Kirjahaku

Hertfordshire, one of the Home Counties close to the capital, features some spectacular countryside including the chalk escarpment fringes of the Chilterns, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and many beautiful valleys including the Lee and the Colne. In 50 Gems of Hertfordshire local author Abigail Hamilton-Thompson explores the unique locations that make the county special and the many breathtaking views in the unspoiled countryside. She investigates the hidden delights in historic towns such as Ware, Royston and the city of St Albans. From nature reserves to Roman Verulamium, churches to caves, watermills to windmills and the geological rarity that is Hertfordshire puddingstone, readers will venture on a journey of discovery around the treasures of the county.

Think of Cambridgeshire and images of dreaming spires, gowned students and river punting probably spring to mind. In this book, local author Kathryn Brereton shares some of the lesser-known jewels of Cambridge City and the tucked-away treasures to be found across the county. Celebrating the remarkable landscapes, buildings, characters, stories and festivals; '50 Gems of Cambridgeshire' will appeal to all those who wish to learn more about this fascinating corner of the country. The author reveals that Cambridgeshire is a county that is different to any other in England. This superbly illustrated book explains its geography and history and shows how town, gown and the unique, watery landscape have shaped each other throughout the centuries. From Whittlesey’s strange Straw Bear Festival and the soaring splendour of Ely Cathedral to the ghostly goings-on in an historic riverside inn; Cambridgeshire offers something for everyone. Guided by an author who knows the county well, readers will discover the places and the heritage that make Cambridgeshire special.

'Votes for Women. Handle with Care' was the message left on a hoax bomb found under the Oundle railway bridge in 1913, just two years after the leading suffrage campaigner Mrs Pankhurst visited the city. Notable women of Peterborough include Florence Saunders, a selfless dedicated nurse who regularly visited the poorer areas of Peterborough and set up the District Nursing Health Service at the Soke. Another well known nurse, Edith Cavell, spent some time at the Laurel Court School, which was run by a leading female character. The Women's United Total Abstinence Council (WUTAC) set up a coffee wagon to encourage male workers to avoid drinking, thus helping families in the war against alcoholism. The WUTAC also set up a tea room at the railway station during the First World War to discourage sailors and soldiers from the public houses. This book explores the lives of women in Peterborough between 1850 and 1950 by looking at home life, the taking on of men's roles during the First World War, the land army, nursing, the accommodating of evacuees during the Second World war, the eccentric first Freewoman of the city and the first female mayor. Struggle and Suffrage in Peterborough uncovers the stories of the leading women in the city who helped change women's lives forever.

Prisons, as you know, have been my hobby wrote the prominent suffragette Lady Constance Bulwer-Lytton. An influential British activist as well as a writer, speaker and campaigner for votes for women - and not forgetting prison reform - Constance Lytton was born in Vienna and spent the first eleven years of her life in India (her father was the Viceroy). After meeting a number of suffragettes, particularly at the Esperance Club and including Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence, Constance took on the 'hobby' of prison reform. She later demonstrated at the House of Commons, along with fellow suffragettes and was arrested, imprisoned, but subsequently released due to her social position and health. Whilst in Holloway Prison in March 1909, she carved the outline of a V on her chest. Outraged by the treatment of fellow suffragettes of a lower class, in January 1910 she took on the pseudonym of Jane Warton to avoid release and suffered much mistreatment, including forcible feeding, at the hands of the prison warders. She was to include these experiences in her book, Prisons and Prisoners. Constance Lytton died in 1923 after many health complications, but with the knowledge that (some) women over the age of 30 had finally been given the right to vote.