THE BATTLE OF HASTINGS 1066
THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH
John Graham and Martin Mace

The Battle of Hastings is the most defining event in English history. As such, its every detail has been analysed by scholars and interpreted by historians. Yet one of the most fundamental aspect of the battle the place upon which it was fought has never been seriously questioned, until now. Could it really be the case that for almost 1,000 years everyone has been studying the wrong location? In this in-depth study, the authors examine the early sources and the modern interpretations to unravel the compulsive evidence that historians have chosen to ignore because it does not fit the traditional view of where the battle was fought. Most importantly, the authors investigate the terrain of the battlefield and the archaeological data to reveal exactly where history was made.

Paperback 234 x 156mm 192 pages
PUBLICATION APRIL 2021
Pen & Sword
ISBN 978-1-399013-19-2
Price £14.99

BATTLE OF BRITAIN, WEST SUSSEX
ONE COUNTY’S ROLE IN THE SPITFIRE SUMMER OF 1940
Eddy Greenfield

By July 1940, Britain stood alone in Europe. Hitler’s troops had reached the French coast after storming their way across northern Europe and it was assumed that the next battle of the Second World War would be fought on the beaches of southern England. Drawing extensively on records held in local and national archives, Eddy Greenfield provides a detailed and comprehensive day-by-day account of activity in and over West Sussex throughout the campaign from 10 July to 31 October 1940. It is not only a story of how the RAF and other defenders battled the Luftwaffe’s relentless onslaught, but also how the residents in the county’s towns and villages played their own part in the national war effort.

Hardback 234 x 156mm 344 pages
PUBLICATION DATE SEPTEMBER 2021
Pen & Sword
ISBN 978-1-526792-65-5
Price £25.00

NO PLACE TO LIE
SECRETS UNLOCKED, A PROMISE KEPT
Helen Garlick

On St David’s Day 1981, Helen receives a phone call in St Louis from her distraught father in Yorkshire, leading her to a heart-searing path of discovery. Her brother David’s shocking death at twenty in a remote mansion triggers a quest to unravel shrouded in secrets and silence.
Vividly evocative, Helen’s debut memoir No Place to Lie takes the reader on an extraordinary journey through suicide, trauma and shame to shine a light on what really happened to David, and the startling secret her mother took to her grave. Helen’s courageous and uplifting book brings powerful messages about hope, the healing power of talking, stepping towards recovery and connection to a life filled with humour, joy and love.

Paperback 198 x 129mm 262 pages
B&W illustrations
authors
ISBN 978-1-913532-18-6
Price £9.99

WRITTEN BY READERS
LETTERS TO THE SUSSEX COUNTY MAGAZINE 1928-1932
Dick Richardson

The Sussex County Magazine was founded by Arthur Beckett in 1927 and ceased publication in 1956. The best, and probably the first county magazine in the country, it carried little, if any advertising, which led to its ultimate downfall. The Magazine provides a veritable treasure trove of articles on the county. In this slim volume I have selected and edited readers‘ letters from 1928-1932. This is a book for dipping into, and there should be something for everyone with a love of Sussex.
Contents include: Longevity: Windmills: Budgen’s map of Sussex: Old Sussex toasts: A Guestling carter’s adventure: Ebernoe Horn Fair: Latten bells: The bag of gold: Breaking up a sub-marine: Sussex place-names: Slindon House and Sellinger’s Round: An East Grinstead playbill 1758: Isaac Ingall – Battle’s old man: A dolmen goddess in Sussex: Eastbourne in 1826: Round-frock, smock or Banyan?: Coal in Sussex?: Harold’s bodyguard at Hastings: Two meetings with fairies: A John Fuller madallion: The Jevington “Argin”: Old Zeb: John Dudeney’s burial place: The derivation of “Lydes”: Old industries at East Hoathly: Gundrada de Warrenne: Friday in place-names: The House of Howard: The Roman road – Chichester to Portslade: Sussex windmills: The mummers’ play: A bark mill: An old-fashioned remedy: Nan Kemp’s grave: Starvemouse Plain: The Clatterdown legend of Herstmonceux Castle: The Henfield doll: Dog-drawn fish carts: The village pound:Recipes for apple butter: Curious Sussex customs: Hog-asses: Sussex epitaphs: Henfield’s inhabitants 1840: Gooch’ strong beer: Anne Page of Hastings: Bethesda Chapel, Lewes: St Paul’s Cathedral gates and railings: The lock-up, Slindon: A Ditchling road cross: Executions at Horsham: A present from Bexhill to Horace Walpole: Pallinghma Lock, near Pulborough: Curious Christian names: Potato wine: The White Horse, Bodle Street: A West Chiltington legend: Who was Barney?: A Sussex puritan jury: Brede pottery: Hogs puddings: A woman grave digger: The Cowfold brass: Firing the anvil: Jack Upperton’s gibbet: Wife-selling in Sussex: The old forge, Brighton: How Seaford made a breakwater: An old Sussex kinife-grinder: The howling boys: The treadmill, House of Correction, Brighton: A smuggler’s account book: Sidlesham church chest: Charles Lee, “King of the Gipsies”, Chailey Mill: etc.

Paperback 210 X 148mm 76 pages
49 half-tone photos and illustrations
Country Books
ISBN 978 1 906789 82 4
Price £7.50

WORTHING PUBS
David Muggleton, Colin Walton and James Henry

The hamlet of Worthing began to develop as a fashionable seaside resort
during the late eighteenth century. It attained town status in 1803 when its administration was invested in a board of commissioners that first met at the Nelson Hotel. Inns of greater antiquity were the White Horse at West Tarring, the Maltsters Arms at Broadwater and the Anchor in Worthing High Street. Other well-established pubs, such as the town centre Warwick and the Cricketers at Broadwater, began as basic beer retailers and brewing victuallers of the early Victorian period.
Several pubs in the area are of architectural interest. The ornate Grand
Victorian opened in 1900 as the Central Hotel, the half-timbered design of the Thomas á Becket (1910) was in homage to the nearby medieval Parsonage
Row cottages, while the imposing Downlands was built in 1939 in the classic roadhouse style. Worthing Pubs takes us on a fully illustrated tour of the historical hostelries in the district, yet also acknowledges how the local drinking culture has been shaped by the contemporary craft-beer bar and the burgeoning micropub scene.

THE AUTHORS
David Muggleton is a professional lecturer and writer with a particular interest in pub and brewery history. He is a member of the British Guild of Beer Writers, Pub History Society, Brewery History Society and CAMRA. Over the years, David has gained an extensive knowledge of Brighton pubs both by drinking in them and by delving deep into local archives to uncover their fascinating histories.
Colin Walton is a born and bred Worthingite with a lifelong interest in history, having graduated with a BA (Hons) in the subject in 1996. He is co-researcher on the worthingpubhistory.com history site, and Worthing, The Curmudgeons Guide with James Henry. With a passion for the history of Worthing he is a tour guide for the National Lottery funded Worthing Heritage Alliance.
James Henry is an established fiction author who also has an interest in local history. Teaming up with Colin Walton, they set about researching the history of their local pubs and hostelries dating back to the sixteenth century. It was inevitable that along the way they would accumulate a wealth of knowledge on their home town.

Paperback 234 x 165mm 96 pages
100 illustrations
Amberley
ISBN 978-1-445688-02-2
Price £14.99

SUSSEX’S MILITARY HERITAGE
Dean Hollands

The county of Sussex, today divided into East and West Sussex, has a rich
military history that stretches back through the centuries. With its coastline facing continental Europe, Sussex has experienced the impact of invasions from Celtic and Roman times, followed by waves of Saxon, Viking and Norman invaders. Defences were built along the shoreline against the threat of later French invasion, particularly during the Napoleonic scare, and the county was again in the front line during the First and Second World Wars, both in the aerial battle and as a possible seaborne invasion route both for the Allies and the Germans. Inland, Sussex’s military heritage can also be seen throughout the county, with battle sites from medieval times through to the Civil War and numerous buildings and other structures still standing.
Sussex’s Military Heritage explores the military heritage of the county, from Iron Age camps and Roman fortifications to medieval castles, Martello towers, Second World War airfields and Cold War defences, but also the proud history of the military units that were raised in the county and sent to fight in conflicts abroad. This book will be of interest to all those who would like to know more about Sussex’s remarkable military heritage.

THE AUTHOR
Dean Hollands is a local and military historian who served in the Army and
Surrey Police. He conducts guided tours of World War I and II battlefields in Europe and is an associate member of the Guild of Battlefield Guides. He is also researcher and volunteer at Aldershot Military Museum.

Paperback 234 x 165mm 96 pages
120 illustrations
Amberley
ISBN 978-1-445695-17-4
Price £14.99

SECRET ARUNDEL
Eddy Greenfield

Secret Arundel explores the lesser-known history of the West Sussex town of Arundel through a fascinating selection of stories, unusual facts and attractive photographs.
The town of Arundel in West Sussex is overlooked by Arundel Castle and the
Roman Catholic cathedral, which was built through the support of the Duke of Norfolk, but the history of Arundel is built on much more than the castle and the dukes and earls. Secret Arundel unveils the lesser-known stories of its townspeople and events. These include the wartime German spy scandal that rocked the town’s Home Guard and saw its second-in-command jailed in 1940, how escaped German POWs concealed themselves in a top-secret bunker that was originally intended to house resistance fighters in the event of a Nazi invasion, and the history of the town’s jailhouse and some of those who found themselves locked behind its iron bars.
With no fewer than three priories, a friary, a medieval church, a Gothic Revival cathedral and even a Commandery of the Knights Hospitallers nearby, Arundel has had a long and fascinating religious history. The town was also the site of a medieval Jewish community and a stronghold for nonconformism. In Secret Arundel the author explores the lost and disused churches and chapels dotted around the town and its immediate surroundings as well as other unusual stories.
With tales of remarkable characters, unusual events and tucked-away or
disappeared historical buildings and locations, Secret Arundel will appeal to all those with an interest in the history of this town in West Sussex.

THE AUTHOR
Eddy Greenfield is a local historian based in West Sussex who has written
books on the local history of the area and is also a contributor for a number of magazines in the Sussex area.

Paperback 234 x 165mm 96 pages
100 illustrations
Amberley
ISBN 978-1-445696-01-0
Price £14.99

LOST VILLAGES OF SUSSEX
Alex Vincent

Throughout England there are thousands of lost or deserted villages. Most
were abandoned after the Black Death or other plague epidemics, but some
were lost to coastal erosion or the encroaching sea, while others were
resettled elsewhere when the livelihood upon which the village relied
disappeared and some were even deliberately moved in later centuries on the whim of country house owners.

In this book author Alex Vincent surveys the lost villages of Sussex. By
examining old records and maps, the history of excavations in the area, local archaeological archives and records and the evidence of remaining buildings, ruins and old earthworks, he has recorded over 140 deserted, shrunken and shifted villages in East and West Sussex. He explores what remains on these sites currently, including their churches, which often stand alone today; now isolated farmhouses; ruins; fragments in later buildings and the sites of old houses and streets that are often just bumps in a field; pest houses and mass graves of plague victims; the importance of place names as a record of previous inhabitation; lost industries; and many more markers of a vanished world.

This fascinating picture of an important but often forgotten part of the history of Sussex over the centuries will be of interest to all those who live in this corner of south-east England or have known it well.

THE AUTHOR
Alex Vincent is a local historian who has been researching Sussex history
and the lost villages of Sussex for many years, including the discovery of
three hitherto unknown shrunken and deserted mediaeval villages where the
author noticed earthworks. His previous publications include a series on the Roman Roads of Sussex and other counties in the South East of England
and Lost Churches and Chapels of Sussex.

Paperback 234 x 165mm 96 pages
Amberley
ISBN
Price £14.99

A-Z OF BRIGHTON AND HOVE
PLACES-PEOPLE-HISTORY
Kevin Newman

The Sussex seaside towns of Brighton and Hove have been a city since 2000
and attract millions of visitors every year. The city boasts a wealth of history and in this book local author Kevin Newman takes the reader on a selective and engaging tour of Britain’s premier coastal resort.

A–Z of Brighton and Hove delves into the stories behind the city’s most
notable streets, places, parks and buildings, as well as the dark secrets of its inhabitants, hidden lanes and ‘twittens’ (the Sussex name for alleyways). The book reveals the stories behind of some of the more unusual place names and the history of many of its distinctive features, and also tales of the city’s less famous (and infamous) sons and daughters and the places they frequented. It provides something for everyone, whether visiting or a citizen of the Old Ocean’s Bauble.

Paperback 234 x 165mm 96 pages
100 illustrations
Amberley
ISBN 9781445692210
Price £14.99

BRIGHTON TIGERS
A STORY OF SPORTING PASSION
Kevin Wilsher & Stewart Roberts

Brighton Tigers were arguably the most successful and passionately supported ice hockey team in the country in the years between 1935 and 1965.
This book reveals for the first time the remarkable love affair between ice hockey and the sports fans of Brighton, Hove and surrounding towns. Thousands packed the Sports Stadium in West Street to cheer on the Tigers, helping them to become one of the leading teams in Britain and Europe.
Under the guidance of legendary player-coach Bobby Lee, the Tigers won the grand slam of domestic honours and later pulled off one of the biggest upsets in British ice hockey history, a 6-3 defeat of the mighty Soviet Union.As well as recording details of the various players and the games, we have included some slices of local history, including the Hippodrome which was originally an ice rink, and the Hove ice rink near the railway station in the early 1930s. 
With a foreword by Dick Knight, Life President of Brighton and Hove Albion, the stories and photos in this book will bring back fond memories to the many fans who still mourn the loss of the team, and provide answers to younger generations wondering what all the fuss was about.

Paperback 270 x 210mm 265 pages
authors
ISBN 978-1-527255-63-0
Price £18.95

LAND OF HOPE AND STORY
A celebration of Rural Britain’s history, myth and legend
Evelyn Foster

A BOOK FOR ALL THOSE WHO LOVE GREAT BRITISH HISTORY AND THE GREAT BRITISH COUNTRYSIDE! LAND OF HOPE AND STORY: by Evelyn Foster, published by Country Books, is a celebration of British countryside, history, nostalgia and legend. Proceeds from the gift book will raise money for the National Trust. LAND OF HOPE AND STORY aims to raise spirits in these challenging times. It is full of fun, hope and positive patriotism, as well as a great love of Great Britain and its landscape. A book to lift any life and any lockdown!

Paperback 198 x 129mm 82 pages
Country Books
ISBN 978-1-910489-85-7
Price £7.99

A SUSSEX BOOK OF WITCH LEGENDS
Shaun Cooper

Some villages have witch legends – but most do not. In East Sussex, there are at least 13 places which have them, and in West Sussex nearly 50. Some of these are fairly typical of the kinds of witch legends found all over Britain, such as that of Old Mother Venus of Laughton, who was said to become a hare, or Jenny Saker of Goring who changed into a big black dog, and Dame Prettylegs of Albourne who was reputed to immobilize wagons and teams, or Witch Killick of Crowborough who ill-wished a neighbour to fall sick; and then there are some which are not so common, such as one about Mrs. Kitchener of Loxwood who sat on a hurdle and rode it like a horse; and of the landlord of The Fox Inn, at Fox Hill, who was shot in the legs when he was a hare, and Nanny Smart of Hurstpierpoint who, old though she was, could not die until she had passed her witchcraft secrets to someone else; or Butter Ede of Petworth who always had a big black cat with her, and Old Martha of Plumpton who ran backwards brandishing long knives; or Dame Garson of Duddleswell, who was chased by hounds when she was a hare, and leapt in through the window of her cottage, calling: “Ah, my boys, you ain’t got me yet!”
But the fear of witchcraft seems to have lingered long in some of the remote parts of Sussex, even to within living memory – according to the sentiments of various Sussex writers – and so there are tales here which are even more eldritch, such as one about a witch-hare at Slinfold that was shot with a silver bullet, and another at Stedham who was torn to pieces by fox-hounds; or of the notorious Wigperry witch, who came back as a ghost and haunted Bedlam pond, sitting on the surface of the water, holding a spindle.
This book takes a close look at the witch legends of Sussex, and also describes many from the shires and other places, as well as the various old counter-spells that were used, and it discusses Sussex legends of fairies and dragons too.

The book has been developed from the earlier British Witch Legends of Sussex to become a very much revised, vastly expanded, and far more comprehensive volume, with a better folkloristic perspective on the subject, and it also has tales and witch lore from many more villages, including over twenty in Sussex.

Paperback 210 X 148mm 276 pages
If your neighbour has a black cat – BEWARE!
Country Books
ISBN 978-1-910489-79-6
Price £13.00

LEGENDS OF LAMPLIT LEWES
A Lewes ghost walk and tales of other strange things
Jane Hasler & Nick Cole

Lewes has its fair share of stories about strange things, history and legends. Legends of Lampit Lewes brings together a collection of these tales in which ghosts, murderers, saints and hangings abound. The book’s inspiration began in the 1990s when two friends, Jane Hasler and Nick Cole, discovered a shared interest in such things and a deep love of the town. Originally conceived and performed as a guided walk, including once at the Lewes Festival, the reader can now take this tour for themselves and learn of mysteries, miracles, murder, magic and quite a few phantoms too....if they dare! The book includes a route map of Lewes, with numbered stops for each story. Jane and Nick enjoyed creating this work and guiding the walk together though they only got to perform it a handful of times. Sadly, Nick died in 2011. Jane has now published it for posterity and for those interested in such things in the unique and historic town of Lewes. Illustrated by Kevin Stewart Cantwell BA (Hons.)

Paperback 210 X 148mm 70 pages
the author is offering discounts for multiple orders / wholesale price,
Country Books
ISBN 978-1-910489-80-2
Price £8.50

FROZEN FAIRYTALES
FOR ALL AGES
Evelyn Foster

In this difficult days, we all need inspiration. A recently published book might provide this.

It is: FROZEN FAIRYTALES by Evelyn Foster, published by Country Books: a collection of uplifting fairytales perfect for lockdown, birthday or Christmas.

Fairytales as Dickens said, help and comfort children ( and adults ! ) more than anything. Readers are reassured by Rapunzel finding resources in herself ( her hair ! ) and by someone as small as a child being able to outwit a giant. The happy endings, in particular, give readers hope for their own futures. This collection contains one where the hero is a doctor, and another where a boy and his grandmother triumphantly survive a plague.

It’s notable too that many fairytale heroines have to spend time in lockdown – in towers!

The book also, of course, aims to give pleasure to all those children who love the Frozen films!

Heroes and heroines of myth and fairytale are unselfish. They are willing to make sacrifices for the sake of the community. These stories feel especially apt today.

So it’s great if both adults and children can enjoy them, as part of our common international heritage, and be inspired by their pleasure and its purpose. If we do, we may finally create a world in which we can all live more happily ever after ...!

The writer has lectured on myth and fairytale at the Royal Festival Hall, helped plan women of the world festivals at the Southbank Centre, and given myth and legend workshops at the British Museum.

She has also played an amazing amount of good fairies and Fairy Godmothers!

Paperback 198 x 129mm 60 pages
NEW BOOK FROM THIS WELL-KNOWN SUSSEX AUTHOR
Country Books
ISBN 978-1-910489-75-8
Price £7.99

Fifty Years of The Seaford Head Local Nature Reserve 1969-2019
Written by Alison Baker for the Seaford Head Local Nature Reserve Management Committee
Alison Baker

1969 was a momentous year. Man walked on the Moon for the first time, the iconic Woodstock pop festival was held, the Beatles released their equally iconic Abbey Road album and, not to be outdone, Seaford Head became a Local Nature Reserve.
Declared a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in 1953 as part of the Seaford to Beachy Head designation, this popular and much used site is also part of the Sussex Downs National Park and the Sussex Heritage Coast. It is a Site of Nature Conservation Importance, a Local Geological Site, a Regionally Important Geomorphological Site and was declared a Voluntary Marine Conservation Area in 1987. The Vanguard Way long distance footpath passes through on its way from Newhaven to Croydon.
2019 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the designation of this unique location as a Local Nature Reserve and this book was commissioned to document and celebrate those first fifty years.

Paperback 246 x 189mm 124 pages
FULLY ILLUSTRATED
Country Books
ISBN
Price £13.50

SOUTHERN STEAM RECOLLECTIONS
A PORTRAIT OF THE LAST YEARS
Don Benn

This book examines in words and pictures the huge changes that have taken place in the last 50 years on the British railway network. We see how steam-age infrastructure has gradually given way to a streamlined modern railway. The beginning of the period saw the final stages of the Beeching cuts, with the closure of some rural branches and lesser-used stations. Since the 1980s the tide has turned and numerous lines and stations have joined or rejoined the network. As for freight, we see how the complex operations of the 20th century have been replaced by a far smaller number of specialised terminals, while marshalling yards in the traditional sense have all but
disappeared. And the long process of updating our railway signalling has continued apace, even though some semaphore gems have managed to survive into the 21st century.

Paperback 189 x 246 160 pages
150 ILLUSTRATIONS
Pen & Sword
ISBN
Price £25.00

CHARLES II AND HIS ESCAPE INTO EXILE
CAPTURE OF THE KING
Martyn R Beardsley

Returning to England to try to reclaim his throne, King Charles II was defeated at the Battle of Worcester — but the battle to save his own life had only just begun. Pursued wherever he went by soldiers from the conflict as well as local militia, Charles donned peasant clothing, crudely cut his hair and tried to adopt a rustic accent. With the secret help of a succession of loyal citizens, he walked till his feet were shredded, waded rivers, coolly mixed with anti-royalists and enemy troopers — and, of course, hid in an oak tree. Never sure of who could be trusted, it was touch and go all the way to the coast and, hopefully, a boat that would take him to freedom.

Hardback 234 x 156mm 192 pages
32 B&W ILLUSTRATIONS
Pen & Sword
ISBN
Price £19.99

EASTBOURNE HB
BUILDING A DUKE’ DREAM
Alex Askaroff

Legend tells that Eastbourne can never be destroyed because the 7th Duke of
Devonshire left his heart here. The Nazi’s had a good go. Eastbourne was one of the most bombed towns on the South Coast. They failed miserably. Even with all the modern buildings Eastbourne retains something unique, a special quality that’s hard to define.

A stroll anywhere along the promenade from Meads to Fisherman’s Green will fill you with awe and admiration. The
stunning Victorian architecture, the beautifully laid out boulevards, gardens and pier all add to Eastbourne’s intoxicating mix.

A dream, that started in the middle of the Victorian Era, continues to flourish to this day. Eastbourne still holds the accolade as one of the finest seaside resorts in the world. But how did the dream start? Where did it all begin? How were a few out-lying hamlets and farmers fields so superbly redesigned to bring this empress of
watering places to life?

In Eastbourne, Building A Duke’s Dream, world renowned author Alex Askaroff tells the story in his own unique style, reviving long forgotten characters from the town including the odd ghost, gruesome murder, sacred wells, smugglers, kings and queens, even a witch! It is a tale not to miss.

Hardback 246 X 189mm 194 pages
Over 100 B&W illustrations
Country Books
ISBN
Price £19.99

EASTBOURNE
BUILDING A DUKE’S DREAM
Alex Askaroff

Legend tells that Eastbourne can never be destroyed because the 7th Duke of
Devonshire left his heart here. The Nazi’s had a good go. Eastbourne was one of the most bombed towns on the South Coast. They failed miserably. Even with all the modern buildings Eastbourne retains something unique, a special quality that’s hard to define.

A stroll anywhere along the promenade from Meads to Fisherman’s Green will fill you with awe and admiration. The
stunning Victorian architecture, the beautifully laid out boulevards, gardens and pier all add to Eastbourne’s intoxicating mix.

A dream, that started in the middle of the Victorian Era, continues to flourish to this day. Eastbourne still holds the accolade as one of the finest seaside resorts in the world. But how did the dream start? Where did it all begin? How were a few out-lying hamlets and farmers fields so superbly redesigned to bring this empress of
watering places to life?

In Eastbourne, Building A Duke’s Dream, world renowned author Alex Askaroff tells the story in his own unique style, reviving long forgotten characters from the town including the odd ghost, gruesome murder, sacred wells, smugglers, kings and queens, even a witch! It is a tale not to miss.

Paperback 230 x155 200 pages
Over 100 B&W illustrations
Country Books
ISBN
Price £9.99

SECRET HORSHAM
Maggie Weir-Wilson

The West Sussex town of Horsham, lying on the River Arun in the Weald, has given its name to the famous Horsham Stone. The area was known for its fossils in Victorian times and rival collectors of the day made important discoveries in and around Horsham, including three Iguanodons. St Leonards Forest on the edge of Horsham has also shaped the town, iron smelting taking place there from Roman times, as well as charcoal and brick making.

In this book author Maggie Weir-Wilson reveals the hidden history of Horsham. Unsavoury tasks were banished to the Common on the edge of town such public hangings, an
isolation house in times of disease and leather tanning, while the town centre was the home of several weekly markets and annual fairs. A dragon was reported to be stalking the area in 1614 and is now a symbol of the town. The area was also the home of the young Catherine Howard, Henry VIII’s fifth wife, as well as William Penn, the founder of Pennylvania, and the radical poet Percy Bysshe Shelley.

There are tales of ghastly crimes and punishment, the impact of wars at home and abroad, famous and notorious characters, writers and artists, poverty, industry and wealth, and more, in Secret Horsham as the author explores the little-known history of the town.

Paperback 234 x 165mm 96 pages
100 illustrations
Amberley
ISBN
Price £14.99

SECRET CRAWLEY AND GATWICK
Tina Brown

The Crawley and Gatwick area are fascinating, both have seen so many changes with the airport at Gatwick being central to this area, and now the second largest urban area in Sussex. Crawley has always been known as trade route with good connections both to the city of London and then down to the coast at Brighton The coming of the railways brought prosperity to Crawley and saw its first major expansion as well as the development of Gatwick race course and the original Gatwick airfield; the site of both has now been swallowed by today’s airport. After World War 2, the town was designated a New Town and has seen a vast increase in population and building to become one of the most important business and employment centres in the South East of England.

Crawley has many buildings of historical importance dating back to the 15th
century, and many Grade 1 and 2 listed buildings of all ages up to the present day. Settlements close by on the Weald that are served by Crawley also have many
secrets and stories connected to them, including numerous historical churches and manor houses. Gatwick airport itself and some of the buildings that surround the main terminal buildings today, such as the origins of the name of the Beehive
Public House in the South Terminal.

THE AUTHOR
Tina Brown leads guided tours in Hastings, Eastbourne, Middlesbrough and other areas in Britain, and has also worked with the council of Hastings to produce local trails books. She has written books on Haunted Hastings, Haunted Sussex Theatres and Haunted Middlesbrough. As well as running guided tours and her own
website, she also tutors evening classes on the history of Gin, tattoos and other various specialist history topics.

Paperback 234 x 165mm 96 pages
100 illustrations
Amberley
ISBN
Price £14.99

SECRET BEXHILL-ON-SEA
Alan Starr

The seaside town of Bexhill-on-Sea in East Sussex is famous for its modernist 1930s De La Warr Pavilion but has a wealth of other fascinating stories connected with its history. Although still a small town at the start of the 19th century it was home to the King’s German Legion in 1804, made up of German troops who had escaped Hanover when taken over by Napoleon and who fought in the British Army. Later in the 19th century the De La Warr family transformed Bexhill into an elegant resort, the 8th Earl bringing motor racing to the town but also scandalising it with his two divorces. Author Alan Starr reveals the town’s connections with the Indian philosopher Krishnamurti and the Maharajah of Cooch Behar, who influenced building styles in the town, the Mysterious Cobbler who exercised his psychic imagination from his shoe shop, literary associations, including Spike Milligan’s time stationed in the town while in the Army, and much more.

With tales of remarkable characters, unusual events and tucked away historical buildings, Secret Bexhill-on-Sea will appeal to all those with an interest in the history of Bexhill.

Paperback 234 x 165mm 96 pages
100 illustrations
Amberley
ISBN
Price £14.99

A-Z OF EASTBOURNE
PLACES-PEOPLE-HISTORY
Kevin Gordon

The East Sussex seaside resort of Eastbourne at the end of the South Downs, alongside the famous Beachy Head, is largely a creation of the Victorian and Edwardian eras. In the 19th century small hamlets in the area were developed by wealthy landowners, particularly William Cavendish, 7th Duke of Devonshire, as an elegant planned town, and aided by the new railway connection to London the town grew rapidly. Visitors are still attracted to its unspoilt sea front without shops or amusement arcades and today it is one of the fastest growing seaside towns in Britain with an increasingly young population and is a burgeoning centre of industry, commerce and culture for the area.

A-Z of Eastbourne delves into the history of this Sussex resort, revealing interesting and significant moments in the story of the town. It highlights well-known landmarks and famous residents, and digs beneath the surface to uncover some of the lesser known facts about Eastbourne and its hidden gems. This fascinating A-Z tour of Eastbourne’s history is fully illustrated with photography and will appeal to all those with an interest in this popular seaside town in East Sussex.

Paperback 234 x 165mm 96 pages
100 ILLUSTRATIONS
Amberley
ISBN
Price £14.99

Great War Barcombe
News from a Sussex village 1914-1919
edited by Ian Hilder BA FSG

Local historian Ian Hilder, introduces the reader to the inhabitants of a Sussex village
during the Great War in this well-illustrated and lively account.

By the end of the War, Barcombe, an agricultural parish of 1,277 people, had supplied 176 men to the Armed Forces, 36 of whom did not return. What was daily life like for those who were left behind?
Life certainly wasn’t dull, with the parish led by a smock-wearing squire, commanding a cyclists’ battalion, while promoting a resurgence of the sport of stoolball for wounded
servicemen. They are joined by a new Rector and schoolmaster and an unwitting
collaborator in the ‘Piltdown Man’ hoax.
Using articles from the Sussex Express, supported by contemporary images, postcards and documents, we follow village life from the eager volunteers of 1914 and their news from the front, to the fund-raising events for refugees and servicemen, and on to conscription and the military tribunals of 1916. The village plans a fete for convalescing soldiers, while Women’s Land Army workers make their first appearance on local farms.
Once the war had ended the parish began to consider how best to commemorate the dead, support the survivors and plan for the Peace Celebrations.

Paperback 246 X 189mm 248 pages
OVER 200 ILLUSTRATIONS, MANY IN COLOUR
Country Books
ISBN
Price £15.00

East Sussex, Brighton & Hove:
Stone Age to Cold War
Kevin Newman

Many writers have written about the delights of the former kingdom of the South Saxons, its Downs, villages, countryside, people and their ways but Visitors’ Historic Britain is the first series of books to take readers on a tour of discovery of each of the county’s historic eras in turn.
Visitors’ Historic Britain – East Sussex follows its West Sussex predecessor and starts with the prehistoric era. We explore East Sussex from west to east, investigating both little known and well-visited sites that tell the story of our ancestors’ past. We encounter wild warriors, formidable founders of the county, indefatigable industrialists, excitable eccentrics whilst investigating the lives of Sussex and invaders and inhabitants.
Sussex is a country celebrated by writers, painters, royalty, artists and the millions who have enjoyed its changing coastline and verdant villages. Visitors’ Historic Britain – East
Sussex provides a unique series of journeys for those who are inquisitive about this quirky and history-changing part of the South-East.

The Author
Kevin Newman is a Sussex-born and dwelling author, tour guide, teacher, history
consultant, journalist and historian. A member of the Sussex Society of Authors, he has written school textbooks, for Sussex publications such as the Argus and Brighton and Hove Independent as well a range of books on Sussex. When not engaging people of all ages with the past, he escapes up on the South Downs on walks much shorter than Belloc managed.

Paperback 234 x 156mm 208 pages
FULLY ILLUSTRATED
Pen & Sword
ISBN
Price £14.99

LOST BRIGHTON
Christopher Horlock

Brighton has grown from a fashionable resort in Georgian times, and a popular place to visit for Londoners once the railways arrived in Sussex in the nineteenth century, to today’s lively conurbation on the south coast. In this book, local historian Christopher Horlock charts the changing face of Brighton from the end of the Victorian era to the present day. Not only are many famous lost landmarks recorded, such as the Chain and West piers, Hanningtons department store and the SS Brighton ice rink, but also industrial premises, churches, schools, theatres and cinemas, plus trams, trolleybuses and branch railways.

Lost Brighton presents a portrait of a city and a way of life that has radically changed or
disappeared today, showing not just the buildings, streets and industries that have gone or changed, but also a way of life. This fascinating photographic history of lost Brighton will appeal to all those who live in the city or know it well, as well as those who remember it from previous decades.

THE AUTHOR
Christopher Horlock is an author and avid collector of old photographs of Brighton. He writes regularly for ‘Sussex Life’ magazine and has previously written history books for a local publisher as well Amberley.

Paperback 234 x 165mm 96 pages
100 illustrations
Amberley
ISBN
Price £14.99

HOVE
THE POSTCARD COLLECTION
Trevor Cox

Hove, west of its immediate neighbour Brighton, was a small fishing village on the Sussex coast until its development in the early 19th century as a fashionable seaside resort for wealthy Londoners following the patronage of the Prince Regent, later George IV. Elegant Regency estates and large Victorian mansions were built in Hove, most of which survive today albeit as flats, and the town is also characterised by the wide boulevards and avenues laid down in that era. Sussex Cricket Club made Hove its home, as did Brighton & Hove Albion FC until it relocated in the 1990s. Hove has always retained its separate identity to Brighton, and today is proud to be a counterpoint to its neighbour.

Hove: The Postcard Collection takes the reader on an evocative journey into Hove’s past through a selection of old postcards which offer a fascinating window into the history of this historic town in East Sussex.

THE AUTHOR
Trevor Cox lives in Hove and has been collecting material on the local history of Hove for many years. He also writes for shipping magazines.

180 illustrations

Paperback 234 x 165mm 96 pages
Publication July 2019
Amberley
ISBN
Price £14.99

HISTORIC ENGLAND : SUSSEX
UNIQUE IMAGES FROM THE ARCHIVES OF HISTORIC ENGLAND
Kevin Newman and contributions from Historic England

Sussex has been the home of everyone from dinosaurs and early humans, to holiday-
makers and the health-conscious. It has been Iron Age, Saxon, Viking and Norman battleground, gateway to England for invaders and home to monarchs, aristocrats, writers, painters and photographers. Since the 1750s it has also been the leading destination of those seeking coastal contentment or rural retreat. Boasting a backbone of seventy miles of the South Downs, beautiful beaches, and thriving resorts has meant the county maintains a warm place in many British hearts, and so many aspects of Sussex life have been captured on film or canvas.

In Historic England: Sussex, Brighton-born author Kevin Newman takes readers on a unique and illustrated journey through a personal selection of Sussex’s past using photographs from the Historic England Archive. Kevin brings his knowledge as author of numerous publications on Sussex to explain and bring alive photographs and illustrations ranging from the 1850s to the present day. Chapters focus on: Landmarks and scenery; Beautiful buildings; Public buildings; Entertainment and leisure; Education; People and their places; Work and industry.

THE AUTHOR
Kevin Newman is an author of history textbooks and he gives a number of historical talks and presentations when not running his organisation, All-Inclusive History. He also takes educational and corporate groups, such as Sotherby’s School of Art on architectural tours.

Paperback 234 x 165mm 96 pages
FULLY ILLUSTRATED
Amberley
ISBN
Price £14.99