Britain's Heritage - Böcker

The 1950s was a decade of transformation, as Britain moved from austerity to greater affluence. After the Second World War, there was a huge building programme and the creation of new towns brought a new mid-twentieth century vision of the home.The architecture could be very different from what had gone before, and inside new fashions and materials had an impact on every home, old and new. By the mid-fifties, the consumer society was under way, and the arrival of new materials such as plastic and nylon revolutionised home interiors: colourful ‘formica’, labour saving gadgets, bright new furnishing fabrics – all became affordable. The new medium of television was increasingly to be found in modern living rooms. The growth in car ownership meant garages were required by an increasing number of home owners. More leisure time also led to a passion for DIY and an increasing desire for homes with gardens.This book is part of the Britain’s Heritage series, which provides definitive introductions to the riches of Britain’s past, and is the perfect way to get acquainted with the 1950s home in all its variety.

Allotments are a much-loved part of every British city, town and many villages. At the height of their popularity around the Second World War, allotments were increasingly neglected towards the end of the twentieth century, but are now in the throes of a full-scale revival. Many allotments now have long waiting lists, and allotment keeping has become a fashionable hobby.This book explores the fascinating story of the allotment, from its roots in the Diggers of the seventeenth century to the influence of ‘food miles’ and GM. It includes insights into quirky rules and regulations, murder and looting, and even art and opera on the allotment. Drawing on archival and contemporary material, this richly illustrated book considers both the history and the future of the not-so-humble allotment.This book is part of the Britain’s Heritage series, which provides definitive introductions to the riches of Britain’s past, and is the perfect way to get acquainted with allotments in all their variety.

The humble and colourful beach hut can be seen up and down Britain’s coastline. Now something of an architectural icon, the beach hut seems as though it has been around forever although it is an invention of the twentieth century.From the eighteenth century the beach changed from a place for fishermen and smugglers to a fashionable place where the wealthy could recover from illness. In the nineteenth century the coming of the railways and the introduction of holidays for workers made the coast increasingly popular. A growing demand for entertainment and accommodation led to the birth of the seaside resort and, with it, the development of the seaside that we know and love today.This book is part of the Britain’s Heritage series, which provides definitive introductions to the riches of Britain’s past, and is the perfect way to get acquainted with beach huts in all their variety.

This is a portrait of a railway network that became beloved of the last generations lucky enough to experience mainline steam. The 1960s saw great change in British society, which was moving ever further from the deference that had been ebbing since the Great War and ever faster towards the ‘white heat’ of new technology. For British Railways, the move to modernise had begun the previous decade, though it soon became clear that it would have to rationalise its network if it was to hold its own in the face of growing competition from road and air transport. With the line closures came new uniforms, new liveries and a last breath of steam, as Doctor Beeching and his successors strove to break even and build a new business from the old. Greg Morse takes us through this turbulent ten-year period, which started with financial uncertainty and ended with BR poised to launch the fastest dieselpowered train in the world.This book is part of the Britain’s Heritage series, which provides definitive introductions to the riches of Britain’s past, and is the perfect way to get acquainted with the Sixties Railway in all its variety.

Dinky Toys are a part of many people’s childhood. They were one of the many famous brands produced as part of the Meccano empire set up by Frank Hornby at his Binns Road factory in Liverpool. Although they began before the Second World War, it was the post-war ranges produced by Dinky that really caught the public’s imagination and helped to make the period into the company’s golden years.This colourfully illustrated book tells the story of Dinky Toys, including small Dinky Toys, the larger Dinky Supertoys, accessories and Dublo Dinky Toys. Author David Busfield also examines catalogues, marketing material and the unique Meccano Magazine as well as the collecting of Dinky Toys today.This book is part of the Britain’s Heritage series, which provides definitive introductions to the riches of Britain’s past, and is the perfect way to get acquainted with Dinky Toys in all their variety.

Buildings in Britain were first set aside for storing firefighting equipment in the seventeenth century, in the wake of the Great Fire of London. These were often storage sheds or farm buildings, but as technology became more advanced specialist buildings were needed to house it: fire stations. The golden age of fire station design was the late Victorian period and a wonderful and eclectic collection of buildings from the time still stands in Britain. The changing threats dealt with by fire brigades in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries meant that new designs were needed to accommodate new equipment, but the basic layout of a modern fire station would still be familiar to a Victorian fireman.Here, Billy Reading explores the history of the fire station in Britain, from simple parish cart-sheds to complex modern headquarters. Fire stations are an instantly recognisable part of the British landscape today, from village greens to city centres.This book is part of the Britain’s Heritage series, which provides definitive introductions to the riches of Britain’s past, and is the perfect way to get acquainted with fire stations in all their variety.

The First World War was the first global war and when it broke out in 1914, the civilian population of Britain was exhorted to carry on with ‘Business, as usual’. But the war soon began to affect civilian life. The war brought excitement, danger and fear for Britain’s children: Zeppelins, air raid warnings and the all-clear, drills and shelters in schools, shelters at home and in public places; the blackout – all became chilling parts of everyday life. In the call-up of recruits, fathers, uncles and elder brothers went off to war; some younger boys, lying about their age, joined them. Then there were the invasion scares, in which the Boy Scouts became coast watchers, and guarded railway bridges and other important points. In the sea beyond our shores, the U-Boat assault contributed to shortages of food; ‘No cakes, no jam, no nuffin.’ Children found themselves helping with the harvest and foraging in the hedgerows for food. Many foods, including sweets, would be strictly rationed.Home Front expert Mike Brown describes what school was like in 1914: the lessons, classrooms, uniforms, and curriculum, and he looks at how children helped the war effort, raising money for the Red Cross, knitting soldiers’ comforts, etc. This book also explores what children wore, how they dressed, what they read and how the rituals of birthday and Christmas were affected.This book is part of the Britain’s Heritage series, which provides definitive introductions to the riches of Britain’s past, and is the perfect way to get acquainted with the lives of children in the First World War.

The most glamorous trains run by railway companies were the high-speed expresses, linking the major towns, cities and holiday destinations. They included overnight sleepers, fast mail trains, excursion specials and boat trains connecting with ocean liners.These premier trains were the fastest and most luxurious of their day. They generated much publicity, especially in the 1930s when they regularly broke speed records. The names of the most famous expresses still resonate with the public today: the ‘Flying Scotsman’, the ‘Royal Scot’, the ‘Cornish Riviera Limited’ and the ‘Atlantic Coast Express’. These and luxurious Pullman services featured the newest and fastest locomotives and the most up-to-date and comfortable rolling stock. The latest technology helped increase express train speeds and reduce travel times, making a journey on an express an experience not to be missed for the well-heeled traveller.Most of the famous expresses vanished in the 1970s and only a few survive today. Although faster diesel and electric trains now make journeys considerably faster, the overall level of comfort for passengers rarely matches that of their glamorous predecessors.This book is part of the Britain’s Heritage series, which provides definitive introductions to the riches of Britain’s past, and is the perfect way to get acquainted with express trains in all their variety.

The kitchen garden was once a vital component of the country estate, supplying fruit, vegetables and flowers to meet the needs of the family and their household. A vast range of fruit and vegetables was grown, from everyday crops of potatoes and cabbages to the exotic delights of grapes, peaches and pineapples.The table had to be supplied all year round, and gardeners were expert in forcing, ripening and storage of produce. All sorts of gadgets and technology were employed, from cucumber straighteners and pest fumigators to oil-fired boilers and rubber hosepipes. Horticultural techniques were developed for growing plants and fruit that are still used in our gardens today. This knowledge was passed on, as gardeners worked their way up from garden boy, employed to wash pots and scare birds, to undergardener, journeyman and then foreman, with the most ambitious reaching the prestigious position of head gardener. Working life in the kitchen garden was a seasonal routine of sowing, potting, watering and cropping.This book is part of the Britain’s Heritage series, which provides definitive introductions to the riches of Britain’s past, and is the perfect way to get acquainted with the kitchen garden in all its variety.

The first traction engines were built around the middle of the nineteenth century. Their great pulling power and ability to provide power for other equipment revolutionised road haulage and agriculture.Great makers like Burrell and Garrett from East Anglia, Taskers and Wallis & Steevens from Hampshire, Marshalls and Foster from Lincolnshire, and Fowlers and McLaren from Leeds filled Britain (and much of the rest of the world) with their engines. They ranged in size from the small road locomotives like Taskers’ Little Giant, up to giant Fowler ploughing engines and the grandest Burrell showman’s engine, resplendent in gold-lined paintwork and twisted brass canopy supports. The age of the traction engine was relatively short, declining rapidly after the First World War, but they have left an indelible mark, with enthusiasts up and down the country having saved hundreds of machines from the scrapmen to entertain us every weekend at steam fairs and other vintage events.This book is part of the Britain’s Heritage series, which provides definitive introductions to the riches of Britain’s past, and is the perfect way to get acquainted with traction engines in all their variety.

At its launch in 1948 the Morris Minor was an exciting and fresh concept, with radical engineering and daring ‘American’ styling.Morris Motors had given a young engineer named Alec Issigonis his first chance to head up a design team and, though he would become most famous for the Mini ten years later, the Morris Minor was just as innovative in its time. Manufactured for twenty-three years, some 1.6 million would be made before production ended in 1972. Behind the Minor’s success as the first British car to reach 1 million sold, however, there was a fierce battle to get it into production in the face of opposition from the company’s founder and chairman, Lord Nuffield.Sold as an estate car, a convertible and a van, and used in motor racing and rallying, the versatile Morris Minor was much loved as a production car and has retained its popularity as a classic, with many clubs devoted to keeping it on the road. Using period illustrations from the BMC archive, Gillian Bardsley tells the story of this iconic British car.This book is part of the Britain’s Heritage series, which provides definitive introductions to the riches of Britain’s past, and is the perfect way to get acquainted with the Morris Minor in all its variety.

Railway stations were a prominent feature of most towns and villages in Britain until post-war modernisation and closures swept many away.The largest and most imposing stations were in large towns and cities. Among the most impressive were the London termini such as King’s Cross, Liverpool Street, Paddington and Waterloo. They handled and (still handle) millions of long distance and commuter travellers every year. Elsewhere, larger cities like Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow often had more than one important station. Behind their imposing façades, they provided all manner of facilities for passengers – waiting rooms, bookstalls, refreshment rooms, luggage and lavatories. Meanwhile, country stations, especially those on branch lines, were an important part of rural life, providing a vital link for goods and passengers to and from the countryside.As the start and end point of millions of daily commutes, business trips, days out and family holidays, railway stations are undoubtedly among Britain’s most special buildings.This book is part of the Britain’s Heritage series, which provides definitive introductions to the riches of Britain’s past, and is the perfect way to get acquainted with the railway station in all its variety.

This is the story of Britain’s model villages: miniature worlds that have captivated garden guests and paying public since the early twentieth century.This history of these small-scale utopias covers their early growth as playthings of the wealthy, their blossoming into fairylands on seafronts during the post-war holiday boom, and of many model villages’ gradual decline from toy-towns to ghost towns.But it is also the story of how diligent modelmakers, artists and crafters have carried on in the sheds, gardens and workshops of Britain to build small – yet think big. Today we still delight in their miniature marvels, and this book explains why.This book is part of the Britain’s Heritage series, which provides definitive introductions to the riches of Britain’s past, and is the perfect way to get acquainted with model villages in all their variety.

The end of the Second World War provided little rest for air forces and the aircraft industry. Both sides now had to put enormous energy into research and development to gain an edge. For the British aircraft industry it meant producing aircraft quickly, and on tight budgets: for Bomber Command to carry Britain’s new nuclear deterrent, and for Fighter Command to defend the country.This book examines the RAF’s British-made combat jet aircraft of this turbulent and frightening period, up to the cancellation of TSR-2 and the end of the British aircraft industry as it then was. The great names, Hunter, Vulcan, Lightning, Harrier, are considered alongside less well known types, and the story of each key aircraft is told from development to operational use.This book is part of the Britain’s Heritage series, which provides definitive introductions to the riches of Britain’s past, and is the perfect way to get acquainted with British military jets in all their variety.

‘Tommy Atkins’ has been the nickname given to soldiers of the British Army since the eighteenth century. The origin of the name is shrouded in mystery, but it has stuck. By 1914, the Tommy had changed dramatically since the days of Queen Victoria’s redcoats. Edwardian army reforms had improved recruitment and training and had re-organised the regular forces and reserves.When the First World War broke out, the system went smoothly into action and the BEF was carried across the Channel to France. But the British Army was relatively small and the First World War required a rapid expansion of the ranks. Lord Kitchener’s call for men raised the so-called New Army, half a million strong, but more were needed and conscription came into force. Many of those who volunteered together were also trained together and fought side by side in battle. In the fire of machine guns and amid the shell-fire, large numbers of men from city parishes, towns and villages fell together. Neil Storey takes us through the recruitment, equipment, training and experiences of these soldiers in the First World War: the Tommies, ‘the poor bloody infantry’.This book is part of the Britain’s Heritage series, which provides definitive introductions to the riches of Britain’s past, and is the perfect way to get acquainted with the Tommy of the First World War.

The Landscape Garden: the quiet but startling national revolution that overthrew the parterres, avenues and canals of formal European-style gardens littering Britain in the eighteenth century. Thousands of landscape gardens were created for the wealthy, often looking so natural that we hardly recognise them as the hand of man.Steered by brilliant designers and visionary owners, the fashion for landscape gardens took hold across the country. Using water, grass and trees, designers softened lines and created seemingly natural planted park landscapes. Landscape gardens were on a huge scale, and all the work was done by hand. By the 1750s this had developed into the landscape park and garden epitomised by ‘Capability’ Brown, the most famous of the eighteenth-century garden designers. In this book by garden historian Sarah Rutherford, discover Britain’s greatest contribution to the visual arts worldwide.This book is part of the Britain’s Heritage series, which provides definitive introductions to the riches of Britain’s past, and is the perfect way to get acquainted with landscape gardens in all their variety.

The traditional cargo-carrying narrowboat – recently voted one of the 100 icons of England – emerged with the construction of the narrow canal network and lasted in until 1970 when the last regular long-distance contract was lost. Up until then, working boat families lived aboard according to their own culture and work ethic. Narrow Boats explores this, explains why their way of life persisted for so long, and looks at why and how it has changed.The vessels evolved as the horse gave way to steam and diesel power and boatyards developed the skills to build beautiful boats, decorated with roses, castles, scrolls and geometric designs that brought colour and vibrancy to the waterways. Since their demise, a new generation of craft has emerged purely for leisure and residential use. This book, by technical consultant Tom Chaplin, reflects on the origin and purpose of the traditions that many of these attempt to replicate.This book is part of the Britain’s Heritage Series, which provides definitive introductions to the riches of Britain’s past, and is the perfect way to get acquainted with the narrow boat in all its variety.

A sunlit lawn, blossom-laden trees, rustic chairs around tables laden with teapots and cakes, the tinkle of teacups and the murmur of conversation – what could be more British than a tea garden? As a nation obsessed with tea drinking and gardening, it is not surprising that the British combined the two. The popularity of tea gardens took hold in London in the eighteenth century, and grew during the Victorian and Edwardian eras, when suburban family parties joined cycling clubs and charabanc outings to sample tea gardens far and wide. Despite the British weather, tea gardens thrived for over two hundred years.Wonderfully illustrated with evocative contemporary images, this book charts the rise of tea gardens, their origins in earlier spa gardens, their distinctive style, their furnishings and accoutrements, their sad decline and triumphant return in the twenty-first century. It also includes a list of tea gardens that can be visited today.This book is part of the Britain’s Heritage series, which provides definitive introductions to the riches of Britain’s past, and is the perfect way to get acquainted with tea gardens in all their variety.

When the Second World War broke out in September 1939, everybody in Britain knew that the civilian population would be affected far more than they had been in the First World War. As aircraft got more advanced, Britain’s cities came within range and were vulnerable to attack from the air, possibly using poison gas. Before the war had started, plans were made to train civilians in first aid or to act as air raid wardens, to distribute air raid shelters that could be set up in back gardens and to evacuate children from the cities.Soon after the start of the war, Britain’s women were called up to work in the expanding factories that would feed the war effort, and on the farms in the Women’s Land Army. Food and clothing were rationed to make sure that there was enough to go around. After the Germans swept through Western Europe in the summer of 1940, the Home Guard was formed to help defend against invasion.In this book, Neil R. Storey and Fiona Kay paint an evocative picture of life in Britain during the war years, from Austerity to the friendly invasion of Americans.This book is part of the Britain’s Heritage series, which provides definitive introductions to the riches of Britain’s past, and is the perfect way to get acquainted with the home front in the Second World War in all its variety.

For Britain’s railways, the 1970s was a time of contrasts, when gallows humour about British Rail sandwiches and delayed trains often overshadowed real achievement, like ‘parkway’ stations and high-speed travel.The Seventies Railway begins with the optimism of the new decade. It describes the electrification of the West Coast Main Line, the introduction of new computer systems, and the giving of grants for socially vital services. But while speeds were climbing, and finances appeared to be improving, Monday morning misery remained for many, as rolling stock aged and grew ever more uncomfortable. This was the BR of Travellers-Fare, Freightliners and peak-capped porters. It was beset with strikes and began with the aftershock of Beeching, but ended with the introduction of 125-mph services and the promise of even faster trains to come.This book is part of the Britain’s Heritage series, which provides definitive introductions to the riches of Britain’s past, and is the perfect way to get acquainted with the seventies railway in all its variety.

Grand seaside hotels dominate Britain’s seaside resorts with bold, largescale buildings, often magnificent examples of the most fashionable architectural style of the time. First emerging in the eighteenth century, their golden age came in the second half of the nineteenth, when a showpiece luxury hotel was a must-have for any successful seaside resort. These imposing Grands, Royals and Imperials, filled with every modern convenience of the period and containing opulent restaurants and ballrooms, are fascinating buildings that reflect the fortunes of those who built and visited them throughout the years.Karen Averby takes us through the rise, the fall and the modern-day resurgence of the grand seaside hotel across the whole of the UK, from their exclusive and luxurious nineteenth-century beginnings, through their renaissance in the interwar years, decline in the 1970s as foreign package holidays became popular and their recent, more accessible refurbished form today.This book is part of the Britain’s Heritage series, which provides definitive introductions to the riches of Britain’s past, and is the perfect way to get acquainted with seaside hotels in all their variety.

Brutalist architecture is ever-present in the British urban landscape, from car parks and bus garages to schools, universities and cultural centres, from the small college campus to vast residential mega-structures. Taken from the French phrase ‘béton brut’, meaning raw concrete, the name brutalism identified an emerging style of angular and sculptural form and rough, exposed industrial materials. The pioneering architects of the style such as Peter and Alison Smithson, Erno Goldfinger and the Owen Luder Partnership optimistically believed they were forging a new utopia. Their confidence is apparent in the uncompromising, bold, even bolshy buildings such as London’s South Bank Centre, Hunstanton School, Preston bus station and Portsmouth’s Tricorn Centre that came to define the architecture of the 1960s and 1970s. After decades of vilification, brutalism is today enjoying a resurgence of popularity and the original principles of the movement are being rediscovered and reappraised, although it still divides public opinion.This book is part of the Britain’s Heritage series, which provides definitive introductions to the riches of Britain’s past, and is the perfect way to get acquainted with brutalism in all its variety.

Narrow gauge railways have long been a source of fascination for many. From famous public lines such as the Ffestiniog Railway and Lynton & Barnstaple Railway, to peat extraction lines in Cumbria and brickworks systems on Humberside, the narrow gauge railway has transcended two centuries.A big part of the charm of these lines is the locomotives that were built to operate them. Narrow gauge is defined as anything less than the standard gauge of UK main lines – usually down to 15 inch gauge – but in that spectrum there is no limit to size, simplicity or shape. These were machines built to do a job, pure and simple, but those jobs were many and varied. Multiple wheeled complex engines could share the same track as a simple motorised wagon, whilst all manner of propulsion could be found – steam, diesel, petrol and electric – even fireless, compressed air or steam locos converted to electric power. This book looks at them all and their legacy today across the plethora of pleasure and heritage lines that exist.This book is part of the Britain’s Heritage series, which provides definitive introductions to the riches of Britain’s past, and is the perfect way to get acquainted with narrow gauge locomotives in all their variety.

In the nineteenth century, it became obvious that the UK’s road system needed to be improved. Smoother roads were required to allow people to travel faster and more safely, and the engineers went to work to make this possible. In this book, author Anthony Coulls looks at one of the best known ways of doing this: the road roller.The first road rollers were horse-drawn and these were followed in 1865 by the steam-powered road roller, which was seen on British roads for more than a century. Aveling & Porter of Rochester was the firm that dominated the steam roller market, although several other manufacturers made plenty. As technology improved, rollers began to get lighter and new forms of propulsion came in – petrol and diesel engines. Even though a road roller today will be one of these more modern types, the term ‘steam roller’ is a firm part of the public’s imagination. The appeal of the steam roller means that hundreds survive to this day in the hands of enthusiasts, who take them to steam rallies up and down the country, and petrol and diesel rollers have great appeal too.This book is part of the Britain’s Heritage series, which provides definitive introductions to the riches of Britain’s past, and is the perfect way to get acquainted with road rollers in all their variety.

Art deco refers to a striking range of decorative design styles that emerged in the early twentieth century and comes from the influential 1925 Paris International Exhibition of Decorative Arts. Spreading from Paris, it became particularly associated with American industrial design and the décor of Hollywood.The style became connected with leisure and entertainment in the jazz age, giving cinemas, hotels and department stores across Britain a touch of Hollywood glamour. It was an eclectic modernism that had no clear boundaries and could be applied to anything from a suburban bathroom to a new power station or an ocean liner. By the 1930s, deco was morphing into the smooth curves of streamlining – a style that emphasised the speed of modern cars, trains and airliners. But this luxury decoration had no place in wartime. After burning brightly for less than fifteen years, art deco style disappeared with the outbreak of the Second World War.This book is part of the Britain’s Heritage series, which provides definitive introductions to the riches of Britain’s past, and is the perfect way to get acquainted with art deco in all its variety.

A lonely ruined church, mysterious bumps in a field, or stone walls visible on the shoreline of a reservoir in high summer: all these are signs of settlements abandoned over the years.Over the centuries many villages in Britain have been abandoned. This book describes the natural and man-made causes, from coastal erosion to the closing of old mines. The author puts together a picture of lost villages when they were at their height and the way of life of their people. In each case the process of abandonment is traced in vivid detail. Evidence from archaeology and historical records is summarised, and for more recent settlements the accounts of former residents are quoted.Abandoned Villagesis fully illustrated with photographs of villages before and after they were abandoned. It will inspire readers to visit the sites of abandoned villages, near home perhaps, or as they travel around Britain.This book is part of the Britain’s Heritage series, which provides definitive introductions to the riches of Britain’s past, and is the perfect way to get acquainted with the nation’s abandoned villages in all their variety.

Under-maintained and over-worked during the Second World War, Britain’s railways emerged from the conflict carrying a ‘poor bag of physical assets’. Yet the new government of 1945 saw a need to bring the nation’s great industries into public ownership – a move that saw the creation of a single railway network three years later. At first, it seemed like ‘business as usual’, but as the 1950s dawned and BR’s deficit grew deeper, it was clear that costs needed to be cut wherever possible. And that meant modernisation.Published at the very end of 1954, the so-called Modernisation Plan would see the ordering of over 170 diesel locomotives and the launch of a bold plan to electrify much of the West Coast Main Line. The downside for enthusiasts and traditionalists was the beginning of the end for steam, though the path to modernisation would not run smooth; neither would it come cheap. The decade would end much as it had begun – with a new government seeking ways to save money. Doctor Beeching was on his way.This book is part of the Britain’s Heritage series, which provides definitive introductions to the riches of Britain’s past, and is the perfect way to get acquainted with the Fifties Railway in all its variety.

Although the railways weren’t the first type of mass holiday transport – that prize goes to the steamships that preceded them – they helped develop many of Britain’s favourite seaside resorts. Holiday Trains follows this development, paying visits to Blackpool, Margate, Southport and Weston-super-Mare, and also looking at the other sorts of holiday that the railways made possible.Railways didn’t just take holidaymakers to the coast. Rambling and cycling grew in popularity between 1870 and 1914, with many companies providing services and facilities for both. They also contributed to the camping craze by providing special ‘camping coaches’ on sidings or in rural station yards.After the First World War the cost of motoring came down and the use of motor coaches grew, so railways’ share of the market fell, but it was really the rise of cheaper air fares in the 1960s that started the steady decline in holiday rail travel. However, some holiday trains can still be caught today.This book is part of the Britain’s Heritage series, which provides definitive introductions to the riches of Britain’s past, and is the perfect way to get acquainted with holiday trains in all their variety.

Sixties children grew up in a more permissive and commercial age. They enjoyed a childhood in which new vaccines gave children protection from life threatening diseases while the contraceptive pill meant smaller family groups. A controversial programme of comprehensive education began to be rolled out while primary schools would become less rigid and more centred on the needs of the child. This was also the first young generation not to be conscripted into the armed forces.Rising prosperity and rapid technological advances meant more children lived in homes with refrigerators, washing machines and science-inspired toys. Parents had more leisure time to spend with their children and television became the norm. Sixties children routinely travelled in cars and went on family holidays, increasingly abroad. Sweets and toys were plentiful in this first full decade without rationing. Teenagers had money to spend on fashion, pop music and, worryingly, drugs. The Beatles began to dominate the vinyl record market.This book is part of the Britain’s Heritage series, which provides definitive introductions to the riches of Britain’s past, and is the perfect way to get acquainted with a 1960s childhood in all its variety.