Tim Everson – författare

A Century of Kingston-upon-Thames offers an insight into the daily lives and living conditions of local people and gives the reader glimpses and details of familiar places during a century of unprecedented change. Many aspects of Kingston's recent history are covered, famous occasions and individuals are remembered and the impact of national and international events is witnessed. A Century of Kingston-upon-Thames provides a striking account of the changes that have so altered the town's appearance and records the process of transformation. Drawing on detailed local knowledge of the community, and illustrated with a wealth of black-and-white photographs, this book recalls what Kingston-upon-Thames has lost in terms of buildings, traditions and ways of life. It also acknowledges the regeneration that has taken place and celebrates the character and energy of local people as they move through the first years of this new century.

Walsingham is a large village in North Norfolk famous for its shrines of Mary. The original Shrine was built there in 1061 and attracted pilgrims from all over Europe. In the Middle Ages, it was said to be the fourth most important pilgrimage place after the Holy Land, Rome and Compostela in Spain. That all stopped with the Reformation in the 1530s, but memories remained. The Catholics refounded a Shrine at nearby Houghton in the 1890s and then the Anglicans did the same in Walsingham itself in the 1920s. Both shrines have grown since in popularity and size with many thousands of pilgrims visiting each year.In Walsingham and Around: The Postcard Collection the author has drawn on a remarkable selection of old postcards to give a pictorial record of life in Walsingham and the surrounding area in the past, including historical illustrations of the shrines, the village of Walsingham and its parish church before the shrine were refounded as well as the nearby villages of Great Walsingham, Warham and Wighton, East Barsham and Binham, Stiffkey and Hindringham. Although some of the buildings seen in these views have been lost, many landmarks remain, with changes, and will be familiar today. This fascinating collection of images will be of interest to those who visit or who have lived in the Walsingham area of North Norfolk.

This fascinating selection of photographs illustrates the extraordinary transformation that has taken place in Kingston-upon-Thames over the years. The book offers an insight into the daily lives and living conditions of local people and gives the reader glimpses of familiar places during this century of unprecedented change. Many aspects of Kingston’s recent history are covered, famous occasions and individuals are remembered and the impact of national and international events is witnessed.Drawing on detailed local knowledge of the community, and illustrated with a wealth of photographs, this book recalls what Kingston-upon-Thames has lost in terms of buildings, traditions and ways of life. It also acknowledges the regeneration that has taken place and celebrates the character and energy of local people as they move through the first years of this new century. This latest edition of the book has been fully updated with new contemporary photography and revised captions.

The Christmas Crib or Nativity Scene appears in churches every Christmas, but can also been seen in many shops and private houses. This book examines the history of the crib from gospel times to today and is the first full history written on the subject in the UK for nearly 100 years.The book begins with the Gospel narratives and the trail of the original crib or manger of Jesus. It also covers the history of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem and the creation of the feast day of Christmas. It then deals with artistic depictions and church liturgy up to the time of St Francis of Assisi showing how the Christmas scene was imagined. The story of St Francis is fully covered along with the greater importance attached to Christmas following his service at Greccio. The first large nativity groups were set up in churches, and we see how these early cribs developed through to the Reformation. After the Counter Reformation people were encouraged, especially by the Franciscans and Jesuits, to have cribs in their houses. Cribs then developed into many different styles throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. In the twentieth century, crib societies were set up, and home crafting encouraged ‘build your own’ cribs in many forms and using many different materials.