Shire Library – serie

Few cars have achieved the iconic status of Volkswagen’s classic and much-loved Beetle – yet its origins are intertwined with the dark days of Nazism. This book looks at those origins, at the marque’s initial post-war rescue by the British and the effect of early VW Director General Heinz Nordhoff’s forward-looking desire to perfect one model rather than spread the company’s talent over a range of designs, at the impact of radical-minded advertising campaigns and at the Beetle’s never-to-be-beaten production record for a single model of nearly 22 million cars. Bringing the reader right up to the present day, marque expert Richard A. Copping recounts the Beetle’s story in a lively and authoritative manner guaranteed to delight devotee and casual browser alike.

Jasper' refers to the highly distinctive blue-and-white wares that have been produced by the Wedgwood company for more than two centuries. It was arguably Josiah Wedgwood's most important contribution to ceramic art and was a direct result of several thousand experiments over many years. It has been by far the most widely collected of all Wedgwood products, and this book explores the history and stories behind this unique ware.

Hollyhocks and cabbages, roses and runner beans: the English cottage garden combined beauty and utility, pride and productivity. But what was the reality of the space immortalised in images of thatched cottages with floral borders and ducks on the path? For many the garden was crucial in keeping food on the table, for many simply a status symbol and blaze of colour; and gardens did not just appeal to the senses, but played a philosophical and moral role in society, and thus in our social history. Visions of the rural cottager were never far from the mind of the Victorian middle classes, whether as a shining example to the indigent urban poor or as an aesthetic and social ideal of a utopian 'merrie England'. The Cottage Garden is the history of this varied and important phenomenon and its myriad concepts and incarnations.

Matchbox toys were ubiquitous items for children across the Western world.Originally labelled Christmas-cracker trash by retailers and shopkeepers, the small-scale 1-75 series soon began to see unprecedented worldwide sales in the 1950s. Smaller and cheaper than most of its competitors’ toys, Matchbox models were also far more accurately modelled, but the company has nevertheless seen its own share of competition and challenging times over the years.In this beautifully illustrated book, Matchbox collector Nick Jones tells the story of Matchbox and its most famous toys, from the Coronation Coach to Hotwheels dragsters, and complements the story with beautiful, previously unpublished photographs.

Timber-framed buildings are a distinctive and treasured part of Britain’s heritage, with such noteworthy examples as Little Moreton Hall, Anne Hathaway’s Cottage and Lavenham Guildhall. The oldest are medieval but their numbers peaked in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, with a revival in the nineteenth. The majority of timber-framed buildings are houses, but wood was used in all kinds of other buildings, including shops, inns, churches, town halls and farm buildings.In this beautifully illustrated book, Richard Hayman outlines the history of timber-framed designs, and considers the techniques used in their construction, the regional variations in style that can be found, and how these buildings displayed social status. He also guides the reader in identifying structures now concealed behind later work and explores how these buildings have been treated in subsequent centuries.

Steam, and then cumbersome motor, tractors existed in small numbers before 1914, after which the need to produce more foods using less horse and man power saw the origins of the machine we know today. Thanks to mass production, Ford brought the price down to suit average farmers, and in the 1920s to 1940s numerous rivals brought in such novelties as diesel engines, pneumatic tyres, hydraulic implement lifts and even cost-effective all-wheel drive and weather protection. After the Second World-War, a strong new indigenous tractor industry was led by Ferguson, David Brown, Nuffield and Ford. This book highlights these developments and goes on to show the dramatic improvements of the 1950s and 1960s.

The sweeping crinolines, corsets, bustles, bonnets and parasols of Victorian Britain are indispensable to our period dramas, and their influences can still be seen within burlesque and steampunk fashions. This is no surprise, as nineteenth-century clothing was so wide-ranging and decorative. We might unfairly think gentlemen’s costume to be rather plain and uniform, but this is more by contrast to the overwhelming ostentation, luxury fabrics, fine accessories and constantly evolving silhouettes of ladies’ fashion. This colourful introduction to what the Victorians wore describes the vibrant, fancy materials and lace edging at one end of the spectrum, and the tightlaced sobriety of mourning apparel at the other. It examines both high fashion imports from Paris and more modest everyday wear, evening costume, bridal styles, children’s clothes and sportswear, and explores the social and cultural backdrop to clothing in Britain’s great age of industry and empire.

Bricks were introduced to Britain by the Romans and reintroduced by Flemish craftsmen in the middle ages. Until the early nineteenth century they were made in numerous small brickyards supplying local needs, but eventually increasing demand led to the invention of improved brickmaking machines and kilns. This book gives an insight into the surprising variety of bricks, as well as a brief history of brickmaking, descriptions of hand and machine moulding, drying, the use of kilns and firing. Despite competition from newer materials, brick still holds its own as a facing material and traditional methods still survive in the smaller yards.

For centuries man has used the stick for many purposes, both decorative and practical. Later it became a symbol of authority, carried by tribal chiefs, army officers and policemen, and a costume accessory, an appendage of the swaggering dandy. This book examines the two main groups of walking sticks and canes: gadget sticks and decorative ones.

This book traces the history and evolution of the gramophone, the intricacies of recording sound on discs or cylinders and the complex early development of the record industry. It is a perfect guide for music enthusiasts.

The Victorian farmer occupied a pivotal role in rural society, paying rents to the landowner and providing employment for the labourer. This book explores the world of the farmer during Queen Victoria's reign, which was a period of considerable change on the farm as the forces of industrialisation made themselves felt. Using contemporary observations, illustrations and museum collections, David J. Eveleigh looks at the working farmer and everyday life in the farmhouse - the furnishings and household tasks. The picture which emerges is more complex and more fascinating than the romantic images which so often shape our views of farming life.

The slate industry has left an indelible mark on the history of our society. Slate quarries and the associated masses of waste have an awe-inspiring impact. It was an phenomenon of the nineteenth century, a product of the industrial revolution. This book explains what slate is, its uses and how its exploitation progressed in the late nineteenth century. It describes the social, cultural and political manifestations of the slate enterprises, and it poses the question of how we regard the legacy of the slate industry.

Well-surfaced roads are essential to a growing industrial nation and, as roadmaking in Britain improved from the late eighteenth century, heavy rollers hauled by men or horses were used to compact the surface. Steam power was first used to propel road rollers in the 1860s and thereafter there was rapid development, in parallel with that of the traction engine. This book outlines the development of steam rollers, with some technical details, and illustrates the different types.

For over a century, no surviving marque so accurately charted the triumphs and tribulations of the British motor-manufacturing industry as Rover. This book traces the history of the company, starting with the cycle-making precursors of the Rover Company Limited. Covering the struggle through the depression of the 1930s, and the expansions, mergers and contractions of the post-war period - the time of Rover's greatest success - the author then discusses Rover's placement within British Aerospace, the influence of the Japanese company Honda, and the ownership by BMW and the Phoenix Consortium. This book celebrates the history of Britain's last volume car producer, up to its sale to the Nanjing Corporation of China.

Turnpike trusts formed an important part of English life for over 150 years, from about 1690 to 1840, during which time they made a significant contribution to economic development before and during the industrial revolution. Locally and privately funded and usually operated on a relatively small scale, they represented an administrative innovation which recognised and tried to meet the need for an improved road transport infrastructure. For the first time road users paid for repairs and improvements to roads, and parishioners hitherto responsible were relieved of an often burdensome charge on local finances.Over 20,000 miles (32,000km) of roads were 'turnpiked', and most of these eighteenth- and nineteenth-century roads are still used today. Apart from the roads themselves, the most obvious survivals of turnpike trusts are the scores of neat little tollhouses and hundreds of roadside milestones. This book outlines the origins, development, success and decline of the turnpike trusts and some of the features associated with them.

Hats replaced bonnets as headgear for women around the 1890s and hat pins were needed to secure the hats firmly; they were essential for the larger hats worn around 1910–12. The hat-pin industry expanded rapidly, producing pins of many materials, styles and qualities. Hat pins were necessary for everyday wear as well as for sports and motoring. Suffragettes used them as offensive weapons and were not allowed to wear them when they appeared in court. By-laws prohibited hat pins from being worn with protruding unprotected points and contemporary cartoons poked fun at their use.

William Richard Morris, later Lord Nuffield, rose from humble beginnings to become one of Britain's leading industrialists and philanthropists, and it is to his career that Oxford's industrial standing can largely be attributed. Having established his own cycle business nine months after leaving school at fourteen, he quickly developed plans for a small, high quality car that could be mass-produced – and so the first Morris Oxford appeared in 1913. The boom of the 1920s made Morris a millionaire and peer, and it was not long before he had embarked upon a program of philanthropy that would see him give away over £30,000,000, much of it to hospitals and other medical causes. He also financed the establishment of Nuffield College, Oxford, which bears his title. His name ceased to appear on motorcars in 1983, when Morris Motors became part of British Leyland, but the MG (Morris Garages) badge has survived as a fitting memorial.

Slipware has been one of the most popular types of pottery in Britain since its introduction over four centuries ago. By the seventeenth century the decoration of pottery with slip, or clay mixed to a creamy consistency, had become widespread and the technique was perfected by the potters of England and Wales. Although confined largely to the lower end of the social spectrum, their simple but lively decoration, together with their relatively low price, guaranteed their place amongst the domestic wares of families for almost three centuries. This book is the perfect introduction to the variety of slipware designs in England and Wales, explaining the industry by which it is produced, and highlighting some of the most important centres of production in the country.

This book guides the reader through the intricacies of identifying a piece of lace, listing and illustrating the points to look for in each lace. It covers the whole range of lace from all parts of the world, selecting for examination those major types which the collector or dealer is most likely to come across or hear about. The numerous photographs are arranged to assist comparison of diagnostic features and to put together laces which might be confused with one other so that their differences, sometimes subtle, can be appreciated.

There was a tremendous expansion of education in England and Wales during the nineteenth century. A combination of voluntary effort and government action led to the introduction of a system of elementary education for the working class. This book describes the development of Victorian schools and looks at the evolving role and status of the teacher. The emphasis, however, is on the schoolroom itself. Using contemporary sources, this book looks at what went on in the schoolrooms of Victorian England and Wales, at the way lessons were planned and taught, and at the equipment and teaching resources that were employed.

Although clay tobacco pipes are still made today their place in history is the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Until about 1890 the clay pipe was as common-place as the tankard of ale and the mug of tea, but competition from the briar pipe, the cigar and the cigarette brought the clay-pipe industry to an end about 1900. These old pipes are now being eagerly looked for an picked up by the hundreds, and the enthusiastic finder is confronted with many quetsions. How old is it? How was it made? Where was it made? The aim of this book is to answer these questions and to record the part the humble 'clay' once played in our society.

This book shows the variety of subjects and techniques of embroidered pictures in the Georgian period in Britain (1714-1830).

Of interest to collectors, this describes, illustrates and identifies forceps, surgical saws, lancets, stethoscopes, syringes, and many other unusual contents of the doctor''s bag, surgeon''s case or dentist''s surgery.'

After the close of the First World War, the British motorcycle industry rose to prominence as British motorcycles became almost unbeatable in competitions. However, a shortage of these new model bikes pushed prices to a premium and most people were forced to settle for pre-war designs. These high prices led to greater competition, and greater competition lead to swifter and more innovative development. By the mid 1920s the overhead valve engine came into its own, with enhanced performance, and then the overhead camshaft engine allowed even greater potential. Internal expanding hub brakes kept safety in step with increased performance. The later 1920s brought about further significant changes when wired-on tyres came into general use and electric lighting replaced acetylene lights. Appearance was improved when chromium plating took the place of nickel and the saddle tank rendered the old flat tank superfluous.

It is generally accepted that Karl Benz was the inventor of the motor-car in 1885 – what is less well known is that his car was a three-wheeler. In the motor-industry's early years, the threeand four-wheeled types were developed side by side, but the latter began to take precedence as its greater stability, and the three-wheeler's severe bodywork limitations, became evident. For twenty years the light car, cyclecar, three-wheeler and motorcycle competed for the rapidly expanding market, until eventually and inevitably being eclipsed by the mass-produced, £100 four-wheeled motor car. Fully illustrated and packed with little-known facts, this book puts three-wheelers, and the companies that produced them, in their historical context.

Tatting is the craft of making lace with a shuttle. Its charm lies in the repetition of simple motifs. This title traces the development of tatting from the eighteenth-century pastime of knotting, through its emergence as a craft in Victorian times, to modern innovations. It is illustrated with examples from museums and private collections.

When H. F. S. Morgan designed and built his first three-wheeled single-seater car in 1909, he could never have envisaged the enormous success that his cars were to enjoy. Several attempts have been made by major manufacturers over the years to take over the company but all have been resisted, making Morgan the oldest family motor manufacturer in the world. Such is the attraction of the Morgan that the company no longer has to advertise its cars and the waiting list for a new car is between six months and two years, depending on the model ordered.

The Victorians were, were relatively at ease with death and there is much in this book to interest social historians, those interested in historical costume and transport enthusiasts, as there is a section on the development of the horse-drawn hearse.

British ceramics of the 1950s are highly evocative of a decade of optimism and change in British life. The austerity of war was quickly banished by a new breed of young consumer who had money to spend and who demanded ceramics which were bright, exciting and, above all, modern. This book considers how pottery manufacturers met this challenge, producing ware which is again prized today for its innovative and daring design.