Amberley Publishing strana 10 z 20

The principal bus operator on the Isle of Wight is Southern Vectis, the name a nod to the Romans who once inhabited the island. In more recent times, from the reign of Queen Victoria, the popularity of the island increased – as has the provision for transport. Dr Beeching’s axe saw the once extensive rail network on the island reduced to just 9 miles of mainline track after 1966. This remains the same today with Island Line serving eight stations between Ryde Pier and Shanklin. This presented bus and coach companies with the opportunity to expand their operations to fill the gaps. Matt Cooper explores these operations on the island from the late 1990s before venturing across the Solent to the mainland to look at bus and coach operators running along the central South Coast. Loosely covering the area between Dorset and Sussex, the operators within it are as varied as the vehicle types to be seen. Both the ‘tourist trail’ and the routes travelled regularly by local residents are documented here.With a superb array of images, this book will be of interest to South Coast bus enthusiasts and will hopefully inspire visits to this beautiful part of the country.

Suffolk has a special beauty. The coast of England’s easternmost county embraces the towns of Lowestoft, Southwold, Aldeburgh and Felixstowe, and remote places such as Benacre and Shingle Street. Several rivers thread through its landscape, heading for the North Sea, including the Stour, Deben and Alde, while the port of Ipswich on the River Orwell is the county town. Historic Bury St Edmunds is the centre for West Suffolk, and Newmarket on the western edge is famed for its horse racing. There is medieval wool wealth on display in several villages, most notably in Lavenham, while the gentle rusticity of the county’s undulating interior – its fields, woods and heaths – through the seasons delights the eye. Photographer John Worrall has captured Suffolk’s essence in this collection of stunning images, portraying the county at its best. For those who are proud to live in Suffolk and for those visiting, this book is a must. Look through these photographs and you will quickly see why this corner of England has such enduring appeal.

Dating back to the 1720s and still partly in use today as the preserved Tanfield Railway, the line has a justifiable claim to be the world’s oldest railway, running on the track bed that 300 years ago was travelled over by horse-drawn coal waggons on wooden rails. In these pages the history of the Tanfield Waggonway is told, from its origins as part of a network of wooden waggonways that ran from coal pits to the River Tyne, its rebuild with iron rails and inclined planes, introduction of locomotives in the 1880s through to its closure in the early 1960s.Lavishly illustrated throughout with rare images covering the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Rob Langham covers the fascinating pre-preservation history of the 300-year-old Tanfield Waggonway.

The answer to the question posed on the left is Belisarius, who became known to history as ''the last of the Romans''. But how many can honestly say they know much about this man, who, as well as being the victor at the Battle of Dara that brought peace to Persia, suppressed an uprising at the hippodrome in Constantinople by massacring 30,000? The same can be said of Albrecht von Wallenstein, Supreme Commander of the Habsburg Armies during the bloody Thirty Years War - the first ''World War''; and Maurice de Saxe, Marshal of France, one of the most successful Generals of the 18th century. Author Dorian Bond''s meticulous selection of military leaders reveals what it is to be a General - and how circumstance can write even the greatest out of history. Count Suvarov, the last Generalissimus of the Russian Empire, never lost a battle. Ennobled by both Catherine the Great and the Emperor Joseph II and undoubtedly one of the greatest commanders in history, he was exiled, recalled to fight the French revolutionary forces in Italy to great effect, but died forgotten in St Petersburg in 1800.What did General Sir Richard O''Connor do in the Second World War? He took Tobruk and half of Libya, capturing 100,000 prisoners, 400 tanks and 1,000 guns. So why is he nowhere near as famous as Montgomery? The author answers this and many other questions about leadership and fame in these dozen portraits gleaned from primary sources.

Truro grew up around its medieval castle, deriving its wealth as an inland port, lying on the confluence of two rivers 9 miles from the sea, and as a stannary town. Tin mining brought further prosperity and the town became a centre for Cornwall’s wealthy gentry. It gained both a cathedral and city status in the Victorian period, although the cathedral was not finished until 1910, and today is one of the most attractive small cities in the country, surrounded by steep valleys on three sides and drawing in many to its cultural and commercial attractions. In Quirky Truro local authors Christine Parnell and Sheila Richardson delve into lesser-known but fascinating tales from Truro’s past. In this book, readers will find stories of a wine merchant who disappeared with the insurance money after his brewhouse and spirit store burnt down, only to reappear later under several aliases before being shot by the army while leading a mob of protestors against the Corn Laws; the bowling green on the quay that had to be raised above the river level; ancient finds beneath a car park; and much more.Quirky Truro celebrates the unusual and often strange history of the city and its characters over the years. This fascinating insight will be of interest to all those who want to know more about the Truro’s history.

The 1950s and 1960s saw great change across the British Isles, but there were also huge variations in everyday life in the streets and countryside around the UK and Ireland at the time. In Forgotten Times: The British Isles in the 1950s and 1960s, Allan Hailstone presents a photographic portrait of this era from his travels around Scotland, England, Wales, Ireland and some of the other smaller islands making up the British Isles. To many readers today, this time seems remarkably far away, with many of our modern conveniences not yet imagined. This nostalgic look at a fascinating era will be of interest to all those who remember the 1950s and 1960s well, or those who wish to have a window into that world.

Jersey’s landscape and history are steeped in its folklore and legends. In Illustrated Tales of Jersey, local author Paul Darroch explores a multitude of mysterious myths and strange tales from centuries past. The book reveals the legends of the dragon that tormented Jersey, the giant storm hound that preyed on Bouley Bay, and the long-lost bridge across the water to France.The tales span the Island, from Geoffrey’s Leap in the east to the manor of La Brecquette in the west, which was swept away by the waves and became Jersey’s very own Atlantis. We witness the martyrdom of Saint Helier and the day that de Carteret’s horse made its impossible leap across the void.True tales from Victorian times include the heartbreaking tragedy of the SS Stella, and the curious reign of Philippe Pinel, the Hermit King.These strange and remarkable stories are accompanied by the author’s photographs of places featured, making for a hugely engaging and entertaining read.

Class 126 diesel multiple units were introduced to Scotland from 1956. Initially, they were diagrammed to work between Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Queen Street. In 1959, a second batch was introduced with slight design changes, and these were used on the Glasgow St Enoch to Ayr and Stranraer Harbour workings. The Edinburgh units were always based at Leith Central and the later builds were based at Ayr Depot. They became known as Inter City units as they initially connected up Edinburgh and Glasgow with faster end-to-end journey times compared with their steam forerunners. The Ayr-based units were later moved to work from Glasgow Central. Both fleets have worked charters on to the West Highland Lines and other routes. This book illustrates the class from introduction in the mid-1950s until withdrawal from British Rail in 1983. Four coaches have subsequently been preserved at the Bo’ness and Kinneil Railway.With a wealth of previously unpublished images, this book will delight Scottish rail enthusiasts both young and old.

Chester’s history goes back 2,000 years, from the Romans to recent times, and in the course of the centuries the city has witnessed many dark deeds and events. Chester’s historical buildings and streets were part of this history and in this book local writer and tourist guide David Atkinson investigates the darker side of Chester’s past. With help from experts in their fields, he tells stories concerning Chester Cathedral’s stones, the famous Rows and pubs and churches in the city, with ghosts, poltergeists and an apparent visit by the devil. The entertainment in the amphitheatre played an often brutal role in Roman Chester, public executions were held in the city with heads displayed on spikes, the local museum has a spooky side to its doll collection, and plague and pestilence were regular visitors. These tales and many more will be of interest to all those who are visiting Chester for the first time, have lived in the city or know it well. Join David for a walk on the dark side.

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, 50 pits were working in the area but as the coal industry declined nationally, pits gradually merged or closed in the postwar 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 Whifield.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.

This book is not only intended for a general readership, but also for military researchers and historians who often find that they get lost in the huge and arcane raft of terminology employed by the army during the conflict. It is an essential guide resting on the elbow of every serious historian as they undertake research using primary and secondary sources, and of every reader exploring secondary sources about the war. No such reference book as this exists. The author is an experienced military historian with a background in British Army history, and yet even he often found himself stumped when reading War Diaries, National Archive documents, and other primary sources.The text consists of the following main sections:- Abbreviations and acronyms- Units, regiments and corps- A full glossary of military concepts and terminology- British army slang- Operational namesAs well as general military terms, a great deal of effort has gone into looking at the often deeply technical and even arcane terminology used not only by the commanders and their staff and the combat units, but also by the multitude of supporting organisations, including artillery, engineering, supply and transport, and medical. What''s a BM? It''s a Band Master, a Beach Master, a Brigade Major and a Bending Moment in bridging!

From humble beginnings as slaves in Egypt, the Mamluks trained as soldiers and rose in status to seize control of the largest empire in Islam. They ruled over Egypt and Syria for over two centuries. They saved the region from devastation by the Mongols and expelled the last of the Crusaders from the Holy Land. The Mamluks presided over the last flowering of the culture of medieval Islam, when scientific and artistic achievements were at least preserved, if not greatly advanced.The first Mamluks were Turks, chosen for their reputed pugnacious nature. A Turk and his horse always made a formidable combination, according to writings from the early period of the Arab conquests. As author John Brunton explains, ‘The tibaq system made soldiers of slaves. As a hybrid of the harsh nomadic tribesman and the well-trained knight, a Mamluk faris (cadet trooper) could certainly produce results.’Conquest by the Ottomans of 1517 may have ended the Mamluke Sultanate, but the Mamluks themselves continued as a powerful military class until modern times. They fought Napoleon when he invaded Egypt in 1798. Their alleged end in 1811 was as bloody as the rest of their history, but there is even evidence of the Mamluks continuing longer, possibly until the later nineteenth century.

After the success of Pastimes and Pleasures in the Time of Jane Austen, Sarah Jane Downing turns her attention to the hair and beauty styles of Jane Austen’s era. In Beauty and Cosmetics in the Time of Jane Austen, she examines the beauty ideals of the Regency period to shed light on the transition from the baroque high hair and formal doll-like faces of the court of King George III to the fresh complexions and glossy, bouncy ringlets of the Regency. She also dispels the myth that cosmetics and beauty aids disappeared during the period. Published to coincide with the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth, this book will be an invaluable resource for the legions of ‘Janeites’ who don Regency dress each year for the Jane Austen Festival in Bath and increasing number of Jane Austen-themed events around the world.

This important stretch of railway line through the Midlands connects England’s second city with the strategically important railway centre of Derby. The area is served by local passenger services as well as forming part of the strategically important cross-country route linking Scotland and the North East of England with Bristol and the South West. However, it is the variety of freight traffic that draws the rail enthusiast to this area. The frequent passing of coal trains may have ceased, but this key stretch of railway still has a lot to offer. From oil and steel to aggregates and container traffic, all the country’s main freight operators are regular visitors to the area. This rail enthusiast popularity extends to the intermediate stations of Burton-on-Trent and Tamworth. The latter’s split-level platforms are particularly busy as the town sits at the crossroads of this cross-country route and the West Coast Main Line, which passes below. Less well-known outside of the enthusiast circle is the important junction at Water Orton, where services towards Leicester and the east of England leave the main Derby line.In this publication, John Jackson examines the 40 miles of railway from Birmingham to Derby in detail. The selection of photographs includes a nostalgic look back at the now-closed diesel depot at Saltley, close to the heart of Birmingham, as well as demonstrating the railway’s importance to Derby that continues to the present day.

While bus services in Britain have generally been in decline since the heady days of the early 1950s, there has been one area of bus operation that has seen significant growth. There has been a boom in overseas tourists to Britain’s historic towns and cities with the advent of cheaper long-haul flights and budget European airlines, along with the Channel Tunnel.Bus companies started to offer tours of these towns and cities, often using open-top buses. This idea was not new. London Transport had an existing Round London Sightseeing Tour which had been started in 1951 for the Festival of Britain. In 1972 open-top buses were hired in as an experiment, this proving successful and services were expanded rapidly.In Scotland, Edinburgh Corporation Transport had a long tradition of sightseeing tours. Elsewhere, sightseeing tours took off in such locations as Bath, York, Oxford and Cambridge. As tourists came all year round it became viable to operate separate vehicles and even invest in new buses. New developments included Hop-on-Hop-off tours and tours with taped commentaries in a variety of languages. New specialist companies began to emerge. Guide Friday started up in a small way at Stratford-upon-Avon and spread nationwide. They were replaced by the City Sightseeing brand started by Ensignbus which operates internationally.Malcolm Batten offers a fascinating photographic tour of the sightseeing buses of Britain.

The modern city of Southend-on-Sea has come a long way since its eighteenth-century origins as an oyster fishing hamlet at the south end of Prittlewell parish. Now Southend is a regional employment, shopping and educational centre, attracting 6.5 million visitors a year and housing 180,000 permanent residents. The construction of the Royal Hotel in the 1790s began Southend’s transformation into a resort, but it was the arrival of the railway in 1856 that was the real catalyst for growth. The town’s boundaries expanded three times: in the 1890s, 1910s and 1930s. During the Second World War, Southend played a key part in the defence of London and in the organisation of merchant shipping convoys. By the 1950s and 1960s the town was known far and wide as a mecca for leisure and entertainment. The awarding of city status in 2021, following the senseless murder of Southend West MP Sir David Amess, who had long campaigned for it, was bittersweet but it was also the latest symbol of how Southend has grown.Illustrated throughout, this accessible historical portrait of the transformation that Southend has undergone through the ages will be of great interest to residents, visitors and all those with links to the city.