This is a magnificent visual account of Britain's architectural and historical heritage celebrated in over 500 beautiful photographs, fine-art paintings, drawings and maps. It is a truly impressive reference to the historic buildings of the United Kingdom - the castles, royal palaces, stately homes, fortified manors and the great country houses. It has full coverage of the World Heritage Sites of Edward I's castles at Beaumaris, Harlech, Caernarvon and Conwy; Blenheim Palace, the Tower of London and the Palace of Westminster; with in-depth features on over 120 royal palaces, historic houses and gardens. The book is illustrated with over 500 photographs and paintings of landscapes, exteriors and interiors. An A-Z gazetteer with contact details plus over 50 maps help you explore Britain's architectural legacy. This sumptuously illustrated history is an authoritative guide to the castles, royal residences and historic houses of Britain and Northern Ireland. It combines an in-depth account of the most important buildings with a wealth of stories and information about Britain's glorious architectural past and heritage, including Burghley House, Longleat, Windsor Castle and Balmoral. Special features focus on important art and architectural movements and on the great architects including Wren, Adam, Wyatt and Lutyens. More than 500 photographs and specially commissioned maps, plans and drawings bring these national treasures vividly to life.

Historical Dictionary of the British Monarchy, Second Edition contains a chronology, an introduction, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has more than 800 cross-referenced entries that cover significant events, places, institutions, and other aspects of British culture, economics, politics, and society.

The Oxford Companion to Family and Local History is the most authoritative guide available to all things associated with the family and local history of the British Isles. It provides practical and contextual information for anyone enquiring into their English, Irish, Scottish, or Welsh origins and for anyone working in genealogical research, or the social history of the British Isles. This fully revised and updated edition contains over 2,000 entries from adoption to World War records. Recommended web links for many entries are accessed and updated via the Family and Local History companion website. This edition provides guidance on how to research your family tree using the internet and details the full range of online resources available. Newly structured for ease of use, thematic articles are followed by the A-Z dictionary and detailed appendices, which includefurther reading. New articles for this edition are: A Guide for Beginners, Links between British and American Families, Black and Asian Family History, and an extended feature on Names. With handy research tips, a full background to the social history of communities and individuals, and an updated appendix listing all national and local record offices with their contact details, this is an essential reference work for anyone wanting advice on how to approach genealogical research, as well as a fascinating read for anyone interested in the past.

A magnificent study of Britain's royal heritage with a directory of royalty and over 120 of the most important historic buildings, all shown in over 1000 colour images

A truly impressive new reference to the historic buildings of the United Kingdom the castles, fortresses, royal palaces, stateky homes, fortified manors and the great country houses"

This authoritative and accessible guide to the British monarchy spans the Romano-British rulers of 55 BC to the present day House of Windsor. Generously illustrated with maps, photos, paintings, and genealogies, it contains a wealth of information on the rulers of Britain, including their policies, personalities, key dates, and legacies. There are almost 600 entries, which are organised by regions up to 1066 and by royal lines thereafter. Feature articles throughout the guide provide in-depth information on key royal topics, including Coronations, Regalia, the Tower of London, and - new to this edition - Westminster Abbey and St Paul's Cathedral. Revised and updated to include recent events, such as the second marriage of Prince Charles, this new edition also contains a topical introductory article on the changing role of the monarchy. There is a useful glossary, a list of recommended further reading, and a new appendix of recommended web links, accessed and kept up to date via a companion website. Comprehensive and elegantly written, this fascinating guide to the British monarchy is an essential reference resource for teachers and students of British history, and for anyone with an interest in Britain's rulers through the ages.

This sumptuously illustrated history presents, in an updated new edition, an in-depth account of Britain's most important buildings.

Examining international case studies including USA, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, this book identifies and explores the use of heritage throughout the world. Challenging the idea that heritage value is self-evident, and that things must be preserved, it demonstrates how it gives tangibility to the values that underpin different communities.