A heart-warming historical novel about surviving against the odds and finding a family, from top 10 bestseller Lindsey Hutchinson.In two rundown houses, at the side of a barren heath, live six children with no family but each other. Abandoned or orphaned, every day is a fight to find food and keep warm. But they are determined to stay free of the clutches of the workhouse and the horrors that would face them if they were ever torn apart. Dora Parsons lives with her mother Mary and her evil grandmother Edith. Edith's house may be comfortable and warm, and food is plentiful, but every day Dora suffers at the hands of her spiteful gran. Desperate to protect her child, Mary longs to run away but she has no money to keep them alive and nowhere else to call home. When fate intervenes and Mary and Dora meet the children, events are set in train that will change all their lives forever. But will the friends find peace and comfort at last, or does the chill of the winter signal the most desperate ending of all... The top 10 best-seller is back with a heart-breaking, page-turning story of survival, friendship and what it means to be a family. Perfect for fans of Catherine Cookson, Val Wood and Lyn Andrews. Praise for Lindsey Hutchinson: 'A great story with a great mix of characters, well written and keeps you hooked with each page turn!' Sarah Davies, NetGalley 'A wonderful read ... The author writes so well, it's a really hard novel to put down!' Grace Smith, NetGalley. 'Make sure to read this book where you won't be disturbed because once it gets going, you won't want to put it down' Andrea Ruiz, NetGalley 'A very poignant, feel-good-factor novel' Shelia Easson, NetGalley 'Excellent story!' Stephanie Collins, NetGalley 'The story will linger in your mind long after you finish it' The Avid Reader

Norfolk has a wealth of important archaeological sites, historic buildings and landscapes. This guide is the first to use them to tell the county's rich history. Starting with real footprints of people who lived here nearly 1 million years ago, A History of Norfolk in 100 Places will take you on a chronological journey through prehistoric monuments, Roman forts, medieval churches and Nelson's Monument, right up to twentieth-century defensive sites. With detailed entries illustrated by aerial photographs and ground-level shots, here you will find a reliable guide to historic places that are either open to the public, or are visible from public roads or footpaths for you to explore.

From its south-eastern tip Sussex is little more than sixty miles from continental Europe and the county's coastline, some seventy-six miles long, occupies a large part of Britain's southern frontier. Before the days of Macadam and the Turnpike, water travel could prove more certain than land transportation and the seas that define the borders of our nation aided, rather than deterred, the invader.Though the last successful invasion of Britain took place almost 1,000 years ago, the gently shelving beaches of Sussex have tempted the prospective invader with the promise of both an easy disembarkation and a short and direct route to London - the last time being just seven decades ago.As the authors demonstrate, the repeated threat of invasion from the Continent has shaped the very landscape of the county. The rounded tops of the Iron Age hill forts, the sheer walls of the medieval castles, the squat stumps of Martello towers, the moulded Vaubanesque contours of the Palmerstone redoubts and the crouched concrete blocks and bricks of the Second World War pillboxes constitute the visible evidence of Sussex's position on Britain's front line.

The first comprehensive book about Chillingham in Northumberland-its unique wild cattle, its historic castle and church, and the family associated with them since the twelfth century. Julius Caesar admired the cattle's ancestors for their brute strength, Sir Walter Scott immortalised them. They were painted by Sir Edwin Landseer and Archibald Thorburn, and depicted at their best by Thomas Bewick, the master engraver. Darwin studied them and wrote about them in the 'Descent of Man'. The historian Simon Schama described the Chillingham cattle as "the great, perhaps the greatest icon of British natural history". The Castle's history is chequered and the nobles who lived there even more so. Incest, adultery, witchcraft, torture, kingmakers and traitors, a cricketer and a cowboy are all part of its history, resulting in its modern reputation for cruel and benign ghosts still regularly seen in the castle. Founded around 1184, the country church, in its simplicity hides a fifteenth-century tomb described as "one of the finest such monuments in the country outside a cathedral". Edited by Dr Paul G. Bahn and Vera Mutimer, with a foreword by HRH Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales.

Reading's Abbey, founded in 1121 by King Henry I of England, was huge, wealthy and important until Henry VIII's dissolution in 1539, after which it declined over the years into the picturesque ruins that grace the north bank of the Kennet today. This history of the Abbey and the Abbey Quarter relates the motive behind its foundation, the relics that made it a famous destination for pilgrims from all over Europe, the part it played in royal and parliamentary life, the story of its downfall and its continuing influence on the geography and buildings of our town. With detailed descriptions of the Abbey buildings and their layout alongside features on monastic life and the Abbots, the book brings to life the role of the Abbey in the town both before and after its dissolution. A walking tour (with map) of the Abbey Quarter provides readers with an opportunity to discover the clues history has left behind; it indicates where some of the Abbey stone has ended up, and allows readers to connect directly with the past and understand the legacy we are left with today.

A beautifully illustrated introduction to mudlarking which tells the incredible, forgotten history of London through objects found on the foreshore of the River Thames. Often seen combing the shoreline of the River Thames at low tide, groups of archaeology enthusiasts known as 'mudlarks' continue a tradition that dates back to the eighteenth century. Over the years they have found a vast array of historical artefacts providing glimpses into the city's past. Objects lost or discarded centuries ago - from ancient river offerings such as the Battersea Shield and Waterloo Helmet, to seventeenth-century trade tokens and even medals for bravery - have been discovered in the river. This book explores a fascinating assortment of finds from prehistoric to modern times, which collectively tell the rich and illustrious story of London and its inhabitants - illustrated with and array of photographs taken of the items in situ in the mud and gravel of the Thames estuary, at the same time both gritty and glimmering.

In 1854, the United States acquired the roughly 30,000-square-mile region of present-day southern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico from Mexico as part of the Gadsden Purchase. This new Southern Corridor was ideal for train routes from Texas to California, and soon tracks were laid for the Southern Pacific and Santa Fe rail lines. Shipping goods by train was more efficient, and for desperate outlaws and opportunistic lawmen, robbing trains was high-risk, high-reward. The Southern Corridor was the location of sixteen train robberies between 1883 and 1922. It was also the homebase of cowboy-turned-outlaw Black Jack Ketchum's High Five Gang. Most of these desperadoes rode the rails to Arizona's Cochise County on the US-Mexico border where locals and lawmen alike hid them from discovery. Both Wyatt Earp and Texas John Slaughter tried to clean them out, but it took the Arizona Rangers to finish the job. It was a time and place where posses were as likely to get arrested as the bandits. Some of the Rangers and some of Slaughter's deputies were train robbers. When rewards were offered there were often so many claimants that only the lawyers came out ahead. Southwest Train Robberies chronicles the train heists throughout the region at the turn of the twentieth century, and the robbers who pulled off these train jobs with daring, deceit, and plain dumb luck! Many of these blundering outlaws escaped capture by baffling law enforcement. One outlaw crew had their own caboose, Number 44, and the railroad shipped them back and forth between Tucson and El Paso while they scouted locations. Legend says one gang disappeared into Colossal Cave to split the loot leaving the posse out front while they divided the cash and escaped out another entrance. The antics of these outlaws inspired Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid to blow up an express car and to run out guns blazing into the fire of a company of soldiers.

Blizzards, droughts, predators, unpredictable markets, and a host of other calamities tell the history of the daily struggles of Western ranching, and perhaps no one has told the story better than Nannie T. Alderson, a transplanted southern woman who married a cowboy and found herself in eastern Montana trying to build a ranching business a one-hundred-mile horse-and-buggy ride from the nearest town. Unfamiliar with even the most basic household chores, she soon found herself washing, cooking, riding, cleaning, branding, and a host of other ranch activities for which her upbringing had not prepared her. Although Nannie Alderson and her husband, Walt, would eventually move to Miles City, her story of the rigors of ranch life serves as the preeminent account of Montana ranch life and culture. This edition features a foreword from Nannie's great-grandniece, Jeanie Alderson, who ranches in the same area.

The railways of East Anglia have a long and complex history, and this book provides a broad overview of the subject. Beginning with the earliest horse tramroads of Essex and continuing up to the privatized railway of the present day, it includes the tribulations of the early pioneer companies and the ongoing narrative of consolidation and rationalization to which the railways were subjected. Some of the more curious byways of the region's railway history are also covered. With over 140 illustrations, including archive photographs and original drawings by the author, this book includes: the Norfolk and Suffolk Rail-Road Company's fraudulent promotion of 1824; how the East Anglian railway network developed amongst bitter rivalries and uneasy truces, including the florid figure of George Hudson and the surprising history of two separate monorails in Essex. Potted narratives of some of the smaller branch lines and independent concerns are given along with information on the East Anglian railway companies and their roles in both World Wars. Finally, the sometimes-painful processes of nationalization is covered and their effect on the network as we know it today.

Dolly Perkins and Jack Larkin have grown up in the notorious gin palaces of Birmingham.It's a world of happiness and friendship, but also violence and poverty. Now that Dolly runs the Daydream Gin Palace on Gin Barrel Lane she can finally control her own destiny, but sometimes fate still plays its hand. Keen to expand her empire, Dolly and Jack take on a new pub, but they are in for a shock when a foul smell in one of the bedrooms turns out to come from a body hidden in the wall. As the police hunt for their suspect, rumours abound, spread by the local urchins - happy to be used as runners for a little bit of food and a coin or two. But rumours can be dangerous, and as one of the worst winters on record covers everything in snow, Dolly and Jack have to fight for the lives they have made for themselves, and for the urchins that they have come to think of as family. Will the arrival of a new baby on Gin Barrel Lane bring the promise of new hope, or will the long-awaited thaw uncover new secrets and new tragedies... The Queen of Black Country sagas is back on Gin Barrel Lane with a rip-roaring, heart-warming, page-turning story of family, friendship and beating the odds. Perfect for fans of Val Wood and Lyn Andrews. Praise for Lindsey Hutchinson: 'A great story with a great mix of characters, well written and keeps you hooked with each page turn!' Sarah Davies, NetGalley 'A wonderful read ... The author writes so well, it's a really hard novel to put down!' Grace Smith, NetGalley. 'Make sure to read this book where you won't be disturbed because once it gets going, you won't want to put it down' Andrea Ruiz, NetGalley 'A very poignant, feel-good-factor novel' Shelia Easson, NetGalley 'Excellent story!' Stephanie Collins, NetGalley 'The story will linger in your mind long after you finish it' The Avid Reader

An insightful exploration of the impact of urban change on Black culture, identity, and language Across the United States, cities are changing. Gentrification is transforming urban landscapes, often pushing local Black populations to the margins. As a result, communities with rich histories and strong identities grapple with essential questions. What does it mean to be from a place in flux? What does it mean to be a specific kind of person from that place? What does gentrification mean for the fabric of a community? In The Black Side of the River, sociolinguist Jessi Grieser draws on ten years of interviews with dozens of residents of Anacostia, a historically Black neighborhood in Washington, DC, to explore these ideas through the lens of language use. Grieser finds that residents use certain speech features to create connections among racial, place, and class identities; reject negative characterizations of place from those outside the community; and negotiate ideas of belonging. In a neighborhood undergoing substantial class gentrification while remaining decisively Black, Grieser finds that Anacostians use language to assert a positive, hopeful place identity that is inextricably intertwined with their racial one. Grieser's work is a call to center Black lived experiences in urban research, confront the racial effects of urban change, and preserve the rich culture and community in historic Black neighborhoods, in Washington, DC, and beyond.

Discover hidden gems around Oxford with 20 walking routes. Featuring 20 walks in and around the city, including lesser-known circuits and details on popular walks. Accompanied by guided walking instructions and written by a local expert, A-Z Oxford Hidden Walks is the perfect way to explore the city in a new light. Small enough to fit in a bag or pocket, this handy guidebook is ideal for tourists or locals looking to discover more about the city. Each route varies in length from 1 to 6 miles (1.6 to 9.6 km), and is clearly outlined on detailed A-Z street mapping. * 20 walking routes with instructions and maps * Full-colour photographs of hidden gems and city attractions * Key sights and locations clearly marked on map * Information such as start/finish points, nearest postcodes, distance and terrain included More from the A-Z Hidden Walks series: A-Z Birmingham Hidden Walks A-Z Bristol & Bath Hidden Walks A-Z Edinburgh Hidden Walks A-Z London Hidden Walks A-Z Oxford Hidden Walks A-Z York Hidden Walks A-Z Brighton Hidden Walks A-Z Cambridge Hidden Walks A-Z Manchester Hidden Walks A-Z Liverpool Hidden Walks

For over four centuries, California has been an ever-changing landscape of innovation and revolution, triumph and tragedy. In Fascinating True Tales from Old California, author Colleen Adair Fliedner mines the history of the Golden State to collect more than fifty tales of famous Californians and their escapades from 1542 through 1940. For many, like James Lick, Leland Stanford, and John Downey, California was a place to strike it rich. Others sought freedom and a new beginning, including Chinese immigrants and African Americans, like philanthropist and freed slave, Biddy Mason. And still some characters just wanted to live their lives outside of society's rules, like swindler James Reavis or the cross-dressing stagecoach driver, Charley Parkhurst. Readers will be entertained and enlightened as they take a trip through California's colorful past.

Leicester is an old town with a long history reaching back across two thousand years of human activity and experience. Historically, it is a very well-documented town. Leicester has a rich antiquarian record with plenty of other writings and documents that add to our knowledge of how our predecessors lived and, just as importantly, what they experienced during their lives. This book details the various hauntings and lore of Leicester; from the malevolent Black Annis to the debated involvement of medium Robert James Lees in the case of Jack the Ripper. It concludes with a guided tour of all the mentioned locations.