The Castles of England

The Castles of England
Author: Sir James Dixon Mackenzie (7th bart. of Scatwell and 9th of Tarbat)
Publisher:
Total Pages: 500
Release: 1896
Genre: Castles
ISBN:

A Guide to the Medieval Castles of England

A Guide to the Medieval Castles of England
Author: Malcolm Hislop
Publisher: Pen and Sword History
Total Pages: 314
Release: 2024-03-30
Genre: Travel
ISBN: 1399001132

Spread across the medieval kingdom of England in a network of often formidable strongholds, castles, like cathedrals, are defining landmarks of their age, dominating their settings, in many cases even to this day. By representing an essential aspect of our history and heritage, the interpretation of which is constantly being revised, they demonstrate the value of Malcolm Hislop’s compact, authoritative and well illustrated new guide to English castles. The gazetteer includes an astonishing variety of types, sizes and designs. Individual entries bring out the salient points of interest including historical context, building history and architectural character. The defensive and domestic purposes of these remarkable buildings are explained, as is the way in which their layout and role developed over the course of hundreds of years, from the predominantly earth and timber fortresses of the Normans to the complex stone castles of the later Middle Ages, many of which can be visited today. Hislop’s experience as an archaeologist specializing in medieval buildings, castles in particular, as well as his eye for structural detail, ensure that his guide is a necessary handbook for readers who are keen on medieval history and warfare, and for visitors who are looking for an accessible introduction to these monumental relics of England’s military past.

An Indian Summer of Steam

An Indian Summer of Steam
Author: David Maidment
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Total Pages: 321
Release: 2016-01-30
Genre: Transportation
ISBN: 1473827434

An Indian Summer of Steam' is the second volume of David Maidment's 'railway' autobiography, following his first book 'A Privileged Journey', published in xxxx. David was a railway enthusiast who made the hobby his career. After management training on the Western Region, between 1961 and 1964, he became a stationmaster in a Welsh Valley, an Area Manager on the Cardiff _ Swansea main line and radiating valleys, the South Wales Train Planning Officer, the Head of Productivity Services for the Western Region and subsequently the British Railways Board, before four years from 1982 as Chief Operating Manager of the London Midland Region, the BRB's first Quality & Reliability Manager in 1986, and finally British Rail's Head of Safety Policy after the Clapham Junction train accident, until privatisation.rn This experience led to a number of years as an international railway safety consultant, and, as a result of an encounter on an Indian railway station during a business trip abroad, to found the 'Railway Children' charity to support street children living on the rail and bus stations of India, East Africa and the UK, described in 2012 by an officer of the United Nations Human Rights Commission as the largest charity in the world working exclusively for street children. All this is the background to the descriptions the author gives of the last years of steam and his many journeys and experiences during his training in South Wales and the South West, his travels all over BR from 1962 until the end of steam in 1968, his search for steam in France, East and West Germany and China and the steam specials in Britain, France, Germany and China after the demise of regular steam working. The book includes over 100 black and white and 100 colour photos, most taken by the author during his travels, and nearly forty pages of logs of locomotive performance in Britain and the continent. rn All royalties from the book are being donated by the author to the charity he founded, a brief description of which is included in the last chapter of the book.

Tale of Two Families - John Brown and Abbe Lavina Colaw

Tale of Two Families - John Brown and Abbe Lavina Colaw
Author: Diana J Muir
Publisher: Lulu.com
Total Pages: 640
Release: 2019-07-14
Genre: History
ISBN: 0359787819

One might think that a common name such as Brown would lead to an ordinary family. That is not the case for this family. Descended from John Brown and his family, who traveled on board the Mayflower, they descended from the Kings and Queens of Europe and can be traced back to the Merovingian Kings of France and the Sea Kings of Norway. Among the most notable ancestors are John Brown of the Mayflower, Robert Dudley (a favorite of Queen Elizabeth), the Lords of Kerr in Selkirk, Scotland, the Dukes of Northumberland, and the Douglas family. The Colaw/Coler/Kohler family shares the same German ancestors as President Roosevelt and includes the Comte Jean de Graf in Picardy, France. Front Page photo- families departing the Mayflower Rear Page Photo - Aldnick Castle, the home of the Dukes of Northumberland and used recently for the Harry Potter movies.