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This account examines the history of coachbuilding, beginning with the coachbuilders who for generations had built horse-drawn wooden carriages, and then explaining how they turned their craft to building the bodywork of the first motorised cars. Using photographs of the different stages of coachbuilding, the author describes the materials, equipment and key techniques involved. Today the profession of coachbuilding is almost a lost art, yet as the restoration of vintage cars seeks to keep the trade alive, this book reflects back on the heyday of the coachbuilt motor car and the skilled workers that made it their craft.
Brooklands, near Weybridge in Surrey, holds a unique and highly important place in the histories of both motoring and aviation. It was the first purpose-built motor racing track in Britain and the first major circuit in the world. From 1907 to the outbreak of the Second World War, the banked circuit was the epicenter of British motor sport, and events at Brooklands - races and speed record attempts - were an important part of the sporting and social calendar. Motor sport was not the only activity for which Brooklands was famous, however: it became an important center for aviation. The first flight of a British pilot in a British aircraft took place there in 1908, and Britain's first flying s...
Interest in old buses has increased enormously in recent years, so that there are now probably over two thousand of these vehicles restored and preserved for future generations. Some were discovered up to fifty years after their withdrawal from passenger carrying, serving as summer houses, tool sheds or for other purposes. Hundreds of hours of loving care were expended on them so that they can now be seen as they looked in their prime.This book traces the development of the omnbus through the horse-drawn era to that of mechanical propulsion, when, after experiments with steam and electric battery units, the gasoline engine reigned supreme until just before the second world war.
The broader Regency period 1795 to 1820, stands alone as an incredible moment in fashion history, unlike anything that went before it. For the first time England became a fashion influence, especially for menswear, and became the toast of Paris, as court dress became secondary to the season-by-season flux of fashion as we know it today. Sarah Jane Downing explores the fashion revolution and the innovation that inspired a flood of fashions taking influence from far afield. It was an era of contradiction immortalised by Jane Austen, who adeptly used the new-found diversity of fashion to enliven her characters: Wickham's military splendour; Mr Darcy's understated elegance; and Miss Tilney's romantic fixation with white muslin.
Colossal stone temples are one of the most immediately recognisable products of ancient Egyptian civilisation: distinctive in appearance, striking in sheer size and impressive in the skill shown in the carving and painting of their walls. This book looks at what is known about Egyptian temples, their chronological development, and the range of different religious structures referred to under the general heading of temples. Different chapters explain, with illustrations, the nature of Egyptian gods and why they needed temples to be built for them, what went on within the buildings, and how priests, acting on behalf of the king, served the god on a daily basis and in regular festivals which in...
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In the aftermath of World War II, design was key to a new way of living as carefully thought-out principles were applied to new homes and commercial buildings across the country. From open plan living to new materials in buildings and furnishing, the 1950s marked a bright new era.
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The way we shop has undergone many transformations over the years, and a pioneer of one such change was the department store. Selling everything from clothes to cosmetics, furniture to food, the department store is a one-stop shop for consumers. Claire Masset charts the history of the department store, the innovations in retailing, advertising and technology, and the developments in fashion, design and working practices. Using evocative adverts, prints, memorabilia and photographs, the highs and lows of these retail giants are discussed, including the golden age of department stores in the 1920s and 1930s, and their future in a modern world. Filled with amusing anecdotes, this lively book brings the fascinating world of British department stores to life.