Chief Inspector Morse, the curmudgeonly, real ale-drinking detective captured the heart of millions when he first appeared on our screens in 1987, played by John Thaw. The television show was an instant success with intricate plotting, a talented cast and its beautiful setting – the historic city of Oxford.

This walking guide of Oxford brings this beautiful city alive, for both visitor and resident, by visiting colleges, museums and other memorable buildings. The guide details how notable spots in Oxford relate to incidents investigated by Inspector Morse, and gives information on their history and fame in their own right.

Discover how Colin Dexter’s award-winning books were adapted to become a popular TV series. Visit the scenes of crimes investigated by one of Britain’s best-loved detectives. You can even try some of Morse and Lewis’s favourite pubs.

Includes a QR code link to a Spotify playlist containing some of Morse’s music favourites, and a list of colleges, museums and public buildings featured in Inspector Morse episodes.

Morriston has grown rapidly over the last 100 years. Though it was constructed around 1796, it was in the early twentieth century that it became a thriving industrial area. Spacious streets were built alongside a river and then two railway lines and a canal arrived. In later years the m4 motorway, a large hospital and the DVLA have all made an impact. In the fast-growing town, little exists to suggest Morriston’s history, but this book aims to give residents a glimpse into the town’s past.

This absorbing collection of previously unpublished photographs from respected Morriston historian, André Scoville, sets the peaceful old town against the larger present-day town, and informative captions explain what events have taken place over the years. The book will interest anyone who lives, or has lived, in the area.

With its strategic shipping ports and factories, the towns and cities dotted along the River Mersey soon became some of Hitler’s most heavily targeted sites during the Second World War. In August 1940 the German Luftwaffe attacked Birkenhead in what was to be the first of over 300 such bombing raids Merseyside sustained that year. Almost 4,000 people perished and many more were seriously injured as the streets and buildings of Liverpool and Wirral were destroyed and their residents left in turmoil.

Featuring 45 vistas of bomb-damaged suburbia and city centre carnage alongside 45 photographs of the area as it is today, Merseyside War Years: Then & Now sensitively documents the changes and developments that have taken place in Merseyside since those dark days of war, demonstrating both architectural progress and Britain’s resilience and in the face of adversity.

For 800 years the Leylanders had clustered around their medieval village cross, but all this changed rapidly after 1870 when the town embarked on nearly a century of phenomenal growth. One of the stars of the Second Industrial Revolution, Leyland became a world leader in both the rubber and motor vehicle industries and –– prospering through two world wars –– full employment was the norm. Optimism peaked in the post-war years, but the 1970s saw the beginning of the collapse of large scale industry in Britain, the half century of inertia which choked town centre development plans and led to the progressive and irreversible demolition of the district. By 1990 Leyland Cross was presiding over a semi-derelict wasteland before the investment and redevelopment of the mid 1990s began a steady recovery from the days of stark economic re-adjustment.

Leyland Then and Now traces the story of these developments through a wonderful collection of old photographs, which are compared and contrasted with modern equivalents, unveiling amazing changes and unexpected similarities.

The sunniest place in Great Britain due to its sheltered location, modern Eastbourne emerged as a popular seaside resort in the early nineteenth century. Much has changed since then, but Eastbourne has weathered the changes well, surviving severe bomb damage in Second World War and still retaining much of its early grandeur.

Including some of Easbourne’s best-loved landmarks such as the Pier, Wish Tower and Beachy Head, this book takes you on a nostalgic journey from past to present.

Dover has been the gateway to England for over 3,000 years and each generation has left its mark on the town.
From the Bronze Age boat to the Channel Tunnel, from the Napoleonic Wars to the Cold War, and from Henry VIII’s harbour to the immense Eastern Docks, Dover is full of history. In this book the town’s busy maritime centre, seafront and architecture have been captured in a series of fascinating historical photographs, each compared with a modern photograph of the same scene today.
These photographs, together with the authors’ well-researched captions, will inform and entertain residents and visitors to Dover alike.

Every town and city saw changes occur throughout the twentieth century, and Canterbury was no exception. Canterbury Then & Now takes you on a tour around the narrow streets and timber-framed buildings of both the Canterbury of decades past and the Canterbury of the present day. Even in the streets surrounding the famous cathedral, historic views have been dramatically altered by twentieth-century slum clearances, the effects of the Blitz and aggressive town planning.

In forty-five colourful pairings of archive scenes with modern photography, Paul Crampton captivatingly illustrates the most significant of the changes that have taken place in Canterbury, from the redevelopment of the city centre to the evolution of modern transport and fashions, taking the reader on a fascinating journey through the history of Canterbury’s streets.

The Essex town of Basildon was originally created to relieve overpopulated areas of East London, but now has developed into a successful town in its own right, with a vibrant shopping centre and prospering local businesses. Basildon Then & Now celebrates this journey, illustrating how the town developed from the old areas of Laindon, Vange and Pitsea, and grew out of the muddy plotlands, where water was obtained from the roofs, and where lighting came from oil lamps and candles.

In this fascinating new book, Jim Reeve explores the last century of the area’s history. Containing photographs of Basildon old and new, this book will intrigue and delight all who know and love the town.

Ballsbridge, the ‘embassy belt’ at the leafy heart of South Dublin, is home to Royal Dublin Society (RDS), the British and American embassies, the Aviva Stadium, and an array of the Great Houses of Ireland. Ailesbury Road and Shrewsbury Road have long been the most-expensive streets in the country, and in 2007, Shrewsbury Road had the dubious honour of being the sixth most expensive street in the world.
Aside from the area’s conspicuous grandeur, it is also steeped in history. Herbert Park was the site of the visit of King George V, the last monarch to visit Ireland until Queen Elizabeth II in 2011, and throughout its wide streets are statues and mementos of the great moments of the Irish state. This book captures the changing face of the one of the most striking parts of all Ireland.

Home to stunning countryside, six rivers, sixty miles of sandy beaches, and over forty castles, Ayrshire is a county ingrained with a fascinating history. It has notable links to Robert Burns, William Wallace and Robert the Bruce, not to mention some of the finest golf courses in the world.

Ayrshire Then & Now takes a trip down memory lane, comparing old photographs of the region with the same scenes today. The results show some remarkable changes, and extraordinary similarities, which will capture the interest of locals and history enthusiasts alike.

DANE LOVE was born and lives in Ayrshire. He has written many books on Ayrshire and Scottish historical topics. He works as a schoolteacher at Irvine Royal Academy, and spends most of his time writing and touring the country. He has previously written Ayr Then & Now for this series.

Rotherham is a town where new buildings are replacing ones which have been there for centuries. This delightful, full-colour collection of images celebrates the Rotherham of days gone by.

Pairing rare images from the Rotherham archives with modern photographs, it reveals the enormous changes that the town has witnessed. Many of these images have not appeared in print before. They include such places as the cattle market, the public library and even images of some of the slums which have now been eradicated. Compiled by Rotherham’s own historian Margaret Drinkall, author of Rotherham Workhouse and Murder & Crime in Rotherham, this book serves as an evocative link to the past.

The city of Newcastle has a rich heritage, which is uniquely reflected in this delightful, full-colour compilation. Contrasting a selection of forty-five archive images alongside modern photographs taken from the same location, this new book reveals the changing faces, buildings and streets of Newcastle during the last century.
Comparing the workers of yesteryear with today’s trades-people, along with some famous landmarks and little-known street scenes, this is a wide-ranging look at the city’s absorbing history.
Newcastle Then & Now will provide visitors with a glimpse of how the city used to be, in addition to awakening nostalgic memories for those who live or work here.