Through Time
14 total works
The Cambridgeshire Fens lie north of Cambridge and share boundaries with Lincolnshire and Norfolk. Until the seventeenth century the fens were marsh and swamp, with wide sluggish rivers. Those that could survive the damp and the fen ague made a living catching fish, wildfowling and cutting sedge and reeds. After the drainage, which revealed the rich fertile peat soil, man battled with flooding and isolation to create the richest farming land in the country. At the moment a car is essential to reach most areas, but new cycle ways are taking shape and there is great potential for tourism and recreation to boost the local economy. The Wicken Fen vision and the Great Fen project are developing to recreate some of the old Fenland habitat alongside the intensive farming. Welcome to one of the most fascinating areas of our diverse country.
Felixstowe owes its existence to the 19th-century fashion for seaside holidays when the gentry and businessmen chose to build their summer residences in the parishes of Walton and Felixstowe. In earlier centuries Walton had been the more significant settlement, with a manor and a castle. Even the later fort guarding the Suffolk side of Harwich harbour was often considered to be part of Essex. When the Dutch landed on the Common in 1667 and were defeated by Land guard Fort's garrison, all England heard of the place and King Charles II himself paid them a visit. Join Mike Rouse on this fascinating visual journey around this popular and colourful town, as he shows us what affect history has had on the area through time. This new collection of photographs, carefully selected by the author, is sure to surprise and delight residents and visitors alike.
This is a photographic journey along the North Norfolk coast from the shingle banks at Weybourne to the crumbling cliffs at Mundesley. It's a dramatic tour that includes breathtaking cliff top walks and miles of beautiful sea-washed beaches. At the heart are Sheringham and Cromer, once small fishing villages, reinvented by powerful landowners in the nineteenth century as seaside resorts with vast Victorian hotels, now sadly mostly lost. There are West and East Runton, so popular with caravanners, to the one time millionaires' sanctuary of Overstrand. It ends at Mundesley with its reminders of former glories. It is an area rich in history of fishermen and lifeboats and man's struggle with the sea. It is a story of Victorian romance in 'Poppyland' and of holidays and heydays.
Soham & Wicken Through Time A Second Selection
by Anthony Day and Michael Rouse
Published 15 November 2010
Soham is a proud town. It is proud of its history and written in the old buildings is a story of its people. Hard working, hard living and independent, they survived on the nearby Fenland or in work associated with it. Along the long ridge that carries the road half way between the racing town of Newmarket and the cathedral city of Ely, a line of windmills creaked and groaned in the wind. You could get anything in Soham from black boots to a black eye. It used to be said of Wicken, 'one way in, the same way out', because Wicken was one of those isolated fen villages looking at Soham across the vast Soham Mere, with a road linked to the Newmarket Road, but no through road to Stretham. The isolation brought an independence that helped to keep the last of the old Fen, now Wicken Fen, on its edges. Anthony Day's images capture the old cottages and scenes and show how the village has changed.
Michael Rouse's photographic tour of the West Norfolk coast takes us from the Victorian vision of Hunstanton - with its spectacular coloured cliffs - to the salt marshes of Stiffkey and Cley-nextthe- Sea. It's a journey back in time to the small ports of Burnham Overy Staithe, Brancaster Staithe and Blakeney, now so popular with weekend sailors, and then onward to the wonderful beaches and bustling quayside of Wells-next-the-Sea. A century's worth of images tells the story of the holiday industry and the economic fortunes of the English seaside, which has always been a haven for birdwatchers and a paradise for walkers. This is a coastline rich in history with an ever-changing shoreline but one constant theme - the dramatic, ongoing battle with the relentless North Sea.
Harwich is one of the Haven Ports. Its position on the estuaries of the River Stour and River Orwell has played a defining role in the history of the town, as it was one of the only safe havens on the East Coast between the Thames and Humber. As a result, Harwich has played a key maritime role through the centuries. The town became a significant naval base in 1657, and soon major batteries were developed including the Harwich Redoubt, Beacon Hill Battery and Bath Side Battery. Dovercourt is actually older than its close neighbour Harwich, having been mentioned in the Domesday Survey, but it is considerably smaller. In truth, however, the towns are contiguous today. Both Dovercourt and Harwich are picturesque coastal towns, with significant tourist interest. This unique selection of old and new images and informative captions is essential reading for anybody who knows and loves these beautiful Essex towns.
Situated on the 'Sunshine Coast' of Essex, the seaside towns of Walton-on-the- Naze and Frinton-on-Sea have a rich history. Beginning as just a small cluster of farms and cottages, by the mid-twentieth century, Frinton had grown to become a high-class seaside resort, with upmarket shopping and grand hotels. The Victorian era was similarly fruitful for the nearby town of Walton, which grew from humble Anglo-Saxon beginnings to become a popular tourist destination. Today, Frinton and Walton's picturesque beaches and seaside charm continue to attract visitors from far and wide. Birds, seals and fossils can be viewed from the Naze, and the area's magnificent scenery can also be enjoyed during a game of golf at Frinton. Walton pier is the third longest in the country and is a popular entertainment centre. Mike Rouse tells the engaging story of Frinton and Walton, tracing the area's development through time.
The county of Norfolk in East Anglia has a long and rich history. A settlement for thousands of years, the county has seen numerous battles and fortifications. Many Norfolk market towns still exist, a nod to its former importance in the woollen and agricultural industries. It is home to the Broads, a well-known network of rivers, waterways and lakes, which have been reshaped and transformed by generations of Norfolk inhabitants.
Historical sites, such as those in the centre of Norwich, and the miles of sandy beaches, receive many visitors throughout the year. Join local author Michael Rouse on a visual tour of this beautiful county, using old and new images to illustrate the changes that have taken place over the years. His carefully selected images will surprise and delight anyone who knows and loves this ancient and picturesque county.
Historical sites, such as those in the centre of Norwich, and the miles of sandy beaches, receive many visitors throughout the year. Join local author Michael Rouse on a visual tour of this beautiful county, using old and new images to illustrate the changes that have taken place over the years. His carefully selected images will surprise and delight anyone who knows and loves this ancient and picturesque county.
Soham and Wicken Through Time is a unique insight into the illustrious history of this part of Cambridgeshire. Reproduced in full colour, this is an exciting examination of the well-known streets and famous faces, and what they meant to the people of this area throughout the 19th and into the 20th Century. Looking beyond the exquisite exterior of these well-kept photos, readers can see the historical context in which they are set, and through the author's factual captions for every picture, and carefully-selected choice of images, the reader can achieve a reliable view of the local history.
There is something for everyone here, whether they have lived in the area all their lives, or whether they are just visiting these charming locations for the first time. Soham and Wicken Through Time also shows how photography has continually evolved to keep up with an ever changing society.
There is something for everyone here, whether they have lived in the area all their lives, or whether they are just visiting these charming locations for the first time. Soham and Wicken Through Time also shows how photography has continually evolved to keep up with an ever changing society.
The part of the Suffolk coast that embraces Southwold and Aldeburgh has a rich history in its relationship between its inhabitants and the North Sea. This is a paradise for writers, artists, walkers, bird watchers and all those who want a holiday away from some of the excesses of the typical seaside resorts. There are golden sands, shinglebanks, crumbling cliffs, lost towns, heathland walks and all the time the restless sea rolling in. 'There is no sea like the Aldeburgh sea, it speaks to me,' wrote the poet Edward Fitzgerald and it still speaks to anyone who wants to hear it that visits this fascinating area. Michael Rouse's photographs capture the places today, while the selection of old photographs record holidaymakers and scenes from over one hundred years ago. This is a nostalgic journey back in time for residents and visitors alike.
The County of Cambridgeshire is one of stark contrasts. Mile after mile of rolling hills, flat fenlands and waterways provide stunning scenery, while ancient towns and cities of narrow streets and imposing buidings stud the landscape. The county is, of course, most famous for Cambridge itself, and its many colleges. Add to this mix a thousand or more market towns, villages, hamlets, and scattered farms, and you get the feeling that this glorious county is very much lived in and loved. Cambridgeshire also revels in some wonderful watercourses including the River Cam and the River Great Ouse, while countless dykes, ditches and lodes have been cut through the fens over time, providing a beautiful patchwork of marsh, field and wood.
Lowestoft, on the Sunrise Coast, is as far east as you can be in the United Kingdom without getting your feet wet. Once a major fishing port, the town was reinvented by Samuel Morton Peto in the nineteenth century as a resort to rival Brighton. Suffering from the decline of these industries, Lowestoft now seeks to become the onshore centre for the renewable energies industry. Michael Rouse's photographs chart some of these changes, from the loss of the old fishing industry to the town's need to cater for modern holidaymakers with car parks and enhancement schemes along the beautiful South Beach. He travels outside Lowestoft to the once sea-threatened villages of Pakefield and Kessingland, to the crumbling cliffs of Corton and its holiday villages, and finally to the colourful Oulton Broad.
Southend-on-Sea is known for its picturesque seafront and many attractions. Visitors can stroll along the world's longest pleasure pier, or take the plunge at Adventure Island, one of the UK's favourite theme parks. Southend is also home to a vibrant music scene and cultural life, with several museums and art galleries, and plays host to a variety of events and entertainment at the Cliffs Pavilion. Recent investment draws huge numbers of people to enjoy this busy seaside town. Michael Rouse takes the reader on an 8-mile trip along the seaside from the ancient fishing port of Leigh-on-Sea through fashionable Westcliff, the day tripper's delight of Southend-on-Sea and then on to the quieter charms of Thorpe Bay and Shoeburyness, popular with lovers of the beach hut. This unique selection of old and new images and informative captions is essential reading for anybody who knows and loves this stretch of coast.
Peter Bruff's Victorian vision of a new cliff-top seaside resort on the Essex coast created Clacton-on-Sea, which got off to a slow start, began to prosper during the early years of the twentieth century and then flourished in the 1920s and 1930s, becoming one of the country's leading holiday destinations. Always popular with London day-trippers, it offered everything in sea and sand, accommodation and entertainment. After the war, Clacton was quickly back in business and crowded with holidaymakers, but like most British resorts it suffered from the effect of cheap foreign holidays in the seventies and a decline in its fortunes set in. Today, it is fighting back. Michael Rouse's selection of old photographs captures the heyday of Clacton, while the modern photographs record the inevitable changes, but show there are many reasons to be optimistic for the future of the seaside holiday.