' George III is alleged to have married secretly on 17th April 1759 a Quakeress called Hannah Lightfoot daughter of a Wapping shoemaker who is said to have borne him three children. Documents relating to the alleged marriage bearing the Prince's signature were impounded & examined in 1866 by the Attorney General. Learned opinion at the time leaned to the view that these documents were genuine. They were then placed in the Royal Archives at Windsor; in 1910 permission was refused a would-be author who asked to see them. If George III did make such a marriage when he was Prince of Wales before the passing of the Royal Marriages Act in 1772 then his subsequent marriage to Queen Charlotte was bigamous & every monarch of Britain since has been a usurper the rightful heirs of George III being his children by Hannah Lightfoot if they ever existed'
- From Britain's Royal Families. Britain's Royal Families" is a unique reference book. It provides for the first time in one volume complete genealogical details of all members of the royal houses of England Scotland & Great Britain
- from 800AD to the present. Here is the vital biographical information relating not only to each monarch but also to every member of their immediate family from parents to grandchildren. Drawing on countless authorities both ancient & modern Alison Weir explores the royal family tree in unprecedented depth & provides a comprehensive guide to the heritage of today's royal family."

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Britain's Sea Mammals" is the essential field guide to all the sea mammals
- whales dolphins porpoises & seals
- found in coastal

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A lavishly illustrated tribute to Britain's oldest largest & most famous trees told through legends history & literature. Trees have always inspired awe & wonder & some of our ancient trees have been standing for over a thousand years. In this fascinating & lovingly researched book the author selects the most interesting of them & compares archive photographs & engravings with contemporary colour photographs. Some of the trees featured have changed drastically over the centuries while others seem to have hardly changed at all. Each tree has its own distinct shape & character which it carries through its lifetime. Many of the trees in Britain's Tree Story are still standing & there is a gazetteer of where to see them including in various National Trust properties. Britain's Tree Story is a fascinating & beautifully illustrated celebration of Britain's trees & the intriguing legends & stories that surround them. Ancient trees are a living link to our past & they often provide a fragile constant in an ever-changing world. This is their story but in equal measure it is also ours. ...

This beautiful book showcases the very best of Britain with remarkable imagery of the landscapes settlements & people that make this nation unique. The photographs reveal the diversity of the land from Southwest England to the Scottish Highlands. Special fold-out sections make the most of fabulous images showing the seaside splendour of Brighton the breathtaking waterscapes of the Lake District the picturesque Cotswolds & the distintive wildlife of the Mull. The book records & celebrates Britains loveliest countryside & some of its most appealing towns villages & historic buildings. ...

Britains Historic Railway Buildings is a magisterial reference work on the historic structures on Britains railways in England Scotland & Wales. First published in 2003 by OUP the author will bring the book fully up to date to provide a new book on the subject. In the last few decades the value of Britains railway heritage has become increasingly important & today thousands of structures are listed or scheduled. This book

Includes:: over 2 300 of these structures each of which is given a detailed description supported by photographs maps a survey of the evolution of structures summary of the listing process a list of important buildings lost biographical details of leading railway engineers & architects glossary of terms; bibliography & index. Many structures still play an active part in railway operations but this book also covers structures no longer in active use. In this book the reader will find detailed information about the history of all the surviving historic railway structures in Britain arranged in geographical order large & small from Brunels pioneering Thames Tunnel to the modernist Tooting Bec Underground station the monumental Forth Bridge to the small but delightful footbridges; gasworks & stations; viaducts & signalboxes
- a multitude of structures paying tribute to the verve & drive of one of Britains great industries of the last 200 years.


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This book brings together the often separated histories of diplomacy defence economics & empire in a provocative reinterpretation of British decline. It also offers a broader reflection on the nature of international power & the mechanisms of policymaking. For this Second Edition David Reynolds has added a new chapters & extends his lively & incisive analysis to the beginning of the new millennium. ...

The Women's Royal Naval Service was formed in 1917 when the call was for volunteers to release a man for sea service. At the peak there was over 5 000 women serving in Britain & overseas but efforts to maintain the service in peace time were unsuccessful & it was to be 1939 when the Second World War threatened before the Wrens were reformed. Theirs was a different & altogether more demanding role which involved the carrying out of some highly secret & responsible duties & many more of them served outside Britain. By 1945 there were over 75 000 officers & ratings & when the War ended & those who wished were demobilized a permanent Service was set up providing a career for women alongside men of the Royal Navy.rnrn This is their story often told in their own words which mirrors the changing place of women in our society in a century of tremendous social progress. ...

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- its constant change the significant events & the memorable moments that made history. The fascinating
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A classic collection showing our national foibles by the celebrated & much-loved cartoonist An assertion of the importance of tea. A keen interest in the weather. A fondness for laughing at your own anecdotes. A weakness for oak beams. A tendency to over-indulge dogs. The British havent changed much since the 1930s when Ponts first witty & hilarious observations on the national character appeared in Punch" magazine. Ponts plump rolling-pin wielding cooks & solar-topeed imperialists capture a distinct moment in British inter-war history but his observations of character are timeless. In the nursery at the opera or in the bath in tweed or tennis whites or bowler hat Pont conjures distinct complete personalities with a few strokes of his pen. Charming idiosyncratic &
- above all
- wonderfully funny this unforgettable collection will bring Ponts extraordinary talent to a new generation in a beautiful single volume."

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The 1970s witnessed more changes to the trucking industry in Europe than any previous decade. Whilst European truck builders had been developing powerful vehicles capable of operating at between 35 to 38 tonnes gross vehicle weight (GVW) & equipped with comfortable sleeper cabs for long haul international journeys in the UK the truck builders were playing catch up. The 70s witnessed a number of amalgamations mergers & take-overs that would change the face of the pan-European trucking industry. It saw the birth of the infamous British Leyland empire which was to have far-reaching & disastrous consequences for all the manufacturers it engulfed. In the face of booming sales of European heavyweights both Ford & Bedford launched heavyweight models aimed at this key sector but like most other British truck manufacturers it was too little too late... This is a unique account of a turbulent period in trucking history. ...