John Shipley – författare

John Shipley takes the reader on a grand tour of the curious and bizarre, the strange and the unusual from Shropshire’s past. Here you will find out where an African Prince is interred; which pub is reputedly haunted by the ghost of John (Mad Jack) Mytton of Halston Hall; and which village lays claim to the oldest cottage in Europe. Along the way you will read about earthquakes and floods, giants and witches, highwaymen and bandits, scandalous residents and inventors. Richly illustrated, The A-Z of Curious Shropshire is great for dipping into, but can equally be enjoyed from cover to cover.

The Nottingham Forest Miscellany – a book on the Reds like no other, packed with facts, stats, trivia, stories and legend. Delve deep to find out all about the events and people who have shaped the club into what it is today. Featured here are a plethora of stories on the this charismatic football club ranging from how the club was formed, to little-known facts about players and managers. Here you will find player feats, individual records and plenty of weird and wonderful tales from a club that is inextricably linked with the enigmatic Brain Clough. Rivalry with Notts County, favourite managers, quotes ranging from the profound to the downright bizarre and cult heroes from yesteryear – a book no true Forest fan should be without.

The picturesque county of Shropshire, one of the country’s least populated areas, has a fascinating military history. It was here that the Battle of Shrewsbury took place in 1403, the first battle in which English archers were pitted against each other on English soil. The battle was celebrated by Shakespeare in Henry IV, Part I. The county was a central part of the Welsh Marches during the medieval period and was often embroiled in the power struggles between powerful Marcher Lords, the Earls of March and successive monarchs. Shropshire is home to many castles, built to defend against the Welsh and enable effective control of the region.From the mid-eighteenth century, Shropshire’s military heritage has been linked to two regular regiments of the British Army: the 53rd and the 85th Regiments of Foot. They came together in the late 1880s to form the King’s Shropshire Light Infantry (KSLI), the county’s own regiment. Soldiers of the KSLI, together with the volunteer Shropshire Yeomanry, served with great distinction in the two world wars. In this book author John Shipley peels back the ravages of time as he explores the military heritage of this historic county.

The county of Shropshire holds many delights, from the beauty of Ellesmere, at the heart of Shropshire’s Lake District, to the glories of Wenlock Edge and The Wrekin. Shropshire also boasts more than its fair share of heritage and history, from the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Coalbrookdale to the vertiginous cliff railway at Bridgnorth, as well as many fascinating historic castles, houses and religious buildings that tell tales of the region’s varied past.50 Gems of Shropshire is filled with stunning photographs that will draw you closer to the places you already know and love and tempt you to discover new gems of your own.

Shrewsbury boasts a long and eventful history and has more than its fair share of secrets locked away among its medieval streets and distinctive narrow passages, known locally as ‘shuts’. The town grew prosperous from the wool trade thanks to its position on the River Severn, which allowed it access to markets in the rest of England via the extensive canal network. Its relative isolation from other large manufacturing towns and ports meant that it avoided the rapid industrialisation of the nineteenth century and also escaped bomb damage during the Second World War. The result is that Shrewsbury remains relatively unspoiled and has retained its medieval street pattern, as well as many original fifteenth- and sixteenth-century timberframed buildings.Shropshire’s county town has many secrets just waiting to be discovered and in Secret Shrewsbury, local author John Shipley pulls back the curtains of history to reveal the forgotten, the strange and the unlikely.

The Black Country in the West Midlands currently covers the four metropolitan boroughs of Dudley, Wolverhampton, Walsall and Sandwell. The area became famous as a centre of manufacturing following the birth of the Industrial Revolution but there is much more to the area than its industrial heritage, although that has undoubtedly played a strong part in forging the shared history and identity of the area. 50 Gems of the Black Country takes the reader on a fascinating journey through the highlights of the area, which has many diverse attractions from its pre-Industrial Revolution history, through the legacy of coal mining and other mineral extraction, iron and steel works and other heavy manufacturing and the canals that aided these industries, to more recent attractions. Author John Shipley explores the many places, and their history, that make this part of the West Midlands so distinctive.