Books by Pamela Horn

Abingdon History Tour is a unique insight into the illustrious history of this Oxfordshire town. This is an exciting guided walk around Abingdon, its well-known streets and striking buildings, and explains what they meant to the people of this town throughout the nineteenth and into the twentieth century. Readers are invited to follow a timeline of events and watch the changing face of Abingdon as Pamela Horn guides us through the local streets.

The First World War particularly affected the landed classes with their long military tradition; country houses were turned into military hospitals and convalescent homes, while many of the menfolk were killed or badly injured in the hostilities. When the war ended efforts were made to return to the pre-war world. Pleasure-seeking in night-clubs, sporting events and country-house weekends became the order of the day. Many of the former rituals, such as presentation at Court for debutantes, were revived. Yet, overshadowing all were the economic pressures of the decade as increased taxation, death duties and declining farm rentals reduced landed incomes. Some owners sold their mansions or land to newly enriched businessmen. Others turned to city directorships to make ends meet or, in the case of the women, ran dress shops and other small businesses. The 1920s proved a decade of flux for High Society, with the lighthearted antics of the 'Bright Young People' contrasting with the financial anxieties and problems faced by their parents' generation. Pamela Horn draws on the letters and diaries of iconic figures of the period, such as Nancy Mitford and Barbara Cartland, to give an insight into this new post-war era.

A succinct account of changes in children's work and welfare between 1780 and 1890. It examines some of the debates which have attached themselves to those changes and discusses the role of the state and of philanthropic organisation in bringing about change.