The Ridgeway follows one of the oldest 'green roads' in Europe. It runs for 87 miles (140 km) from Overton Hill in the west, across the Marlborough Downs and the Vale of the White Horse, to Ivinghoe Beacon on the northern edge of the Chilterns. This is the complete, official guide for the long-distance walker or the weekend stroller. All you need is this one book. Anthony Burton's official guide has been fully revised and updated for 2013, and this new edition has been completely redesigned with more and bigger photographs and much new background history and information. National Trail Guides are the official guidebooks to the fifteen National Trails in England and Wales and are published in association with Natural England, the official body charged with developing and maintaining the Trails.

Following the limestone escarpment on the Western edge of the Cotswolds, the 102 miles of the Cotswold Way take the walker through a quintessentially English landscape as varied as it is beautiful. Starting and finishing among the golden Cotswold stone of Chipping Camden and Bath, and affording stunning prospects of the Malvern Hills, the Forest of Dean and even the Black Mountains in Wales, it winds through rolling farmland, magnificent beech woodlands, and up over the austerely beautiful Cleeve Hill with its panoramic views out over Cheltenham and far beyond. With a wealth of historic interest, from Neolithic burial mounds to Roman villas and country houses, this is genuinely a walk through the heart of England.

The official guide to this superb National Trail, published in conjunction with Walk Unlimited. Comprehensive, this is the only companion you need to walk this well-loved path. Since it opened in 2003, Hadrian's Wall Path has become one of Britain's most popular long-distance paths. Its 84 miles are a convenient week's walking, shadowing for the most part the historic line of Hadrian's Wall in its spectacular progress across the superbly wild landscape of the north of England. Starting in what used to be Tyneside's shipbuilding heart, and joining Newcastle in the east with Carlisle in the west, it takes you via the extraordinary Roman forts of Vindolanda and Housesteads, close to handsome towns like Hexham and Corbridge, to finish on the lonely shores of the Solway Firth with views of Scotland.

The 93-mile West Highland Way is indisputably Britain's most spectacular long-distance path. The first section, following the eastern shore of Loch Lomond, offers an idyllic waterside walk, with the full grandeur of the Highlands gradually revealing itself. Then, after crossing the barren wilderness of the Rannoch Moor, the walker climbs the Devil's Staircase above Glencoe and traverses classic Highland landscapes to reach Fort William and, if he or she wishes, a grand finale at the peak of Britain's highest mountain, Ben Nevis. This comprehensive, easy-to-use guide is an authoritative companion, packed with indispensable information.

Somewhere around 4000 BC, people in Britain began to give up their old hunter-gatherer way of life, instead raising livestock and planting crops: they became farmers.This comprehensive and informative guide covers the history of farming in Britain since this time, when cattle were huge beasts and ploughs did little more than scratch the ground's surface. Tools and technologies may have changed since these primitive times, but the patterns of life on the farm have remained much the same.From the medieval farm to the Agricultural Revolution as enclosure transformed the landscape, here is the story of how farming has evolved into the tractors and mechanization we recognise today. With photographs and illustrations this book also illuminates the life of farmworkers and their families.What was it like being a cattle farmer or a shepherd? What did a farmer's wife spend her day making? An entertaining and detailed guide for anyone interested in the history and lives of the country's farmers. Includes a list of farms and museums to visit of historic and general interest.

Over 4,000 years of history lie in the seams of British mines, beginning all the way back in the New Stone Age.Large-scale coal mining in Britain developed during the Industrial Revolution, providing energy for industry and transportation in industrial areas from the 18th century to the 1950s. This classic Pitkin guide provides a history of mining in Britain as well as of the hard lives of those who worked in them.Child labour was a normal part of Victorian life, so women and children were found in the dangerous deep pits until 1842, while male miners relied on safety lamps and canaries to avoid mining disasters. Fascinating photographs accompany this guide's history of these people's lives, including their time outside of the mines, their homes and hobbies.Whole villages grew up around mines, with close comradeship and tightly knit mining communities emerging. Here is the story of what that life was like for so many, up until British mining's decline in the 19th and 20th centuries.Includes a list of mines, museums and heritage centres to visit.

On Christmas Eve 1801, Cornish mining engineer Richard Trevithick tested the first steam locomotive on the road. Though it was short-lived, exploding four days later, this was the beginning of the railway age in Britain.By the end of the 18th century, there was a considerable number of railways across Britain with well established steam engines. This informative guide tells the story of these railways, beginning with the pioneers of locomotive engines and the navvies who built the railways themselves.A must for anyone interested in the history of the railways, industrial Britain and travel, this informative guide explores the lives of those on the railway. Train guards, station staff and passengers are all touched on, as well as underground railways and tragic rail disasters. Colour photographs and illustrations bring the golden age of rail in Britain to life.Includes a list of places to visit which specialize in railways, as well as a glossary of the key terms in the book.

Samuel Smiles published his "Lives of the Engineers" in 1862, presenting engineers as heroic characters, conquering nature and often overcoming impossible problems on their way to success. He also invented much of it, so while an interesting historical document, it must be taken with a pinch of salt. Anthony Burton has turned his attention to a new book collating the lives of the great engineers of the 18th and 19th centuries, the extraordinary men who made the industrial revolution possible. This definitive study investigates the common themes that run between each man's story, and how they learned from one another, truly standing on the shoulders of giants. This book presents ten incredible engineers: Jack Metcalf, James Brindley, John Smeaton, William Jessop, John Rennie, Thomas Telford, James Watt, Richard Trevithick, George and Robert Stephenson, and Isambard Brunel.

Anthony Burton has travelled from the Highlands of Scotland, to the south west of England in pursuit of his passion for the steam engine in all its different forms. He has travelled on narrow gauge railways in Wales and enjoyed the splendour of main line journeys behind some of the grandest locomotives ever built. He has shovelled coal into the boiler of an old Clyde Puffer, while steaming down Scotland's west coast, and luxuriated in the elegance of a Windermere steam launch. He has marvelled at the magnificence of the great Victorian pumping engines and their elaborately decorated engine houses - and spends time every year helping to oil and polish an old mill engine to get it ready to receive visitors. He has revelled in the fun of the steam fair and shared a ride in a replica of Richard Trevithick's extraordinary steam carriage with a direct descendant of the great engineer. All these experiences and more are brought together in this lively narrative, in which the author shares his own sense of excitement and places each visit within its historical context.Above all, this book is a tribute to all those anonymous volunteers whose hard work and dedication have kept this great tradition alive.

Britain's Canals is a charming and insightful exploration into the amazing architecture and engineering wonders that surround Britain's inland waterways - from the awe-inspiring 30-lock flight on the Worcester and Birmingham Canal, to the delightful chocolate-box lock-keepers' cottages that line the cut of every canal, to masterpieces such as the 18-arch Pontcysyllte aqueduct, the highest aqueduct in the world, to beautiful bridges, grand company buildings, the social hubs that were, and still are, canal-side pubs, plus so much more. In contrast to many inland waterways books which are organised geographically by canal, Britain's Canals is structured thematically, with chapters covering the line (the shape of the canal), locks and lock cottages, bridges, aqueducts, lifts and planes, company buildings, wharves, basins and quays and finally the canal-side pub. Each chapter explores how these features were created and have changed through history, right through to the present, with plenty of ideas for places to visit - plus full information on how to get to them. An abundance of full-colour photography throughout, both historical and modern-day, will delight readers and inspire them to explore Britain's wondrous inland waterways, whether on boat, by foot or by bike. In Britain's Canals, two inland waterways experts and admired authors come together to produce the definitive word on the man-made wonders that make Britain's canals so special, so loved and enjoyed by so many.

This stimulating guide will help students and their teachers to achieve stylish performances of music of the Romantic period. Individual chapters from leading experts focus on historical background, notation and interpretation, and sources and editions, presenting the latest thinking on performance in a clear, helpful and practical way. There are also dedicated chapters of specialist advice for keyboard, string and wind players, and singers, plus a recommended playlist of illustrative, authoritative recordings. Fully illustrated throughout with many music examples, facsimiles and pictures, this is a valuable resource for students of the Romantic period which will also add to the knowledge and understanding of amateur and professional musicians.

For centuries, most textile manufacturing relied on people working in their own homes. All that changed in 1761 when Richard Arkwright began construction of the first water-powered cotton mill in Derbyshire.The complex woollen industry was transformed as mills spread cross the north of England and into Scotland, with tasks taken out of the cottage and into the factory. This informative guide tracks the development of the textile manufacturing industry, from industrial power looms meeting with Luddite resistance, to the distinctive silk weaving workrooms.Mill towns sprung up around places of work, including special apprentice houses for children. Conditions were harsh and often dangerous, both in the mills and in woollen towns living under permanent palls of smoke. Packed with photographs and illustrations, this is a classic Pitkin guide to the everyday lives of the workers in this mills and towns, from their work to their time off.There was a time when Britain sent textiles around the world: this is the story of the workforce, mainly women and children, who made this possible - and created the factory age.Includes a list of mills, museums and visitor centres to visit.

This stimulating guide will help students and their teachers to achieve stylish performances of music of the Classical period. Individual chapters from leading experts focus on historical background, notation and interpretation, and sources and editions, presenting the latest thinking on performance in a clear, helpful and practical way. There are also dedicated chapters of specialist advice for keyboard, string and wind players, and singers, plus a recommended playlist of illustrative, authoritative recordings. Fully illustrated throughout with many music examples, facsimiles and pictures, this is a valuable resource for students of the Classical period which will also add to the knowledge and understanding of amateur and professional musicians.

The story of Britain's canals reads like a history of the Industrial Revolution. It was the growth of canals in the late eighteenth century that made possible and, in fact, created the need for many of the technological advances of the time. The legacy they have left is used my millions every day for leisure pursuits, for fishing, for walking the dog and for the obvious use of boating. This book helps to describe what can be seen today and to relate this to the history and technology of the period. Covering the canals of England and Wales this is the best companion to our waterways heritage.

Over a thousand years ago the Chinese discovered that the slender filaments that formed the cocoon of the silk moth, could be woven into beautiful shimmering fabrics. For centuries they were able to keep the process a secret, but eventually started to trade the valuable cloth with the west, along the silk road. Silk was a luxury item that bestowed prestige, so it was inevitable that the wealthy wanted their silks to be as elaborate as possible, beautiful designs were produced in the Islamic world and gradually a European industry developed. In the 19th century mechanisation of the time consuming hand weaving process, had resulted in products being produced using the Jacquard loom, which used punched cards to create a pattern. Silk remains the most beautiful woven material in the world, moving from its origins in ancient China to help transform the whole world.

This is the story of how for more than a hundred years steam power played a vital role in the development of road transport. It all began with tentative attempts to build steam carriages by pioneers such as Cugnot in France and Trevithick in Britain, and in the early part of the nineteenth century there were significant attempts to develop steam carriages and omnibuses. That these attempts ultimately failed was largely due to opposition by road authorities and draconian legislation. Steam power did, however, find a real purpose in agriculture, where the traction engine was used for a variety of tasks from towing and working threshing machines, to ploughing. Once the value of the traction engine had been established, it soon found a use in many parts of the world for heavy haulage work and appeared in an exotic guise as the showman's engine. The latter was not only used to haul rides to fairgrounds but also powered a dynamo that could light up the fair at night. By the end of the nineteenth century, steam on the road took on a new life with the development of steam cars and trucks. For a time they vied the new internal combustion engine for supremacy on the road. The American Doble Company even developed a 100mph steam sports car. Ultimately steam lost the war, but steam vehicles survive and delight us still thanks to enthusiastic owners and restorers.

The book looks at London's maritime history from the establishment of Roman Londinium to the present day. It discusses many different aspects of life on the Thames and its connecting waterways and canals. There was a time when the River Thames was the main highway for the city, when watermen plied their trade carrying passengers and goods in a wide variety of craft, ranging from rowing boats to sailing barges. The Thames was also, for many centuries, a major ship building centre, and the story includes the construction of some iconic vessels from Henry VIII's flagship Henri Grace a Dieu to Isambard Brunel's great steamship the SS Great Eastern. London was also until recently the country's most important port. In the days of sail, the Port of London was crowded with vessels and it was not until the nineteenth century that major enclosed docks were built, a process that continued into the early years of the twentieth century. The early nineteenth century also saw London connected to the rest of England through a network of canals. Other topics covered include the lifeboat service, river fire fighting forces and the river police. The result is a colourful pageant that highlights the vital role that London's waterways played in the life of the capital.

Crafted in Britain is a celebration of Britain's traditional crafts and industries that have survived into the modern world, not as museums but on their merits. In an age of increasing automation and standardisation, it is a joy to find such places, where craftsmanship and personal skills are still valued. Their world is recreated in Rob Scott's dramatic photographs, while the processes and history of the different industries is described in the captivating text by Anthony Burton. They have travelled the country from the Spey valley in Scotland, where they recorded the workers in a traditional distillery and a cooperage, to Cornwall and the studio of a specialist pub sign painter. They have gone underground with a Free Miner of the Forest of Dean and seen molten metal being poured to create majestic church bells. The book delights in the variety and individuality of the different industries. For both author and photographer it has been a revelation to see some of these processes at work: to watch a craftsman take a strip of silver and work it by hand into a spoon, or to find clocks being made in a workshop that looks as if it has scarcely changed for a hundred years. Crafted in Britain gives you the opportunity to share these experiences and delight in the discovery of these magnificent survivors.

Wedgwood was born in the Staffordshire Potteries in 1739 and lived in the area all his life. His family were all potters, working in traditional ways, but Josiah was to revolutionise the industry. When he started work, the local ware was either rather rustic, or made to look a little more sophisticated by the addition of heavy glazes. He worked to produce a lighter coloured body and to use designs made to appeal to aristocratic tastes, convinced that where they led the rapidly growing middle class would follow. The result was cream ware which, when a whole service was ordered by the royal family, was soon christened queens ware. He needed to import new materials - flint from East Anglia, light clays from the West Country, so he became an ardent promoter of the Trent and Mersey Canal, and built a new factory and family home on its banks, naming the area Etruria In the new works, he abandoned the old systems where individual craftsmen produced whole pieces for an early form of mass production. From these works came the ceramics that are still world famous, such as the distinctive jasper ware. He had many outside interests and was one of the earliest supporters of the ant-slavery movement. He studied science and was made a Fellow of the Royal Society for his work on high temperature thermometers. He was a loving family man and an enthusiastic correspondent, and his many letters reveal a character that was attractive, enthusiastic and always eager to learn, He died in 1795.

This book tells the often dramatic and always fascinating story of flight in lighter than air machines. For centuries man had dreamed of flying, but all attempts failed, until in 1782 the Montgolfier brothers constructed the world's first hot air balloon The following year saw the first ascent with aeronauts - not human beings but a sheep, a duck and a cockerel. But it was not long before men and women too took to the air and became ever more adventurous. The aeronauts became famous giving displays before crowds of thousands, often accompanied by special effects. In the early years, ballooning was a popular pastime, but in the 19th century it found a new use with the military. Balloons were used to send messages out during the Siege of Paris and later found a role as observation balloons for the artillery. But their use was always limited by the fact that they were at the mercy of the wind. There were numerous attempts at steering balloons, and various attempts were made to power them but it was the arrival of the internal combustion engine that saw the balloon transformed into the airship. The most famous developer of airships was Graf von Zeppelin and the book tells the story of the use of his airships in both peacetime and at war. There were epic adventures including flights over the poles and for a time, commercial airships flourished - then came the disaster of the Hindenburg. Airships still fly today and ballooning has become a hugely popular pastime.

This is a new biography of two great British engineering pioneers, who did much to develop the world we now live in. George and Robert Stephenson, were at the forefront of early railways and were at the cutting edge of modern engineering history. Industrial historian Anthony Burton looks into these two giants of the late Georgian and early Victorian age, who were responsible for the development of much of the early railway map in both Britain and other parts of the world. The work examines the lives of the two men and their ability to overcome some of the most pressing engineering problems of their time. This is a new work, with newly researched material published here for the first time, which take a fresh look at both pioneering engineers and their achievements.

Mining is Britain's oldest industry, and this book follows the men and, in the past, women who spent their lives working underground. Since the New Stone Age various minerals have been wrested from British soil - copper, tin, gold, lead - but in later periods the key commodity was coal. Those who worked in the mines were constantly battling on two fronts: there was the continual danger of flood and explosion; and the often bitter struggles against the mine owners. This story is also one of invention and innovation, looking particularly at how the independent miners of Cornwall and Devon were at the forefront of the development of the steam engine that was to transform society. This, the second book in an exciting new series looking at Britain's most dangerous industries, is a tale of blood, sweat and death among a courageous and close-knit community that has now all but passed into history.

Competition from rail and later road forced many canals into closure, and a large section of the old system seemed doomed to crumble away into terminal decay. Then came a new industry: the canal leisure industry, and with it the birth of the restoration movement. This final volume in the Anatomy of Canals series looks at what has been achieved and how the new compares with the old. Cities such as Brimingham have now been won over and have made the old canals part of a lively rejuvenation programme, while a new generation of engineers has produced such marvels as the Falkirk Wheel.