Books by Liz Hanson

Fully illustrated exploration of Edinburgh's well-known and lesser-known places and buildings that have been lost over the years.

A unique guided tour of the historic town of Peebles, showing how it has been changed over the centuries.

Explore Peebles' secret history through a fascinating selection of stories, facts and photographs.

The Midlothian region, once called Edinburghshire, is now administratively separate from the city of Edinburgh. They have always been interdependent, whether to supply the Old Town with crops, paper and coal or for wealthy city dwellers to locate their country estates and villas in the hinterland. The pastoral lifestyle of earlier centuries inspired writers and poets such as Robert Louis Stevenson whilst the wooded gorges of the River Esk were considered 'romantic' by Walter Scott. Smaller industries: weaving, coal mining, lime and iron-milling grew during the eighteenth century. The area is rich in country estates, many of which allow public access to their woodlands and grounds and the Pentland Hills are popular for hill-walking, as are the lower-level paths through the glens and gorges of the North and South Esk. These natural amenities, together with the proximity to Edinburgh make Midlothian a very desirable place to live. Midlothian Through Time shows how much the area has changed over time, with many places unrecognisable in the twenty-first century.

The unique profile of Edinburgh was born of a marriage between nature's sculpture and man's architecture. The epicentre is Castle Rock - a volcanic plug - which constantly draws the eye from all parts of the city. Sloping down from it is a jagged outline of impossibly high medieval tenements lining the Royal Mile which is punctuated at the foot of the tail of glacial debris by Holyrood Palace. That Edinburgh is beautiful is not in doubt.It is a city blended in to the countryside, with the Firth of Forth as the northern backdrop, a necklace of hills in all other directions. The history, however, has been less harmonious, largely due to warring with the English, but also because of religious turmoil and social unrest. The vibrant capital today draws thousands of visitors, not only for the historical sights, but also for the annual International Festivals of the arts, music and literature.

Peeblesshire and its attractive county town are situated in Upper Tweeddale, an area of great beauty and tranquillity. Tucked into the Borders Hills, with the River Tweed at its heart, Peebles has much to offer both tourists and residents, including walking, fishing and cycling or simply strolling along the river banks or exploring the charming high street. The city of Edinburgh is a mere 22 miles north but Peebles retains its market town identity and is very much part of The Borders. Peebles was created a Royal Burgh in 1367 by David II. Some remnants of its past are easily seen such as the thirteenth century Neidpath Castle, dramatically towering above a meander in the gorge; others remain only as traces, like the east port of the sixteenth-century town wall. This collection of photographs portrays some of the changes that have taken place to Peebles and its environs as the town has developed and grown.