Richard Bates 
World is My Mirror 

From a modest street in Altrincham of not more than sixty-one houses, at least 158 men enlisted and fought in the First World War. The bravery and in some cases sacrifices of these men was recognised …

Hove, west of its immediate neighbour Brighton, was a small fishing village on the Sussex coast until its development in the early nineteenth century as a fashionable seaside resort for wealthy …

The city of Portsmouth, on the Hampshire coast, has been an important naval base for centuries and is still home to much of the Royal Navy’s fleet today. The town has grown around its dockyards, …

Lying 7 miles south-east of Manchester, the town of Stockport can trace its history back to the foundation of a castle in the area in the late twelfth century and the granting of a borough charter …

Southend-on-Sea was only developed in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, when it became a popular seaside resort, but behind its façade lie many little-known and fascinating stories. In Secret …

At the turn of the twentieth century the simple postcard became the go-to means of communication for thousands of Victorians and Edwardians, sharing their greetings, their stories and their gossip. …

This unique book explores the history of Cumbria via ten ancient routes that wind through some of the most spectacular parts of the Lake District and the rest of the county. Illustrated throughout …

The early history of Hayes, alongside its neighbouring village of Harlington, is one of agricultural activity. The Industrial Revolution brought the Grand Union Canal in 1794 then the Great Western …

The Cumbrian city of Carlisle has a rich and colourful history. Being so close to the Scottish border, Carlisle became a military stronghold and its surviving eleventh-century castle bears testament …

Stroud is a delightful Cotswold market town built on a hillside at the convergence of five valleys. Into its rich history are woven many strands: the story of the wool trade, the arrival of canals …