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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Isambard Kingdom Brunel has always been regarded as one of
Britain's great heroes and an engineering genius. His father Marc
Brunel has not received the same degree of adulation, but this book
will show just how important a part Marc played in his son's works
and will also look at his own great achievements. Marc Brunel
arrived in Britain as a refugee from revolutionary France, after a
short time working in America. He was a pioneer of mass production
technology, when he invented machines for making blocks for sailing
ships. He had other inventions to his name, but his greatest
achievement was in constructing the very first tunnel under the
Thames. Isambard spent his early years working for and with is
father, who not only encouraged him but throughout his career he
was also able to offer practical help. The famous viaduct that
carried the Great Western Railway over the Thames at Maidenhead,
for example was based on an earlier design of Marc's. Isambard's
greatest achievements were in revolutionising the shipping
industry, where hew as able to draw on his father's experience when
he served n the navy. The book not only looks at the successes of
two great engineers, but also their failures. Primarily, however,
it is a celebration of two extraordinary mean and their amazing
achievements.
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.
The book traces the history of the various craft that have been
used for transport on Britain's rivers and canals from the earliest
times to the present day. The first section deals with the long
history of the development of river craft, from prehistoric log
boats to the whole range of sailing barges, such as the Humber keel
and the Thames barge. By the middle of the 18th century, canal
construction brought in a new generation of craft, not just the
familiar narrow boats, but the wide boats such as the Leeds &
Liverpool short boats, maintenance craft and even passenger boats.
Steam power was introduced in the 19th century for a variety of
crafts from tugs to pleasure steamers, while the 20th century
brought in the diesel motors for boats and barges of all kinds.
Today, there is still some commercial traffic, but an
ever-increasing demand for boats for pleasure. Much of this story
is told in terms of preserved craft and is also based on the
author's own experience aboard many of these craft, whether crewing
a Thames barge or working in the engine room of a Clyde puffer.
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.
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.
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.
Transport systems are the lifeblood of all great cities and this is
certainly true of London. As far back as Roman times, their city
Londinium was the hub of a network of roads leading out to all the
major centres of the time. It was the Romans who gave the city its
first bridge across the Thames and its first paved roadways. This
book tells the story of London's roads and bridges and the vehicles
that used them. For centuries, transport meant horse drawn
vehicles, from lumbering waggons to elegant carriages and the city
had a flourishing industry, building carriages. The Industrial
Revolution brought major changes, not least in the construction of
more and more bridges over the Thames. In the 19th century a new
system appeared with the arrival of the railways, and the many
stations that are such prominent features of the cityscape. The
story continues into the 20th century, when, for a time, the city
was also home to some pioneering motor car manufacturers, such as
Vauxhall. It comes nearer our time with the construction of the
underground railway and the driverless trains of the Dockland Light
Railway. Londoners will have a chance to find out just how travel
around the city has changed in the last two thousand years.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Canal Builders is a classic history book for anyone interested in
the development of Britains canal system. The book, which was first
published in the 1970s, is now republished here in a new fifth
edition. It takes the reader from the middle of the eighteenth
century, to the start of the railway age in the early nineteenth
century. Anthony Burton has revised and improved the original text,
using new material that he has found in archives since it was first
published, and has added many extra illustrations. This is the
remarkable story of the many groups of people who were responsible
for building Britains canal system. There were industrialists, such
as Josiah Wedgwood, who promoted canals to help his own industry,
and speculators, who financed the projects in the hope of a good
return. The work was planned by engineers, some of whom, such as
James Brindley and Thomas Telford, have become famous, while others
have remained virtually unknown but still did magnificent work.
This is also the story of the great, anonymous army of men who
actually did the work the navvies. This was the first book ever to
study the lives of these labourers in detail. Altogether it is an
epic story of how the transport route that made the industrial
revolution possible was built. 'Well planned and well written There
is no better introduction to the early canal age.' The Economist
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.
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