This fascinating selection of photographs traces some of the many ways in which Dorset Pubs have changed and developed over the last century.

A fascinating guide to the historic pubs and breweries of Dorset

This gripping new history tells the little-known story of one of the most courageous men to have served with the newly formed Commandos and SOE during the Second World War. It is a story of extreme courage and a revealing portrait of a man who ultimately gave his life to the liberation of France. Ogden-Smith was amongst the first to volunteer for the newly formed Commandos: he took part in the daring raid on Bardia on the North African Coast and fought in the heroic rearguard action during the British evacuation of Crete. In 1942 he transferred to the SOE and joined the elite Small Scale Raiding Force to carry out raids across the Channel. He then volunteered for a new, clandestine group known as the Jedbughs whose mission was to parachute into enemy-occupied France in the aftermath of D-Day to link up with the French Resistance. In July 1944, under the cover of his codename Dorset, Major Colin Ogden-Smith parachuted deep behind enemy lines as the leader of Team Francis. Three weeks later he was dead, killed in action fighting alongside his French comrades so that others could make their escape. Seventy years on, the French community still remember the gallant major Anglais. As featured on BBC Radio Lincolnshire and the Lincolnshire Echo.

Dublin is renowned for its amazing profusion of pubs and for its exuberant pub culture. In Dublin Pub Life and Lore, Professor Kevin Kearns examines the history of this phenomenon by speaking to old publicans, barmen and regular customers, relating the story of Dublin pubs and their patrons in an engaging and entertaining fashion. Traditionally in Ireland, the public house or 'pub' was the centre of a community's social life and a social institution ranking second in importance only to the parish church. Pubs ranged from dusky watering holes frequented by labourers, dockers and shawlies to elegant Victorian gin palaces where the gentry and literati gathered. Along the Dublin quays there were dives filled with scoundrels, prostitutes and misfits of every sort. Following the success of his bestselling classic Dublin Tenement Life, Kevin Kearns has researched and created a wonderful oral historical chronicle of Dublin's pub life. Based on conversations with old publicans, pub 'regulars' and long-serving barmen, Dublin Pub Life and Lore captures the folklore, customs, characters and wit of the traditional Dublin public house. Dublin Pub Life and Lore: Table of Contents Introduction - History and Evolution of Dublin Public Houses Origins and Uses of Alcohol A City of Taverns and Alehouses Dublin's Colourful Public Houses Drinking Customs of the Social Classes Disreputable Drinking Dens Proud and Prosperous Publicans Dublin Temperance Movement Government Inquiry into Intemperance and the Role of Public Houses Oral History and Pub Lore - Dublin Pub Culture and Social Life The Pub as a Living Social Institution The Publican's Role and Status Pub Regulars and Their Local Porters, Apprentices and Barmen Pubs as IRA Meeting Places Women on the "Holy Ground" The Pintman and His Pint Pub Customs and Traditions Pub Entertainment Singing Pubs Literary Pubs Notable Pub Characters Eccentric Publicans and Notorious Pubs Underworld of Shebeens, Kips and Speakeasies Famous Barmen's Strikes Transformation and Desecration of Venerable Pubs - Oral Testimony of Publicans and Barmen - Oral Testimony of Pub Regulars and Observers

An accessible history of the Roma people in England told from the inside. The Romany people have been variously portrayed as exotic strangers or as crude, violent, delinquent “gypsies.” For the first time, this book describes the real history of the Romany in England from the inside. Drawing on new archival and first-hand research, Jeremy Harte vividly describes the itinerant life of the Romany as well as their artistic traditions, unique language, and flamboyant ceremonies. Travelers through Time tells the dramatic story of Romany life on the British margins from Tudor times through today, filled with vivid insights into the world of England’s large Romany population.

Haunted Pubs of the South West offers a fascinating insight into the stories behind some of Britain's most haunted pubs.