The north-west seaside resort of Southport can trace its origins back to 1792 when William Sutton, a pub landlord from Churchtown, built a bathing house in a sparsely populated area a few miles down the coast. Although widely mocked at the time, Sutton realised the potential for a resort close to the newly constructed Leeds & Liverpool Canal. Within thirty years Southport, as it was renamed, was attracting over 20,000 visitors annually. In this book, Margaret Brecknell celebrates the town's significant events and achievements, together with its notable local people from across the centuries. Southport was viewed as more upmarket than its emerging rival, Blackpool. Among those attracted here were 'The Greatest Showman' P. T. Barnum and the future French Emperor Napoleon III. Southport later hosted some of the twentieth century's best-known entertainers including Charlie Chaplin and The Beatles. In the 1970s, the legendary Grand National winner Red Rum was trained on Southport Beach. With people increasingly choosing to holiday abroad, Southport has reinvented itself as a destination for day trippers. In recent years, a large-scale rejuvenation project has taken place near the seafront with the aim of restoring some of the resort's most popular attractions, such as the Victorian pier, to their former glory. Southport has much to celebrate in its past, but can also look forward to the future with renewed confidence. Illustrated throughout, this book will appeal to residents, visitors and all those with links to this seaside town.

The picturesque market town of Skipton in North Yorkshire regularly features in newspaper polls as one of the best places to live in the UK. With its ancient castle, scenic towpath beside the Leeds & Liverpool Canal and beautiful surrounding countryside, it has also become a popular destination for tourists visiting the Yorkshire Dales. Skipton has not always been such an enviable place to live. In medieval times its castle was frequently subject to violent attack and, during the English Civil War, was besieged for three years as it held out as the last Royalist stronghold in the North. Another key moment in Skipton's history came at the turn of the nineteenth century with the construction of the canal and the arrival of the cotton mills. This brought prosperity to the town, but working conditions were harsh. The historic buildings that line Skipton's streets point to its interesting past, but how much of the detail has been lost with the passage of time? In Secret Skipton, author Margaret Brecknell aims to rediscover some of the lost stories of Skipton's past, focusing on the events and people that shaped the town's history across the ages. Among the subjects covered are the castle and its residents, special occasions, education and religion, working life, wartime, leisure and notable buildings.