Through Time – serie

Renowned for their illustrious ceramic manufacturing heritage, the Staffordshire Potteries originally centred upon six towns: Tunstall, Burslem, Hanley, Stoke-upon-Trent, Fenton and Longton. The modern city of Stoke-on-Trent was created from these six towns and around fifty villages. In The Potteries Through Time, author Mervyn Edwards presents a nostalgic visual chronicle of the towns and villages in the Potteries across the decades.In his previous Through Time books, Mervyn Edwards focused upon each of the six towns individually. This latest volume explores the hills and hollows between the centres whilst also offering new archive photographs of the main towns. We find shabby backstreets cowering in the shadow of enormous coal tips – the Potteries’ own ‘black hills’ – and there are industrial hotspots and busy suburbs. Then there are the proud old chapels and pubs and the even prouder people that patronised them. Stoke-on-Trent was not a pretty place, but as the proverb tells us, ‘where there is muck there is brass’, and the fascinating landscape came to be captured by all manner of writers, artists and photographers.This collection of archive photographs is an engaging book that charts changing times and the shifting identity of the Potteries. It will be of immense interest to local residents, visitors and all those with links to the area.

Dorset has always been an important railway county, catering for holidaymakers heading to the resorts of Bournemouth, Swanage and Weymouth. As part of the mid-nineteenth-century desire for railways to reach many parts of the country, a line from Southampton reached the county town of Dorchester in 1847. This was to become part of the London & South Western Railway. The Great Western Railway arrived in the county in 1857 with a line from Yeovil to Weymouth built to Brunel’s broad-gauge standard. Another name associated with the county was the Somerset & Dorset Railway, which opened between Bath and Poole in 1870. Development of the various lines are covered – their heyday was the 1950s when they were used by holidaymakers heading for the sunny south coast. Then came the Beeching closures, but also the electrification of the main line to Weymouth. The various routes within the county are covered by a wide selection of photographs, many of which have not been published before.

The area of North Staffordshire combines urban and rural areas, from Stoke-on-Trent and the Potteries, the town of Newcastle-under-Lyme, the moorland and Peak District towns and villages to the border with Cheshire and Derbyshire.In spite of the many changes that have occurred in North Staffordshire, its towns and villages have retained their identity, with historical buildings alongside the new. This fascinating selection of old and new images of North Staffordshire will be essential reading for all those who know the area.

Wimborne Minster is a market town in Dorset. The settlement grew up around its minster, from which it takes its name and which was originally an Anglo-Saxon foundation. The town is known for its large number of buildings from the fifteenth to the eighteenth centuries but today is being extended beyond its historic centre to accommodate new housing.In spite of the many changes that have occurred in Wimborne the town has retained its identity and much of its historical buildings. This fascinating selection of old and new images of Wimborne will be essential reading for all those who know the town and the area.

The North Staffordshire Coalfield is concentrated around the Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme areas, with a small outlying area around Leek and Cheadle. During the Industrial Revolution coal from the area fired the Potteries’ ceramics and iron industries.At its peak, fifty pits were working in the area but as the coal industry declined nationally, pits gradually merged or closed in the post-war years. Closures accelerated following the Miners’ Strike in the 1980s and the last deep mine, Silverdale, closed in 1998. Today, most of the sites have been reclaimed, including a nature reserve at Chatterley Whitfield.This fascinating selection of old and new images of the North Staffordshire Coalfield will be essential reading for all those who know the area or have family members who worked in the local coal mining industry.

Bexhill-on-Sea, often simply called Bexhill, is a seaside resort located on the south coast of England in East Sussex. The town was transformed by the arrival of the railways in the mid-nineteenth century. Once a haunt of smugglers, Bexhill became popular, attracting many to live by the sea or visit the town. The 7th Earl De La Warr developed Bexhill as a fashionable resort, building new streets and grand houses and hotels, and later generations continued this work, most famously with the 1930s’ De La Warr Pavilion. Today, the town retains a quiet and dignified appeal for its many visitors and residents.In spite of the many changes that have occurred in Bexhill-on-Sea, the town has retained its identity, with historical buildings alongside the new. This fascinating selection of old and new images of Bexhill-on-Sea will be essential reading for all those who know the area.

Liverpool’s growth and prosperity throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries was reflected in the rise of its shops as much as any other aspect of city life. In this book, local historian Daniel K. Longman compares historic images of commercial premises throughout Liverpool with their modern-day counterparts. These pictures reveal an intriguing history of shops across the city and offer a fascinating insight into changing architectural styles and fashions through the decades. These comparisons reveal a rich heritage of traditional architraves, elaborate lettering, and ornate doorways alongside an aesthetic movement towards somewhat more simpler styles, minimalism, and modernisation. This book also reveals how much of Liverpool’s built heritage has survived despite extensive changes in this nostalgic look back at some of the city’s most interesting and impressive shopping destinations.This enthralling selection of old and new images of Liverpool shopfronts shows how our shops reflect the changing lifestyles of people through the years as well as the changing architectural face of the city. It will be essential reading for all those who are interested in the history of Liverpool and the surrounding area.

Edinburgh Old Town is the ancient centre of the city of Edinburgh. Many historic buildings still stand in the Old Town, on the Royal Mile which runs from Holyrood Palace to the Castle and in the surrounding area, alongside newer construction. Edinburgh Old Town Through Time explores the rich history and vibrant culture of Edinburgh’s Old Town through a collection of then-and-now images which reveal how the area has evolved, showcasing its historic architecture, bustling streets, and the lives of its inhabitants. Discover the stories behind famous landmarks, hidden gems, and the everyday scenes that shaped this unique place. Whether you’re a history buff, a lover of architecture, or simply curious about Edinburgh, this visual exploration connects the past and present of the Old Town.In spite of the many changes that have occurred in Edinburgh Old Town, the area has retained its identity, with historical buildings alongside the new. This fascinating selection of old and new images of Edinburgh Old Town will be essential reading for all those who know the area.

Ripon's story comes alive on this tour around the city. Evidence of life here hundreds of millions of years ago, with 'Ripon' at the edge of a tropical sea, can be observed at Quarry Moor; bronze age henges are to be found to the north and east of the city; Celts and Anglo-Saxons settled between the rivers. The King of Northumbria granted land for the establishment of a monastery in the seventh century and the famous St Wilfrid's monastery acquired international renown. As a result, the church gained control of thousands of acres of land, with the grant of a judicial franchise or liberty that lasted to the sixteenth-century Reformation. These influences are all to be seen. Like many historic market towns, Ripon owes much of its street pattern, its local government, its economic development and some would say its problems to earlier times. This book will help draw them out for you.

Lundy Island lies far out in the Bristol Channel, between the coasts of North Devon and South Wales. Its position makes it a natural fortress and an attractive refuge since man first inhabited this rocky but fertile outcrop throughout its piratical history up to the present day. Now owned by the National Trust it is a haven for wildlife both above and beneath the waves; cared for and managed by the Landmark Trust. This book explores the island using photographs, many of which have never or rarely been published before, looking at the buildings, the land and the very life and soul of this popular destination for birdwatchers, holiday makers or those simply seeking quiet and solitude. It will be of great interest to those who have come to know and love this beautiful island haven, just three miles long by half a mile wide.

Peeblesshire and its attractive county town are situated in Upper Tweeddale, an area of great beauty and tranquillity. Tucked into the Borders Hills, with the River Tweed at its heart, Peebles has much to offer both tourists and residents, including walking, fishing and cycling or simply strolling along the river banks or exploring the charming high street. The city of Edinburgh is a mere 22 miles north but Peebles retains its market town identity and is very much part of The Borders. Peebles was created a Royal Burgh in 1367 by David II. Some remnants of its past are easily seen such as the thirteenth century Neidpath Castle, dramatically towering above a meander in the gorge; others remain only as traces, like the east port of the sixteenth-century town wall. This collection of photographs portrays some of the changes that have taken place to Peebles and its environs as the town has developed and grown.

Very few buildings that stood in the centre of Plymouth before the War still remain. The city was devastated by enemy bombing especially during 1941. Many of the old, narrow, congested streets were destroyed completely, changing the face of Plymouth forever. After the War, a new modern City Centre was built with first class stores and spacious streets. Vast changes have also occurred in the areas surrounding the centre. Some areas are now totally unrecognizable but often a bit of old wall, post or fence will be exactly the same as it was a hundred years ago making it easier to work out where an old building, factory or farmhouse might have once stood. This book will prove appealing to both people who are interested in the history of the city and also to those who are interested in how the area has changed over the years.

A border town for most of its history, Stockport owes its origins to a prehistoric ford and the fortified rocky outcrop that overlooked it. Early industry included the dyeing and bleaching of cloth, hatting, silk spinning and, later, cotton. Some of its medieval past has been hidden by rapid expansion during the early part of the Industrial Revolution, but much still remains if you know where to look. Stockport's market area, cobbled brows, historic buildings, thoroughfares, shopping centres and parks all add to the broad range of interest within these pages. The book is designed to make readers think again about a town they thought they knew - a town that has continued to change for over 750 years. It will encourage you to make your own journey into Stockport's hidden past.

The town of Halifax is full of magnificent buildings designed by famous architects such as Sir Charles Barry, John Carr, Sir George Gilbert Scott and other buildings designed by the town's own talented architects. The town has altered quite dramatically during the last 150 years. Some of the earlier views dating from the Victorian period would be unrecognisable without more recent pictures to compare against. Changes to transport from the days of horse and carts, to trams and motorisation have brought other more noticeable changes in terms of traffic schemes and street signs in abundance and of course, the 'one way systems'. Halifax Through Time brings these changes to life contrasting the 'old' and 'new' and if the reader was so inclined, by following the structured sequence of photographs, provides a fascinating reference for a stroll around the town.

Prior to the nineteenth century, Bradford was very much a backwater. After that it was to become the metropolis of the worsted industry and enjoyed a prosperity scarcely equalled by any other portion of the kingdom. It was said at the time that the real energy of Yorkshire centred in Bradford. The times of growth were astounding and in 1897, when the town received its city status, Bradford truly was magnificent.Wherever you go in Bradford you cannot escape its rich industrial past. Many of the old mills remain, either converted to housing or awaiting demolition. Bradford Through Time goes to show us in many ways what we have lost, many of the older images display a way of life that appears rich and energetic with a real pride. You may be forgiven for thinking in some cases that we have gone backwards and not forwards in time.

Bournemouth Through Time is a wonderful collection of old and new photographs of Bournemouth. The older images are printed alongside a contemporary full colour photograph, which illustrates the same scene. The contrasting illustrations show how the area has changed and developed during the last 100 years. The photographs illustrate shops, schools, garages, churches, houses and street scenes.As you browse through the photographs, you will notice the increase in the number of vehicles on the roads and the number of residents, how shops and other businesses have evolved and the changes and developments in modes of transportation and the architecture of the area.

Redcar, Marske & Saltburn Through Time is a wonderful collection of old and new photographs of this historic area of Yorkshire. The older images are printed alongside a contemporary full colour photograph, which illustrates the same scene. The contrasting illustrations show how the area has changed and developed during the last 100 years. The photographs illustrate shops, schools, garages, churches, houses and street scenes, each photograph is captioned and the book has an introduction which gives a brief overview of the history of the area. As you browse through the photographs, you will notice the increase in the number of vehicles on the roads and the number of residents, how shops and other businesses have evolved and the changes and developments in modes of transportation and the architecture of the area.

Bournemouth Airport was first opened as RAF Hurn on 1 August 1941, one of the bases established by the RAF to counter the Luftwaffe presence across the Channel in northern France. RAF Hurn would go on to serve as a base for the development of radar in aircraft and as a base for bombers and fighter-bombers supporting the D-Day invasion of France. BOAC operated civilian services from Hurn as early as January 1942, flying at first just to Cairo but later to Madrid, Lisbon and Ireland, and between the end the war and 1 June 1946 Hurn was Britain’s main international airport.After the departure of BOAC, Hurn was used as an industrial centre by companies such as Airwork, de Havilland and Vickers-Armstrongs, as well as playing host from 1948 until 2011 to the College of Air Traffic Control. Bournemouth Airport today serves airlines such as Ryanair and various charter services. In this book, Mike Phipp takes a look at the history of Bournemouth Airport from its early years to the present day.

Yorkshire remains the largest county in England, and to those born within its boundaries it is unquestionably the greatest; whether this pride is justified or not, it would surely be difficult to find a county with more claims to the visitor's interest. These include the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors. One of the grandest areas of unspoiled country in the whole of England, the Dales are mountains and moorland, as well as peaceful villages, waterfalls and awe-inspiring caverns.The North York Moors, another of the loveliest parts of England, is bounded by the splendour of the Yorkshire coast. The area is rich in history; many monuments, glorious cathedrals, magnificent houses, castles and some of the most beautiful ruins in England bear eloquent witness to the county's often tumultuous past. In this work, the author shares his fascination and love of his native county.

With the liberal use of many previously unpublished photographs contrasting past and present, Silverstone Circuit Through Time shows how a wartime airfield developed, stage by stage, into the country's premier motor racing circuit, the annual home of Formula One's spectacular British Grand Prix. Though touching on some of the great personalities associated with the place, it is essentially a book about the circuit itself. There is much nostalgic emphasis on the 1950s and 1960s, when love of the sport and a willingness to make the best of things had to compensate for the somewhat primitive facilities on offer. The remarkable turnaround of more recent years is also fully explored, as a fairly ramshackle venue reflecting the dreamy surrounding countryside turned itself into a high-tech entertainment centre bristling with ambition for the future.

From the Cheshire Plain, that swathe of flatland with its mix of rich farmland, chocolate box villages and heavy industry to historic Chester with its aura of antiquity, across to the Wirral, most of which has been snatched away by Merseyside but leaves us with Ellesmere Port where the canal reaches the sea. Not forgetting ancient Nantwich, Alsager, Congleton, Wilmslow, Macclesfield, the gateway to the wild moorlands on the Cheshire Derbyshire border. Paul Hurley paints an affectionate portrait of Cheshire and gives residents, visitors and casual observers a look at how the towns once were compared with how they are now. Towns such as Stockport and Birkenhead that once formed part of the county, are not included but the ones that joined on amalgamation such as Widnes and Warrington are. So turn the pages compare the old with the new and see something different each time.

Two ancient areas, very different but inextricably linked by the past. Bermondsey, a name established in Saxon times had its rural abbey, farm and tanning pits. Rotherhithe, translating as a bovine landing stage, had its shipbuilding, rope works and eighteenth century maritime connections. Both places have magical tales to tell, some of which are briefly narrated in this book. There are beautiful churches, old forgotten monuments, cockney days out and tragic accounts of war.It was to Bermondsey that people flocked to find a cure for the plague, believing that vapours from the tan pits would thwart the disease. It was Rotherhithe where the first underwater tunnel, built by the Brunels, was dug out. The Second World War re-shaped the landscape and now regeneration is forming a new one. This is a book of contrasts and surprises, with around fifty pictures that have rarely seen the light of day.

Many parish churches and chapels are the oldest building in their town or village; some of them may be over a thousand years old. Throughout their long history these pillars of community have usually witnessed change, sometimes beyond recognition. Countless houses of worship bear the scars of trials and tribulations,the effects of war, restorative vandalism, parochial indifference and the zeal of Puritanical iconoclasts.Join Alan Whitworth on this affectionate and fascinating visual tour of Yorkshire's religious institutions. This carefully selected collection of images, old and new, reproduced in colour and complemented with informative and often humorous captions, will be essential reading for anyone who knows and loves this area and its ecclesiastical architecture.

The unique profile of Edinburgh was born of a marriage between nature's sculpture and man's architecture. The epicentre is Castle Rock - a volcanic plug - which constantly draws the eye from all parts of the city. Sloping down from it is a jagged outline of impossibly high medieval tenements lining the Royal Mile which is punctuated at the foot of the tail of glacial debris by Holyrood Palace. That Edinburgh is beautiful is not in doubt.It is a city blended in to the countryside, with the Firth of Forth as the northern backdrop, a necklace of hills in all other directions. The history, however, has been less harmonious, largely due to warring with the English, but also because of religious turmoil and social unrest. The vibrant capital today draws thousands of visitors, not only for the historical sights, but also for the annual International Festivals of the arts, music and literature.

During the eighteenth century the plight of those considered insane was dismal. Many were locked up in madhouses or chained in the workhouse, their illnesses ignored. It was only with the advent of the Industrial Revolution that reform came into place. Within the West Riding of Yorkshire the first steps in reform were taken by the Tuke family who built the Retreat at York, instrumental in bringing a new moral, caring attitude that was quickly adopted across the country. Through our journey in time we discover how former asylums in York, Wakefield, Sheffield, Menston and Huddersfield changed over the centuries. These sprawling institutions were self-contained, isolated villages in their own right. With the aid of fascinating photographs, a formidable history emerges from an age where it is estimated that at least 30 per cent of the asylum population were unjustly incarcerated without crime or foundation.

Thomas Hardy celebrated the glorious county of Dorset through his writings. Today our vision of Dorset is very much that fixed by Hardy in novels ranging from Far From the Madding Crowd and The Mayor of Casterbridge to Tess of the d'Urbervilles and Jude the Obscure. Hurriedly produced in instalments for magazines, they were then reworked by Hardy with care and finesse, and turned into world classics. Steve Wallis revisits the Dorset heartland of Hardy's Wessex, and illustrates the changes that have taken place using old and new images. He charts Thomas Hardy's life and work through the places he knew and the locations he immortalised, from his birthplace at Stinsford, to his old age at Max Gate, with Swanage, Sturminster Newton, Weymouth and Wimborne in between. Join the author on this unique and nostalgic tour through time.

East Lothian, previously known as Haddingtonshire, has both benefitted and suffered from its strategic location between Scotland's capital city and England's northernmost county. Prior to 1707, the region bore the brunt of battles between the two countries, not only on land but along 32 miles of coastline. The rich, fertile soils, on the other hand, have produced wealth through agriculture and the patchwork of large, neat fields are synonymous with the landscape of East Lothian today. The proximity to Edinburgh makes it a prime location from which to commute. Attractive pantiled properties abound throughout the villages and countryside, all within short distances of the clean beaches or links golf courses, while tranquillity can also be found in the woodlands or gentle moorland slopes of the Lammermuir Hills. The reminders of troubled times can be viewed today by a stroll around a castle, but twenty-first-century East Lothian is thriving.

The part of the Suffolk coast that embraces Southwold and Aldeburgh has a rich history in its relationship between its inhabitants and the North Sea. This is a paradise for writers, artists, walkers, bird watchers and all those who want a holiday away from some of the excesses of the typical seaside resorts. There are golden sands, shinglebanks, crumbling cliffs, lost towns, heathland walks and all the time the restless sea rolling in. 'There is no sea like the Aldeburgh sea, it speaks to me,' wrote the poet Edward Fitzgerald and it still speaks to anyone who wants to hear it that visits this fascinating area. Michael Rouse's photographs capture the places today, while the selection of old photographs record holidaymakers and scenes from over one hundred years ago. This is a nostalgic journey back in time for residents and visitors alike.

Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells' is a well worn cliche, however, it does encapsulate the genteel character of this Kentish spa. Before the popularity of sea bathing, holidaymakers gathered here to drink the waters for medicinal purposes. The town grew to accommodate visitors with smart hotels and attractive terraces of Georgian and Victorian houses. The area's sandstone geology is revealed at Wellington and High Rocks and there is also evidence of Roman occupation in the town's roots. Today a low crime rate, relatively full employment, attractive open spaces, good transport links to London and a vibrant retail sector have created a contented community. Changes to the townscape over the past century have been mostly sympathetic, but still very important. The photographs in this book provide a fleeting view of Tunbridge Wells through time, and provide the reader with a fascinating tour of this Kentish spa's eclectic past and present.