Böcker utgivna av Amberley Publishing

The meticulously researched account of the defence of Malta and its role, importance and contribution to the Allied effort during WW2.

The fascinating history of Ormskirk illustrated through old and modern pictures.

The stories of women, famous, infamous and unknown, who shaped the course of medieval history.

A fascinating tour of Lewes' pub scene, charting the town's taverns, alehouses and watering holes, from past centuries to more recent times.

The south-west London suburb of Surbiton, part of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, came into being after a plan to build a London-Southampton rail line took a route somewhat to the south of Kingston. Surbiton Station, originally called Kingston-on-Railway, was opened in 1838 and the suburb grew from there. Formerly within the county of Surrey, Surbiton became part of Greater London in 1965, together with neighbouring Kingston and Richmond. Surbiton has always been a desirable place to live and has attracted some very famous residents, among them writers Thomas Hardy and Enid Blyton; the Pre-Raphaelite painters, John Everett Millais and William Holman Hunt; and Rupert the Bear artist, Alfred Bestall. Perhaps its greatest claim to fame was as the fictional home of Tom and Barbara Good and their neighbours, the Leadbetters, in the much-loved sitcom The Good Life. The fascinating history of this most suburban of neighbourhoods is captured in this unique selection of old and new images and informative captions, compiled by London author and historian Tim Everson, and is essential reading for anybody who knows and loves Surbiton.

Nantwich has been a very important town from the earliest days. It is the oldest of the three Cheshire Wiches or Wyches from which salt has been drawn, the other two being Northwich and Middlewich. During Roman times Nantwich was famous for the salt that was recovered here, Welsh Row being so-named as it is the road the Welsh used to enter the town to collect salt. In fact, its ancient name was Helath Wen ('the town of white salt'); the present name is derived from Nant meaning 'vale', and Wich meaning 'a salt spring'. Other names for the town have been Wich-Malbank after the ancient family of Malbank, whose ancestor was one of Hugh Lupus's relations, and Namptwyche. Join Paul Hurley as he guides the reader through the town's charming streets, showing how its most recognisable landmarks and hiddenaway gems have transformed over time. With the help of a handy location map, readers are invited on this tour to discover for themselves the changing face of Nantwich.

Liverpool City Centre History Tour is a unique insight into the illustrious history of this famous old port city. Local author Ian Collard guides us through the streets and alleyways, showing how its famous landmarks used to look and how they've changed over the years, as well as exploring its lesser-known sights and hidden corners. With the help of a handy location map, readers are invited to follow a timeline of events and discover for themselves the changing face of Liverpool City Centre.

Galashiels History Tour is a unique insight into the illustrious history of this famous Borders textile town. This new book guides us through the streets and alleyways, showing how its famous landmarks used to look and how they've changed over the years as well as exploring its lesser-known sights and hidden corners. With the help of a handy location map, readers are invited to follow a timeline of events and discover for themselves the changing face of 'Gala'.

High Wycombe, or simply Wycombe, has had a long and remarkable past: the Royal military academy was founded in the town in the late eighteenth century before moving to Sandhurst; Charles I passed through on his way to the scaffold in 1649; and Benjamin Disraeli, MP for the town between 1874 and 1880, made his first political speech from a portico in the high street. Beneath the main high street is a honeycomb network of secret tunnels, originally thought to serve some clandestine purpose but in fact used by the brewery to transport beer to the many pubs throughout Wycombe as it was easier than negotiating the crowded streets. Nearby is the village of Penn, the ancestral home of William Penn, founder of the city of Philadelphia and from whom the state of Pennsylvania takes its name. His sons lie buried in the churchyard. Bizarrely, the same churchyard contains the graves of David Blakeley, murdered by Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in Britain, and the infamous Soviet spy, Donald Maclean. In Secret High Wycombe, local author Eddie Brazil delves beneath the surface of this Buckinghamshire market town, revealing a lesser-known past that even most local people don't know.

This book showcases British decorative tiles from 1945 to 1975. 'Mid-century Modern' had its roots in the 1930s, with influences especially from California and Europe. Pioneers include the architect Frank Lloyd Wright in the USA and, in Europe, the Milan designers Gio Ponti and Piero Fornasetti, who derived inspiration from artists such as Picasso and Miro. British designers hardly had time to embrace the new style before the Second World War, but the decades after 1945 saw it flourish in the UK. Bold, sweeping curves in the manner of sculptures by Barbara Hepworth flowed into interior design, and the graphic style of Graham Sutherland was adopted by ceramic manufacturers. British tile producers developed a Mid-century Modern character of their own, one that was not simply derivative of American and European or even other British designers. Tiles were widely used inside the home, and also as key features of architectural projects. The DIY movement of the 1960s took the choices about interior tiling away from builders and architects, and allowed homeowners to adopt their own style of the day. This book looks at some of the important tile manufacturers, such as Carter & Company in Poole, and shows off the variety of skills and techniques that went into creating these decorated tiles, exploring Britain's rich catalogue of powerful designs.

The story of Athens is truly intriguing: how did a tiny community of 200,000 citizens manage to give birth to towering geniuses across the range of human endeavour, create one of the greatest civilizations in history, and lay the foundations of our own political and intellectual heritage?Taking the city itself as his central subject, Anthony Everitt relates the story of this early metropolis, taking in the strengths, flaws and unique brilliance of this ambitious experiment in civilization. Filled with adventure and astounding reversals of fortune, The Rise of Athens celebrates the city-state that cradled the world's first democracy - from its revolutionary beginnings through to the flowering of its intellectual and artistic achievements - and explores its eventual decline into a lesser city under outside rule. In his deft and fluid style, Everitt shows how our culture has been profoundly influenced by the Athenians: inventing the arts of tragedy and comedy, architecture and sculpture, establishing the concepts and language of western philosophy, and raising political issues that still vex thinkers to this day.

It has achieved iconic status; it symbolises Britain; but it is now seldom used! The British phonebox or, more correctly, kiosk began life as the silence cabinet in the late 1800s, but started to establish itself firmly as part of the landscape in the 1920s when the first standardised K1 model was introduced. However, it was the K2 design by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, and then his more numerous K6 design, that established the now familiar and iconic red box on our streets. Today the mobile-phone generation have probably never stepped inside a phonebox, let alone used one. Nevertheless, there they remain as an essential part of what makes Britain, Britain!This book looks at the history and evolution of the humble British phonebox through all of its major models, including those that were introduced by organisations such as the emergency services, those that have been given a new lease of life as something completely different, and the exciting new designs that are intended to extend the life of the phonebox well into the twenty-first century.

It is fascinating to think that many hundreds of generations of Londoners lie beneath the city without us knowing. Over many centuries burial grounds have been developed, built over and then forgotten, often beneath playgrounds, gardens or car parks. When modern development takes place, remains are disturbed and we are reminded of a London that has long since disappeared, particularly with recent archaeological discoveries across the city. In London's Hidden Burial Grounds, authors Robert Bard and Adrian Miles seek to uncover many of the capital's lost graveyards, often in the unlikeliest of places.

Lewes appears to be a tranquil and attractive place but its alleyways and buildings conceal many stories. The town's origins can be traced back to prehistory and the Romans, Anglo-Saxons and Normans have all left their mark. Author Terry Philpot takes the reader on a fascinating journey through streets that have been walked by artists like Eric Gill and writers from John Evelyn to Virginia Woolf, as well as revolutionaries and reformers from Thomas Paine to Eamon de Valera, and some remarkable local people. The annual Bonfire Night, when an effigy of the Pope is burned, is a reminder of a vibrant religious history that includes the Norman foundation of the Priory of St Pancras to the execution of seventeen Protestant martyrs in the sixteenth century. From the decisive battle of the Second Barons' War, England's 'unknown' civil war of the thirteenth century, to its prison, which held Finnish soldiers captured during the Crimean War 600 years later, English history echoes in Lewes. But it is also a place where eccentrics have had a place, inventors and pioneers have thrived, and entrepreneurs, whose names are now known in today's fashionable shopping places, have flourished. Donminated by castle and prison and once a major port, Lewes' past, sometimes violent, sometimes inventive, and sometimes creative but always engrossing, is ever present all around you.

In 1897, Nottingham was granted a city charter to coincide with the celebrations accompanying Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. By then Nottingham already had a history going back to at least the ninth century when the settlement was referred to as 'Tigguo Cobauc', which literally translates as the 'House of Caves'. The Victorian and Edwardian era saw great changes to Nottingham. Rapid growth in its population meant the town had to adapt. Once known as the 'Garden Town', Nottingham quickly saw an urban transformation in areas such as housing, industry and transport. Much of Nottingham's heritage was lost to make way for progress, even more so with the Enclosure Act of 1845. This book, through photographs, postcards, documents and other images, reflects the changes Nottingham has seen from a beautiful garden town to one of the Britain's leading cities. We can trace both the architectural development and the social impact brought about by these changes. This book records the historical changes by comparing Victorian and Edwardian photographs with their modern-day counterparts.

The Manchester Ship Canal was a huge engineering achievement. It included seven swing bridges and the aqueduct at Barton, and helped turn the cotton-producing capital of Great Britain into an inland seaport. This was a feat many at the time believed could not be achieved. One of the wonders of the modern industrial world, the Manchester Ship Canal, with its huge locks and ocean-going vessels, was a magnetic draw for enthusiastic Victorians who marvelled at its construction. This book looks at the changes and development of the Manchester Ship Canal through time, from its origins as a thriving economic hub in the late nineteenth century, to an important retail, leisure and media centre in the early twenty-first century and beyond. Join Steven Dickens as he explores the history of this 36-mile-long inland waterway in the north-west of England, which links Manchester to the Mersey Estuary and the Irish Sea.

Stockport sits on elevated ground 7 miles south-east of the city centre of Manchester. No part of Stockport is recorded in the Domesday Book but there are records that show a castle was built in the area in the late twelfth century and the first borough charter was granted around 1220. The town developed in size during the Industrial Revolution when its site at the confluence of the rivers Tame, Goyt and Mersey provided the water sources needed for the development of a number of mills. Today a walk around the narrow streets and passages of Hillgate provides evidence of Stockport's rich history with the fifteenth-century Staircase House and the quaint cobbled streets surrounding the market sitting in the shadow of the historic Church of St Mary. Venture out of the centre, however, and you will find Stockport is rich in myth and legend. From the witch of Reddish Vale and ghosts of Bramall Hall to the beautifully restored, Art Deco Plaza Theatre, there is always something to catch the imagination of those visitors who wish to uncover the hidden secrets of this fascinating town.

Rayleigh History Tour provides an insight into the illustrious history of this ancient market town. Mike and Sharon Davies guide us through its streets, showing how its famous landmarks and hidden-away gems have transformed over time. With the help of a handy location map, readers are invited on this tour to discover for themselves the changing face of Rayleigh.

Sir Titus Salt built a mill and village in 1853 that continues to be named after him. Already a successful worsted manufacturer in Bradford, his decision to build a huge 'vertical' mill commenced a pattern of intertwined fortunes between Salt's Mill and Saltaire's residents, one that has continued. It housed all processes from treating raw wool to finishing quality worsted materials, alongside houses and community amenities for his workers. Ownership of Salts Mill initially passed to Salt's fifth son but went into voluntary administration in 1892. The mill was rescued and prospered under the ownership of Sir James Roberts until 1918, when family and business tragedies resulted in his sale of Salts Mill to a consortium of Bradford businessmen. During lean times for the textile trade in the 1920s, the private company of Salts Mill was floated as a public company and success returned to the mill. This led to record dividends in 1956, resulting in a dramatic take over by Illingworth, Morris - a company founded by the Ostrer family, who grew a global, multi-national textile company, retaining their headquarters at Salts Mill until textile production ceased. The twists, turns and dramas at Salts Mill are recounted in this book.

Northampton Memories brings together the recollections of people from various parts of the town and from a range of different age groups. It includes memories of home and family life, the local shops and market, experiences of wartime rationing, memories of local businesses, education, parks and play areas, of travelling to and fro on the local transport services, memories of the old dance halls and events, and of how the town itself has changed throughout the years. Join Christine Jones and the town's residents as they take a trip down memory lane.

America's many presidents, both famous and obscure, have been as varied as the history of the country they have ruled. Over two centuries the presidential seat has been occupied by soldiers and school teachers, judges and journalists, haberdashers, Hollywood actors, professors, postmasters and even, believe it or not, a peanut farmer. Each had their own strengths and weaknesses, some perhaps with more of one than the other, but all were influential in shaping the history of this unique and influential nation. In this fun and informative book, Jem Duducu introduces us to the famous, the infamous, the unknown and the occasionally unfortunate men who have led a country from its early years as a colony fighting for independence, through to it becoming the most powerful nation in the world.

Ipswich lies on the estuary of the River Orwell in East Anglia. The town has a rich and varied histroy with continued human habitation dating back to at least the fifth century. As a result, it has grown up with England from its earliest beginnings and has witnessed untold changes from the Norman Conquest - when the town's name was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as 'Gepeswiz' - to the Industrial Revolution, which saw the re-emergence of the town as a thriving port. Ipswich History Tour is a unique insight into the illustrious history of this Suffolk town. Complete with a map of some of the town's most notable places, readers are invited to follow a tour of some of the stories and characters that make up the history of Ipswich as author Caleb Howgego guides us through the local streets.

The identity of Robin Hood has been questioned many times since the Outlaw of Sherwood first sprang to fame in the twelfth century. No two authorities seem able to agree as to his origins, antecedents, or even whether or not he was a historical personage or a mythical figure. Historians, both amateur and professional, have for years been bringing out new books in which they claim to have found 'the real Robin Hood', but his identity remains clouded. More recent studies have sought to push the boundaries of the story further out into recorded time - seeking Robin Hood among the records of government and law enforcement, in the ballads of the twelfth to fourteenth centuries, and in the folk memory of the people of Britain. For them, Robin is a product of the ballad-maker's muse, or a literary fabrication based on the lives and deeds of several outlaws or the garbled memory of an actual person whose real life bore little or no resemblance to the romanticised songs of the ballad-makers. The continuing popularity of the Robin Hood mythos in modern dress through film, TV and novelisation shows how deeply the archetype is embedded. With no less than four new feature films in production at the moment, Robin Hood has never been more in the public eye. This is the only contemporary book to fully explore the mythology of Robin Hood rather than concentrating on the human identity of the famous outlaw. It ties Robin to the ancient archetype of the Green Man, the lore and legends of the Faery race, to the possible Eastern influence of the English Mummers' plays, and suggests the real identities of several of the Merry Men.

Encompassing the full development of the Triumph 2000, from the early Vanguard model to the Mark 2 models, this book covers the revolutionary aspects of Triumph engineering, including the small-capacity six-cylinder engine and independent suspension, as well as the iconic Michelotti design and quality cabin. Packed with detail, the full evolution of the Mark 1 model is described, along with the introduction of the Mark 2 version, which was to have considerable success as a rally car. The Triumph 2000 is also compared to its main British competitor, the Rover P6. The journey finishes with the takeover by British Leyland, and all the subsequent implications for Triumph. Kevin Warrington offers an essential guide to the Triumph 2000, with a wide range of photographs and features.

At the northern end of the borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Kidsgrove and Butt Lane were quiet and rural areas of scattered settlements that became an industrial centre of great importance in the economy of North Staffordshire. Today, the areas are largely residential, with housing belonging mainly from the post-war era onwards. Coal mines and ironworks changed the landscape and population and housing increased; development by the Trent and Mersey Canal and the arrival of the railway allowed the area to flourish. Nowadays, most of the heavy industry has declined and many once-familiar sights have been swept away. However, it is possible to recreate something of the atmosphere of this industrial past and its social consequences through the illustrations and detail that accompany them. Drawing on a rich store of photographs and historical information, this book reveals a fascinating past for readers to enjoy as local author Tony Lancaster guides us through the streets, revealing the changing faces of Kidsgrove and Butt Lane.

'Gloucestershire is a poor county for real ale': that was the sad assessment of the county's brewing heritage in the 1976 Good Beer Guide according to the Campaign For Real Ale. Just two breweries were in operation then, supplying only four real ales. The ubiquitous Whitbread PA was easy to find, but it took a determined effort to seek out the delights of XXX, BB and SBA from the highly regarded and picturesque Donnington Brewery near Stow on the Wold. It was all a far cry from the glory days of brewing in Gloucestershire, when most towns could boast their own local brewery, producing beers of character. It's tempting to be overly sentimental about the closure of much-loved breweries such as Wintle's Forest Brewery of Mitcheldean, Tayler's Cotswold Brewery of Northleach and so on ... but there were economic and social factors that made such rationalisation inevitable. With the closure of the Whitbread Flowers Brewery in Cheltenham in 1997, it was feared that the rich history of brewing in Gloucestershire was under threat. However, nearly twenty years later, Gloucestershire is awash with breweries producing truly wonderful and distinctive beers. Indeed, beer drinkers have never had it better. Cheers!

Derby's history goes back almost 2,000 years, despite a refoundation on a revised site in the tenth century. It is a county town but in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries it was home to a number scientific and entrepreneurial innovators. Their efforts led to a radical transformation of the borough in the Regency period, which was followed by the introduction of heavy industry: iron founding, railways and textiles. In the twentieth century, some of the older industries went into eclipse and were succeeded by new, high-tech ones. Derby became the focus of a new diocese in 1927, was elevated to city-status in 1977 and entered the present century much expanded and with a lot to look forward to. Yet Derby retains much of its historic core and is full of neglected corners, lost elements and little-known aspects, some of which were once crucial components of its long history, such as missing medieval churches, impressive ancient houses, unexpected survivals and partly unrealised 1930s' urban renewals. If you think you know your Derby - think again!

The first bus service in Manchester was a horse bus that started running in 1824. By 1969, 2,000 buses in the region were in the hands of eleven municipal bus operators, who combined into SELNEC, the Passenger Transport Executive (PTE) for Greater Manchester. The new executive inherited a fascinating mix of transport in all shapes and colours, while forging a new identity of its own. These were exciting times in which to watch the buses go by. In this book, Paul Williams looks at Manchester's buses from the 1960s to deregulation in 1986, using both his own photographs and material from the collection of the Museum of Transport, Greater Manchester. This will be a trip down memory lane for all those who remember riding an orange SELNEC bus.

Henry III became King of England within days of his ninth birthday. His father, King John, had overseen a disastrous period in English history and the boy king inherited a country embroiled in a bitter, entrenched war with itself. With barons inviting a French prince to take the crown, the young Henry was forced to rely on others to maintain his position. As he grew into adulthood, Henry had to manage the transition to a personal rule, wrenching power from men who had held it almost unchecked for years. With a settled position at home, attention could turn to the recovery of lost territory abroad and the salvaging of Henry's family reputation. All would not go according to plan. Failures abroad led to trouble back in England as restless barons became disillusioned. They found a figurehead in Simon de Montfort, a man who would transform himself from Henry's favourite to a de facto king. Imprisoned and stripped of his power, Henry would again have to fight for his kingdom, now relying not on older mentors but on his immensely capable son. Henry was handed a monarchy in peril, a crown that was cracked and tarnished. He was given fifty-six years to mend the damage his father had done. It would spell over half a century of highs and lows in a country crying out for stability; the final measure of Henry's achievement displayed in the crown that he left to his son, Edward I.

Blackpool isn't a particularly old town and its rapid development has primarily been fuelled by tourism in the last 150 years or so. To cater for the millions of visitors that arrive each year, Blackpool has more licensed premises than anywhere else in the country outside of Central London. Like most other towns though, redevelopment of areas and the changes in social behaviour has led to many pubs being closed or restyled. Allan Wood and Chris Bottomley present an excellent collection of photographs from which the reader will glimpse some of Blackpool's 'lost' pubs as well as the town's more popular watering holes and established locals.