Ever thought about all the people who lived in your house before you? Julie Myerson did, and set out to learn as much as she could about their fascinating lives. This is the biography of a house, the history of a home. It's an ordinary house, an ordinary home, and ordinary people have lived there for over a century. But start to explore who they were, what they believed in, what they desired and they soon become as remarkable, as complicated and as fascinating as anyone. That is exactly what Julie Myerson set out to do. She lives in a typical Victorian terraced family house, of average size, in a typical Victorian suburb (Clapham) and she loves it. She wanted to find out how much those who preceded her loved living there, so she spent hours and hours in the archives at the Family Record Office, the Public Record Office at Kew, local council archives and libraries across the country. Like an archaeologist, she found herself blowing the dust off files that no-one had touched since the last sheet of paper in them was typed. As she scraped the years away, underneath she found herself embroiled in a detective hunt as, bit by bit, she started to piece together the story of her house, built in 1877, as told by its former occupants in their own words and deeds. And so she met the bigamist, the Tottenham Hotspur fanatic, the Royal servant, the Jamaican family and all the rest of the eccentric and entertaining former occupants of 34 Lillieshall Road. The book uncovers a lost 130-year history of happiness and grief, change and prudence, poverty and affluence, social upheaval and technological advance. Most of us are dimly aware that we are not the first person to turn a key in our front door lock, yet we rarely confront the shadows that inhabit our homes. But once you do - and Julie Myerson shows you how - you will never bear to part from their company again. This is your home's story too.

From its beginnings in Seattle nearly 50 years ago, El Centro de la Raza's name has been translated as "the center for people of all races." In Seattle's El Centro de la Raza: Dr. King's Living Laboratory, Bruce E. Johansen explores how the center has become part of a nationally significant work in progress on human rights and relations based on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s concept of a "Beloved Community" that crosses all ethnic, racial, and other social boundaries. Johansen's examination of the history of the center highlights its mission to consciously provide intercultural communication and cooperation as an interracial bridge, uniting people on both a small and large scale, from neighborhood communities to international relations. Scholars of Latin American studies, race studies, international relations, sociology, and communication will find this book especially useful.

Darlington's history is popularly seen as the story of Quakers and railways but there is much more to the town's past than this. From its beginnings as a Saxon settlement, it became the southern stronghold of the land of the Prince Bishops, a market town, had its own Great Fire long before London, provided inns for travellers along the Great North Road, became an industrial centre and faced the twenty-first century with a diversified economy as the old heavy industries closed. Along the way, as the town grew rapidly in the nineteenth century, it was a group of Quaker Darlington businessmen who masterminded the beginnings of Britain's railway system in the town. This book will look back over the centuries to uncover the fascinating history of the town. Stories of the town's rebels, reformers, activists, benefactors, heroes and campaigners, England's first black professional football player, as well as the lives of the ordinary folk, bring the history to life, together with illustrations to show where reminders of the town's past can still be found. Illustrated throughout, this accessible historical portrait of the transformation that Darlington has undergone through the ages will be of great interest to residents, visitors and all those with links to the town.

The key theme of the Hall Book remains Borough Governance. The town's charters and rights were confirmed and extended in 1664 by the Charter of Charles II. The key theme of the Hall Book remains Borough Governance. The town's charters and rights were confirmed and extended in 1664 by the Charter of Charles II. James II's Charter of 1685 led to the Alderman becoming Mayor, the First Twelve becoming Aldermen and the Second Twelve becoming Councillors. James also sought to extend his powers with more rights to interfere, as with other cities and boroughs across the country. The Quo Warranto issued in April 1688 and the removal of six Aldermen resulted in an un-sought for Charter later in 1688 but this may not have even been physically received in Grantham as the events of the Glorious Revolution intervened and governance was restored under the terms of the 1631 Charter of Charles I. The borough of Grantham was then governed in these terms until the Municipal Corporations Act of 1835. Subsidiary themes include the precautions against plague in 1665; the issue and recall of the town's half-pennies in 1667-1674; references to non-conformity in 1668-69 and the lives of some of the Corporation members.

Do you remember the docks? In its heyday, the Port of London was the biggest in the world. It was a sprawling network of quays, wharves, canals and basins, providing employment for over 100,000 people. From the dockworker to the prostitute, the Romans to the Republic of the Isle of Dogs, London's docklands have always been a key part of the city. But it wasn't to last. They might have recovered from the devastating bombing raids of the Second World War - but it was the advent of the container ships, too big to fit down the Thames, that would sound the final death knell. Over 150,000 men lost their jobs, whole industries disappeared, and the docks gradually turned to wasteland. In London's Docklands: A History of the Lost Quarter, best-selling historian Fiona Rule ensures that, though the docklands may be all but gone, they will not be forgotten.

Unseen Hastings and St Leonards features 250 views including previously unpublished photographs that will appeal to everyone with an interest in the history of Hastings and St Leonards-on-Sea. Accompanied by informative captions, many of these rare images show streets, houses, shops, railway engines, trolleybuses, and people that have never appeared in print before. All aspects of everyday life are recorded here, offering a unique glimpse of bygone times for all who know and love this beautiful part of the Sussex coast.

Through the medium of old photographs, programmes and advertisements, this book provides a fascinating look at the history of cinema-going across the suburbs of London during the last century. Among the fifty historic cinemas featured are the Finsbury Park Astoria, the Maida Vale Picture House, the Shepherds Bush Pavilion, the West Ealing Kinema, the Woolwich Granada and Kilburn's Gaumont State. Illustrated with 100 images, this well-researched and informative volume will delight all those who have fond memories of visiting some of London's long-since vanished cinemas, as well as those that remain in some form or another.

Adrian Bell's travels through East Anglia and lowland Britain reflect a world on the brink of change. Published in 1939, on the eve of the Second World War, his down-to-earth descriptions of the countryside were shaped by his own life working the land. Whether it be hedgerow flowers, a livestock auction, traditional farmyard, village forge, wheelwright's shop, the arrival of the tractor in the harvest field, the work of the ploughman, shepherd or woodman, Men and the Fields captures the character of rural life before modern agriculture altered the landscape and changed forever the way we eat and live.This new edition restores the original colour lithographs and black and white line drawings by John Nash that appeared in the first edition.

Our streets are enriched by a huge variety of objects, from water fountains and horse troughs to post boxes, signposts and more. Collectively, these objects are known as street furniture. From Roman-era milestones to modern infrastructure disguised as artwork, they tell us much about contemporary life. This book relates the compelling history of street furniture's design and manufacture, featuring notable architects and major ironfounders, as well as curiosities like King Edward VIII post boxes. It brings the story right up to date, detailing the new generation of environmentally friendly and digitally connected street furniture. The book also charts the dangers to our streetscapes, which are particularly vulnerable to change, with heritage street furniture at risk of being forgotten or lost. This book includes many fascinating images of surviving street furniture and vanished pieces, with archive material allowing readers to see long-gone items in use. It will appeal to those interested in social and transport history, in how we lived in the past, and indeed how we may live in the future.

These spooky ghost tales from one of Britain's most ancient counties are vividly retold by local storyteller Janet Dowling. Their origins lost in the oral tradition, these stories are as eerie and mysterious as the windswept moorland, wild shorelines and rugged landscapes from which they derive. Here you will find stories of a voice beyond the grave, a ghost on the pivot between heaven and hell, and the spectres of Viking princes on moonlit roads. Richly illustrated by Vicky Jocher with original drawings, these atmospheric tales are perfect for reading aloud in front of a roaring fire or alone under the covers on dark, stormy nights.

Throughout the gritstone region of the Dark Peak there are many tors and these outcrops of rock can be seen dotted along the high points of the national park. Although these tors are not as famous or prevalent as those in Dartmoor, the Peak District is a significant area for tors on a world stage. This book features walks to these summits from accessible points - due to the nature of the hills in the area they are a little challenging but by no means strenuous. There are 20 walks to tors including Mam Tor, Higger Tor, Shining Tor, Back Tor and others., together with information about nearby places to visit and explanation on how the tors were formed.

London Secrets unlocks the city's most fascinating secrets. Janelle McCulloch strips away bricks, mortar and tarmac to uncover parts of the capital that even born and bred Londoners may never have seen. In the shadow of the Gherkin, Cheesegrater and Walkie-Talkie skyscrapers are medieval churches, crypts and the curios of Postman's Park - proof that altruism can exist in the Square Mile. In St James's, a stone's throw from the glitz and glamour of Soho are hidden squares and shops dating from a gentler age - purveyors of fine wine, gentleman's apparel and bowler hats. The cobbled mews of Marylebone and Hampstead Village reveal unexpected treasures, rarely seen interiors and a rural idyll amid the urban hum. While the esoteric collections at the Horniman, Sir John Soane's Museum and exotica of Leighton House make you feel you are in an entirely different country altogether. The author reveals the traditions and quirks that have survived to this day, from the freedom of the City of London allowing you to herd sheep through the town, to the "market ouvert" of Bermondsey Market, original home of the London wheeler-dealer. Lavishly photographed and researched, London Secrets will shed a whole new light on this most vibrant - and surprising - of cities.

Artisan Bristol is the culmination of interviews and studio visits with some of the city's finest makers, and reveals their personal relationship to the area and how it inspires their work. From ceramicists to glassblowers, silversmiths to textile designers, here traditional methods blend with modern, cutting-edge techniques to create wonderful and unique objets d'art.

Develops an understanding of Warwickshire's past for outsiders and those already engaged with the subject, and to explore questions which apply in other regions, including those outside the United Kingdom. Published to mark the one hundredth anniversary of the Dugdale Society, which publishes Warwickshire's records, this book brings together a range of scholars - early career researchers, tenured academics, independent scholars and an archivist - all with records of excellence in research and writing, who cover a range of political, social, economic, cultural, architectural and religious subjects from the eleventh to the twentieth centuries. Besides providing original and well-researched interpretations of Warwickshire's past, the book goes further to discuss and analyse the ways in which writing of local history has changed over the last hundred years, paying particular attention to meanings and explanations that have emerged in recent times, from which future developments can be expected. As such the book will appeal not just to those interested in the local history of Warwickshire, but also to everyone concerned with local history in general, and how it should be studied and written.

Once upon a Milton Keynes ... Buckinghamshire is an ancient county of Roman forts and highwaymen, motorways and urban myth. These are the Buckinghamshire folk tales of past, present and future: old tales in new towns, and new stories from old legends. Look out for witches and dragons, mind all those roundabouts, and whatever you do - don't eat the stew.

A New York Times bestseller! "Lively and absorbing. . ." - The New York Times Book Review "Engrossing." -Wall Street Journal "Entertaining and well-researched . . . " -Houston Chronicle Three noted Texan writers combine forces to tell the real story of the Alamo, dispelling the myths, exploring why they had their day for so long, and explaining why the ugly fight about its meaning is now coming to a head. Every nation needs its creation myth, and since Texas was a nation before it was a state, it's no surprise that its myths bite deep. There's no piece of history more important to Texans than the Battle of the Alamo, when Davy Crockett and a band of rebels went down in a blaze of glory fighting for independence from Mexico, losing the battle but setting Texas up to win the war. However, that version of events, as Forget the Alamo definitively shows, owes more to fantasy than reality. Just as the site of the Alamo was left in ruins for decades, its story was forgotten and twisted over time, with the contributions of Tejanos--Texans of Mexican origin, who fought alongside the Anglo rebels--scrubbed from the record, and the origin of the conflict over Mexico's push to abolish slavery papered over. Forget the Alamo provocatively explains the true story of the battle against the backdrop of Texas's struggle for independence, then shows how the sausage of myth got made in the Jim Crow South of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. As uncomfortable as it may be to hear for some, celebrating the Alamo has long had an echo of celebrating whiteness. In the past forty-some years, waves of revisionists have come at this topic, and at times have made real progress toward a more nuanced and inclusive story that doesn't alienate anyone. But we are not living in one of those times; the fight over the Alamo's meaning has become more pitched than ever in the past few years, even violent, as Texas's future begins to look more and more different from its past. It's the perfect time for a wise and generous-spirited book that shines the bright light of the truth into a place that's gotten awfully dark.

Newquay is a major tourist destination for holidaymakers located on the north coast of Cornwall. However, it is much more than a simple seaside resort. Evidence of Late Mesolithic flint tool working sites show early occupation, and there has been a small fishing village here since medieval times. The arrival of the railway and subsequent post-war development saw Newquay expand from a village with a population of only 1,300 to a town of almost 20,000 residents. Focusing on the last century, Newquay Through Time shows the myriad changes that have occurred as the town expanded in the years following the First World War. Some changes will be immediately recognisable, as the old has made way for the new, but some are much more subtle. Join Sheila Harper as she takes us on a journey around Newquay through time.

During the long winter nights and before the advent of television, people in Caithness used to hold informal gatherings in each other's houses, and spend the night in general conversation around the firesides. These gatherings were known as ceilidhs. The news of the day was always discussed along with other topics of interest. The conversation very often turned to events of long ago and it was then that the storytellers came into their own. With his customary enthusiasm, Robert Gunn has selected a number of these tales and historical events with links to or origins in Caithness, to provide a fascinating read and a few surprises! The author recalls that in the Dunbeath district there were several storytellers who held their audiences spellbound with their tales of long ago. One such story was The Prisoner's Leap - this raised considerable debate as to whether it was possible to jump the gorge at Crageneath although the conversation often ended with people agreeing that the distance between the two rocks at the gorge was much less than it was currently! Most people believed that an Earl of Orkney was killed at the battle of Leodibest and that one of the stones near the road marked his grave. Alexander Gunn's recollections of his schooldays at Badbea will be an eye-opener for many when they read of the terrible hardships that the children who lived there had to endure. Swein Asleifson - a northern pirate The son of a Norse governor, Swein followed a life of raiding and looting which encompassed Northern Scotland, Orkney and Shetland, Ireland and the Isle of Man. He travelled as far south as Wales and the Scilly Isles and became one of the most powerful men of his time, commanding fear from the people, respect from Earls and admiration from Kings. This book brings together all the action, double-dealing and bloodthirsty adventures surrounding Swein and his people.

Sale History Tour offers an insight into the fascinating history of this town in Greater Manchester. Author Steven Dickens guides us around its well-known streets and buildings, showing how its famous landmarks used to look and how they have changed over the years, as well as exploring its lesser-known sights and hidden corners. With the help of a handy location map, readers are invited to follow a timeline of events and discover for themselves the changing face of Sale.