Alan Brooke - Böcker

Tyburn Fields is the best known site of execution in London, but London may be aptly named the executioner's city, so many were the places where executions could and did occur. This book reveals the capital as a place where the bodies of criminals defined the boundaries of the city and heads on poles greeted patrons on London Bridge.

Tyburn is synonymous with the idea of execution - over 50,000 people died there between the twelfth century and 1783. Among those who met their end at Tyburn were William Wallace, the Scottish patriot, Perkin Warbeck, who claimed to be one of the Princes in the Tower and the hated Jonathan Wild, perhaps London's first master criminal. Alan Brooke and David Brandon tell the story of how Tyburn came to be the place of execution and of the rituals and spectacle associated with the deaths of so many people, both famous and obscure. They provide a vivid picture of crime and punishment in London, mixing martyrs, pickpockets, traitors and errant aristocrats all playing their final scene on London's 'nevergreen tree'.

Between 1835 and the 1850s, railway mania blossomed around Britain. Crime emerged as the railways developed, at first opportunistic crimes such as fare evasion and robberies, but gradually more inventive forms evolved, notably the minor clerk Redpath in the 1850s, whose shameless cooking of the books to live the high life exposed the lack of any kind of accountancy across the railway industry. The first train murder was not until the 1840s, and sparked great fear of foreigners as a German was charged and hanged for the crime. The outcry resulted in the communication cord being introduced to the railway carriages, so that no longer would they exist as completely separate spaces and passengers could alert the driver to any assault within.This fascinating history covers all varieties of crime on the railways and how it has changed over the years, from assaults and robberies, to theft of goods, murder, vandalism, football and other crowd activity, suicide on the line, fraud and white collar crime, and also looks at the use of railway crime in film and literature.

London's Underground is associated with a multitude of ghostly stories and sightings, particular stations and abandoned lines, many of which are in close proximity to burial sites from centuries ago. This chilling book reveals well-known and hitherto unpublished tales of spirits, spectres and other spooky occurrences on one of the oldest railway networks in the world. The stories of sightings include the ghost of an actress regularly witnessed on Aldywch Station and the 'Black Nun' at Bank Station. Eerie noises, such as the cries of thirteen-year-old Anne Naylor, who was murdered in 1758 near to the site of what is now Farringdon Station, and the screams of children who were in an accident at Bethnal Green Station during Second World War, are still heard echoing. These and many more ghostly accounts are recorded in fascinating detail in this book, which is a must-read for anyone interested in the mysterious and murky history of London's Underground.

In this book, author Alan Brooke highlights the historic gates of the City of London: Cripplegate, Aldgate, Aldersgate, Bishopsgate, Ludgate, Newgate and Moorgate. Originating in Roman times, they remained until they were all demolished between 1760 and 1767. Blue plaques mark six of their sites, and a bishop's mitre on a building shows where Bishopsgate once stood.This book examines the history of the gates, with chapters devoted to each one. A shorter section offers a summary of some of the water gates on the River Thames, including Billingsgate and Bridge Gate, where goods were unloaded from ships. Additionally, there were pedestrian-only gates such as Tower Gate and the postern gate at the Tower of London. There were also the Bars, the most famous of which is Temple Bar, which can still be seen at Paternoster Square.Illustrated throughout with archive material, photographs of present-day locations and a map, Gates of the City of London provides an important addition to the many books on London's rich and diverse history.

The Making of London explores the rich history of the Metropolis from the Roman settlement established 2,000 years ago in the area that came to be known as the 'Square Mile' and traces the process whereby it eventually emerged as the world's greatest city. London became the capital and seat of government of Britain, a centre of culture, entertainment and retailing, a major port and industrial centre and world leader in international trade, commerce and finance. The focus is largely on central London but necessarily brings in other nearby districts when events involved interaction with these.While examining a selection of major historical events, consideration is also given to some of the more unusual and quirky aspects that have contributed to making London the diverse and fascinating place it remains today. A largely chronological approach is taken which emphasises how the lives of the ordinary people were shaped by the events they witnessed such as invasions, riots and rebellions, fires, smogs, wars, epidemics and pandemics. The story embraces the apparent glamour of areas such as Mayfair and the West End but does not neglect districts stalked by crime, poverty and despair. London has always been a place of paradoxes where flaunted wealth has existed alongside appalling social deprivation. The juxtaposition of extravagance and poverty, of high culture with the lowest of low life is a recurrent theme in London's history.The Making of London will interest newcomers wishing to know about London's past but even those familiar with its history are likely to find something new in its pages.

On the south bank of the Thames and demarcated by Blackfriars and Tower Bridges lies the district known as Bankside, the Borough and Southwark. Its origin was in a Roman settlement nestling around the southern end of London Bridge, until the eighteenth century the only bridge across the Thames in London. Being separated only by the Thames from the City of London and outside the City's jurisdiction, it developed as a place for bawdy and disreputable entertainment and leisure - including the Globe Theatre made famous by performing William Shakespeare's plays. It was an area also sought out for its 'stews' which were some of London's most notorious brothels where every taste could be catered for. Borough High Street contained proportionately more inns and taverns than anywhere else in Britain - and some were immortalised by Chaucer and Dickens. The George alone survives to give some idea of what these ancient hostelries were like. From a time when London was a collection of discrete districts and villages, here is the long history of Bankside, the metropolis's disreputable and licentious yet vibrant, cosmopolitan underbelly.

Curiosities of London contains an informative and entertaining selection of walks around well-known and some less-visited parts of London, revealing oddities, bizarre connections and strange stories from the past which echo through the city streets. Brandon and Brooke reveal the urban myths that abound, the origins of wonderful place names such as Bear Gardens and Gin Lane, and shocking Mafia-linked murders, in addition to other tantalising tales.The guide includes Bloomsbury with its literary connections and garden squares; the historic Borough; Whitechapel and Stepney in the East End; Clerkenwell and its associations with monastic orders, prisons and radicalism; the ancient City of London; the stylish Mayfair; Fleet Street, once synonymous with the printing industry, but also with its religious and legal connections; Smithfield, with its gruesome associations with executions, hauntings, plague and debauchery; Bankside, once the home to theatre, bear-baiting and brothels; and the sedate area of Marylebone with its attractive streets and squares.Curiosities of London is the indispensable guide for Londoners and visitors who want to walk, look, be educated and enthralled, and to learn something new about the Big Smoke.

Explore the secret, quirky and curious history of London’s well-known squares. Authors Alan Brooke and David Brandon have made some strange discoveries in these famous places, from the personal dedications on the benches in Berkeley Square to the Grade II-listed cabman’s shelter at Russell Square. There are details on the hidden history of the squares, weird and wonderful incidents and little-known facts about the notable houses and the people who lived there. Fully illustrated with photographs old and new, and with helpful maps for navigation, this book will delight anyone with an interest in the more bizarre aspects of the capital’s illustrious past.

The story of historic district on the south bank of the Thames and beyond - the original playground of Londoners, complete with inns, bear pits, brothels and theatres. On the south bank of the Thames and demarcated by Blackfriars and Tower Bridges lies the district known as Bankside, the Borough and Southwark. Its origin was in a Roman settlement nestling around the southern end of London Bridge, until the eighteenth century the only bridge across the Thames in London. Being separated only by the Thames from the City of London and outside the City's jurisdiction, it developed as a place for bawdy and disreputable entertainment and leisure - including the Globe theatre made famous by performing William Shakespeare's plays. It was an area also sought out for its 'stews' which were some of London's most notorious brothels where every taste could be catered for. Borough High Street contained proportionately more inns and taverns in its length than anywhere else in Britain - and some of these were immortalised by Chaucer and Dickens. The George alone survives to give some idea of what these ancient hostelries were like. From a time when London was a collection of discrete districts and villages, here is the long history of Bankside, the metropolis's disreputable and licentious yet vibrant, cosmopolitan underbelly.