Amberley Publishing

The Arts and Crafts Movement was a reaction to the brutality of working life and the sterility of industrial design in Victorian Britain. Although Arts and Crafts was initially a mediaeval revival, the movement was always about the artist craftsman and the appropriate use of materials, rather than any single design tradition. The movement was inspired and led by William Morris, whose company was founded in 1861 and produced a full range of interior furnishings, including tiles. These were designed by Morris himself, and also by leading artists and architects of the day such as Edward Burne Jones and Philip Webb. The term Arts and Crafts was formalised in the late 1880s, and many designers, artists and craftsmen joined Morris in this new movement, and leading designers including Walter Crane and C. F. A. Voysey produced distinctive and now highly collectable ceramic tiles that were used to decorate the bathrooms and the fireplaces of the wealthy and discerning. This book, with its companion on the work of William de Morgan, is the first complete introduction to British Arts and Crafts tiles from 1860 to 1920.

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.

Bridport is a thriving market town in western Dorset. It lies a short distance inland of a spectacular section of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, and is surrounded by some equally attractive hilly countryside. Although the town originated in Saxon times, it expanded a great deal in the Middle Ages, partly due to the success of the local rope industry. Many of its products were used in the local fishing and shipbuilding industries, which were concentrated around Bridport Harbour. At one time, Bridport Harbour was the second largest producer of ships in the country. In an early example of marketing, when the railway reached here in the 1880s, its name was changed to West Bay in the hope that this would sound more attractive to tourists. Comprising a magnificent range of images old and new, this book explores the historical development of this fascinating town and its attractive surrounding area.