Steve Wallis

Brothels and taverns, alehouses and inns, Portsmouth has seen it all. Many of the old port’s drinking establishments have historic and literary associations, as well as stories of their own to tell. Most of the older ones can be found in and around Old Portsmouth, including the survivors of the numerous pubs that once clustered around the dockyards, providing food and drink for naval personnel and other seafarers. Others date from the expansion of the city beyond the old defences and became focal points for new communities. Even the newest have characters of their own and those on the waterside, such as at Spice Island and Langstone Harbour, allow the pleasure of enjoying a drink while taking in views of everyday port life. Author Steve Wallis takes a unique and affectionate ‘pub-crawl’ through the watering holes of Portsmouth, looking at those that have survived town planning, management companies, and economic downturn, and the changing and evolving use of the much loved ‘local’. As they turn each page, readers can mingle with the locals, encounter the odd ghost, gasp at grisly tales and generally enjoy the rich tapestry of Pompey’s drinking life.

The Thames is justifiably known as ‘London’s river’. It flows through the heart of the capital and has played a pivotal role in the city’s expansion and success. The river’s bridges are among London’s most iconic features and many other major landmarks (the Houses of Parliament and the Tower of London to name but two) lie beside it. Throughout the city, numerous other historic sites and features along the river remind us of its historic importance. But the Thames belongs not just to London. It is the longest river that flows entirely within England and its course of over 200 miles takes it from the Cotswolds in the West Country all the way to the Thames Estuary between Essex and Kent. On the way, it passes Oxford, Reading, over a dozen other historic towns and even more villages, together with lots of fine countryside. This book follows the whole course of the river, looking at many of the iconic and less well-known features of the river and its valley.

This book explores the course of the Bristol Avon, from its humble beginnings in Acton Turville through to the Severn Estuary and the sea beyond.

Dorchester History Tour is a unique insight into the illustrious history of this famous Dorset town. This is an exciting guided walk around the town, its well-known streets and historic sites, and explains what they meant to local people throughout its eventful history. Readers are invited to take a tour and watch the changing face of Dorchester as Steve Wallis guides us through the local streets.

Lyme Regis is Dorset’s most westerly town, lying hard by the Devon border. It is famous as one of the main attractions of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, and also has important literary connections with Jane Austen and is the setting for John Fowles’ novel The French Lieutenant’s Woman. Historically, Lyme Regis was a port and fishing town, and its centre extends up a steep hill from the coast. Lyme Regis Through Time looks at the old part of the town in particular, together with its wider setting in the spectacular local landscape, and some of the surrounding villages. This book is beautifully illustrated with century-old photographs and postcards paired with modern images.

The River Frome, a journey from source to sea.

The city of Portsmouth has a long literary history. It is perhaps best-known as the birthplace of Charles Dickens in 1812, and the house in which he was born is one of the city's many tourist attractions. In the 1880s H. G. Wells spent several years here as an apprentice and his unhappy experiences of this time were brought out in some of his later novels. Around the same time, Arthur Conan Doyle came to Portsmouth and set up a medical practice, while also continuing his budding writing career; his great creation Sherlock Holmes first appears in a novel written here. But the tradition did not end in Victorian times, and local writers have often featured the city in their works right up to today: Graham Hurley's novels, featuring D. I. Joe Faraday, are a recent example. Using both old and new photographs, Steve Wallis takes us on a tour of places in and around Portsmouth that are associated with particular literary figures and locations that appear in literature. In visiting these sites, we also see some of the famous and less well known locations in this historic area.

Thomas Hardy celebrated the glorious county of Dorset through his writings. Today our vision of Dorset is very much that fixed by Hardy in novels ranging from Far From the Madding Crowd and The Mayor of Casterbridge to Tess of the d'Urbervilles and Jude the Obscure. Hurriedly produced in instalments for magazines, they were then reworked by Hardy with care and finesse, and turned into world classics. Steve Wallis revisits the Dorset heartland of Hardy's Wessex, and illustrates the changes that have taken place using old and new images. He charts Thomas Hardy's life and work through the places he knew and the locations he immortalised, from his birthplace at Stinsford, to his old age at Max Gate, with Swanage, Sturminster Newton, Weymouth and Wimborne in between. Join the author on this unique and nostalgic tour through time.

Somerset is justly renowned for its varied landscapes from the wild uplands of Exmoor to the expanses of the Levels. It is also a vibrant county where things have changed regularly. In keeping up with the times, though, it has kept a great deal of what is best about its past, and much of the county's charm comes from features that can seem changeless. Individual chapters in this book cover towns, villages, the coast and countryside, life in Somerset, and historic sites.It includes Glastonbury, Bath and Taunton, coastal resorts such as Weston-super- Mare and Minehead, historic spots such as Dunster and Wells, to some of the less well-known villages of the county and even some views that have been 'lost' over the past century. Join Steve Wallis on this nostalgic and colourful journey through Somerset which will surprise and delight residents and visitors alike.

Wiltshire is one of the largest counties in southern England and has a wide variety of landscapes, from river valleys lined with picturesque villages to the expanses and open skies of Salisbury Plain. It is also a vibrant county where things have changed regularly. In keeping up with the times, though, it has kept much of what is best about its past, and much of the county's charm comes from features that can seem changeless. Individual chapters cover towns, villages, life in Wiltshire and some of the many historic sites, while the subjects vary from familiar towns and cities such as Salisbury, Trowbridge and Marlborough, historic spots such as Castle Combe and Bradfordon- Avon, to a wide variety of the villages of the county and even some views that have been 'lost' over the past century.

Hampshire is a vibrant county where things have changed regularly. In keeping up with the times, though, it has kept much of what is best about its past, and much of the county's charm comes from features that can seem changeless. The modern photographs in this book are taken from as close as possible to the locations of the older ones with which they are paired, allowing the reader to see what has and has not changed. Individual chapters cover towns, villages, the coast and countryside, life in Hampshire and historic sites, and the subjects vary from familiar locations such as the historic centre of Winchester, the military and coastal attractions of Portsmouth and Southsea, and the muchfrequented towns of the New Forest, to some of the less well-known villages of the county and even some views that have been 'lost' over the past century.

Between Sidmouth and Beer lies one of England's most attractive coastlines. This book uses pairs of historic and modern photographs to explore this coast and four settlements along it - the popular tourist town of Sidmouth and some of its hinterland, Salcombe Regis hidden in its little valley, the dispersed Branscombe which is really a series of several villages, and Beer with its little sheltered cove that was an ideal base for fishermen. The varied geology, from the red sandstone around Sidmouth to the white chalk of Beer Head, is part of England's only Natural World Heritage Site, and has given rise to a spectacular variety of cliffs, coves and beaches. The old views are still recognisable, but there has been a fascinating variety of smaller changes that make these pairs of pictures worth a close look and they will be of interest to locals and visitors alike.

Much of Dorset's charm comes from features that can seem changeless. The modern photographs in this book are taken from as close as possible to the locations of the older ones with which they are paired, allowing the reader to see what has and has not changed. Few of the old views are unrecognisable today, but some of the differences in detail can be surprising. Individual chapters cover towns, villages, the coast, life in Dorset and tourism. Subjects vary from familiar locations and landmarks such as the Cerne Giant, the Cobb at Lyme Regis, Weymouth seafront and Gold Hill in Shaftesbury, to some of the less well-known villages of the county and even some views that have been 'lost' over the past century. Dorset Through Time takes the reader on a tour of the many places that make Dorset special.

Glastonbury is one of Somerset's, if not Britain's, most attractive historical towns. The many ancient buildings are set in a stunning landscape, which together with historic and legendary connections to figures such as King Arthur and Joseph of Arimathea, have attracted visitors for centuries. The old views mostly date from the first half of the twentieth century, while the modern images were taken by the author. The photographs are laid out as an absorbing tour of Glastonbury. This first works its way around the town centre. Next there is a look around the abbey, which despite seeming to be a timeless ruin has in fact changed considerably over the past century. Then, the tour heads out to some of the curiosities in the outskirts before finishing off with an outing around Glastonbury's most recognisable feature, the Tor.

Dorchester and Around Time is a unique insight into the illustrious history of this part of Dorset. Reproduced in full colour, this is an exciting examination of its 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 author's 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 for the first time. Dorchester and Around Through Time also shows how photography has continually evolved to keep up with an ever changing society.

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