Bøker av Simon McNeill-Ritchie

This attractive London suburb is known from many references in popular culture, frequent appearances on film and television and, of course, as the starting point of the Oxford & Cambridge Boat Race. Recorded as Putelei in the Domesday Book, it has many historic associations, not least as the birthplace of Thomas Cromwell and post-war Prime Minister Clement Attlee. Putney's very first bridge, a toll bridge opened in 1729, was once the only Thames bridge between London and Kingston and led to the development of nearby Roehampton as a desirable residential area. Putney is well supplied with open spaces, such as Putney Common, and for centuries it was the place to which Londoners flocked to play games and enjoy the clean air. Putney Heath was a mute witness to notorious duels between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries, and Queen Elizabeth I was a frequent visitor to the area from 1579 to 1603. Today the London suburb is changing, and this photographic tour provides an insightful comparison between Putney and Roehampton past and present.

Battersea has grown to be a fashionable and vibrant district of south-west London. Referred to as Patricesy in the Domesday Book, Battersea was historically best known for market gardening, providing fruit, vegetables and flowers for the City of London. However, the area moved from rural to urban with the coming of the railways, industry and large-scale housing from the 1840s, provoking a population growth from 4,000 to 120,000 by the beginning of the twentieth century. Glimpses of the past can still be seen around modern Battersea, but much has changed over the years. Using a selection of old and new photographs, local historians Simon McNeill-Ritchie and Ron Elam trace Battersea's unique journey over the past century. Featuring landmarks such as Battersea Power Station, Battersea Dogs & Cats Home and Battersea Park, this book is essential reading for anyone who knows and loves this famous South London district.