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The nineteenth century saw huge changes in design and technology. This book looks at the social history of rooms in the Victorian home and at how, thanks to industrialised mass production, people were empowered to make choices about how to decorate their homes.

Fern Fever was popular in Britain between 1837 and 1914. This book looks at the how the craze developed, the ways in which ferns were incorporated into garden and home, and the spread of the fern through Victorian material and visual culture.

Steam, and then cumbersome motor, tractors existed in small numbers before 1914. The rivals of Ford brought in novelties such as diesel engines, pneumatic tyres, and hydraulic implement lifts. After the Second World-War, an indigenous tractor industry was led by Ferguson, David Brown, Nuffield and Ford. This book highlights these developments.

As millions of young men marched off to war, they left behind mothers, wives and sisters who were determined to contribute to the British cause. They were first enrolled as nurses to treat wounded soldiers. Later in the war they were accepted into the armed services. This book looks at the realities and myths of the women's role in the war effort.

Green men are figures or heads that were carved in churches, abbeys and cathedrals from the twelfth to the sixteenth centuries. This book discusses the origins and definitions of these figures and traces their many declines and revivals throughout history. It is suitable for any church history enthusiast.

Model engineering was popularised by pioneering steam enthusiasts, and rapidly grew into an exciting world-wide hobby for amateur engineers. This book describes how model steam engines work, outlines the development of the machine tools used to build the models, and investigates the seven different categories of model engines.

With the aid of stringy glue and scalpel-sliced fingers, young and old have turned display cabinets and bedrooms into mini-museums, or tiny battlefields. This book looks at the tale of Airfix, the British company which is a pioneer in the world of modelling, its products, its changing fortunes over the years, and its links with popular culture.

George and Robert Stephenson's Rocket, is an enduring silhouette in railway history. Rocket was built to take part in The Rainhill Trials, a competition to find a locomotive design to pull trains on the world's first passenger line, the Liverpool and Manchester. The trials caught the public's imagination and its victor, Rocket, became a sensation.

Hollyhocks and cabbages, roses and runner beans: the English cottage garden combines beauty and utility, pride and productivity. Gardens did not just appeal to the senses, however: they played a philosophical and moral role in society, and thus in our social history.

Prefabricated corrugated-iron buildings have been manufactured in Britain since the middle of the nineteenth century. Structures ranging from humble cottages to substantial churches, and from halls to hospitals and hotels, have since then been produced, packed and consigned to destinations at home and abroad. Though often regarded as cheap and temporary, these buildings are an expression of a progressive and vital chapter in the history of Britain's construction industry. First used in 1829, corrugated-iron has become a familiar element in vernacular architecture and construction, bringing its particular character and colour to landscapes both rural and urban. The author draws on a wide range of research to highlight the significance, in Britain and across the world, of these oft-overlooked structures.

"Football: A Short History".

"British Motorcycles of the 1960s and '70s".

Introduces the concepts and techniques of craft cider production. This title looks at the different styles of cider, and the effect of fruit variety, climate and orchard location on the finished drink, and presents a method for the home cider maker.

Across the world hundreds of botanic gardens combine scientific research, conservation and beauty with public access, with Kew Gardens alone attracting around one million visitors a year. The author explains the gardens' design and architecture, the personalities and institutions associated with them, and their role in research and conservation.

From workaday marigolds to hand-wear custom crafted for the Queen, gloves perform many functions - insulation from the cold, protection from injury, and even ceremonial roles. This book tells the story of the closely guarded privileges of the glove-makers' guilds.

"Traditional Building Materials".

In the skies above south-east England in 1940, battle was waged between men and machines of the Royal Air Force and Hitler's Luftwaffe. This title looks at the origins and events of the battle, but focuses especially on the men and women of the RAF and on the ordinary people of the nation, above whose heads the great battle for freedom was waged.

Railway posters have huge appeal for the modern audience, but just what explains this continuing interest? Enduring images of iconic locomotives, bathing beauties and characters such as Sunny South Sam are testament to the creativity of the railway company marketing departments and the posters tell us not only about railway history and technology, architectural and engineering accomplishments, but also about the cultural and social significance of the railways. The influence of the railway industry on our cities and coastlines, and on the development of leisure time and holiday resorts, can be seen in the recurring images of ramblers, bathers and idyllic tourist destinations. This book explores the changing styles and functions of the railway poster from the early pre-grouping days through to the inter-war 'golden age' and nationalised British Railways.

With world markets upset and economies in recession, the 1920s and '30s were not an easy time for farmers, who required great resilience to survive. This title examines the challenges that farmers faced and the ways in which they responded.

It has been over a century since Frank Hornby invented a toy to amuse his sons and called it Meccano, coining a word which has entered the dictionary as a term in common usage and is now known all over the world. Hornby's vision of an educational toy became the basis of perhaps the most successful British toy business of the twentieth century.

Sir William Lyons enjoyed a seemingly unstoppable rise to fame and fortune in the motor industry, and the Jaguar brand that he introduced became world-famous. This title explores the history of the Jaguar Company and its many classic marques.

A concise, superbly illustrated guide to Britain's medieval monasteries. Rosewell provides basic information on the different monastic orders, the monastic layout and architecture, the administration of the monastery, the round of prayer, food and drink, sign language, illness, learning, charity and pilgrimage.

The 1970s were critical years for the British motor industry. British family motorists carried on buying British as long as they could, and the industry produced an array of cars which entered the public consciousness as symbols of their times. This title illustrates the history of these workhorses.

Outlines the tradition and mysticism associated with them and the role they still play in the 'theatre' of church, and shows how colour and ornament are used in the symbolism of the Christian faith.

Tells the story of how Reverend William Booth's East London Christian Mission of 1865 (which became the Salvation Army in 1878) has become a truly global enterprise, one that in Britain is still second only to the government in the provision of social care.

Looks at all the practical ways in which animals were essential to the war effort, but is equally interested in their roles as companions, mascots and morale boosters - on land, in the air and at sea.

Tells the illustrated story of those who risked their lives collecting casualties from the front line, of the various transport and treatment facilities at their disposal and of the eclectic mix of buildings in which the wounded were cared for at home, including many famous country houses.

Humphry Repton (1752-1818) ambitiously styled himself Capability Brown's successor: the century's next great improver of landed property. This book traces Repton's landscape designs from Picturesque wildernesses like Blaise Castle to the progressive Gardenesque style of Endsleigh in Devon.

Explains who the smugglers were, what motivated them, where they operated, and how items ranging from barrels of brandy to boxes of tea would surreptitiously be moved inland under the noses of, and sometimes even in collusion with, the authorities.

London Transport was created in 1933 to coordinate the shambolic, overlapping transport systems of the capital, and for decades has striven to meet the challenges of organising London travel. This book presents the story of the organisation from its origins, through the upheavals of the Second World War, to TfL's biggest project - Crossrail.