Coal heated the homes, fuelled the furnaces and powered the engines of the Industrial Revolution. In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries the coalfields – distinct landscapes of colliery winding fra
This book looks at the history of the three types of stringed keyboard instrument that dominated Western music from the sixteenth century to the middle of the nineteenth century.The Virginal, which pr
Do you know where "The George and Dragon" derives from? Probably. How about "The Gloucester Flying Machine?" Probably not. Some pub names pop up time and again, others have a unique story to tell. Thi
Once worth more than its weight in gold, Meissen Porcelain has graced the households of royalty and artistocracy for hundreds of years. Famed ceramic expert and Antiques Roadshow stalwart John Sandon
With the aid of stringy glue and scalpel-sliced fingers, young and old have turned display cabinets and bedrooms into mini-museums, or tiny battlefields. This book looks at the fascinating tale of thi
How does a society recover from a devastating war? This was the question posed in the 1920s as people searched for normality in the aftermath of terrible trauma. Written from the perspective of those
In a period marked by a number of great diarists, England after the Civil War was a place of pleasure and drama. Indulgences such as coffee-houses and frost fairs were enjoyed by some, while the fashi
Discover what it was like to fly with an Royal Air Force heavy bomber crew on a typical night raid over Germany. Learn about the different kinds of specialist flying kit available; read about the vari
This book delves into the early days of electrical appliance development when many novel and little known appliances were made. The manufacture and operation of some of these inventions encountered se
London's many cemeteries, churches and graveyards are the last resting places of a multitude of important people from many different walks of life. Politicians, writers and military heroes rub shoulde
Button collecting has been a hobby in America and Britain for a number of years. Organized along the lines of stamp collecting, there is an incredible variety of buttons available, with the most magni
Spinning and Spinning Wheels traces the evolution of the ancient skill of spinning, from the early spindle, through the introduction of the wool and the flax wheel, to the numerous variations of the w
This book contains descriptions of sixty board games, drawn from an immense range of history - from 3000 BC through to the turn of the nineteenth century. Accounts of these games have been gleaned fro
The area of England known as the Black Country has a rich heritage in the chain trade due to its plentiful resources of coal and iron. In the nineteenth century, thousands of tons of chain were hand-m
Whether they are still operational or long abandoned, quarries are often dismissed as eyesores. Despite this, they can be fascinating to visit, and provide an interesting link to a once powerful and n
Spoons have perhaps the longest history of any artefact, having been forged ever since man discovered the importance of handling liquids. Simon Moore traces the history of English spoons, explaining t
From cooks and clerks to weapons analysts and air mechanics, generations of women have served in the Wrens (Women's Royal Naval Service or WRNS). The Royal Navy was the first of the UK armed services
In the early years of the Industrial Revolution, canals formed the arteries of Britain. Most waterways were local concerns, carrying cargoes over short distances and fitted into regional groups with t
In the 1950s and 1960s, luxury car buyers, from government ministers to captains of industry, almost invariably bought British. These were stately, dignified, and grand vehicles, with many featuring l
In the 1950s and 1960s, British sports car ruled the road, and their charge was led by Triumphs. From the TR2, its first modern sports car, Triumph went on to produce a host of classic sports design
