Cheltenham in the Great War is the first book to portray the town, its people and the impact of the ‘war to end all wars’ from the declaration of war in 1914 to Armistice Day in 1918.Almost 1,000 Cheltenham women left by train every day for munitions work, hundreds made airplanes in the Winter Gardens, many were nurses and most former suffragettes joined the WVR. Why did two schools do double shifts and for what did the townspeople raise £186,000 in one week in 1918? How did Cheltenham cope with 7,250 soldiers billeted in the town and ‘khaki fever’? This book gives an insight into the lives of different social classes in Cheltenham – including stories of remarkable women – and how their war was fought on the Home Front.The Great War story of Cheltenham is told through considerable new research and is vividly illustrated throughout with evocative, informative images, many of which have not been published previously.
Local historian Geoff Sandles returns with the final book in the series of Gloucestershire pubs Through Time, and takes us on a journey down the River Severn from Tewkesbury to the Vale of Berkeley, covering the pubs in the City of Gloucester and its suburbs. From isolated riverside inns to bustling city pubs this selection of archive images is sure to impress, and will bring back memories of the bygone era and the humble public house. With the rise of supermarket trades, the habit of drinking and the pubs themselves have changed significantly in recent years. It is with this in mind that such buildings drenched in social history should not be forgotten. With beautiful scenery and an array of welcoming inns, now is the perfect time to thumb through this collection of timeless old photographs that take you on a journey around Gloucester, Tewkesbury and the Severn Vale.
For hundreds of years, the public house in its many guises, from urban gin palace to wayside coaching inn, has been a charming and quintessential feature of British life, and hence the names and signs associated with pubs are a constant reminder of our history, cultural heritage, folklore and local identity.The Wordsworth Dictionary of Pub Names is a fascinating compilation containing nearly five thousand absorbing entries and can be dipped into for fun or consulted on a serious level for intriguing and amusing information not readily available elsewhere. The local pub is an institution unique to the British Isles, but since English literature abounds with references to hostelries past and present, real and imagined, and no tourist's itinerary is complete without a visit to one or several on their route, its virtues are celebrated worldwide and readers everywhere will enjoy an affectionate and, perhaps, nostalgic browse through the pages of this entertaining dictionary.