Newcastle has a long and distinguished history through two millennia: a Roman fortress at the eastern end of Hadrian's Wall; an important centre of monasticism; a 'royal' bulwark against attacks and invasion from Scotland; and the principal centre for the export of coal to London. In the 19th century it was transformed into an elegant Georgian townscape with dramatic streets and handsome public buildings. It and other towns on the Tyne - Gateshead, Jarrow, Wallsend, Tynemouth, North and South Shields - developed important industries: shipbuilding, glass and heavy engineering. Tyneside suffered severe contraction in the 20th century as heavy industry declined, but it has begun to reinvent itself and create new growth shoots, not least its vibrant cultural industries including music and art. This book takes an innovative approach to telling the story of the area's history by focusing on the historic maps and plans that record the growth and development of Newcastle and Tyneside over many centuries.

This book, first published in 1987, addresses questions which have gained new importance in the light of the continuing erosion of the economic base and social stability of cities. The recurring riots in inner cities are but the outward manifestation of the profound collapse of the civic societies of our cities. This book addresses three main issues: What has gone wrong? What successes and failures have changes in policy had? And what should be the shape of future urban policy? This book will be interest to students of sociology, urban studies and human geography.

This book, first published in 1987, addresses questions which have gained new importance in the light of the continuing erosion of the economic base and social stability of cities. The recurring riots in inner cities are but the outward manifestation of the profound collapse of the civic societies of our cities. This book addresses three main issues: What has gone wrong? What successes and failures have changes in policy had? And what should be the shape of future urban policy? This book will be interest to students of sociology, urban studies and human geography.

Manchester is one the world's most iconic cities. Not only was it the first industrial city, it can claim to be the first post-industrial city. This book uses historic maps and unpublished and original plans to chart the dramatic growth and transformation of Manchester as it grew rich on its cotton trade from the late 18th century, experienced periods of boom and bust through the Victorian period, and began its post-industrial transformation in the 20th century. The Peterloo Massacre, the Bridgewater Canal, the railway revolution, Trafford Park industrial estate, the Ship Canal, Belle Vue theme park, Wythenshawe garden city, the 1996 IRA bomb, Coronation Street, iconic football stadiums, and MediaCity are just some of the events and places that have put Manchester on the world's perceptual map and are explored through a wealth of published and unpublished maps and plans in this sumptuously illustrated cartographic history.

Playing on the marshes of the Solway Firth one day, young Alan Edmunds could have little idea of the significance of the plane crash he was about to witness, from the wreckage of which he pulled an American Air Force pilot. Focusing on successive generations of one family, Brian Robson's Snakes, Some Ladders charts the progress of Alan, his son David, and finally his grandson Ralph, from post-war austerity to present-day prosperity. From national service at Catterick to university at St Edmund Hall, Oxford, Alan's journey allows his son and grandson to follow in his footsteps and attend the same college. And, when Ralph meets a young American woman in a taxi in Oxford, the mystery of the young airman whose life Alan and his school friend Michael saved all those years before can finally be solved.