Lynne Cleaver – författare

Taunton is the county town of Somerset. It has its origins in the Saxon period and was a prime location in the Civil War and during the Monmouth Rebellion. Much development took place in the Georgian era when many of the ancient buildings were refaced in the new style, reflecting a time of prosperity. With the development of the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal, and the arrival of the railways, industry came into the town. As housing increased, so did the need for the infrastructure associated with a county town, and the Shire Hall, courts, hospitals, churches, schools and leisure buildings such as the Brewhouse Theatre and County Cricket Ground were developed. In 2017 Taunton was granted the status of a Garden Town by the government, with plans to develop new housing areas and spaces fit for a twenty-first-century town.Taunton in 50 Buildings explores the history of the county town of Somerset through a selection of its most interesting buildings and structures, showing the changes that have taken place over the years. This book will appeal to all those who live in Taunton or who have an interest in the area.

Taunton’s history goes back to Anglo-Saxon times, when it was an important burh and the site of a monastery. The manor was owned by the bishops of Winchester and in the thirteenth century the borough of Taunton became the county town of Somerset. The town and its castle were fought over in the Civil War, changing hands several times, and it was also in Taunton that the Duke of Monmouth crowned himself king in his rebellion in 1685. Judge Jeffreys held a session of the Bloody Assizes in Taunton Castle following the crushing of the rebellion. Taunton entered a period of prosperity in the Georgian era, boosted in the next century by the arrival of the canal system and the railways. Industry came into the town, mainly along the river. Housing increased, and so did the need for infrastructure and the Shire Hall, courts, churches, hospitals, schools and leisure facilities were built, including today’s Brewhouse Theatre and County Cricket Ground. Taunton was granted the status of a Garden Town in 2017 and plans are evolving to extend its housing and develop its spaces into a town fit for the twenty-first century.Illustrated throughout, this accessible historical portrait of the transformation that Taunton has undergone through the ages will be of great interest to residents, visitors and all those with links to the town.

In Cheltenham Through Time, authors Roger Beacham and Lynne Cleaver show some of the different sides of this Spa town, where along with the Regency splendour is a much poorer side often hidden in other volumes. The historical photographs are mainly taken from a newspaper publication, the Cheltenham Chronicle and Gloucestershire Graphic, published weekly between 1901 and April 1942 when the wartime shortage of paper forced it to cease. The stories behind the images bring to life some of the everyday places and scenes we take for granted as we go about the town. Through the pages of this book the reader is invited to observe Cheltenham as it is today and using old photographs marvel at the many changes that have transformed the area through time, making it essential reading for anyone who is familiar with this jewel of the Cotswolds.