VILLAGE BUILDINGS OF BRITAIN is an illustrated survey of vernacular building for everyone who believes in the importance of conservation and who wishes to have, in one beautiful volume, examples of village building styles from all over the country. Each of the eleven chapters includes a selection of buildings painted from life in watercolour in a highly original style which combines accuracy with charm. With his painter's eye for detail, Matthew Rice also picks out a variety of local features such as windows, doorways, ironworks and stonework which help to establish the character of each part of the country. In writing and illustrating this book Matthew Rice is not only arming his readers with a superb collection of architectual drawings but, with his heartfelt passion for conservation, trying to ensure that those people lucky enough to own a country cottage have a better idea of how to maintain or convert it in such a way that it continues to stand in harmony with its surroundings.

The official TV-tie in to the popular Channel 4 programme 'Penelope Keith's Hidden Villages' Explore the most interesting and beautiful examples of British village life in this lavishly illustrated book, published as a companion volume to the highly successful Channel 4 television series, 'Penelope Keith's Hidden Villages'. Featuring gorgeous illustrations and dust jackets from Brian Cook's iconic designs, the book explores the villages as they appeared then and now. It's hard not to be enchanted by rural villages. From thatched roofs, charming churches, bunting, cream teas and the local landscape, they capture our imaginations. Structured by region, this book follows Penelope's journey through Britain across all four series, including the idyllic villages found in the Costwolds, the cosy cottages of East Anglia and the treasures nestled in the North Yorkshire moors. Pictured alongside Brian Cook's iconic illustrations, Hidden Villages of Britain takes you through the fascinating history and the curious customs and characters unique to each village and how they survive in the present. From bog snorkelling in Llanwrtyd Wells and gravy wrestling in Stacksteads to cheese rolling down Cooper's Hill in Brockworth and dwile flocking (where contestants seek to soak their opponents with a beer-soaked cloth outside the village pub), snippets of the history, life and traditions of each village are fully explored. Whether you are looking for a place for your next holiday, a guide to Britain's rural landscape or have a love for Britain's most inspirational settings, this book is perfect for the armchair traveller.

A fascinating compendium of interesting details, facts, customs and lore, this is an unabashed toast to the English village, as well as a record of a disappearing world.

A stunning exploration of the wonder of Britain's architecture with restoration expert Ptolemy Dean. From Churches and Cathedrals to Music Halls and Country Houses, explore Britain with Ptolemy Dean. Take a look around Britain's best buildings and explore the unique relationship between people and their surroundings with expert insight from Ptolemy and his personal illustrations. With a foreword from architecture expert and author of England's Thousand Best Churches, Simon Jenkins.

Here are short tours--most take a half-hour to one or two hours--of 165 villages of unusual interest, beauty, and charm.

The definitive guide to Art Deco buildings in Britain. The perennially popular style of Art Deco influenced architecture and design all over the world in the 1920s and 1930s – from elegant Parisian theatres to glamorous Manhattan skyscrapers. The style was also adopted by British architects, but, until now, there has been little that really explains the what, where and how of Art Deco buildings in Britain. In Art Deco Britain, leading architecture historian and writer Elain Harwood, brings her trademark clarity and enthusiasm to the subject as she explores Britain's Art Deco buildings. Art Deco Britain, published in association with the Twentieth Century Society, is the definitive guide to the architectural style in Britain. The book begins with an overview of the international Art Deco style, and how this influenced building design in Britain. The buildings covered include Houses and Flats; Churches and Public Buildings; Offices; Hotels and Public Houses; Cinemas, Theatres and Concert Halls; and many more. The book covers some of the best-loved and some lesser-known buildings around the UK, such as the Midland Hotel in Morecambe, Eltham Palace, Broadcasting House and the Carreras Cigarette Factory in London. Beautifully produced and richly illustrated with architectural photography, this is the definitive guide to a much-loved architecture style.

Paul Collins and his family abandoned the hills of San Francisco to move to the Welsh countryside-to move, in fact, to the village of Hay-on-Wye, the "Town of Books" that boasts fifteen hundred inhabitants-and forty bookstores. Taking readers into a secluded sanctuary for book lovers, and guiding us through the creation of the author's own first book, Sixpence House becomes a heartfelt and often hilarious meditation on what books mean to us.