Cornwall is quintessentially a maritime region. Almost an island, nowhere in it is further than 25 miles from the sea. Cornwall’s often distinctive history has been moulded by this omnipresent maritime environment, while its strategic position at the western approaches—jutting out into the Atlantic—has given this history a global impact.It is perhaps surprising then, that, despite the central place of the sea in Cornwall’s history, there has not yet been a full maritime history of ...

The city of Exeter was one of the great provincial capitals of late medieval and early modern England, possessing a range of civic amenities fully commensurate with its size and importance. Among the most impressive of these was its highly sophisticated system of public water supply, including a unique network of underground passages. Most of these ancient passages still survive today.Water in the City provides a richly illustrated history of Exeter's famous undergr...

Lust, science, adventure -- Joseph Banks and his voyages of discoverySir Joseph Banks was a man of passion whose influence spanned the globe. A fearless adventurer, his fascination with beautiful women was only trumped by his obsession with the natural world and his lust for scientific knowledge.Fabulously wealthy, Banks was the driving force behind monumental voyages and scientific discoveries in Australia, New Zealand, the South Pacific, Europe, North Ame...

Yorkshire is well known for its miners, pudding and cricket, but 'Yorkshire, A Very Peculiar History' scrapes beyond the surface and past the cliches. Featuring a host of characters from Yorkshire past and present, it's not all grit and grime! Tracing Yorkshire's history back through Roman and Viking rule, to the various tribes which populated the area in prehistoric times, this book covers the largest county in England from all angles. Featuring quirky tales of Yorkshire's crucial role in...

The Story of Wales is a vibrant portrait of 30,000 years of power, identity and politics. Revisiting major turning points in Welsh history, from its earliest settlements to the present day, Jon Gower re-examines the myths and misconceptions about this glorious country, revealing a people who have reacted with energy and invention to changing times and opportunities. It's a story of political and industrial power, economic and cultural renewal- and a nation of seemingly limitless p...

Along our shores, towering cliffs from the age of the dinosaurs rise beside wide estuaries teeming with wildlife, while Victorian ports share waterfronts with imposing fortifications.And the people who have lived, worked and played on this spectacular coast - from Stone Age fishermen to seafarers, chart-makers and surfers - have an incredible tale to tell.Coast: Our Island Story is an enthralling account, sparkling with geography, history, adventure and eccentric c...

A Waterstones Best History Book of the YearThe bestselling history of the North of England as told through the lives of its inhabitants.‘Entertaining’ The Times‘Definitive’ The Mirror‘Highly readable’ Financial TimesA work of unrivalled scale and ambition, Northerners is the defining biography of northern England.This authoritative new hist...

Yorkshire is 'a continent unto itself', a region where mountain, plain, coast, downs, fen and heath lie close. By weaving history, family stories, travelogue and ecology, Richard Morris reveals how Yorkshire took shape as a landscape and in literature, legend and popular regard. The result is a fascinating and wide-ranging meditation on Yorkshire and Yorkshireness, told through the prism of the region's most extraordinary people and places.

Scots who opted for pioneer life in Prince Edward Island are the subject of this book. Being the first of the "northern" colonies to be sold off in its entirety to proprietors in the late eighteenth century, P.E.I. acquired its Scots earliest, doing so even before the start of the American War of Independence in 1775. The colonization of Prince Edward Island by Scots takes us back to a period when the process of emigration and settlement were in their infancy.The Pioneer Scots of P...

Discover Scotland's forgotten revolution...Longlisted for the Highland Book PrizeWhen Scotland's 1846 potato crop was wiped out by blight, the country was plunged into crisis. In the Hebrides and the West Highlands a huge relief effort came too late to prevent starvation and death. Further east, meanwhile, towns and villages from Aberdeen to Wick and Thurso, rose up in protest at the cost of the oatmeal that replaced potatoes as people's basic foodstuff.

The days when Aberdeen’s "fast sailing and copper-bottomed" ships carried emigrant Scots to Canada are brought to life in this fascinating account of the northern Scotland exodus during the sailing ship era. Taking readers through new and little-used documentary sources, Lucille H. Campey finds convincing evidence of good ships, sailed by experienced captains and managed by reputable people, thus challenging head on the perceived imagery of abominable sea passages in leaking old tubs. And ...

The Port of Liverpool handles more container trade with the United States than any other port in the UK and now also serves more than 100 other non-EU destinations, from China to Africa and the Middle East, and from Australia to South America. Liverpool has been an important port since the seventeenth century, when the city began to import West Indian sugar and Virginian tobacco, exporting Lancashire textiles in return.In Liverpool Docks Through Time, a wide collection of photographs guide...