Secret
4 total works
The 'A-side' of Cheltenham's history as a fashionable Regency spa and subsequent reinvention as a town of colleges, churches and festivals is well documented, but what about its 'flip-side'? Much of the town's fascinating history has either been overlooked or lies hidden below the surface. Well-known local author David Elder delves into Cheltenham's lost, forgotten and hidden histories, unearthing fascinating facts and recounting some remarkable stories. Learn, for example, about some of Cheltenham's minor celebrities and local characters - from the man who sold his wife for little more than 18 pence to the concert pianist who claimed to be the reincarnation of Franz Liszt, while not forgetting the person who led to the 'discovery' of Jeeves not long before perishing at the Battle of the Somme. Secret Cheltenham reveals the lesser-known aspects of this remarkable town.
Cirencester is one of the most remarkable towns in Britain. From its Roman beginnings around AD 75, when it was classed second only in importance to London, to its current status as the ‘Capital of the Cotswolds’, it has always punched well above its weight. The ‘A-side’ of its history as a small market town which developed at the centre of the Cotswold wool trade is well documented, but what about its ‘ ip-side’? Much of the town’s fascinating history has either been overlooked or lies hidden below the surface. Well-known local author David Elder delves deep into Cirencester’s lost, forgotten and hidden histories, recounting some remarkable stories. Learn, for example, about some of Cirencester’s minor celebrities and local characters, including the Victorian female astronomer who became a national expert in sunspots and solar eclipses. He also unearths fascinating facts, celebrating, for example, the town’s accolade of having the UK’s oldest public outdoor swimming pool in continuous use, and explaining why it was important for passengers travelling on the railways around the mid-nineteenth century to understand that Cirencester time was 7 ½ minutes earlier than London time.
With tales of remarkable characters, unusual events and tucked-away or disappeared historical buildings and locations, Secret Cirencester will appeal to all those with an interest in the history of this town in Gloucestershire.
With tales of remarkable characters, unusual events and tucked-away or disappeared historical buildings and locations, Secret Cirencester will appeal to all those with an interest in the history of this town in Gloucestershire.
From its Saxon beginnings to the severe floods of 2007, Tewkesbury is one of Britain’s most remarkable towns. It is well known for its Norman abbey of cathedral-like proportions and the great battle which proved to be one of the most decisive in the Wars of the Roses, but its history contains much more that has often been overlooked. In this book local author David Elder delves deep into Tewkesbury’s lost, forgotten and hidden histories, recounting some remarkable stories. Learn, for example, about some of the town’s minor celebrities and local characters – from the seaman who carried Admiral Nelson’s wounded body to the cockpit of HMS Victory, to the miserly tanner who amassed a great fortune ‘for no higher purpose than the sordid desire of seeing it uselessly accumulate’. The author unearths fascinating facts, celebrating the town’s tradition of nonconformity which led to more than one riot, and provides fascinating insights into how the town’s inhabitants were once comically portrayed as having sharp features because it was assumed that they lived on the town’s famous hot, pungent mustard!
With tales of remarkable characters, unusual events and tucked-away or disappeared historical buildings and locations, Secret Tewkesbury will appeal to all those with an interest in the history of this town in Gloucestershire.
With tales of remarkable characters, unusual events and tucked-away or disappeared historical buildings and locations, Secret Tewkesbury will appeal to all those with an interest in the history of this town in Gloucestershire.
Stroud has been an important market town in the Cotswolds for centuries. At the heart of the five valleys, its prosperity was founded on the wool trade in the Middle Ages. During the Industrial Revolution, the town became a textile centre with numerous mills built along its streams. The canal network facilitated trade and industry in the town, as did the arrival of Brunel’s Great Western Railway. The town is renowned today for its historic buildings and steep streets and has become an independent cultural centre with a strong environmental community, which even boasted its own currency for a while in recent years. Through the centuries Stroud’s unusual history has encompassed the country’s oldest anti-slavery memorial, Huguenot and Jewish communities, a Victorian Communist colony, the last pistol duel in England, food riots, suffragettes, suffragists and much more.
With tales of remarkable characters, unusual events and tucked away or disappeared historical buildings and locations, Secret Stroud will appeal to all those with an interest in the history of this Gloucestershire town.
With tales of remarkable characters, unusual events and tucked away or disappeared historical buildings and locations, Secret Stroud will appeal to all those with an interest in the history of this Gloucestershire town.