The very real threat of the invasion of Britain in 1940 initiated a huge military construction program. Around the vulnerable coasts of the country, as well as inland, were built thousands of pillboxe
The clock tower of the Houses of Parliament is known the world over, but is only part of a sprawling neo-Gothic complex built to house the British legislative system. Parliament has been several hundr
The London Underground is the heart of London life, used by millions of commuters and shoppers every year, its tentacles extending into the suburbs it has helped to create. Its turbulent life has been
Leaving Manchester, England, in 1776 to avoid religious persecution, the Shakers crossed the Atlantic and during the next 50 years established 19 villages in the United States from Maine to Kentucky.
This title tells the epic story of Britain's merchant shipping, carrying exotic goods from all quarters of the world. At one time, British ships carried half of the world's trade. It reveals how two
Industrialisation changed every aspect of rural life in the reign of Queen Victoria. It caused a greater diversification in industry which resulted in a decline in agriculture, and people moved from t
By the time the first photographs were taken at war in the 1850s, the idea that 'the camera cannot lie' was already firmly embedded in the Victorian psyche. Photographs were truth, in a way the work o
Steel and glass now dominate modern British cities, but the country can still boast millions of older houses constructed of more traditional building materials. Many date from the period before easy n
The origin of the name is uncertain but it is now over 100 years since Frank Hornby first used the word Meccano for the toy he invented to amuse his sons. Like the product it described, it is now kno
Portmeirion pottery evolved from gift shop designs for the Portmeirion holiday village in north Wales to a global business thanks to the design flair of Susan Williams-Ellis. She captured the sprit of
In 1809-10 thanksgiving ceremonies and feasts across the nation ushered George III into his fiftieth year as king. This was the first British celebration of a royal jubilee, and set the mould for the
It is safe to say that selling sex constituted a significant, and visible, part of urban culture in Georgian England. Alongside the rise of the 'polite society' of Jane Austen's novels, the city of Lo
This book provides a general summary of the history of European firearms, from the earliest designs which appeared during the Middle Ages through to the mechanized weapon production of the Industrial
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
Hollyhocks and cabbages, roses and runner beans: the English cottage garden combines beauty and utility, pride and productivity. Immortalized in images of thatched cottages with flower-filled borders
Since the eighteenth century, British cattle breeds have spread worldwide and have made the names of several counties famous in distant lands. Yet some of those breeds have become extinct and many oth
Of all motor vehicles the farm tractor has proved to be among the most beneficial. It has freed hundreds of thousands of laborers and horses from backbreaking toil on the land in all weathers and it h
The mechanical anniversary clock, also known as the 400-day clock or torsion pendulum clock, is one of the most popular clocks ever invented. Anniversary clocks are recognizable by the decorative ball
In the aftermath of the World War II, the long established Rover company of Solihull was fighting to survive. It needed a vehicle that would give it an advantage over its rivals. Taking the American W
Toys have been made in Britain for hundreds of years, but it was in the twentieth century that the British toy industry reached its peak. Names such as Meccano, Chad Valley, Dinky, Scalextric, Bayko a
