There is a new king on the throne, the Edwardian era is done and in the future looms the threat of war in the first global conflict. On board the Gnomon travelling the canals of Staffordshire other troubles will soon change the lives of Maitland Kempson, his sisters, and their life-long friend Constance forever, and that isn't only through competition with the railways. Local bad boy Carl O'Leary, Constance's unlikely husband, is up to no good. He and his partners in crime are the new bullies in the neighbourhood, but why? With gang warfare rife in the streets of nearby Birmingham, do the residents of South Staffordshire need to fear they are to become the new home to those known as Peaky Blinders? Then there's Rupert, the belligerent colliery owner. What hold does Carl have over him, and what plans does Rupert have for the colliery? New faces come to the area, not all of whom are bad news, and when four former childhood friends come together to help Constance, what secrets will be revealed?
A fascinating exploration of the underground world and its history beneath the surface of the Black Country.
Beneath the surface of the country's second largest city lies a little-known world that encompasses the history of Birmingham. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Birmingham profited from its position in the heart of the Midlands as the centre of science, technology, industrial development and culture for the area, growing rapidly to become the most important manufacturing city in the country. Although much of the city has changed over the last two centuries, not least through the aerial bombing raids during the Second World War and post-war redevelopment, the industrial heritage of Birmingham remains an important part of the city. Going Underground: Birmingham takes the reader on a tour of subterranean Birmingham. The stories include the bizarre and sometimes nefarious world beneath the surface of the city. We visit the tunnels built for an underground railway only ever used as air-raid shelters, catacombs, closed railway tunnels, a former feeder canal used to bring goods from warehouses, a culvert containing Birmingham's only river, the old passage to New Street station (said to have been cut through the site of a former Jewish cemetery and once used to store bodies awaiting transportation), a tunnel between a former police station and the law courts walked by many from the city's criminal past, hidden passages created during Birmingham's growth period in the Georgian and Victorian ages, and much more. This fascinating portrait of underground Birmingham will interest all those who know the city.
An in-depth look at the piers and pier railways which focuses on those who worked and walked on the pier. Features the whole history of the pier: planning, funding, design, building, railways, ships, modifications, problems, solutions, but most of all the people who ran it and worked on it
A fascinating exploration of the underground world and its history beneath the surface of the Potteries in North Staffordshire.
Have you ever wondered how England's pubs got their names? How did some of the more weird and wonderful ones come into being? What is the history behind such names as Blink Bonny, Bucket of Blood, Lamorna Wink and My Father's Moustache?England's pubs have always been at the heart of the community they serve and their names are instantly recognisable, even when taken out of context. Coming almost from a language of their own, these names all have an origin and a meaning, with such diverse beginnings as heraldic imagery, religion, advertising, location, wildlife, humour and persons of note.The Origins of English Pub Names features some of the most obscure names, alongside one or two well-known favourites such as the Red Lion and the Dukes Head, and is a must-have for all those interested in learning a little of the history behind their local.This fascinating book will appeal to historians and etymologists everywhere and, indeed, anyone who has enjoyed a lazy afternoon in a pub and, perhaps, contemplated the origin of its name.
From its earliest beginnings through to the last days of the Second World War, Staffordshire's county town has seen more than its fair share of gore. Featuring life - and death - at Stafford Gaol, the sanguineous siege of the castle and many other tragic true tales from history, you'll never see it in the same way again!
In 1963 the infamous Beeching Report saw the closure of more than 2,500 railway stations and the lifting of 5,000 miles of track. Stations have become refreshment stops or cycle hire premises on new leisure routes. And there are the unusual and quirky: signal boxes used as greenhouses, hen coops and art studios; railway sheds housing mechanics;
The three towns of Paignton, Brixham and Torquay form the area of the Devon coast known as the English Riviera, due to the sandy beaches, mild climate and host of leisure attractions. However, all three towns have their own, unique heritage. The market town of Paignton is characterised by its Saxon origins. Its ancient church and the traditional town green, along with the beautiful beach, make for the epitome of the English family holiday. Brixham is the home of the famous Brixham Trawlers and the tourist attraction replica of Sir Francis Drake's ship the Golden Hind. Torquay is different again. With its large harbour, thriving nightlife and balmy climate, it is easy to see why it became a fashionable Victorian resort. This collection of delightful photographs explores how the towns of Torbay developed to represent the best of the British seaside tradition.
Historically a part of Warwickshire, Solihull is today one of the most prosperous parts of the West Midlands conurbation. From its beginnings as a medieval market town, Silhillians throughout the ages have seen almost continuous growth, this also seen in the town's motto Urbs in Rure 'Town in Country'. During the twentieth century the population grew from 7,500 in 1901 to reach six figures in the 1960s. Since then the town centre, which had stood largely unchanged for over a century, has been brought into the twenty-first century and attracts visitors from near and far. Cast an eye over the town over the last century and see how among the changes certain landmarks remain. Compare this to the many outlying villages where Silhillians from the Victorian era would doubtless recognise their homes over a century later.
This fascinating selection of photographs traces some of the many ways in which Lichfield has changed and developed over the last century.
Torbay, `The English Riviera' boasts 22 miles of coastline, with 20 beaches and coves. The famous Torbay palm is in fact a cabbage tree (cordyline australis) from New Zealand. From the momentous to the outlandish, this book is packed full of fun facts and trivia about everything to do with this gem of Britain's coastline.
Join author Anthony Poulton-Smith on a ghostly tour of his native Staffordshire. Meet Josiah Wedgwood, Lord Robert Marmion, the Earl of Shrewsbury, the Rugeley Poisoner, the Kidsgrove Boggart, Lady Tempest Vane, the Crafty Cockney, a mermaid, pilots, clergy, airmen, doctors, a monkey man, the Gunpowder Plotters and ladies black, white and grey. Staffordshire's theme parks at Alton Towers and Drayton Manor, historical sites such as Shugborough and the Ancient High House, and castles at Stafford, Tutbury and Tamworth all host visitors of the spectral kind. Other spirits are to be found resident in an assortment of pubs, hotels, churches and abbeys. Why the pitiful sobs and feeling of despair near Hanbury? What would cause a white rabbit to weep? Does a murderer still visit every gatepost and stile containing wood from his gibbet? And why does 'Benjie' unroll the paper in the ladies' toilets? Paranormal Staffordshire contains almost a hundred narratives; they will delight the ghost hunters and the spiritualists, make the sceptical think again, and send chills up and down every spine.
A fascinating exploration of the origins and meanings of these ancient trackways
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