Books in the Shire Library series

A history of motor coach design from the early days of open-top charabancs, to modern WiFi and built-in toilets.The coach--distinguished from the bus by its use for longer-haul and more comfortable trips--has a long and august history. Its origins lie in the charabanc, a long open-topped vehicle used to transport passengers on works outings and pleasure excursions. Over time, coaches came to be enclosed and fitted with more comfortable seating and higher-quality bodywork than the charabancs and the buses used on shorter routes. By the 1960s and 1970s on-board toilets began to be fitted, and despite a decline due to private car ownership, coach travel remains popular, with WiFi, electric sockets and even video screens now built in. This colorful introduction explains the development of motor coach design and the main coach manufacturers, models and operators, offering a fascinating insight into the history of the nation's most popular vehicles.

An illustrated introduction to the military airfields of Britain and the essential roles they played in the Second World War.The Second World War airfields peppered around Britain are among the most visible and widespread reminders of this devastating conflict. Some are now almost forgotten or built over; others have become museums, industrial estates or parkland; and some have been adapted and remain in operation today. In this beautifully illustrated history, aviation historian Stuart Hadaway explains the crucial part airfields played between 1939 and 1945, detailing their construction and expansion; their facilities and equipment; the many functions they housed from command and control to maintenance and bomb-loading; how the airfields were used both for defense and offence; and how they changed during the war. He also explores what life was like on the airfields, as well as listing some of the remaining sites and what can be seen today.

In the 1950s and 1960s, luxury car buyers, from government ministers to captains of industry, almost invariably bought British. These were stately, dignified, and grand vehicles, with many featuring leather interiors and wood trim. Unfortunately, that market has now largely disappeared and, with it, so have the car-makers themselves. The book covers cars in the over-3-litre class from the biggest names in British luxury motoring including Alvis, Daimler, and Lagonda, and high-end models from Austin, Rover, and Jaguar. It examines the features and characteristics of these classic cars, as well as explaining why they fell from prominence in the 1970s. Replete with beautiful photography throughout, this book is a loving portrait of the British luxury car, a dearly missed saloon defeated by foreign imports.

By learning how to identify the stylistic phases that resulted from shifts in architectural fashion, it is possible to date each part of a church to within a decade or two. This book introduces key features of each succeeding style, from Anglo-Saxon and Norman through to the three great gothic styles, Early English, Decorated and Perpendicular.

During her sixty-five-year career, Susie Cooper introduced more than 4,500 ceramic patterns and shapes, versatile and influential designers the industry has ever seen. This title charts her progress from the creation of patterns for Gray's Pottery in the 1920s, to running her own Susie Cooper Productions from the 1930s to the 1950s.

Explains the history of British occupational dress from around 1750 to 1950, a period that saw the decline of many traditional forms of employment, the emergence of new types of job and the alteration of various existing roles to meet the changing demands of the workplace. This guide demonstrates the adaptation of regular clothes for manual tasks.

The source of tremendous power and focus of incredible devotion, throughout history notions of beauty have been integral to social life. Each age has had its own standards: a gleaming white brow during the Renaissance, the black eyebrows considered charming in the early eighteenth century, and the thin lips thought desirable by Victorians.

The Volkswagen Transporter is one of the best-loved and most recognisable motor vehicles of all time. This book looks at the development, production and use of the class first, and second, generation Transporter. It includes many colour photographs.

The Land Speed Record is a fascinating story of human endeavour - of man and machine battling time to be the fastest. Since 1898 many have dreamed of being the fastest on earth, first with electric, then steam, then petrol, moving forward to the jet car, and into the present and future with rocket power. The glory years of the record are studded with iconic names such as Malcolm and Donald Campbell, Henry Segrave, John Cobb, George Eyston, and more recently Craig Breedlove and Richard Noble. The next race is on for 1,000mph with the latest British attempt by Bloodhound SSC. In this colourfully illustrated introduction, using many photographs from the Motoring Picture Library at Beaulieu, Malcolm Campbell's grandson tells of the brave drivers and powerful machines that have propelled themselves into the record books.

An engaging introduction to the workings of church buildings and churchyards, explaining the integral elements of a working church and how they have changed over time.The parish church is a symbol of continuity, a cornerstone of the urban and rural landscape, and a treasure trove often as rich in cultural history as any museum. This compact and accessible guide explores all of these aspects of the parish church. It begins by examining why churches are built where they are, and then goes on to explain how both church buildings and churchyards have changed over time. It also describes the fixtures and furnishings in the parish church, including fonts, screens, stained glass, and monuments, explaining their ritual and symbolic purpose and how their significance has shifted over time. Lavishly illustrated with color photographs, this book will provide an indispensable introductory guide to anyone who is curious about the nation''s parish churches and wants to explore them further.

The 1970s was a decade of style contrasts: every extreme of fashion was met by an equally trendy opposite reaction. Ankle-length maxi skirts vied for attention with super-short hot-pants. Outfits in vibrant prints and obviously man-made fabrics contrasted with subtly-colored ensembles in wool jerseys and silky crepes. Delicate floral cottons, hand-knits and hand-tooled leather came up against boldly synthetic and plastic looks perched atop platform shoes--for men and women alike. More so than at any other time, fashion looked backwards in order to dress the future with quirkily ironic retro looks, while alternative street-style movements such as Punk used appearance to startle and challenge the establishment. In this book, Daniel Milford-Cottam uses colorful photographs to illustrate an eye-opening introduction to the bold fashions that still have such resonance today.

The 00 gauge train set was the ultimate "boy''s toy" of the 1950s and ''60s .Electric 00 gauge trains were introduced by Trix and Hornby Dublo in the mid-1930s, but the Second World War quickly halted production. However, they burst back onto the post-war scene with great success, and 00 quickly became the dominant scale in Britain, and was taken up by other large manufacturers including Tri-ang. Whilst the components of the sets themselves were often basic, they could be transformed into astonishing landscapes in the hands of imaginative builders. The sheer number of box sets, locomotives, rolling stock, buildings and accessories gave everyone the ability to form a bespoke layout. This beautifully illustrated introduction to the heyday of clockwork and electric 00 gauge trains tells their story up until 1975, when finer detailing and changing trends led to them becoming enthusiasts'' models rather than children''s toys.

The 1970s was a decade of style contrasts. More so than in any other decade, every extreme of fashion was met by an equally trendy opposite reaction. Ankle-length maxi skirts vied for attention with super-short hot-pants. Outfits in vibrant prints and obviously man-made fabrics contrasted with subtly-colored ensembles in wool jerseys and silky crepes. Delicate floral cottons, hand-knits, and hand-tooled leather came up against boldly synthetic and plastic looks perched atop platform shoes--for men and women alike. More so than at any other time, fashion looked backwards in order to dress the future, with quirkily ironic retro looks, while alternative street-style movements such as Punk used appearance to startle and challenge the establishment.

We agonize and argue when choosing it; we admire, compliment and criticize it (or keep politely quiet about it); and the rest of the time we don''t even notice it. Wallpaper has been the backdrop to our homes for hundreds of years. It can make a house feel cozy or trendy, modern or traditional, and it is one of the key elements of home décor through which to express personal taste. Despite the threat from plain-painted minimalism, wallpaper maintains a strong presence in modern domestic decoration. Zoë Hendon traces the history of wallpaper in Britain and its foremost designers, examining how social mobility and new technologies have influenced design trends. From early Chinoiserie, through William Morris and on to the "feature wall," this book looks at wallpaper''s surprisingly controversial place in shaping our sense of home.

More complex and imposing than any other vehicle in the British emergency services, the fire engine has a long and interesting history. The earliest water pumps had been developed by the eighteenth century - basic manual pumps that had to be hauled around by people or horses, and were often only used on fire-insured premises. In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries horse-drawn, steam-powered fire engines, and eventually motorised fire engines, came to revolutionise firefighting, offering far greater versatility and the brigades came to be run by the municipalities. In this beautifully illustrated introduction, Eddie Baker charts the history of fire engines and their variants, and the increasingly complex equipment they have carried, such as high-rise ladders and high-pressure hoses. He also explains the wider history of the fire service and how the engines have been shaped by its needs and, most importantly, those of the firefighters themselves.

Isambard Kingdom Brunel considered the Great Western Railway the "finest work in England" and he contributed many groundbreaking features, none so unorthodox as the decision not to adopt the "standard" track gauge of 4ft 8┬╜in and instead introduce the new ''broad gauge'' of 7ft ┬╝in. Describing the rationale behind the choice of broad gauge, and also the unique track and locomotives used, this beautifully illustrated introduction to broad gauge railways chronicles the building of the original GWR between Bristol and London, and the expansion of that original 112-mile main line into a network stretching across the West of England, Wales and the Midlands. It describes how the clash between broad and narrow led to the "Battle of the Gauges" and also provides a list of places to visit where broad gauge artifacts still survive.

The London and North Eastern Railway, or LNER as it was familiarly known, was one of the Big Four companies that took control of Britain''s railway network following the "Grouping" in 1923. This network represented a challenging mixture of mainline and rural passenger routes, suburban services, and freight and industrial lines across the east coast of England and Scotland. Despite this challenge, the LNER became famous for its style, speed, and efficiency, with record-breaking high-speed routes capturing the public''s imagination, supported by iconic locomotives such as the Flying Scotsman and Mallard. Full of beautiful photographs, this is a perfect introduction to one of Britain''s best-loved railway operators during the Age of Steam.

Victorian pumping stations are colourful cathedrals of utility. Their imposing and striking exteriors enclose highly decorative cast-iron frames, built to encage powerful steam engines. They are glorious buildings which display the Victorians' architectural confidence and engineering skills. More than that, they represent a key part of the story of urban development and how our towns and cities were shaped in this period of ground-breaking invention and civic pride. In this illustrated guide, Trevor Yorke tells the story of Victorian pumping stations and explains why they were built in such a flamboyant manner, describing their architectural features and showing how their mighty steam engines worked. He includes examples of their glorious interior decoration from pumping stations across the country and provides a detailed list of those which are open to visitors.

A staple food in many diets, bread has been baked since ancient times and is considered as a basic necessity. This work charts the history of baking, from the breads cooked with grain-paste through the introduction of yeast, to modern day variations. It describes the different methods used in baking and the range of tools and machinery used.

From the horse-drawn trams of the nineteenth century to the larger electric models of the early twentieth, this reliable form of public transport revolutionized town travel by making it affordable enough for working people to use. From the 1930s, the rise of the trolleybus, which also picked up power from overhead cables but ran without expensive tracks, looked set to supersede the tram--but ultimately, by the 1950s, both fell victim to motor buses and private cars. However, since the 1980s the environmental benefits of light rail have encouraged a growing comeback for trams on our crowded and polluted city streets. Using beautiful contemporary photographs, this is the fascinating story of the rise, fall and revival of this everyday, yet sometimes controversial, mode of urban transport.

Rolls-Royce is one of Britain's legendary car brands, representing the pinnacle of engineering quality and luxury like no other manufacturer. Since 1904, when Charles Stewart Rolls and Frederick Henry Royce began their collaboration, the Rolls-Royce name has earned respect and admiration the world over. This is the full story of Britain's premier luxury car-maker, from the early experimental models through the 40/50 Silver Ghost, the Twenty, the Phantoms, the Wraiths and their post-1945 successors, with evocative names such as Silver Shadow and Silver Seraph. It celebrates more than 110 years of car manufacture under the Rolls-Royce brand, revealing how careful management and simple dedication have ensured that the Rolls-Royce name remains a byword for the best of the best.

Designed to dominate the surrounding area, to house powerful garrisons, offer sumptuous quarters for local nobility, and to discourage and repel enemy attacks, castles dominated England and Wales for more than half a millennium. Though some were built before 1066, the Norman Conquest left a lasting legacy in the form of fortifications ranging from small earthworks now barely discernible, to mighty and dominating stone fortresses. This book examines why castles were so essential to medieval warfare, their importance in domestic politics, and the day-to-day lives of those who lived and worked within them. It also shows how the development of new technologies affected their construction and design, and why they eventually fell into disrepair in the late Middle Ages. Beautifully illustrated with stunning photographs, this is the perfect guide for any castle enthusiast seeking to discover more about medieval fortifications and their inhabitants.

In the early years of the Industrial Revolution, canals formed the arteries of Britain. Most waterways were local concerns, carrying cargoes over short distances and fitted into regional groups with their own boat types linked to the major river estuaries. This new history of Britain's canals starts with the first Roman waterways, moving on to their golden age in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, and ends with the present day, describing the rise and fall of canal building and use in the UK. It tells the story of the narrow boats and barges borne by the canals, and the boatmen who navigated them as well as the wider tale of waterway development through the progress of civil engineering. Replete with beautiful photographs, this a complete guide to some of the most accessible and beautiful pieces of Britain's heritage.

In the 1950s and 1960s, British sports car ruled the road, and their charge was led by Triumphs. From the TR2, its first modern sports car, Triumph went on to produce a host of classic sports designs such as the Spitfire, GT, and Stag, as well as more TR models, ending with the TR7 in the late 1970s. These represented the epitome of the contemporary classic British sports car. Fast, nimble, and gorgeous to behold, Triumphs offered the everyday motorist an exhilarating drive at a price that they could afford. Popular both in the UK and the US, the Triumph range helped define the entire genre, with sports cars today like the Mazda MX-5 having their roots in models like the Stag. Illustrated throughout and written by acclaimed motoring writer and historian Graham Robson, this book guides the reader through the history of this classic British marque from its heyday in the 1960s and 1970s through to its eventual demise in the 1980s.

In the Middle Ages, it was thought that praying at the right shrine could save you from just about anything, from madness and famine to false imprisonment and even shipwreck. Kingdoms, cities, and even individual trades had patron saints that would protect them from misfortune and bring them wealth and prosperity, and their feast days were celebrated with public holidays and pageants. With saints believed to have the ear of God, veneration of figures such as St Thomas Becket, St Cuthbert, and St Margaret brought tens of thousands of pilgrims from all walks of life to sites across the country. Saints, Shrines and Pilgrims takes the reader across Britain, providing a map of the most important religious shrines that pilgrims would travel vast distances to reach, as well as descriptions and images of the shrines themselves. Featuring over 100 stunning photographs and a gazetteer of places to visit, it explains the history of pilgrimage in Britain and the importance that it played in medieval life, and describes the impact of the unbridled assault made on pilgrimage by the Reformation.

The SOE (Special Operations Executive) was one of the most innovative British creations of the Second World War. This book looks at the men and women who made up the SOE, the rigorous training to which they were subjected, and their lives during and after the war.

Matchbox toys were ubiquitous items for children across the Western world. Originally labelled Christmas-cracker trash by retailers and shopkeepers, the small-scale 1-75 series soon began to see unprecedented worldwide sales in the 1950s. Smaller and cheaper than most of its competitors'' toys, Matchbox models were also far more accurately modelled, but the company has nevertheless seen its own share of competition and challenging times over the years. In this beautifully illustrated book, Matchbox collector Nick Jones tells the story of Matchbox and its most famous toys, from the Coronation Coach to the Batmobile, and complements the story with beautiful, previously unpublished photographs.

Brings together the architectural and social histories of the parsonage, drawing on the evidence of buildings, archival and literary accounts, and contemporary and modern images, to depict parsonages, their occupants and how their histories may be traced.