Eddie Brazil – författare

Black death at Bletchley! Pustules and pest houses. Burnt at the stake! Lollards tortured and hanged. French kings and guillotines! Exiled King Louis XVIII at Hartwell House. Farmhouse of thieves! The amazing true story of the Great Train Robbery. Buckinghamshire has one of the darkest histories on record. Its residents included the Dinton Hermit – better known as Charles I’s executioner – and Sir Everard Digby, the Gayhurst nobleman who tried to blow up James I, as well as a truly apocalyptic priest at Water Stratford. With Romans running amok in the Chilterns and the Anglo-Saxons terrorising Aylesbury, this chilling catalogue of battles, deaths, diseases and disasters will make you see the county in a whole new light.

Borley Rectory in Essex, built in 1862, should have been an ordinary Victorian clergyman''s house. However, just a year after its construction, unexplained footsteps were heard within the house, and from 1900 until it burned down in 1939 numerous paranormal phenomena, including phantom coaches and shattering windows, were observed. In 1929 the house was investigated by the Daily Mail and paranormal researcher Harry Price, and it was he who called it ''the most haunted house in England.'' Price also took out a lease of the rectory from 1937 to 1938, recruiting forty-eight ''official observers'' to monitor occurences. After his death in 1948, the water was muddied by claims that Price''s findings were not genuine paranormal activity, and ever since there has been a debate over what really went on at Borley Rectory. Paul Adams, Eddie Brazil and Peter Underwood here present a comprehensive guide to the history of the house and the ghostly (or not) goings-on there.

The most terrifying British ghosts are brought together in this, a unique and original compilation of spine-chilling true encounters both ancient and modern. Not for the faint of heart, this book contains over thirty compelling experiences that reveal a dark and disturbing reality to the realm of the paranormal – deadly curses and murderous ghosts, violent poltergeists, haunted relics and spirit possession – all unsettling insights into a frightening supernatural world. From the mysterious happenings at Hinton Ampner to the eerie Black Monk of Pontefract, the celebrated Enfield Poltergeist and the sinister power of the Hexham Heads, paranormal historian Paul Adams and writer and photographer Eddie Brazil have opened case files spanning over 250 years, from the eighteenth century to the present day, in order to carry out a detailed and chilling examination of the extreme hauntings of Britain.

The county of Buckinghamshire has a rich and varied past which is reflected in its historic churches. In Churches of Buckinghamshire, author Eddie Brazil explores the architecture, history and beauty of a selection of the most interesting churches from all over the county, both the well-known and those waiting to be discovered by a wider audience. The buildings range from Anglo-Saxon, at Wing, and Norman/Romanesque, at Stewkley, through the many Gothic stages to the bare, box pew interiors of Protestantism, the plain simplicity of Jordan’s Meeting House, Victorian reimaginings of the past and the glass and concrete functionalism of the modern day.The book examines how the architecture and history of Buckinghamshire’s churches was not only fashioned and changed by developments in building and architectural innovation, but also the religious, political and social demands of the time, and how they have become integral to the cultural identity of England.This fascinating picture of an important part of the history of Buckinghamshire over the centuries will be of interest to all those who live in or are visiting this attractive county in England.

The paranormal history of Buckinghamshire is brought vividly to life in this, the first dedicated guide to the haunted and uncanny sites of this most beautiful, yet mysterious of home counties. Writer, photographer and psychical researcher Eddie Brazil brings together a chilling collection of supernatural experiences, ranging from Hughenden Manor, where the ghost of Benjamin Disraeli is said the walk the corridors, to the phantom horseman of Penn village, the sinister woman in black at Burleighfield House to the troubled ghost of Suki of the George Inn. Here there are haunted roads, cellars, railways, woods, caves, churches and stately homes, both ancient and modern, where a host of ghostly denizens from the compelling and chilling world of the supernatural draw disturbingly close to the living. Brazil draws on over fifty years of investigation to answer those repeatedly asked questions: why are places haunted and what exactly is a ghost? His findings may well leave the readers with furrowed brows and open mouths. Paranormal Buckingham takes the reader into the world of ghosts and spirits in the county, following their footsteps into the unknown. These tales of haunted places, supernatural happenings and weird phenomena will delight the ghost hunters, and fascinate and intrigue everybody who knows Buckinghamshire.

Buckinghamshire is an old county, established by the Anglo-Saxons. It has played its part in Britain's ever-changing history but there is another side to this seemingly peaceful shire: a magical heritage of myths, folklore, superstition, and extraordinary people and events. In Illustrated Tales of Buckinghamshire, writer and historian Eddie Brazil goes in search of the county's dark, misty past and discovers prehistoric roads, forgotten earthworks, Iron Age hill-forts, deserted villages, ancient churches, haunted houses, dastardly murders, peculiar people and satanic rituals. Here one will find the Dinton Hermit, the mad hatter, the real Ebenezer Scrooge, the Stab Monks of Chalvey and the truly incredible story of the Dunsmore doomed daredevil, amongst others. Illustrated Tales of Buckinghamshire will take the reader on a journey back through Buckinghamshire’s hidden history where legend, folklore and reality are intertwined in a compelling story of the county's magical past.These strange and spooky stories are accompanied by illustrations of places featured in the text, both present-day and historical, in this hugely entertaining book.

Camberwell is an important part of the London Borough of Southwark, the city’s most historic borough. This vibrant part of South London is full of fascinating history. It was the birthplace of the poet Robert Browning and the politician Joseph Chamberlain. It was also home to authors John Ruskin and Muriel Spark. Mendolssohn was inspired to write his ‘Spring Song’, originally entitled ‘Camberwell Green’, while staying at Denmark Hill, where Ruskin Park is today.Author and historian Eddie Brazil grew up in Camberwell and from the early 1970s began to photograph his surroundings, knowing that developers were changing the district and that it would never be the same again. In this collection of previously unpublished images, local histories and people’s stories he illustrates the history of this South London district, providing a fascinating insight for newcomers and some valuable memories for long-time residents.

High Wycombe, or simply Wycombe, has had a long and remarkable past: the Royal military academy was founded in the town in the late eighteenth century before moving to Sandhurst; Charles I passed through on his way to the scaffold in 1649; and Benjamin Disraeli, MP for the town between 1874 and 1880, made his first political speech from a portico in the high street. Beneath the main high street is a honeycomb network of secret tunnels, originally thought to serve some clandestine purpose but in fact used by the brewery to transport beer to the many pubs throughout Wycombe as it was easier than negotiating the crowded streets. Nearby is the village of Penn, the ancestral home of William Penn, founder of the city of Philadelphia and from whom the state of Pennsylvania takes its name. His sons lie buried in the churchyard. Bizarrely, the same churchyard contains the graves of David Blakeley, murdered by Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in Britain, and the infamous Soviet spy, Donald Maclean.In Secret High Wycombe, local author Eddie Brazil delves beneath the surface of this Buckinghamshire market town, revealing a lesser-known past that even most local people don’t know.

The county of Buckinghamshire holds many delights, from the rolling Chiltern Hills, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, to the meandering routes of the Great Ouse and River Thames, and breathtaking views from the surrounding hills. Buckinghamshire is also blessed with some of the finest gardens in England and there is history and heritage aplenty, from Bletchley Park to the Roald Dahl Museum, as well as many wonderful historic houses that tell fascinating tales of Buckinghamshire''s varied past. 50 Gems of Buckinghamshire is overflowing with stunning photographs and interesting facts to draw you closer to the places you already know and love and to tempt you to discover new gems of your own.

High Wycombe is often looked upon as the archetypal, provincial town – a suburban satellite of London with little history of note. Such a viewpoint is far from the truth as it is Buckinghamshire’s second largest town and has a rich heritage stretching back over 2,000 years. First recorded as ‘Wicumun’ in AD 970, it became a market borough in 1222 and in subsequent centuries its industries included the production of lace, linen, paper and furniture. In more recent times, the town was home to RAF Bomber Command from 1940 to 1968.In High Wycombe in 50 Buildings local author Eddie Brazil charts the town’s architectural lineage showing how it has developed over the centuries. In doing this he also reveals much about the history, the people and their way of life. Although it has expanded, with new developments stretching over its surrounding hills, the centre of Wycombe and its valley still have many buildings that show the rich heritage of the town through the Iron Age, Middle Ages, Georgian and Victorian eras, right up to the present day.