Located in the heart of London's East End, the Thames Ironworks might be described as characteristic of the industrial and social landscape of the Victorian era. This successful enterprise, headed by the respected Hills family, undertook projects in shipping, civil engineering, electrical engineering and motoring. But as well as providing employment, the ironworks was also central to the social lives of its workers. Its football team, founded by Arnold Hills in 1895, was destined to become world famous as West Ham United. Author Brian Belton explores how the Victorian values of commercialism, religion, philanthropy and patriarchy that made this giant of industry a success were inextricably linked with a sense of fair play, competitive spirit and the growth of football as a national obsession. Peppered with the songs and memories of a treasured cockney region, this is an entertaining portrait of ships, industry, sport and, most of all, the people of the Docklands communities that relied on the ironworks for their daily bread.

This title was first published in 2000. 'Little better documented than King Arthur or Robin Hood' complained one historian in 1998 describing the lack of information on Thames shipbuilding. This study of iron shipbuilding on the capital's river fills this noticeable gap. A.J. Arnold examines the initial domination of the iron shipbuilding trade by Thames firms from the launch of the first iron vessel on the river in 1832 to the end of serious Thames-side shipbuilding in 1915. For the first time, the factors that caused the industry's demise are explored fully, together with an analysis of the effect it had on its locality. Extending existing series of data, the book includes information on annual shipbuilding tonnage and the number of vessels constructed, and further looks at tonnage built for foreign citizens, companies and navies, and for the British Admirality. This broader and deeper statistical survey is supplemented with less systematic documentation such as memorabilia and business records to arrive at the most complete picture yet of a once pre-eminent British industry. A.J. Arnold is Professor of Accounting and Business History at the University of Essex.

This book discusses the origins of West Ham United, of players and fans who were the iron-men of the past, and how it has developed into fierce loyalty and a proud community.

It may not be the longest, deepest or widest river in the world but few bodies of water reveal as much about a nation's past and present, or as suggestive of its future, as England's River Thames. Tales of legendary lock-keepers and long-vanished weirs evoke the distant past of a river which evolved into a prime commercial artery linking the heart of England with the ports of Europe. In Victorian times, the Thames hosted regattas galore, its new bridges and tunnels were celebrated as marvels of their time, and London’s river was transformed from sewer to centrepiece of the British Empire. Talk of the Thames Gateway and the effectiveness of the Thames Barrier keeps the river in the news today, while the lengthening Thames Path makes the waterway more accessible than ever before. Through quiet meadows, rolling hills, leafy suburbia, industrial sites and a changing London riverside, Mick Sinclair tracks the Thames from source to sea, documenting internationally-known landmarks such as Tower Bridge and Windsor Castle and revealing lesser known features such as Godstow Abbey, Canvey Island, the Sandford Lasher, and George Orwell’s tranquil grave.

For the first time, the factors that caused this pre-eminent British industry's demise are explored fully, together with an analysis of the effect that it had on its locality.

______________________________ The huge word-of-mouth bestseller – completely updated for 2019 THE LONDON THAT TOURISTS DON’T SEE Look beyond Big Ben and past the skyscrapers of the Square Mile, and you will find another London. This is the land of long-forgotten tube stations, burnt-out mansions and gently decaying factories. Welcome to DERELICT LONDON: a realm whose secrets are all around us, visible to anyone who cares to look . . . Paul Talling – our best-loved investigator of London’s underbelly – has spent over fifteen years uncovering the stories of this hidden world. Now, he brings together 100 of his favourite abandoned places from across the capital: many of them more magnificent, more beautiful and more evocative than you can imagine. Covering everything from the overgrown stands of Leyton Stadium to the windswept alleys of the Aylesbury Estate, DERELICT LONDON reveals a side of the city you never knew existed. It will change the way you see London. ______________________________ PRAISE FOR THE DERELICT LONDON PROJECT ‘Fascinating images showing some of London’s eeriest derelict sites show another side to the busy, built-up capital.’ Daily Mail ‘Talling has managed to show another side to the capital, one of abandoned buildings that somehow retain a sense of beauty.’ Metro ‘Excellent . . . As much as it is an inadvertent vision of how London might look after a catastrophe, DERELICT LONDON is valuable as a document of the one going on right in front of us.’ New Statesman ‘From the iconic empty shell of Battersea Power Station to the buried ‘ghost’ stations of the London Underground, the city is peppered with decaying buildings. Paul Talling knows these places better than anyone in the capital.’ Daily Express ‘[London has an] unusual (and deplorable) number of abandoned buildings. Paul Talling’s surprise bestseller, DERELICT LONDON, is their shabby Pevsner.’ Daily Telegraph ______________________________