928. Horse brasses are decorative brass plaques used to adorn horses harnesses, most commonly shire and parade horses. From the mid-19th century they became incredibly popular, but experienced a significant decline in popularity along with that of the draft horse. Today, they exist predominantly as collectors items. “All About Horse Brasses” looks at the history of these beautiful equestrian adornment, as wel...

Piltdown. Even today the name sends a shiver down the collective spine of the scientific community, for this was the most dramatic and daring fraud ever perpetrated upon the world of science and academia. Between 1908 and 1912, a series of amazing discoveries relating to what appeared to be the earliest human were made close to the little village of Piltdown in Sussex. These remains belonged to the developmental 'missing link' between man and ape. The basic principles of e...

The Lake District was, until the 19th century, a remote, neglected and inaccessible part of England. Before the arrival of good road and rail networks and tourism it had been home to successive generations of very tough people: prehistoric peasant farmers, small Roman garrisons, Norse and Saxon settlers, monastic tenants and, after the Dissolution of the monasteries, the doughty farming families of yeomen or 'statesmen' and communities of miners and quarry workers. Each group has left its ...

Cornwall has its own language, culture, outlook and a powerful individuality. Its scenery is unique in Britain and to see a remotely similar countryside one must travel across the sea to another Celtic bastion, 'Brittany' It is also a place where reality is far more fascinating and diverse than popular images suggest. Hidden coves, where smugglers and wreckers lurked, and dubious Arthurian fantasies tend to dominate the visions of outsiders or 'up-country' folk; as a result, the real Corni...