Bøker av Jill Armitage

Secret Staines-upon-Thames and Laleham explores the lesser-known history of the town of Staines-upon-Thames and next-door Laleham through a fascinating selection of stories, unusual facts and attractive photographs.

Explore Eyam's fascinating hidden history through a fascinating selection of stories, facts and photographs.

Secret Shepperton explores the history of the town from its early origins as an Iron Age settlement nestling on the banks of the River Thames. It's the place where Caesar crossed the river in AD 54. Subsequent river finds reveal that this area regularly encountered invaders, such as the Saxons, who grazed sheep here and consequently called it Shepperton. It's always been a place that attracts artists, such as Turner and Constable, and writers such as Charles Dickens and J. G. Ballard, who wrote the Unlimited Dream Factory in which his protagonist gains energy by phagocytizing the people of Shepperton. In H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds, the Martians destroy Shepperton and turn the Thames into a boiling inferno with their heat rays. In the twentieth century Shepperton was dubbed the playground of London and Richard D'Oyly Carte bought an island here to build a mini version of his Savoy Hotel. In 1931, Sir Richard Burbridge, Chairman of Harrods, sold his Shepperton mansion to Norman Loudon at a time when 'the pictures' were in their infancy but a new fad was catching on - films with sound. This was the forerunner of Shepperton Studio, still operating today and known throughout the world as the 'Hollywood of England'.

Haunted Pubs, Inns & Hotels of Derbyshire takes you on a spookily paranormal pub crawl with a difference. Whether it's to a scenic country pub, a traditional old coaching inn or a more modern establishment, these are the places where people have seen ghosts, heard them, smelt them and - most frightening of all - felt them. We delve deep into the mysterious phenomena that have baffled investigators, and terrified landlords, cleaners and customers for years. Here the hidden secrets behind these strange goings-on are explored and revealed in chilling detail. Some tales will leave you shocked and shaken, while others are as entertaining as they are bewildering. History, folk memory, anecdote and eyewitness evidence are all pieced together in these eerie and evocative true stories. We stop off at old coaching inns, pubs and alehouses, encountering spectral highwaymen, monks, Cavaliers and Roman soldiers. We uncover the ghostly fate of serving wenches, old regulars, heartbroken maids and murder victims. We find hotel rooms haunted by benevolent, playful and curious spirits as well as plagued by poltergeist activity. Jill Armitage invites you to join her on this journey and share in her fascination for the strange and spooky. Haunted Pubs, Inns & Hotels of Derbyshire will surely delight and frighten in equal measure.

This little known queen is overshadowed by her contemporary Boudicea, yet her story is far more interesting.

The fateful Tudor triangle: a reigning queen, an exiled queen, and the countess who was obliged to be her jailer. And Bess of Hardwick had a close relationship with two more queens!

The woman expected to succeed the Virgin Queen

When an Anglo-Saxon chieftain named Snot settled in the area and built a wall around the town, he named it Snottingham, meaning homestead for his people. They utilized the caves and passages under the town as homes and workplaces, giving us the oldest subterranean industries in existence and an alternative name Tig guocobauc, meaning the dwelling of caves. When the Normans arrived they subjugated the people and built a fortified castle on the hill. Nottingham Castle subsequently became one of the greatest fortresses of medieval England. Much frequented by early kings, it features in the tales of Robin Hood, that legendary outlaw synonymous with Nottingham and the arch enemy of the sheriff. Nottingham is world renowned for its lace making and Raleigh Bicycle Co., Boots the Chemist and Player's Cigarettes have their roots in Nottingham. It was also home of the Rebel Writers Byron, Lawrence and Sillitoe. With its many and diverse elements, Nottingham is a vibrant new city with a varied and exciting past.

A spooky collection of Peak District hauntings

This creepy collection of tales takes the reader on a tour of the cemeteries, pubs, theatres, hospitals, tunnels, mines and caverns of Derbyshire.

Ghost enthusiasts and pet lovers can combine their passion in this unique publication which will make a most absorbing read for animal lovers and those interested in the paranormal