• Cottages and Common Fields of Richmond and Kew - (Book - Amazon.co.uk) : After some forty years of research the author has meticulously analysed the development of a small village and even smaller hamlet into the prosperous new town of today through detailed accounts of the dwellings and their occupants at many key dates. The holdings of land are analysed to show how the original strip system consolidated into significant estates ... the development of local government, the trades of the work people, the early schools, even public houses are examined, using a mass of material ... and a wealth of illustrations and maps.
  This book may also be available from Amazon.com (United States) and Amazon.ca (Canada). Click on links for details. -

• Croydon Past (Surrey, England) - (Book - Amazon.co.uk) : For centuries a small but important market town, in open countryside and well separated from London, Croydon was the principal town in East Surrey ... not least because its markets and fairs were granted by the archbishops of Canterbury, who were the lords of the manor. Their `near London' residence was there and by the 17th century their manor had become Croydon Palace. Enclosure of the commons paved the way for development and the town began to expand. Railways, made the place an ideal residential area for Londoners. This remarkable book tells the entire story of what is now the sixth largest commercial centre in the country. 159 illustrations.
  This book may also be available from Amazon.com (United States) and Amazon.ca (Canada). Click on links to check for availability. -

• Kew Past - (Book - Amazon.co.uk) : Kew is famous for its great Botanic Gardens and those who created them. Historians know it too as the home of Tudor kingmakers, of Georgian kings and of the artists that followed in their train. This book naturally gives due weight to these great historic figures, but it also explores and illustrates the lives of Kew’s less famous inhabitants - from the fishermen and market gardeners of the past to the shopkeepers and commuters of the 21st century.
  This book is also available from Amazon.com (United Kingdom) and Amazon.ca (Canada). Click on links for details. -

• Life and Work on Surrey Heath (England) - (Book - Amazon.co.uk) : This book examines the period during which the use of the heathland harvest changed, from the time before the 19th century, when smallholders, weavers and potters were prominent, up to the post-enclosure arrival of the army and the nursery trade. It considers the businesses which flourished to meet the needs of those who travelled on the turnpike road, and their subsequent decline with the introduction of the railway, and also features the schools, institutions and large estates that came to the area to make use of the allotments of former heathland, along with the industry which grew up around the local fir plantations. Beautifully illustrated throughout, it provides the perfect introduction to the history of a unique and special area.
  This book may also be available from Amazon.com (United States) and Amazon.ca (Canada). Click on links to check for availability. -

• Old West Surrey - (Book - Amazon.co.uk) : Old West Surrey was first published in 1904, when Gertrude Jekyll was England's most famous gardener, well known for her partnership with Edwin Lutyens, and for her prolific writings on the subject. But this book is different; it is her hymn to her happy childhood and her acutely-observed record of rural life and homes in the country around Godalming.
  This book may also be available from Amazon.com (United States) and Amazon.ca (Canada). Click on links for details. -

• Southwark Past - (Book - Amazon.co.uk) : Southwark was London's 'second city' and quite often a thorn in its side. Justly renowned in the 17th century for its theatres, animal baiting and stews, it had become by the 19th a place of manufacture, with one of the poorest populations in London and highest mortality rates. It is unlikely that even 25 years ago anyone would have predicted today's remarkable renaissance as it exploits its many attractions, from the rebuilt Globe Theatre to the Tate Modern. A distinguished London historian provides a masterpiece of information about the people and the institutions.
  This book may also be available from Amazon.com (United States) and Amazon.ca (Canada). Click on links for details. -

• Surrey Place-names - (Book - Amazon.co.uk) : This detailed study of Surrey's place-names sheds new light on the political and social changes during the 'Dark Ages' and offers innovative interpretations which are of national interest to place-name scholars. Every village or town has a name. We use them every day, even though most were created at least 1,300 years ago. Yet, until now, we knew little about how these names were given and even less about the people who originally used them. The innovative research in "Surrey Place-names" brings to life this little-known era of the past, the so-called 'Dark Ages' when Britons and Anglo-Saxon people co-existed and arrangements for administering the land evolved.
  This book may also be available from Amazon.ca (Canada). Click on link to check for availability. -

• The North Downs - (Book - Amazon.co.uk) : The North Downs and Surrey Hills have for centuries been the most important of London's lungs. This long-awaited book from Dr Peter Brandon, a much-loved local historian, shares the eloquent prose of his previous titles, and the magnificent photographs are beautifully produced. It will be warmly welcomed by all local, social and landscape historians, as well as the many people whose lives are enriched by knowing the North Downs. This book is also available from Amazon.com and Amazon.ca. Click on links for details. -

• Wimbledon Past - (Book - Amazon.co.uk) : Wimbledon is synonymous with tennis, yet it has a fascinating history which has nothing to do with the Centre Court. Wimbledon's manor house was a home of the Elizabethan Cecil family and, in later years, of the Spencer family. It was largely a rural area until the end of the 19th century, but the convenience of the London South-Western Railway encouraged so much development that the Common itself was in danger of disappearing-this was saved in 1871. Richard Milward's book details the expansion of the village into the prominent suburb it has now become.
  This book may also be available from Amazon.com (United States) and Amazon.ca (Canada). Click on links for details. -

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