Secret – serie

A World Heritage Site since 1999, the New Forest is not that new and not really a forest. Only half is wooded with the rest being mainly gorse, heathland, mudflats and farms. It was created around 1079 for William the Conqueror as an exclusive royal hunting ground, especially for deer, and is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as ‘Nova Foresta’. Still 90 per cent of the forest is Crown land, although King James II was the last monarch to hunt there, in 1686. It has also retained its ancient governing system of Verderers, Agisters and 500 Commoners.In Secret New Forest, author Martin Brisland has unearthed fascinating facts, little-known personalities and places in the history of the New Forest and reveals the history below its surface. With tales of remarkable characters, unusual events and tucked-away or disappeared historical buildings and locations, Secret New Forest will appeal to all those with an interest in the history of this area of southern England.

The Lancashire town of Wigan has prehistoric roots and developed in importance through Roman and medieval times. It played a leading role in the English Civil War, being occupied by the Parliamentarians. It grew dramatically during the Industrial Revolution, with its coal mines and cotton industry, and later came to prominence thanks to George Orwell’s book The Road to Wigan Pier, which documented the poverty of the working classes in the 1930s.In this book, author Sue Gerrard explores the town’s history and seeks out some lesser-known stories and surprising aspects of its heritage along the way. Wigan is a sporting centre as it has both a rugby league team, the Wigan Warriors, and Wigan Athletic Football Club, who won the FA Cup in 2013. Over the decades it has been home to actors Sir Ian McKellen and Roy Kinnear, and comedians George Formby, Frank Randle and Ted Ray.Secret Wigan includes historical sites such as the thirteenth-century Mab’s Cross right through to the town’s place in the modern world. From mills to Mint Balls, coal to cavaliers and notable buildings to Northern Soul, this fascinating book will interest residents, visitors and all those with links to the town.

The Berkshire town of Wokingham has over 1,000 years of history, and this history is interwoven with the bigger story of England. Underneath the vestiges of the modern town, it is still possible to uncover Wokingham’s secret past, which includes bull-baiting and highwaymen, breweries and medieval fairs. This book looks at the history of the town from its founding through to the current day, covering, among other things, Wokingham Town Hall and its unique form of governance, provisions for the poor and old in the Lucas Hospital almshouses and the Old Workhouse, poaching in nearby Windsor Forest, and Wokingham’s first cinema, The Electric Theatre. Wokingham’s medieval Rose Street and surviving ancient houses are explored, as well as the town’s oldest pub and its brewing history. The transformation of the town with the arrival of the railways is also examined.With tales of remarkable characters, unusual events and tucked-away or disappeared historical buildings and locations, Secret Wokingham will appeal to all those with an interest in the history of this historic town in Berkshire.

The town of Dartmouth, lying on the River Dart estuary on Devon’s south coast, has long had close associations with the sea. It was an important port for south-west England during the Middle Ages and became the home of the English navy. Dartmouth ships played a vital role in the battles against the Spanish Armada in 1588 and since the nineteenth century Dartmouth has been the home of the Royal Naval College. The historic town that grew up around the harbour with its narrow streets and ancient buildings such as the Butterwalk holds many dark and interesting secrets unknown to many who live in or visit the town. In this book author Christine Donnelly explores the stories behind the façade of the town, with characters such as John Hawley, the mayor who was also a pirate; William Veale, the Dartmouth Robinson Crusoe; Thomas Newcomen, the pioneering developer of the steam engine; and Agatha Christie, who lived at Kingswear, across the river. There are tales of witchcraft, tunnels by the harbour, the Scold Stone in the river and a mummified mouse preserved in a pub.With tales of remarkable characters, unusual events and tucked-away or disappeared historical buildings and locations, Secret Dartmouth will appeal to all those with an interest in the history of this town in Devon.

The Isle of Wight, lying off the south coast of England, has been a popular tourist destination for 200 years but has played an important role in the history of Britain for centuries. It was settled by Celts, Romans, Anglo-Saxons and Vikings, and following the Norman Conquest it became a kingdom in its own right for two centuries. After the Reformation the Worsley family became governors of the island, transforming Appuldurcombe Priory into the family home, but misfortune was to haunt them and the house over ensuing centuries. The island was transformed by royal patronage, George IV supporting the Royal Yacht Club and Victoria making Osborne her favoured retreat, and the island was home to many famous names in the Victorian world including Tennyson. The island has also been at the forefront of technology and defence with the world’s first radio station, established by Marconi, and the development of Britain’s Black Knight ballistic missile and Black Arrow space rocket. As well as all this, the island’s story includes the remarkable tale of how Bob Dylan was persuaded to play the Isle of Wight Festival instead of Woodstock and much more.With tales of remarkable characters, unusual events and tucked-away or vanished historical buildings and locations, Secret Isle of Wight will appeal to all those with an interest in the history of this unique island across the Solent.

Cirencester is one of the most remarkable towns in Britain. From its Roman beginnings around AD 75, when it was classed second only in importance to London, to its current status as the ‘Capital of the Cotswolds’, it has always punched well above its weight. The ‘A-side’ of its history as a small market town which developed at the centre of the Cotswold wool trade is well documented, but what about its ‘ ip-side’? Much of the town’s fascinating history has either been overlooked or lies hidden below the surface. Well-known local author David Elder delves deep into Cirencester’s lost, forgotten and hidden histories, recounting some remarkable stories. Learn, for example, about some of Cirencester’s minor celebrities and local characters, including the Victorian female astronomer who became a national expert in sunspots and solar eclipses. He also unearths fascinating facts, celebrating, for example, the town’s accolade of having the UK’s oldest public outdoor swimming pool in continuous use, and explaining why it was important for passengers travelling on the railways around the mid-nineteenth century to understand that Cirencester time was 7 ½ minutes earlier than London time.With tales of remarkable characters, unusual events and tucked-away or disappeared historical buildings and locations, Secret Cirencester will appeal to all those with an interest in the history of this town in Gloucestershire.

A fascinating exploration of the lesser-known history and hidden heritage of the towns of Epsom and Ewell.

Although Bournemouth was only developed in the last 200 years, the town has a fascinating history. Behind the façade of this seaside resort is a story of singular events, little-known personalities and places that are often overlooked or forgotten. In Secret Bournemouth, author Andrew Jackson reveals the history of the town, from the creation of a resort by the Tregonwell family in an area of sand dunes and heath frequented by smugglers to the present-day large business and commercial centre on the south coast. Along the way we look at Bournemouth at war, its special place in aeronautical history, entertainments and other leisure attractions that have attracted many people over the years, its connections to the arts and literature and much more.With tales of remarkable characters, unusual events and hidden or vanished historical buildings and locations, Secret Bournemouth will appeal to all those with an interest in the history of this resort on the south coast.

Discover the lesser-known and hidden heritage of Kew and Brentford. Will appeal to residents and all who are interested in the history of this part of London.

The Fens of Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Lincolnshire (and a small part of Suffolk) are breathtakingly beautiful but misunderstood by some. This book will explore some of the secrets of the Fens that visitors and locals would be fascinated to learn. This unique landscape is rich in rare species, unusual traditions, ‘Fentastic’ festivals and hidden heritage. This book will help you unlock some of these secrets, including forgotten royalty, how people worked on the Fen lands, how the waterways were used and how flooding is managed today. Some of its many hidden treasures can be found in architecture, archaeology and stunning landscapes. Many of the facts in this book will prove that while the Fens may be flat, they are definitely not boring.Author Karen Merrison has unearthed singular events, little-known personalities and places in the history of the Fens to reveal the stories beneath the surface of the area. With tales of remarkable characters, unusual events and tucked-away or disappeared historical buildings and locations, Secret Fens will appeal to all those with an interest in the history of this area of eastern England.

Eyam (pronounced Eem), given the Saxon name Eaham, meaning a well-watered hamlet, is a secluded Peak District village hemmed in by green slopes and majestic hills. Within ¼ mile, the busy world passes by along the A623, yet every year thousands of people head directly to this isolated rural community, tragically famous as the plague village that self-isolated. The year 1665 saw outbreaks of bubonic plague in London and many other cities, towns and villages across England. The incomprehensible terror of the plague, caused by the bite of a rat flea infected by the bacterium Pasteurella pestis, arrived in Eyam in September 1665 and in order to contain the disease, the villagers chose to lock themselves in isolation. This was an act of true altruism by grief-stricken people in a village where every home became a morgue and every resident a mourner.Some 350 years later, as we have encountered a pandemic of gigantic proportions with the Covid-19 crisis, the story of Eyam has inspired Simon Armitage, Poet Laureate, to devote half of his poem ‘Lockdown’ to the suffering of these people.Secret Eyam: Plague Village, illustrated throughout, expands upon these stories, taking a closer examination of this area’s important history.

From its Saxon beginnings to the severe floods of 2007, Tewkesbury is one of Britain’s most remarkable towns. It is well known for its Norman abbey of cathedral-like proportions and the great battle which proved to be one of the most decisive in the Wars of the Roses, but its history contains much more that has often been overlooked. In this book local author David Elder delves deep into Tewkesbury’s lost, forgotten and hidden histories, recounting some remarkable stories. Learn, for example, about some of the town’s minor celebrities and local characters – from the seaman who carried Admiral Nelson’s wounded body to the cockpit of HMS Victory, to the miserly tanner who amassed a great fortune ‘for no higher purpose than the sordid desire of seeing it uselessly accumulate’. The author unearths fascinating facts, celebrating the town’s tradition of nonconformity which led to more than one riot, and provides fascinating insights into how the town’s inhabitants were once comically portrayed as having sharp features because it was assumed that they lived on the town’s famous hot, pungent mustard!With tales of remarkable characters, unusual events and tucked-away or disappeared historical buildings and locations, Secret Tewkesbury will appeal to all those with an interest in the history of this town in Gloucestershire.

Dorset’s county town of Dorchester is famous for its association with the writer Thomas Hardy but its history contains much more that has often been overlooked. Secret Dorchester & Around delves deep into the town’s lost, forgotten and hidden histories, recounting some remarkable stories. The area was an important Iron Age stronghold, the huge hill fort of Maiden Castle outside today’s town being taken over by the Romans in the first century AD. The Romans left an extensive legacy in Dorchester including an amphitheatre at Maumbury Rings which was later used as an execution site for eighty rebels from the Monmouth Rebellion condemned to death by Judge Jeffreys at the Bloody Assizes held in the town. Two centuries later, the Tolpuddle Martyrs were sentenced in Dorchester to penal servitude in Australia following their attempts to set up a trade union of agricultural workers in the nearby village of Tolpuddle.With tales of remarkable characters, unusual events and tucked-away or disappeared historical buildings and locations, Secret Dorchester & Around will appeal to all those with an interest in the history of this town in Dorset.

Secret Islington and Clerkenwell delves into this historic area’s often unknown but colourful past. It takes the reader on a fascinating journey from the time when these villages were rural communities up to the thriving, vibrant neighbourhoods they are today. You will discover what made the area initially so attractive to farmers and dairy maids, why so many monastic communities settled here in the Middle Ages, and how a seventeenth-century waterway supplying water to Londoners was not only built in the district but is still providing water to the capital today.This book highlights the role that great revolutionary figures such as Wat Tyler, Lenin, Mazzini and Garibaldi have played in Clerkenwell, as well as the contribution made by its very many immigrants, especially the Huguenots, Italian and Irish. You will discover how in the late 1800s extreme poverty and squalid living in unsanitary rookeries led to great criminal activity and how benevolent philanthropists stepped in to provide the local population with improved facilities and social housing.With tales of remarkable characters, unusual events and tucked-away or disappeared historical buildings and locations, this book will appeal to all those with an interest in the history of these areas of London.

The town of Redcar and the resort of Saltburn-by-the-Sea, with the adjoining village of Marske-by-the-Sea, lie on an 8-mile stretch of the coast in north-east England. In this book author Colin Wilkinson reveals the stories behind how these once small villages along a remote coast grew into the present-day resorts. Centuries ago, the beaches were ideal for smugglers. The arrival of the railway in the nineteenth century brought an influx of visitors and at the same time new industries emerged following the discovery of iron ore in the local hills, bringing in more people looking for work. In the twentieth century war left its mark on the area. In the First World War lookout posts were set up on the beaches, an early warning station was built to listen for Zeppelins and at Marske an aerodrome was set up nearby to train pilots. Depression in the 1930s and post-war industrial decline brought hardship to the area, but the holiday industry boomed in the first half of the twentieth century and has seen a resurgence in recent years. Over the course of the last century Redcar has seen the birth of Redcar Racecourse, motor racing along the beach, famous visitors such as Emily Pankhurst and Keir Hardy and much more.With tales of remarkable characters, unusual events and tucked-away or disappeared historical buildings and locations, Secret Redcar, Marske and Saltburn will appeal to all those with an interest in the history of this corner of the coastline of the North East.

Folkestone’s history goes back to the Anglo-Saxons and earlier settlements, and behind the façade of the elegant Edwardian resort, the port and today’s thriving town and gateway to the Channel Tunnel lie many little-known and fascinating stories from its past. In Secret Folkestone, authors Terry Begent and Eamonn Rooney reveal the history beneath the surface of Folkestone from the foundation of the first nunnery in England by St Eanswythe in the seventh century to the present day. Among the topics covered are the story of the stone in ‘Folke-stone’, the town’s role in defending the nation from invasion through the ages, the clifftop source of Folkestone’s Victorian water supply, how a medieval monarch tamed the local piratical fishermen into a naval force, the riot to free smugglers from Folkestone Gaol in 1820, the First World War aerial bombardment that left nearly 100 dead, and much more.With tales of remarkable characters, unusual events and tucked-away or disappeared historical buildings and locations, Secret Folkestone will appeal to all those with an interest in the history of this town on the Kent coast.

Staines-upon-Thames and its neighbour Laleham are 19 miles west of central London, linked by road and river. Because of the stranded or braided character of the river here, when the Romans came in AD 43, they found a series of primitive wooden bridges crossing the flood plains of the Thames, Colne and Wraysbury rivers. They called it Ad Pontes – literally ‘at the bridges’. It became an important inland port/trading town due to its strategic position where the essential road route from London to the West Country crossed The Thames.It retained its prominence through the centuries due to waterpower that drove mill machinery, grinding flour and mustard, fulling fabric, producing papier-maché, ale and linoleum which became a global success on an unheard-of scale for the time. As commerce replaced industry, Staines reinvented itself with a make-over on a gigantic scale, gaining the prestigious Town Centre Environment Award in 2003 for its ambitious shopping precincts, offices and homes.Few vestiges of the past were preserved but Staines has retained its secrets in twenty-six monumental site-specific representations on an art trail along the Roman backbone of the town. Part of the social fabric of everyday life, each artwork discloses a fascinating tale. Continue your journey beside the Thames to Laleham, a quiet riverside village with immense charm, and you walk in the footsteps of former Laleham resident Thomas Arnold, the Headmaster of Rugby immortalised in Tom Brown’s School Days. His school in Laleham, the present Muncaster House, is just one of twenty-five listed buildings here, where a wander along its picturesque lanes is a walk through its intriguing history.

Haverfordwest is the county town of Pembrokeshire. In the Middle Ages, the town grew around its Norman castle and because of its strategic position on major routes in South West Wales from the coast, it soon became an important commercial centre for the area. In Secret Haverfordwest local author Patricia Swales Barker looks at the history of Haverfordwest below the surface of the town, from the changing story of its governance through the centuries, its religious and educational foundations, how its inhabitants were cared for in sickness, poverty and old age, the administration of justice through the years, to local charities, sport and leisure activities, the importance of the River Cleddau and the town’s trading links, businesses and industries drawn to Haverfordwest and the stories behind its street names.With tales of remarkable characters, unusual events and tucked-away or disappeared historical buildings and locations, Secret Haverfordwest will appeal to all those with an interest in the history of this town in Pembrokeshire in South West Wales.

Stroud has been an important market town in the Cotswolds for centuries. At the heart of the five valleys, its prosperity was founded on the wool trade in the Middle Ages. During the Industrial Revolution, the town became a textile centre with numerous mills built along its streams. The canal network facilitated trade and industry in the town, as did the arrival of Brunel’s Great Western Railway. The town is renowned today for its historic buildings and steep streets and has become an independent cultural centre with a strong environmental community, which even boasted its own currency for a while in recent years. Through the centuries Stroud’s unusual history has encompassed the country’s oldest anti-slavery memorial, Huguenot and Jewish communities, a Victorian Communist colony, the last pistol duel in England, food riots, suffragettes, suffragists and much more.With tales of remarkable characters, unusual events and tucked-away or disappeared historical buildings and locations, Secret Stroud will appeal to all those with an interest in the history of this Gloucestershire town.

The town of Barnet grew up in the twelfth century to the north of London. The town’s alternative names of Chipping Barnet or High Barnet are recognition of the market that was established there at the same time and the town’s elevation. Today the town and the integral area of Hadley adjoining Barnet are part of Greater London. This was the site of the Battle of Barnet in 1471, which was one of the key battles of the Wars of the Roses. Barnet’s position along the old Great North Road brought a large number of inns to cater for travellers, including Ye Olde Mitre Inn which was first recorded in 1553 and still stands today. Evidence of the lives of everyday folk through the centuries can still be discovered beneath the surface of today’s Barnet and Hadley, from numerous blue plaques for the rich and famous to workhouses, hospitals and almshouses.With tales of remarkable characters, unusual events and tucked-away or disappeared historical buildings and locations, Secret Barnet and Hadley will appeal to all those with an interest in the history of this distinct area of North London.

In the Middle Ages Watford was a small Hertfordshire market town, well placed on trade routes near London. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the arrival of the canal system and the railways brought industries to the town. New housing was built and the town expanded to accommodate the rising population. Beneath the surface of today’s Watford, evidence can be found of the town’s past, from the importance of religion and churches in the town’s history and how crime was dealt with, to workhouses and hospitals which have now disappeared. Some historic yards and buildings remain, and the book explores the history of Cassiobury House and Park, which was part of the Earl of Essex’s estate.With tales of remarkable characters, unusual events and tucked-away or disappeared historical buildings and locations, Secret Watford will appeal to all those with an interest in the history of this town in Hertfordshire.

Christchurch developed in Saxon and Norman England as a trading port on the south coast of the country and its harbour, beaches and nature reserves attract many visitors today. Its medieval priory church is one of the largest in England and the town is home to many other historical buildings of interest, including the ruins of a Norman castle and the nearby Gothic Revival Highcliffe Castle. Behind its attractive façade, Christchurch also has a history of smuggling, being a major part of the town’s economy in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and earlier darker times are memorialised in the town’s ducking stool, on the same mill stream site where the original was used. Later, the town played an important role in the Second World War, its airfield becoming home to an aircraft factory.With tales of remarkable characters, unusual events and tucked-away or disappeared historical buildings and locations, Secret Christchurch will appeal to all those with an interest in the history of this town in Dorset.

Kilmarnock is the largest town in Ayrshire. For much of its history it was a market town serving the surrounding area, but during the Industrial Revolution it became a manufacturing centre. Connected to the harbour at Troon and later Glasgow by the new railway network, coal, goods and passengers were transported to and from Kilmarnock. The town grew rapidly, swallowing neighbouring villages, and became known for businesses such as Johnnie Walker, Saxone Shoes, BMK Carpets and Andrew Barclay Sons & Co. locomotive builders. Although many of these businesses have now disappeared, Kilmarnock has diversified and regenerated, and in this book local journalist, historian and author Frank Beattie explores lesser-known aspects of the town’s past, highlighting its strong cultural and industrial heritage.With tales of remarkable characters, unusual events and tucked-away or disappeared historical buildings and locations, Secret Kilmarnock will appeal to all those with an interest in the history of this town in Ayrshire.

Weymouth developed around its harbour on the Dorset coast. What was originally two towns – Weymouth and Melcombe Regis – became a popular seaside resort in the Georgian era. By this time Portland Harbour had become an established naval base, extending from Weymouth to the Isle of Portland which was also famous for its quarried stone. Secret Weymouth and Portland reveals the history beneath the surface of the area from what many believe was the Vikings’ first landing spot in Britain in AD 787 at Church Ope Cove on Portland, the arrival of the Black Death in England at Melcombe Regis harbour in 1348, the stories behind the four castles built within Weymouth and Portland, how Weymouth was taken by both sides in the Civil War, the patronage by King George III, the importance of the town as a departure point for Allied troops undertaking the D-Day landings during the Second World War, and much more.With tales of remarkable characters, unusual events and tucked away or disappeared historical buildings and locations, Secret Weymouth and Portland will appeal to all those with an interest in the history of this corner of the Dorset coast.

The centre of Manchester is an area rich in social and cultural history. Its buildings, streets, churches and alleyways chart the journey from the rise of Victorian wealth through to today’s vibrant metropolis, which is the most visited English city outside the capital. This secret trail can easily be completed in the course of a day, and aims to uncover and raise awareness of essential facts and stories surrounding the city centre.Included in this fascinating tour are the Giant’s Basin in Castlefield; the site and remains of the Haçienda night club; Manchester heroes like Alan Turing, Mark Addy and Richard Cobden; the political and musical heritage of the Free Trade Hall; hidden delights like the Richmond Tea Rooms; the Manchester Craft Centre; the steepest street in Manchester; and much more to enjoy and explore.

When you ask most people about Liverpool, you could be forgiven for thinking that the city is only famous for its maritime history, its two successful football teams or for being the birthplace of The Beatles – but there is so much more to this amazing city than meets the casual eye.Secret Liverpool is a gazetteer of the lesser-known places and little forgotten corners of the city, where tantalising clues to the region’s past have miraculously survived, often hidden in plain sight among newer structures.Fully illustrated throughout with photographs and maps, this guide shows you where to go to find amazing locations that span over 3,000 years of history, from the semi-fossilised footprints of Neolithic hunters on the beaches of Formby to an amazing twentieth-century car graveyard in a disused railway tunnel.Learn also about some of Merseyside’s forgotten heroes; discover a few select viewing points where you can see semi-permanent mirages over the Mersey skyline; find out about the long lost underground grotto and tunnels said to be still in existence somewhere beneath Princes Park ... and much more besides.