Shire Publications

From prize-winning historical novelist Louise Allen, this book presents nine walks through both the London Jane Austen knew and the London of her novels! Follow in Jane's footsteps to her publisher's doorstep and the Prince Regent's vanished palace, see where she stayed when she was correcting proofs of Sense and Sensibility and accompany her on a shopping expedition - and afterwards to the theatre. In mode...

London's many cemeteries, churches and graveyards are the last resting places of a multitude of important people from many different walks of life. Politicians, writers and military heroes rub shoulders with engineers, courtesans, artists and musicians, along with quite a few eccentric characters. Arranged geographically, this comprehensive guide describes famous graves in all the major cemeteries and churc...

The British film industry was already well established when Hollywood sprang to life in 1911, and has remained at the forefront of film-making ever since; from Cecil Hepworth and Alfred Hitchcock to Ridley Scott and Christopher Nolan, and all the innumerable artistic and technical titans in between, the UK has never been far from the cinematic vanguard. Originally flat theatrical sets on temporary stages (o...

Sheep have been farmed in Britain for hundreds of years and more than thirty million sheep now inhabit these islands. The many breeds developed over this time have been carefully matched to their surroundings - from the hardy, seaweed-eating North Ronaldsay to the tough hill-dwelling Swaledale and the docile Dorset Down of the lowlands. Susannah Robin Parkin here explains the main differences between the va...

From the original horse-drawn caravan to the sophisticated and well-appointed luxury leisure vehicle we know today, this book follows the dynamic evolution of the touring caravan from the 1900s to the present day. Using a selection of images from his archive library, expert Andrew Jenkinson reveals how technical advances as well as interior design revolutionised the touring caravan in the United Kingdom, an...

The rollercoaster is usually the main attraction of any amusement or theme park, and this book outlines the history of these fascinating structures. From the first mass-produced rollercoaster, the Switchback Railway, through to the giant wooden coasters of the inter-war period, the author uses historic postcards and photographs to chart their development and that of other amusement rides including revolving...

Sir William Lyons enjoyed a seemingly unstoppable rise to fame and fortune in the motor industry, and the Jaguar brand that he introduced became world-famous. Yet it did not happen overnight. In the 1920s he was in Blackpool, styling motorcycle sidecars, and in the 1930s in Coventry developing the SS motor car, with the stand-alone Jaguar company not appearing until 1945. The company's success was aided by ...

Half-timbered houses, cottages and barnes are a familiar feature of the landscape, but only rarely do we have an opportunity to see below the surface and understand how they were planned and constructed. Timber-framed buildings catch the imagination of those who work with them because of their beauty, their strength and the quality of the material of which they were made: English oak. Many thousands of buil...

Edward VII became king in January 1901 and Britain was a very prosperous country after Victoria's long reign, and now a new era began that would bring enormous changes. After the stuffiness of Victorian life, there was a desire for less clutter in the home, more fresh air and sunshine. The changes begun during the few years before the First World War in 1914 were to leave their mark on the whole century. Th...

The Volkswagen Transporter is one of the best-loved and most recognisable motor vehicles of all time. The preferred transport for surfers and hippies everywhere, the Volkswagen Type 2 'bus' was born in 1950, the first of a new breed of vehicle, the ancestor of today's people carrier. Available in various versions, including panel van, pick up and minibus, the Transporter was often converted into campervans ...

London Transport was created in 1933 to coordinate the shambolic, overlapping transport systems of the capital, and for decades has striven to meet the challenges of organising London travel. Now operating as Transport for London (TfL), it continues this demanding work. In this fully illustrated volume, Michael H. C. Baker presents the complete story of the organisation from its origins, through the upheava...

World War II affected every aspect of life on the British home front. From food rationing to air-raid shelters to war work, those left at home had to make huge changes in their day-to-day lives as Britain mobilised, economised, and saved in the name of Victory.

Tube: Station to Station on the London Underground, written by Oliver Green and published by Shire Publications, provides historical background to London’s present day Underground network and then takes you on seven guided tours to observe the influence of architects such as Charles Holden, designer of many stations built in 1920s and 1930s, or Sir Norman Foster.

From the Edwardian golden age of steam to the present, no mode of travel has captured the hearts of the British people like the railways. In wartime and peace, along major routes and minor, steam, diesel and electric trains have moved goods, taken commuters to work or families on holidays - a constant presence in an always-changing way of life. A Century of Railway Travel tells the story of one hundred year...

Well over half a century after it first appeared in 1948, the Morris Minor has become a much-loved classic car. It is as popular now as when in production. During the Second World War, when Alec Issigonis and his team began to design a prototype small car for the post-war era, few could have foreseen that it would become the first British car to sell a million or that the revolutionary design features would...

The name Lancelot 'Capability' Brown has become synonymous with the eighteenth-century English landscape garden: between 1751 and 1783 his consultancy handled over 170 major commissions. Ruthlessly efficient, he could stake out the 'capabilities' of a particular terrain within an hour on horseback. Rising to the position of Master Gardener to George III, his trademark features included bald lawns, clumped t...

Railway posters have a huge appeal to the modern audience, but just what is it that appeals to us? Enduring images of iconic locomotives, bathing beauties and characters such as Sunny South Sam are testament to the persuasive power of the railway company marketing departments established in the late nineteenth century. Railway posters not only tell us about railway history and technology, architectural and ...

"Early Railways: 1569-1830".

Cider has recently seen a surge of popularity both in versions produced by large breweries and by small producers and home cider-makers who value taste and complexity. This book takes us through the history and practicalities, and introduces the concepts and techniques of craft cider production. It looks at the different styles of cider, and the effect of fruit variety, climate and orchard location on the f...

For much of the twentieth century travel by air was a luxury available only to the wealthy, and accordingly the airlines - Pan Am, BOAC, TWA, BEA and many others - offered premium services that connected far-flung parts of the world with con trails of glamour. This book looks back at the golden age, from the 1920s to the 1970s, when well-appointed airliners whisked the rich and famous around the world on ho...