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. …

Don’t be fooled by Brecon’s quiet, serene exterior for lurking just beneath the surface are little-known and long-forgotten secrets. Here on the fair banks of the Usk, famous for its salmon and trout …

‘Lord Leverhulme was one of those special people who used talent, hard work and the fruits of his success to make a difference to people’s lives for the better; this book is a celebration of a great …

The Lake District is one of Britain’s most popular tourist gems, nestled at the heart of the North West. The villages and mountains have been an inspiration for writers, artists and climbers over the …

The Wirral Peninsula in north-west England lies within Cheshire and Merseyside but has its own distinct identity. In the east, on the estuary of the River Mersey, lie the two largest urban centres on …