Christopher Horlock – författare

Sussex is a fascinating county, saturated with history, legends and mysteries. Everywhere there are remains of these stories: a curious relic preserved in a church, an unusual grave outside, some ruinous building down the road, or a bizarre artefact in the local museum. Author Christopher Horlock has been travelling around Sussex for many years, photographing these remains and researching the stories behind them. Myths, legends and folklore further enrich the tales and reveal the mindset of Sussex people of the past.Ruins, Remains and Relics: Sussex delves into the unusual, the offbeat and the decidedly quirky, ranging from a ruined castle to a simple, single spoon. This fascinating exploration of the history, legends and stories of Sussex will interest all those who know the county well in addition to those who wish to know more about its history.

Brighton History Tour offers an insight into the fascinating history of this Sussex city. Author Christopher Horlock guides us around its well-known streets and buildings, showing how its famous landmarks used to look and how they have changed over the years as well as exploring its lesser-known sights and hidden corners. With the help of a handy location map, readers are invited to follow a timeline of events and discover for themselves the changing face of central Brighton.

Brighton and Hove is one of England’s most recent cities and also one of its most colourful and eccentric. It developed as a fashionable resort in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, becoming inextricably linked with the extravagant behaviour of George IV and his fantastical Pavilion. In this book author Christopher Horlock delves into lesser-known but fascinating tales from Brighton’s past. Readers will find stories of the man who walked round the world wearing a medieval iron helmet, a shark attack straight out of the film Jaws, the time Brighton built its own version of Nelson’s Column, plus when the streets were full of hundreds of marauding zombies. And it also includes that notorious naked bike ride that takes place each year.Quirky Brighton celebrates the unusual and bizarre history of the town and its characters over the years. This fascinating insight into Brighton (and occasionally Hove) will interest all those who want to know more about its curious history.

Most books on witchcraft read like horror stories, with lurid tales detailing the persecution and executions of witches in the past. This one is different as it focuses on Sussex witches and their actual craft – who they were and what they did on a day to day basis, rather than their supposed criminality. It looks at evidence and artefacts such as witch jars, protective marks and wax effigies revealing how their skills were perceived, with imagery and ritual essential, intrinsic elements. Many old superstitions, such as witches turning into hares and immobilising carts are also - sceptically - included. These contrast vividly with the practice of real-life witches, such as Susannah Stacey of East Chiltington, an exceptional herbalist, who certainly didn't fit the cauldron stirring, 'hubble bubble' caricature of a witch. Witch trials are featured, revealing how the few who fell foul of the law were dealt with in the county. More recent times are documented, with the emergence of the Wicca faith and the first blue plaque to the occult, unveiled in Brighton, on the home of 'The Queen of Modern Witchcraft,' Doreen Valiente.Author Christopher Horlock delves deeply into the remarkable story of Sussex Witchcraft and collates virtually everything that is so far known. Illustrated throughout, this fresh insight will interest all those who want to know more about the history of witchcraft in Sussex.

The south coast city of Brighton has long been one of Britain’s most famous and influential places, ever since the Prince of Wales, later George IV, began to visit regularly, constructed the Royal Pavilion and thus encouraged its development as a fashionable seaside resort. Brighton continued to grow as a major tourist centre following the arrival of the railways in 1841, becoming a popular destination for day-trippers from London.In this fascinating collection of images from the Victorian and Edwardian eras, author Christopher Horlock shows Brighton at the height of its fame as the ‘Queen of watering places’, a time when many of her major attractions were built, including the Grand Hotel, the West Pier, and the Brighton Palace Pier. Brighton From Old Photographs provides something for everyone, be they long-time residents or first-time visitors.

The old county of Sussex is one of the most beautiful in England, but beneath its rural idyll lies a history that is surprising and often shocking.Local author and historian Christopher Horlock brings us some of the county's strange and mythical tales, bringing together a whole range of places, events and people that are seldom mentioned in standard histories or guides. Interesting remains, strange happenings, hoaxes, witchcraft and unusual memorials are featured, along with some new reminiscences on smuggling. Several little-known hill figures are featured, plus some famous individuals not usually associated with Sussex, including Guy Fawkes, Vincent van Gogh and John F. Kennedy. It’s an unusual mix of the curious, the quaint and the mysterious, where even those who know Sussex well will find something new and surprising.