The quaint & curious traditions still carried out in the towns & shires of England are described in this book. It explains the origins of well-known customs like maypole dancing, well-dressing & rush-bearing, & it inidcates when & where these events may be witnessed. ...

As long ago as the 1720`s Daniel Defoe was pondering on the eccentricities of English dialects, & three hundred or so years before him John Trevisa had censured `all the language of the Northumbrians` as harsh & incomprehensible. Variety in English speech is thus of some antiquirty, & the old dialects used in areas like the Yorkshire Dales & rural East Anglia are as substantial a part of the Englishman`s living heritage as are his ancient buildings. This book describes the most significant features of English regional dialects, including in its scope the ancient vocabulary of the North, enriched by borrowings from medieval Norsemen, the important north/north midland dialect boundary, old forms of nouns like housen & childer & the remaining traces of extinct Cornish. The complex problems of the `mixed dialects` of towns also receive attention. A chapter on occupational & specialised vocabularies gives examples of regional terminology associated with such traditional industries as fishing & mining & also bird & plant names & children`s language. ...

The graves of the famous are of abiding interest both in the individuals who are buried & the location of their final resting places. This book details nearly 1000 graves of famous Britons at home & abroad. The text helps the reader to locate specific grages, & features a comprehensive & easy to use index, an introduction to the history of burial & cremation practices, & a glossary explaining obscure funeral terms. ...

Glasgow, the largest city in Scotl&, is on the itinerary of many visitors to the country. This updated map displays delightful watercolour mapping, with individual paintings of all the main sights & landmarks in the city. Covers the centre of Glasgow from the Botanic Gardens in the north & the new Riverside Museum to the west to the 12th century Cathedral & the gritty Barras Market to the east. Further mapping stretches southwest to Pollok Park & the Burrell Collection. The map

Features: * Historical & contemporary anecdotes.* Popular areas at larger scale, hundreds of shops, restaurants, cafes & bars.* Comprehensive travel information & index.* Shop by shop street maps of Buchanan Street & the Merchant City.* Railway stations, bus routes, taxi ranks & car parks.

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Kings Cross station is one of London`s iconic buildings. Its tough, functional exterior is a prototype of modern architecture in the 20th Century, & stands in stark opposition to the neo-Gothic extravagance of its neighbour St Pancras. After many decades of partial-neglect, Kings Cross has finally received the renovation it has always deserved by John Mc Aslan & Partners, the architects behind such notable projects as the Camden Roundhouse, the De La War Pavillion & Dalston Junction. With a fabulous new concourse & a painstaking restoration of original features hidden for far too long behind botched 1970s extensions, in March 2012, Kings Cross will be revealed in all its sparkling new (and old) glory. ” Discovering Kings Cross” pays tribute to this magnificent building. Aimed at older children & adults, it brings the history & context of the station to life with fantastic illustration & collage by Lucy Dalzell, bright & accessible text by Jay Merrick, interactive elements throughout & a single, spectacular pop-up of the station by one of the most established paper engineers in the country. ...

London has a rich & unique heritage of ceremonial & traditions that stretches back over a thousand years & there are many events & places to everyone to see & enjoy. This book not only describes London's many ceremonial occasions but also provides the background story, explaining, for example, why there are still mounted Household Cavalry sentries in Whitehall & why The Queen halts at Temple Bar when she visits the City of London. The book is conveniently divided into three sections. First, it describes the events which take place every day, then it tells of the State occasions that occur some time during tye year, & finally there are details of the places associated with London's ceremonial that those interested might want to visit. ...

A new edition of London`s most original map. This h&-watercoloured map contains individual paintings of all the main sites & landmarks, shop-by-shop street maps, theatres & cinemas, comprehensive travel information & index. This detailed map of Central London is at a scale of 1:8, 250 (7.5 inches to 1 mile). Coverage extends from Regent`s Park in the north to Battersea in the south, & from Kensington in the west to Tower Bridge in the east. This attractive & fact-filled map would make a lovely souvenir for the visitor to London. The map
Features:* Railway stations, bus routes, London underground map, taxi ranks & car parks. * Shop-by-shop street maps for Oxford Street, Bond Street, Covent Garden, Portobello Road, King`s Road, Brompton Cross, Exmouth Market, Beauchamp Place, St. Christopher`s Place & South Molton Street, Knightsbridge, Jermyn Street & Kensington. * London`s theatres & cinemas. * Places to eat, internet cafes & good places for a picnic. * An inset map of the City of London. * Comprehensive index. * Historical & contemporary anecdotes. OTHER TITLES IN THE SERIESDiscovering Edinburgh Discovering Dublin Discovering Glasgow
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Curiosity is the desire to know or learn, inquisitiveness about trifles or other people`s affairs, a curious matter or investigation, a vanity, a curious detail or feature. This book will introduce readers to a London so full of curiosities of all those definitions that they will in future `watch where they go`. There must be many items that are passed every day without a second glance that would interest both the visitor & the Londoner
- `if I had known it was there & what it was`. For example, the statue of Charles I at Charing Cross & Aldgate Pump have history to tell, & they are only two of the hundreds of curiosities in London. After Charles` execution his statue was bought by a blacksmith & melted down
- or was it? The water from the pump tasted different, so where did it come from originally? The chapters are arranged so that they make up interesting walks for exploring certain parts of London.

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London is the supreme railway city. In 1900 it had fourteen railway termini, more than any other city in the world. A century later only one of them has disappeared completely, & just three have undergone comprehensive reconstruction. All the others are recognisable products of the Victorian railway age that continue to function daily as busy stations for the travellers of the twenty-first century. This book provides the railway enthusiast with a brief history of the principal termini, featuring key aspects of architectural design & engineering but also highlighting anecdotes, myths, personal stories & curiosities about the stations` social & cultural history. ...

Piccadilly, Pall Mall, Old Bailey, Houndsditch & Crutched Friars are some of the unusual London street names that must puzzle those who use them daily as much as they puzzle the tourist. How did they arise, & what do they mean? This book explains these & over seven hundred & fifty other sin London. The origin of a stret name often reveals unsuspected facts about the history of the area. Many names date back to Saxon times. Sraightforward-looking names are not always what they seem. ...