David H Aldred

Anyone who has an interest in the history of this part of the Cotswolds and the adjacent vale will find much to fascinate them within this book. Among its wide-ranging articles you will learn how Bishop's Cleeve and Woodmancote got their names, how the railway came to Broadway twice, how a Cheltenham boy became Australia's national poet, how trams came to Cleeve Hill, how Guiting Power became the centre of an amazing stone industry and how tobacco growing became important in Winchcombe. There are also descriptions of a medieval feast in Prestbury, a royal visit to Sudeley, the early history of Cheltenham races and the impact of the First World War on the area. The book is profusely illustrated with archive and modern illustrations. David Aldred is well known as the author and editor of books and articles on many aspects of the history of North Gloucestershire and the Cotswolds. He also lectures extensively on topics of local history and has a special interest in landscape history.

Cleeve Hill in Gloucestershire dominates the Severn Vale as part of the Cotswold scarp and can be seen from fifty miles away. It is the Cotswold's highest point and topped by over 1,000 acres of common land. To the people of Bishop's Cleeve and surrounding villages it forms a backdrop to their lives, cutting off their view to the east. To the people of Winchcombe it creates a challenge on their journeys to Cheltenham and the south. To the people of Cheltenham it stands in the middle distance promising an escape to health-giving fresh air and open space for recreation. It attracts walkers and riders, golfers and climbers, ornithologists and botanists. In this fully revised and expanded edition (first published in 1990), David Aldred expands on the story of how its community and its common developed over 5,000 years from its origins as valuable grazing land for local villagers to its modern recreational use which began with the original Cheltenham races two hundred years ago. Stone from its quarries was used for centuries in buildings throughout the local area and further afield. Profusely illustrated with many illustrations in colour, the book will appeal not only to local people and visitors but also to those with a more general interest in archaeology, social, economic and landscape history.

Cleeve Hill in Gloucestershire dominates the Severn Vale as part of the Cotswold scarp and can be seen from fifty miles away. It is the Cotswold's highest point and topped by over 1,000 acres of common land. To the people of Bishop's Cleeve and surrounding villages it forms a backdrop to their lives, cutting off their view to the east. To the people of Winchcombe it creates a challenge on their journeys to Cheltenham and the south. To the people of Cheltenham it stands in the middle distance promising an escape to health-giving fresh air and open space for recreation. It attracts walkers and riders, golfers and climbers, ornithologists and botanists. In this fully revised and expanded edition (first published in 1990), David Aldred expands on the story of how its community and its common developed over 5,000 years from its origins as valuable grazing land for local villagers to its modern recreational use which began with the original Cheltenham races two hundred years ago. Stone from its quarries was used for centuries in buildings throughout the local area and further afield. Profusely illustrated with many illustrations in colour, the book will appeal not only to local people and visitors but also to those with a more general interest in archaeology, social, economic and landscape history.

Winchcombe, once a royal Saxon borough, lies in the secluded valley of the infant River Isbourne in the North Cotswolds. Through these pages its people and buildings are recorded over the last two hundred years. Here are the town's busy streets with their shops and public houses, many long-forgotten. We can see again the horse fairs and processions; the town's watermill, the First World War hospital and the later cottage hospital - now all gone.These images paint a mixture of continuity and change. In Winchcombe, St Peter's church remains the jewel in the crown and Sudeley Castle has risen from ruin to stately home. The arrival of the railway, its closure and restoration are charted and readers cannot fail to notice the change in road transport from horse-drawn vehicles to the ubiquitous motor car. This collection will delight all who are attracted to this picturesque Cotswold town.

We return to Bishop's Cleeve and its surrounding communities for a second volume of photographs. The story continues of the changes recorded down the years as seen through the dispassionate eye of the camera lens. Readers of our first volume will again be able to evaluate and compare a century of change across the area, echoes perhaps of a wider world. There are obvious changes - the dress fashions, road transport, building designs and materials, street furniture and so on. Then the observant reader may notice some more subtle features which have crept up to characterise our twenty-first century landscape. We hope our readers will derive much enjoyment and maybe enlightenment from this new set of photographs, many published here for the first time, portraying a variety of scenes below the Cotswold heights of North Gloucestershire.

Bishop's Cleeve Through Time is a unique insight into the illustrious history of this part of Gloucestershire. Reproduced in full colour, this is an exciting examination of the well-known streets and famous faces, and what they meant to the people of this area throughout the 19th and into the 20th Century. Looking beyond the exquisite exterior of these well-kept photos, readers can see the historical context in which they are set, and through the authors' factual captions for every picture, and carefully-selected choice of images, the reader can achieve a reliable view of the local history. There is something for everyone here, whether they have lived in the area all their lives, or whether they are just visiting Bishop's Cleeve for the first time. Bishop's Cleeve Through Time also shows how photography has continually evolved to keep up with an ever changing society.

This book tells the story of Bishops Cleeve and Woodmancote over a period of 12,000 years. The archaeological record, the written record and people's memories have been skilfully interwoven to create the first comprehensive history of these two communities. The story follows the fortunes of the inhabitants, from small groups of prehistoric farmers and on through the controlling influence of the Bishop of Worcester in the Middle Ages, to the traditional farming of the nineteenth century which was swept away by the developments following the arrival of Smiths' factory in 1939. The recent rapid expansion since 1990 has provided much new knowledge about the early history of the area and this is explained here for the first time. Whether a newcomer wanting to know more about the villages or a long-time resident wanting to add to their own knowledge, or just someone interested in local history, everyone will find much of interest whether it's the explanation of familiar scenes or the exploding of commonly held myths about the past.