Books in the Shire Discovering series

Traces the evolution of oil lighting and places on record details of the many fine lamps which served our forebears so well.

Presents a survey of the development of gardens in Great Britain from their medieval origins in monasteries and castles, through the Tudor period and the seventeenth century when formal designs from France and Holland were prevalent, to the great age of English landscape gardens in the eighteenth century.

There are more than thirty major figures cut out of the grass on Britain's hillsides; cut as religious symbols, way markers, or as decoration to the landscape. Often, although prominently placed, the figures are overlooked. This book describes their exact location, the best point to view them and their history and legends.

Following the Industrial Revolution the ingenuity of Victorian manufacturers produced an enormous range of horse-drawn agricultural machinery. This book describes these machines and includes drawings of many of them, as well as photographs.

"Discovering London's Docklands".

Featuring black and white photos of some of the old buildings that claim to be haunted and locations of where ghosts can be seen, this book reveals some British ghost stories.

Curiosity is the desire to know or learn, inquisitiveness about trifles or other people's affairs, a curious matter or investigation, a vanity, a curious detail or feature. This book introduces readers to a London full of curiosities.

Many wild plant names originate from early Greek, Latin or Old English and through the ages their original meanings have become misunderstood. This book aims to bring order to the confusion of botanical classification by tracing the origins of both the English names and the scientific names of the common species of plants and trees in Britain.

London is the supreme railway city. In 1900 it had fourteen railway termini, more than any other city in the world. This book provides the history of the principal termini, featuring key aspects of architectural design and engineering and also highlights anecdotes, myths, and curiosities about the stations' social and cultural history.

What exactly is an abbey and does it differ from a priory? This book clarifies the seeming confusion by answering these questions and much more besides. This new edition, in a larger format, includes descriptions of over 200 individual sites open to the public and over 90 colour photographs.

This book traces the changes in the years from 1945 to 1965 when there were considerable advances in photography and in cameras.