Book reviews

ALNWICK CASTLE, THE HOME OF THE DUKE AND DUCHESS OF NORTHUMBERLAND, by James McDonald. Published by Frances Lincoln, London (www.franceslincoln.com). £30. Hardback.

ONE of the largest inhabited castles in Britain, Alnwick has been the residence of the Percy family for over seven centuries and this history and guide, enhanced by excellent photography, describes the changes that each generation of ...


HEATON: FROM FARMS TO FOUNDRIES, by Alan Morgan. Published by Tyne Bridge Publishing, Newcastle Libraries, PO Box 88, Newcastle NE99 1DX. £8.99 (plus £1 postage). Softback.

THE result of extensive research by a Newcastle city guide, this new book sheds light on the hidden history of an area which grew from an agricultural community with a population of 220 in 1841 to a bustling suburb which by 1901 had ...


GANNIN’ TO BLAYDON RACES! THE LIFE AND TIMES OF GEORGE RIDLEY, by Dave Harker. Published by Tyne Bridge Publishing, PO Box 88, Newcastle NE99 1DX. £7.99 (plus £1.50 p&p). Softback.

THIS fascinating dip into the lives of Tynesiders in the mid-19th century explains how the rise of heavy engineering and radical politics combined to create the perfect environment for George ‘Geordie’ Ridley to ply his trade as a ...


A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF THE NORTH EAST COAST BY THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE THERE. Funded by Newcastle University and Durham Heritage Coast in aid of The Natural History Society of Northumbria (www.tinyurl.com/coastalbook). £14.99. Softback.

SEA CHANGE N. E. was a year-long project led by the Dove Marine Laboratory in 2011 to encourage local people to record how the coast was being used and enjoyed 365 days of the year, and this book is a compilation of some of the 4,000 ...


NEWCASTLE THROUGH TIME, by John & Joyce Carlson. Published by Amberley Publishing (www.amberley-books.com). £14.99. Softback.

THIS second selection of photographs, line drawings and postcards drawn together by the authors traces the ways the city has changed and developed over the last century, and is counterpointed by images showing the corresponding views ...


BORDER LINES, by Andrew Lobb. £11.99 (incl p&p). CD.

A collection of songs which captures the essence of a time gone by and offers a contemporary take on the region’s heritage ranging from hiring fairs, Tyne trawlermen, herring girls and flither (limpet) pickers to the wreck of the ...


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