The discovery of steam-power changed people's lives for ever in Somerset. It fuelled the industrial revolution and was used to drive local mills, mines and trains. Later it brought great changes to the farming and craft industries. Bridgwater author Roger Evans begins with his own local childhood memories of seaside excursions taken and then takes the reader through the era that saw steam as the key to all progress especially to the development of the local railway network.
These Somerset tales, newly collected or retold with an eye and an ear to the land and waters that shaped them, reflect our growing interest in the natural landscape. Let these stories from the Summer Lands take you on a journey: across wind-wild moors that plummet to treacherous tides; on a scramble from gorge to cave, discovering ancient mines and dragons' haunts; to emerge into forest and field, and stroll beside ancient waterways where willows walk and orchards talk. Your traveling companions will meet you from legend, from history, from living memory--from the places where they were once known best. They will guide you through the wonders and curiosities that make Somerset such a special place. Their stories, strange or faintly familiar, will beckon you to explore this extraordinary landscape or to look on it again with new eyes.
Take a journey on The Somerset & Dorset Railway back to the halcyon days of steam to a time when a tablet was either taken for a headache or used to ensure only one train was on a single track section at a time, and blackberries were picked on the line-side to make a pie. The book will take you on the journey from Bath to Bournemouth describing the stations along the route.................... and is complemented by Tales From The Footplate as told by Somerset & Dorset men. In 1966 The Somerset & Dorset railway succumbed to the 'Beeching Axe' but is now rising from the ashes at Midsomer Norton thanks to a dedicated group of volunteers..................The book is also a guide to the present day Somerset & Dorset Railway Heritage Trust at Midsomer Norton South Station.
For 56 years the Somerset Railroad carried people and goods from the North Woods to southern New England. Macdougall, a storyteller as well as an historian, traces its history.
Gone with the Wind meets The Help in the stunning prequel to Leila Meacham's bestselling family epic Roses. "From birth, Jessica had eschewed the role to which she'd been born. Was it because she sensed that her father's indulgence was compensation for his disappointment in her? Jessica thought too much, questioned, challenged, rebelled. Sometimes Eunice thought her daughter should have been born a male." Born into the wealthiest and most influential family in 1830s South Carolina, Jessica Wyndham was expected to look appealing, act with decorum, and marry a suitably prominent and respectable man. However, her outspoken opinions and unflagging sense of justice make her a difficult-and dangerous-firebrand, especially for slavery-dependent Carson Wyndham. Jessica's testing of her powerful father's love is only the beginning of the pain, passion, and triumph she will experience on a journey with the indomitable, land-obsessed Silas Toliver and headstrong Jeremy Warwick to a wild new land called Texas. PRAISE FOR LEILA MEACHAM "Discovering Leila Meacham and her spectacular talent is akin to discovering gold. With this novel she has become a national treasure." -- Huffington Post "Rich with American history and pitch-perfect storytelling, fans and new readers alike will find themselves absorbed in the family saga that Meacham has proven-once again-talented in telling." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)
This is an illustrated rich treasury of legends, traditions and drama from Somerset's past. It contains stories of murder, wickedness, romance and heroism.
Take a journey on The Somerset & Dorset Railway back to the halcyon days of steam to a time when a tablet was either taken for a headache or used to ensure only one train was on a single track section at a time, and blackberries were picked on the line-side to make a pie. The book will take you on the journey from Bath to Bournemouth describing the stations along the route and is complemented by tales from the footplate told by Somerset & Dorset men Wallace Moon and Geoff Akers. Then fast forward to the present and 50 years ago what to many was the best loved line of all was swept aside by the ruthless actions of Dr Beeching. But out of adversity comes opportunity and a spirited group of enthusiasts, all volunteers, has worked relentlessly since 1996 to lovingly restore the station at Midsomer Norton. We are now welcoming steam locomotives once again to the Somerset & Dorset Railway with the aim of edging closer and closer to Chilcompton Tunnel and beyond.
