Books by Steven Dickens

Historically part of Lancashire, Bury grew rapidly during the Industrial Revolution as a mill town producing textiles alongside many other expanding towns in the area and now lies within Greater Manchester. The town is well known for its large traditional open-air market, one of the best in the country, which draws large numbers of visitors. The industrial legacy of Bury is still visible, with the Manchester, Bury & Bolton Canal, the remaining factories and mills and areas of terraced housing, but following decline in the textile industry and other manufacturing in recent decades, the shopping centre was rebuilt in the 1960s and 1970s and has been subsequently rebuilt again, with housing areas extended outwards, linked to Manchester by the Metrolink tram service. In spite of the many changes that have occurred in Bury the town has retained its identity and most of its historical buildings. This fascinating selection of old and new images of Bury will be essential reading for all those who know the town and the area.

This fascinating selection of photographs shows how Oldham has changed and developed over the last hundred and fifty years.

The Manchester Ship Canal was a huge engineering achievement. It included seven swing bridges and the aqueduct at Barton, and helped turn the cotton-producing capital of Great Britain into an inland seaport. This was a feat many at the time believed could not be achieved. One of the wonders of the modern industrial world, the Manchester Ship Canal, with its huge locks and ocean-going vessels, was a magnetic draw for enthusiastic Victorians who marvelled at its construction. This book looks at the changes and development of the Manchester Ship Canal through time, from its origins as a thriving economic hub in the late nineteenth century, to an important retail, leisure and media centre in the early twenty-first century and beyond. Join Steven Dickens as he explores the history of this 36-mile-long inland waterway in the north-west of England, which links Manchester to the Mersey Estuary and the Irish Sea.