An important contribution to the social, cultural and economic history of seaside resorts. From the 1820s the Essex seaside towns of Walton, and later Clacton and Frinton, were promoted as high-class residential and holiday resorts. After a slow start, hampered by poor communications and low demand, growth was stimulated by steam-ship companies which landed visitors on newly built piers in Walton and Clacton and by the railways that reached Walton in 1867, Clacton in 1882 and Frinton in 1888. The contemporary emphasis upon the health advantagesof the seaside also led to the establishment of many convalescent homes. However, working-class excursionists newly attracted to Clacton, and to a lesser extent Walton, then irrevocably changed the social tone of the resorts. By the 1920s and 1930s Clacton was a commercialized holiday destination and the funfair-style facilities of its pier rivalled those of any other resort. Nearby Jaywick was established as a cheap and cheerful chalet development. While Walton remained popular with families, Frinton continued as a "select" resort, with building development and commerce strictly controlled. The town remains famous for its wide unspoilt greensward facing the sea and its resistance to any threats to its exclusive character. Camping, caravanning and holiday camps replaced the traditional seaside holiday after 1945, but from the later 1960s the increase in overseas holidays led to a steep decline ofthe seaside resorts. The economy has, however, since diversified with large dormitory-style housing developments, light industry and new shopping centres, and the coast becoming increasingly popular for retirement homes. Thisvolume presents an authoritative account of the growth and development of these towns on the so-called "Sunshine Coast".

Essex, one the largest counties of England, stretches from the suburban fringes of East London to the fishing and sailing ports of Harwich and Maldon and the famous seaside resorts of Clacton, Frinton, and Southend. Its buildings encompass rich Roman survivals, powerful Norman architecture, and the remains of major Tudor and Jacobean country houses. Essex is first and foremost a county famed for its timber buildings, from the eleventh-century church at Greensted to the early and mighty barns at Cressing Temple, and a wealth of timber-framed medieval houses. Later periods have also made their contribution, from Georgian town houses to Victorian and Edwardian industrial and civic buildings, and from important exemplars of early Modern Movement architecture to the major monument of High Tech at Stansted Airport.

From small timber-framed houses to sprawling manors, this comprehensive guide to west Suffolk presents an impressive range of buildings from across the centuries. At its center lies the town of Bury St. Edmunds, site of one of Norman England's most powerful abbeys, whose monolithic gates remain as a local landmark. Other towns boast impressive architecture as well, including Newmarket, where the racetrack and other unique structures support its role as a historic and international center for horse breeding and racing. Also attesting to the remarkable variation of west Suffolk's buildings are a number of impressively grand residences, such as the fine Elizabethan manors of Long Melford, Majarajah Duleep Singh's palace at Elveden, and the extraordinary circular mansion of Ickworth.

This authoritative survey of east Suffolk includes some of England's most beautiful landscapes, including "Constable Country," the land surrounding the River Stour that was home to John Constable. East Suffolk's rural landscape includes a variety of intriguing medieval buildings: brick and timber-framed houses, stunning churches, and the grand castles of Orford and Framlingham. Additionally, Suffolk's coast is home to a number of charming resorts, as well as the Viking ship burial site at Sutton Hoo. This volume also includes the town of Ipswich, where medieval buildings are situated alongside Norman Foster's offices for Willis Faber, one of the major works of 20th-century British architecture.

This fully revised and up-to-date guide to the architecture of Hertfordshire is an eye-opening introduction to the wealth of fine buildings that can be found right on London's doorstep. Hertfordshire is one of the smallest English counties, largely rural in character. Its buildings range from remains of the Roman city of Verulamium to the medieval abbey at St. Albans and the 17th-century Hatfield House. Numerous timber-framed buildings and Georgian houses are found in the small towns whose preservation was aided by the early 20th-century creation of the Garden Cities at Letchworth and Welwyn, as well as Stevenage New Town, built after the Second World War. Pretty villages set in the county's rolling farmland feature churches that have towers crowned with spires known as Hertfordshire spikes, while commuter suburbs are rich in housing from homely Arts and Crafts to radical Modernism. With expanded entries and new color photography, this is an essential work of reference for visitors and residents alike.