OTHER BOOKS

Below are my books about Britain's architectural heritage and transport as well as my walking books. A few of the pages are shown below the cover so you can take a look inside. Just click on the PURCHASE button next to each cover to go to the relevant page on Amazon. Alternatively click on the buttons below to go to my publishers websites. Please note some of my older books may be out of print although there may be used copies still available via Amazon if you click the purchase button or in other second hand bookshops.

VICTORIAN STAINED GLASS

Victorian stained glass - magnificent, colourful and artistic - adorns countless British churches, municipal buildings and homes. Across the decades, several artistic movements influenced these designs, from the Gothic Revival, through the Arts and Crafts Movement and into Art Nouveau as a new century dawned.  In this book I show how craftsmen re-learned the lost medieval art of colouring, painting and assembling stained glass windows - but also, in this age of industry, how windows were templated and mass produced. Showcasing the exquisite glass generated by famous designers such as A.W.N.Pugin, Pre-Raphaelites William Morris and Edward Burne-Jones, and by leading manufacturers such as Clayton and Bell, this colourful illustrated book introduces the reader to many wonderful examples of Victorian stained glass and where they can be found. 
If you would like to find out more about late Victorian and early 20th century stained glass then take a look at 'Arts & Crafts Stained Glass' by Peter Cormack MBE FSA HonFMGP . Peter and the late Dr Nicola Gordon Bowe are the leading authority on the subject including the stunning work of Harry Clarke. Just click on the box below to purchase Peter's book or the one above to buy mine.

A5 softcover/ 64 pages/ Over 60 colour photos
£8.99

TRACING LOST RAILWAYS

The drastic railway closures of the 1960s led to the slow decay and re-purposing of hundreds of miles of railway infrastructure. Though these buildings and apparatus are now ghosts of their former selves, countless clues to our railway heritage still remain in the form of embankments, cuttings, tunnels, converted or tumbledown wayside buildings, and old railway furniture such as signal posts. Many disused routes are preserved in the form of cycle tracks and footpaths. This colourfully illustrated book helps you decipher the fascinating features that remain today and to understand their original functions, demonstrating how old routes can be traced on maps, outlining their permanent stamp on the landscape, and teaching you how to form a mental picture of a line in its heyday.

A5 softcover/ 64 pages/ Over 60 colour photos
​£8.99

HOW TO ATTACK A CASTLE 

Decaying animals catapulted over battlements, flaming arrows raining from the sky and red hot sand poured down ladders to repel advancing bloodthirsty hordes. Castle warfare was a grim and grisly business, and every aspect of it is brought to life in this book.
Through colourful illustrations and accounts of actual sieges in every chapter, you'll discover how armies from medieval times up to the English Civil War attacked and besieged British castles and how changing weaponry shaped the defences we see the remains of today. As castle design developed, attackers had to change their tactics and introduce new siege methods to bring the walls down. The weapons, siege engines and mining techniques used are described in detail here, alongside diagrams showing how they worked and details of the defensive structures erected to counter them.

A5 softcover/ 96 pages/ Over 80 colour illustrations and photos
​£7.95

VICTORIAN PUMPING STATIONS

Victorian pumping stations are colourful cathedrals of utility. Their imposing and striking exteriors enclose highly decorative cast-iron frames, built to encage powerful steam engines. They are glorious buildings which display the Victorians' architectural confidence and engineering skills. More than that, they represent a key part of the story of urban development and how our towns and cities were shaped in this period of ground-breaking invention and civic pride.
In this illustrated guide, I tell the story of Victorian pumping stations and explain why they were built in such a flamboyant manner, describing their architectural features and showing how their mighty steam engines worked. It includes examples of their glorious interior decoration from pumping stations across the country and provides a detailed list of those which are open to visitors.

A5 softcover/ 64 pages/ Over 60 colour photos
£7.99

HOMES FIT FOR HEROES
The aftermath of the First World War 1918-1939

In 1918, at the end of the First World War, Britain believed she had been victorious. But victory had come at a colossal price, and David Lloyd George knew he must also win the peace. Within a fortnight of signing the armistice his famous speech spoke of the future 'What is our task? To make Britain a fit country for heroes to live in'.
After the trauma of the war, those returning home required jobs, and with them clean and modern homes for their families. The slums and tenements of the pre-war years were not going to enable a healthy workforce that was fit to tackle the challenges of the new post-war world. At all costs Britain had to avoid the riot and revolution that had swept Europe in the later stages of the war.
This book describes the re-building of the country during the decades after 1918. It describes how soldiers were demobilised, the actions taken by the authorities to improve housing and the ways in which those who did not return home were remembered. Homes Fit For Heroes continues the story of those who bravely fought in the First World War and includes websites where you can find out more about relatives when they returned to Britain.

​A5 softcover/ 96 pages/ Around 100 colour and Black and White images
£7.95

GOTHIC REVIVAL ARCHITECTURE

From the Houses of Parliament to the Midland Hotel at St Pancras and Strawberry Hill House, Gothic Revival buildings comprise some of the most distinctive structures found in Britain. Taking inspiration from medieval architecture, it was a style full of colour and invention, which its exponents used to create a daring new approach to design. Throwing out the old Classical rule book, Gothic Revival architects like A.W.N. Pugin and George Gilbert Scott designed buildings which were asymmetrical in form and visually expressive of their function. The movement went beyond just bricks and mortar and had a strong moral code, the influence of which was still felt into the twentieth century. In this illustrate book I tell the story of the Gothic Revival from its origins in the whimsical fancies of the Georgian era through to its climax in the High Victorian period.

A5 softcover/ 64 pages/ Over 60 colour photos
£7.99

VICTORIAN RAILWAY STATIONS 

Victorian railway stations reflected the importance of this revolutionary mode of transport. The great iron roads transformed both rural and urban landscapes and fundamentally changed the pattern of social and commercial life for all sections of the population.
The stations were statements of the pride felt in them by their railways company owners and were designed to out-do rival companies for grandeur, scale and comfort.
My book describes the development of the period's stations, with their wide range of architectural influences and styles and discusses the notable architects employed to create them. It is a well-researched and richly illustrated book and filled with my own detailed drawings and photographs. Together, both text and pictures, they pay tribute to these gems of architectural heritage from palatial terminus to the humble halt. 
The book also contains a personal list of recommended stations and preserved railways to visit throughout England, Scotland and Wales.

A5 softcover/  128 pages/ over 220 colour drawings and photos.

£9.95

THE TRENCH Life and Death on the Western Front 1914-1918 

The First World War scarred an entire generation at the beginning of the twentieth century. One hundred years later, we reflect upon it and remember what a disastrous episode of history it was. The sacrifice of so many is important to remember, but we can be overwhelmed by the sheer mass of facts and figures now available to those reading about the subject in any detail. This book offers a simple guide to the war, looking at the events and the people who took part, through what was the setting for so much of the carnage; the trench. The trenches and the trench system along the Western Front in particular, were the killing fields. They formed a vast line of fortifications that locked the opposing armies together in a static, 400 mile zigzag of conflict from the channel coast down to the French border with Switzerland.
Using my own diagrams and illustrations, I explain the architecture of the trenches, with their command posts, tunnels, machine gun nests, duck boards and sleeping billets. There are chapters to explain tactics, weaponry and daily life. There are special features on the introduction of new weapons of war, such as tanks, early aeroplanes and the first use of poison gas.
The political events are described in basic outline, but there is a chapter on the legacy of the war's aftermath. There are summaries of the major battles and there is information about special places to visit in France and Belgium, including key museums, battle sites and memorials. These can give us a real understanding of the unique inhumanity of the war, and why the dates 1914-1918 require all generations of today to remember and learn from them.

A5 softcover/  96 pages/ 78 maps, drawings, diagrams and photos (Colour and B/W).
£ 7.95

BRITAIN'S RAILWAY ARCHITECTURE & HERITAGE

The majestic architecture of the 19th and early 20th century railway buildings refelcted the pride of the railway companies who commissioned them. The structures themselves, from Classically-designed stations to mighty viaducts, tunnels and bridges, inspired awe in a travelling public receptive to the splendour of a new kind of transport that was changing their lives. Today, helped along by the popularity of preserved steam railways, these wonderful examples of railway architecture are widely appreciated for their beauty and the role they played in our social and industrial past.
In this highly illustrated book, filled with my own photographs and detailed drawings, I describe the huge range of buildings associated with the golden age of steam, including stations, hotels, signal boxes, and bridges. I also explain the dynamics of their construction, the materials used and the myriad of styles employed by leading architects and engineers of the day.
For anyone with an interest in the world of steam and model railways, or who would like to know more about the buildings you pass on a daily commute, this book will prove an easy to understand and colourful introduction to the architectural legacy of the railway age.

A5 softcover/ 128 pages/ 264 Colour drawings, diagrams and photos
£9.95

WHAT THE VICTORIANS GOT WRONG

While my Father and I were researching various books about engineering and architectural wonders from the Victorian age we came across situations when it all went wrong! It was not until we sat down and related to each other what we had come across, with one of us stating  "...you should hear about this disaster..." followed by the other saying " ..if you think thats bad what about this one...", that we realised there was more than enough to make an entertaining and surprizing book.
One of the worst was a dam burst which sent a wall of water down through Sheffield killing hundreds, another involved a clown, a barrel and suspension bridge while the locking of a door resulted in the most tragic loss of children in history. There are great fires in Newcastle and Exeter, an explosion down Tottenham Court Road, and more humble problems with range cookers blowing up! Railways, bridges, tunnels, mines and dams are some of the other areas covered with even great engineers like Brunel not free from a few failures of their own.
There are numerous drawings, diagrams and photos illustrating the individual stories and the reasons for the failure or disaster. We also try and show what you can still find today from signs of where a structure once stood to the memorials raised in memory of those that died from the Victorian thirst for new technology.

A5 softcover/ 96 pages/ 94 drawings, diagrams and photos (B/W)
£ 7.99

BRIDGES EXPLAINED ​

Bridges are our most impressive pieces of engineering. From small arched packhorse bridges to massive  suspension structures, each of the hundreds of bridges which can be found in every county demonstrate the ingenuity of past generations. There are the great works of Victorian engineers like Brunel and Stephenson, famous monuments like the Forth Rail and Tower bridges and ancient arched structures some over seven hundred years old and still carrying pedestrian today. This book sets out to explain how bridges, viaducts and aqueducts were built , the problems that engineers faced and the changing styles of the bridges they constructed. It is packed with pictures of examples from all across the country and interesting facts and details to look out for.
The first section uses drawings and photos to show the basic principals of bridge building, the forces that they have to counter and the reasons why some fell down including the story of the Tay Bridge disaster and the faults that led to its collapse. The second part looks at arched bridges, divided up into periods including the earliest Roman structures and where they can be seen today, rustic medieval types and how to date them, and elegant Georgian bridges and how they pushed this form to its limits. The third section covers girder, suspension, cantilever and moving bridges with details of many famous examples like the Forth Rail bridge, Tower bridge, the Clifton suspension bridge and Brunel's Royal Albert Bridge at Saltash. The final part covers railway viaducts and canal aqueducts with a ten page list of bridges to visit in each county and a glossary of unfamiliar terms.

A5 softcover/ 160 pages/ 295 photos, drawings and diagrams (B/W)
£ 9.99

​GRAVESTONES, TOMBS AND MEMORIALS 

Did you know that gravestones and tombs only appeared in mass around a church in the late 17th century and that before that the churchyard was quite bare and used for markets and fairs? Or that the headstone used to face away from the burial and could have had additional stones over the body and foot? Or do you know what the skull and cross bones means when you find it on a gravestone? There are many surprizing and fascinating facts about churchyards, cemeteries and the memorials within them and the way burial practises have changed over the centuries, which can also give the family historian additional information about ancestors buried there. This illustrated book explains how the graveyard has changed over the centuries, the differnent styles of memorial and the meaning behind the symbols and epitaphs carved on them.
The first chapter tells the history of burial, explaining that most churchyards will be older than the building which stands upon them, and illustrates some of the features you can still see today like stone coffins and ancient crosses. The next two show how gravestones and tombs have changed over the centuries, from humble stones with just initials to ostentacious displays of carving which are now being listed as outstanding pieces of sculpture. The final parts explain the meaning behind the symbols, phrases and epitaphs carved upon them and how they can tell you more about the ambitions and wealth of those buried beneath. There are also details on bodysnatchers, christian burials, and latin inscriptions along with a glossary of unfamiliar terms and a list of notable churchyards to visit.

A5 softcover/ 64 pages/ 113 drawings, diagrams and photos (B/W)
£5.99

NARROWBOATS EXPLAINED ​

Have you ever hired a narrowboat? Are you thinking of buying one? Have you thought what it’s like to live on one? Dreams of life on a traditional narrowboat conjure up images of locks, rustic arched bridges, peaceful waters, wildlife and the beautiful British countryside. If you are considering hiring, buying or just want to discover more about the craft you see on canals then this easy to understand book packed with colour drawings and photographs will explain their history, construction and how to use and cruise them.
The first section tells the story of why narrowboats first appeared, how they changed as canals declined and the different types of boat which could be found. There are details and drawings of how they were pulled by horses, legged through tunnels and broke through ice in winter as well as a list of  heritage museums where old boats and fittings can be seen. The second part looks in detail at the construction of the hull, the different types of engines, the fitting out of the cabin and the colourful decoration which characterizes them. There are drawings and information on all the parts of the boat, old and modern diesel engines and how the castles and roses were painted. The final section explains about hiring, buying and living on narrowboats including details and illustrations showing how to cruise them, operate locks and things to look out  for when purchasing one. There is also a list of useful contacts, a list of  likely costs and a glossary of unfamiliar terms. 

A5 softcover/96 pages / 153 Colour drawings, diagrams and photos
£ 7.99

THE ENGLISH VILLAGE EXPLAINED ​

English villages conjure up images of rural harmony, continuity and tradition; their history woven into the broader pageant of England's past. Existing histories written about villages however are usually lists of lords of the manor and the memories of living residents, all relevant details but what we are really interested in is how the village began, what it looked like through the centuries and what clues to the past are still there today?
In this book I use my own colour photos, drawings and diagrams to show how villages have changed through the centuries and the features which you can see around them from the different periods. There is even a series of views of Exemplar Village illustrating how a village may have appeared through the ages. It then looks at the village in detail, explaining how the landscape, transport and buildings changed and the details which can help the reader understand and date them. The final part gives an outline of a method on how to trace the history of your own village.


A5 softcover/ 128 pages/ 167 Colour and B/W drawings, diagrams and photos

£9.99

THE ENGLISH COUNTRY HOUSE EXPLAINED

England's country houses have never been more popular with visitors reflecting the splendour of the nations glory years. Using my own drawings, diagrams and photos this book takes the reader on a detailed tour of the country house and describes its features, exterior and interior, upstairs and downstairs.
It looks at the different periods of country houses from the mid 1500s up to 1914, explaining the changing architectural styles. It also describes the rooms within the main house and their role over the centuries. There is a list of places to visit, a glossary of architectural terms and a quick reference time chart, listing country house architects.

A5 softcover/ 128 pages/ 202 colour and b/w drawings, diagrams and photos
£9.95

​THE ENGLISH ABBEY EXPLAINED  

English abbeys conjour up images of towering walls punctuated by countless arches and tranquil cloisters with monks or nuns deep in thought. From imposing national institutions like Westminster Abbey to those which lie in ruin as at Fountains Abbey, there are hundreds of these Medieval establishments which can be visited today. Yet those which survived the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the late 1530s have adapted and changed to suit their new parish role and those which did not were often converted into houses or raided for building materials leaving impressive but bewildering remains. This easy to understand book sets out to introduce the reader to the subject and explain what the features you see today were originally used for.
The frst section describes the development of the various orders of monks and nuns and the buildings they erected with drawings and photos helping the reader to recognise the changing styles. At the end of each chapter there is a view of  Exemplar Abbey, an imaginery monastery shown at different stages of its development to illustrate how they may have appeared in each period. There are also photographs of abbeys from all across the country which have notable features from that time slot. The second section looks in detail at the remains which survive today with diagrams and drawings showing how the ruins would have originally appeared and what they were used for. The final section has a timechart summarising the key points, a list of notable abbeys which are open to the public and a glossary of  unfamiliar terms.


​A5 softcover/ 128 Pages/ 117 drawings, diagrams and photos (B/W).
£7.95

ENGLISH CASTLES EXPLAINED

Of all our great buildings, the Medieval castle is probably the most easily recognised and widely exported. It evokes thoughts of an age of chivalry when gallant knights and noble lords fought and romanced amidst towers, battlements and moats, an image polarized in novels and Hollywood films. This is further enhanced by the dramatic ruins we visit today, with their mysterious passages, spiral staircases and dingy dungeons. Yet the English Castle is also one of the most misunderstood types of structure, the reasons for building them and their fluctuating fortunes will surprise most readers.
In this book I explain how their role changed from fortress to palatial home and how the ruined parts you see today were used in the past.  
The first section tells the story of the castle through the ages from the Norman Conquest through to the English Civil War and their revival in the 19th century. At the end of each chapter there is a view of  Exemplar Castle, an imaginery fortress shown at different stages of its development to illustrate how they may have appeared in each period. There are also photographs of castles from all across the country which have notable features from that time slot. The second section looks in detail at the remains which survive today with diagrams and drawings showing how the ruins would have originally appeared and what they were used for. The final section has a timechart summarising the key points, a list of notable castles which are open to the public and a glossary of  unfamiliar terms.

A5 softcover/ 128 pages/ 146 drawings, diagrams and photos (b/w)
£7.95

​ENGLISH CHURCHES EXPLAINED 

The parish church is a familiar landmark in every town and village, its tower or spire pinning the community into the landscape while its carved decoration, stained glass and memorials are a treasure trove of local and family history. There are over 10,000 old churches in a bewildering array of styles, materials and forms, some with parts dating back to the Dark Ages others decievingly modern, this variety adding to their grand or rustic appeal. Yet despite this there are some common features of each style which can help date them, and clues in their structure and location which can highlight their past. This books uses colour drawings, diagrams and photos to help explain in an easy to understand manner how the reader can recognise the styles, date the structure and understand more about the people who built it. 
The first section takes you on a journey through time from the first timber churches in the Dark Ages up to the Arts and Crafts style at the turn of the 20th century. At the end of each chapter there is a view of Exemplar Church, an imaginery ediface shown at different stages of its development to illustrate how they may have appeared in each period. There are also photographs of churches from all across the country which have notable features from that time slot. The second section looks in detail at the body of the building from the nave, chancel and tower to the churchyard, tombs and gravestones around it, and explains the mysterious fixtures and fittings you see today, what they were used for and by whom. The final section includes notes on how to date a church, an illustrated timechart showing the changing styles, a glossary of unfamiliar terms and a list of some of the more notable churches to visit.

A5 softcover/128 pages/ 208 colour drawings, diagrams and photos
£8.99

Illustrated Walking Books 1999-2004
The following walking books are now out of print and some of the features on the routes may have now changed. However you may still be able to get used copies online if you try second hand book shops. Alternatively click the button below and it will take you to their Amazon page where copies may be available.
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