Local History/Interest:England

Artikelname: A Century of Brighton & Hove
Artikelbeschreibung: This fascinating selection of photographs illustrates the extraordinary transformation that has taken place in Brighton & Hove during the 20th century. The book offers an insight into the daily lives and living conditions of local people and gives the reader glimpses and details of familiar places during a century of unprecedented change. Many aspects of Brighton & Hove's recent history are covered, famous occasions and individuals are remembered and the impact of national and international events is witnessed. The book provides a striking account of the changes that have so altered Brighton & Hove's appearance and records the process of transformation.Drawing on detailed local knowledge of the community, and illustrated with a wealth of black-and-white photographs, this book recalls what Brighton & Hove has lost in terms of buildings, traditions and ways of life. It also acknowledges the regeneration that has taken place and celebrates the character and energy of local people as they move through the first years of this new century.

Artikelname: Around Uckfield
Artikelbeschreibung: This fascinating volume of over 200 old photographs provides a partly chronolgical account of the history of the town and its surrounding area from the early nineteenth century to the outbreak of the Second World War. The book is based on two major collections of postcards and photographs as well as several smaller ones, together with maps, plans, prints and extracts from documents of the period.

The authors have meticulously scoured USA, British and German records, to compile a detailed study of the effects of the aerial warfare over the county in these momentous years. The aircrew and aircraft that involuntarily reached the ground are vividly described and fully illustrated.

The valley of the Western Rother, winding the nine miles between the towns of Petersfield and Midhurst, encapsulates the historic, secret spirit of West Sussex. This book explores the sunken lanes, picturesque villages, ancient churches and the many curious legends of this corner of rural England.

Bognor at War is compiled largely from the photographs of the late Frank L’Alouette and the captions have been painstakingly researched using contemporary records and eye witness accounts to provide a unique photographic record of one town at war.

The charming country town of Midhurst has been little affected by the passage of time, and this album fully portrays its unique attraction with numerous illustrations from the past together with a few from recent times for comparison.

Not part of Midhurst, Easebourne is more than six times its area and is the location of Cowdray House, Cowdray Park, Cowdray Ruins and Cowdray Polo Grounds. This is the first ever book on this fascinating parish and the topics range from the much-loved King Edward VII Hospital to the Budgenor Lodge Workhouse and from community activities to the modern television mast. Often mentioned is the Es Bourne, which gave rise to a district mentioned in the Domesday Book and which still flows beside The Street.

The unchanged charm of many parts of the town is fully illustrated with pictures ancient and modem. The alteration in other areas is explained with dramatic photographs of bomb damage, destruction by fire and inevitable progress. This album is an essential pictorial record for residents and visitors alike.

Artikelname: Hop Pickers of Kent and Sussex
Artikelbeschreibung: This is a fascinating account of the experiences of happy hop-picking holidays in the days when whole families travelled out of smoky London to enjoy the clean country air of Kent and Sussex. Apart from this type of escape there was little opportunity for a break for thousands of city dwellers. When mechanisation took over the holidays stopped and so did the opportunity to earn extra money for Christmas and clothes for a growing family.

The coastal plain of West Sussex has no significant natural defensive positions and has therefore been defended by a number of man-made structures, ranging from the substantial to the comical. All these are described in detail, together with their armaments and the soldiers that manned them. Here is the story of 500 years of fortification from Brighton to Selsey.

In his classic Military Defence of West Sussex, John Goodwin looked at the hardware and practical issues. Herein he examines the problems of military and naval communications and the many solutions, but extends his remit to the entire South Coast. Argumentative Admirals, sinister smugglers and corrupt crews add colour to the fascinating story of flags, shutters, wooden arms and the frustration of poor visibility. Most of these were eliminated by the advent of the electric telegraph, which forms the final part of his story.

Artikelname: Piers of Sussex
Artikelbeschreibung: The Golden Age of pier building commenced in the 1860s and was to last for the next fifty years until 1910. In addition to Brighton West Pier, Sussex saw two further piers erected in the 1860s, at Worthing and Bognor, and two others commenced at Hastings and Eastbourne. Sussex has a good claim to be the birthplace of the seaside pleasure pier, for although Ryde Pier on the Isle ofWight has the earliest origins as a pier, the famous Chain Pier at Brighton was the first to be used as a fashionable promenade and was immediately popularised by Brighton's wealthy visitors and residents for a health-giving walk over the sea. By the late 1860s, however, the popularity of the weather-worn Chain Pier was usurped by the new West Pier, which due to its troubles of recent years has probably become the most well-known pier of all. The West Pier in its heyday was rightly lauded as one of our finest piers and its various stages of development epitomised the evolution of the pleasure pier. The Sussex coast has been luckier than other areas in retaining the majority of its piers. Discounting Brighton West it has lost only two piers, Brighton Chain and St Leonards, and still retains six, including three of the finest in Brighton, Eastbourne and Worthing. They will at least ensure that the seaside pleasure pier remains a feature of the Sussex coast for many years to come.

Here is the untold story of the secret patrols that used the status of the Home Guard as a cover for their real activities. A veritable warren of holes, tunnels and burrows were the HQs for their work of discreet observation and coded communication. Their network would have been invaluable in the event of an invasion, when their life expectancy was estimated as two weeks. This book includes the personal reminiscenses of some of the heroic men and reveals, for the first time, details of their amazing life in hideouts.

These detailed accounts start with the ill-equipped Local Defence Volunteers wearing armbands and goes on to chronicle the development of a well trained force of observers and defenders, that used sophisticated weapons and techniques. The social and humorous events are described along with the complexities of training and some surprising activity on horseback.

Artikelname: Sussex..Old Bexhill
Artikelbeschreibung: Bexhill was once a popular holiday resort and many photographs here show the town in its Edwardian heyday. The Old Town, the Manor House (demolished in the 1960s), Ancaster House School, St Mary's School, Sea Road, the Kursaal and the Marine Hotel are among the locations included. Elsewhere there's the famous De La Warr Pavilion, a picture of the UK's first motor racing trials (held in Bexhill in 1902), the outdoor swimming pool in Egerton Park and members of the Canadian Army photographed at the trench warfare school near Cooden Drive during the First World War. Little Common, Sidley and Cooden are featured too.