Somewhere around 4000 BC, people in Britain began to give up their old hunter-gatherer way of life, instead raising livestock and planting crops: they became farmers.

This comprehensive and informative guide covers the history of farming in Britain since this time, when cattle were huge beasts and ploughs did little more than scratch the ground’s surface. Tools and technologies may have changed since these primitive times, but the patterns of life on the farm have remained much the same.

From the medieval farm to the Agricultural Revolution as enclosure transformed the landscape, here is the story of how farming has evolved into the tractors and mechanization we recognise today. With photographs and illustrations this book also illuminates the life of farmworkers and their families.

What was it like being a cattle farmer or a shepherd? What did a farmer’s wife spend her day making? An entertaining and detailed guide for anyone interested in the history and lives of the country’s farmers.

Includes a list of farms and museums to visit of historic and general interest.

For centuries it was far more efficient to move goods by water than by road. The end of the 18^th century saw 2,000 miles of canal built in Britain: the Canal Age had begun.

Constructing the canals consisted of a great deal of hard work and manual labour, headlines by individual names but mostly done by tens of thousands of men across Britain called navvies. Initially much like carting on roads, boating on canals grew as canal systems expanded across the country, but still required long hours, hard work and specific skills.

This detailed and informative guide tells the story of the boats and their workers. From the professional leggers who walked boats through tunnels to lock keepers to canal children running ahead of the boats, original photographs and artefacts such as tug tickets and timetables show what life was like on the canal.

A classic Pitkin guide to immerse readers in the world of canals in Britain, including a list of museums and heritage centres to provide further insight into the history of the canal network.

Our nation is a treasury of outstanding palaces and fine merchant houses from this rich period in our past. The Tudor period is one that feels familiar to many of us with famous monarchs such as Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, but we perhaps are not as familiar with the everyday life of the era.

Here we uncover what these remarkable buildings can tell us about Tudor lives and times. Alison Sim’s guide explores noble to ordinary households, how Tudors cared for their homes, and their daily routines including diet, health and entertainment.

This is an informative and entertaining look at the daily reality of life in the Tudor period, from the wealthiest families to the humblest of households. Colour photographs of palaces and homes, accompanied by contemporary portraits and woodcuts give a fascinating insight into the everyday life of the Tudors.

Contains a list of related places to visit, including many National Trust properties, and a glossary of key terms used within the guide.

The Tudor age was a pivotal period of English history. In little more than a century, the nation was transformed from a medieval kingdom to a modern state, from an insignificant offshore island to a major world power.

Life in Tudor England sparkles with colourful illustrations and a lively text. Discover what life was really like during more than 100 years of Tudor rule in this pivotal period of English history: how industry became an alternative to agriculture as a means of employment; the lavish fads, fashions and fun enjoyed by the rich; the hardships suffered by the poor as inflation spiralled. All is revealed in this enticing taste of days gone by.

Look out for more Pitkin Guides on the very best of British history, heritage and travel, particularly the other books in the ‘Life in ‘ series: Medieval England, in a Monastery and Victorian Britain.

Over 4,000 years of history lie in the seams of British mines, beginning all the way back in the New Stone Age.

Large-scale coal mining in Britain developed during the Industrial Revolution, providing energy for industry and transportation in industrial areas from the 18th century to the 1950s. This classic Pitkin guide provides a history of mining in Britain as well as of the hard lives of those who worked in them.

Child labour was a normal part of Victorian life, so women and children were found in the dangerous deep pits until 1842, while male miners relied on safety lamps and canaries to avoid mining disasters. Fascinating photographs accompany this guide’s history of these people’s lives, including their time outside of the mines, their homes and hobbies.

Whole villages grew up around mines, with close comradeship and tightly knit mining communities emerging. Here is the story of what that life was like for so many, up until British mining’s decline in the 19th and 20^th centuries.

Includes a list of mines, museums and heritage centres to visit.

For centuries, most textile manufacturing relied on people working in their own homes. All that changed in 1761 when Richard Arkwright began construction of the first water-powered cotton mill in Derbyshire.

The complex woollen industry was transformed as mills spread cross the north of England and into Scotland, with tasks taken out of the cottage and into the factory. This informative guide tracks the development of the textile manufacturing industry, from industrial power looms meeting with Luddite resistance, to the distinctive silk weaving workrooms.

Mill towns sprung up around places of work, including special apprentice houses for children. Conditions were harsh and often dangerous, both in the mills and in woollen towns living under permanent palls of smoke. Packed with photographs and illustrations, this is a classic Pitkin guide to the everyday lives of the workers in this mills and towns, from their work to their time off.

There was a time when Britain sent textiles around the world: this is the story of the workforce, mainly women and children, who made this possible – and created the factory age.

Includes a list of mills, museums and visitor centres to visit.

This Pitkin Guide peeps inside to find out what life was like for all in the Middle Ages, rich and poor alike. Look out for more Pitkin Guides on the very best of British history, heritage and travel, particularly the other books in the ‘Life in ‘ series: in a Monastery, Tudor England, Stuart England, Georgian Britain and Victorian Britain.

The eighteenth century laid the foundations for Britain’s worldwide empire and economic prosperity. It was a period of great contrasts: between poverty and wealth, elegance and riotous ribaldry. This Pitkin Guide unwraps what made Georgian Britain in a fascinating text and beautiful contemporary illustrations. Look out for more Pitkin Guides on the very best of British history, heritage and travel, particularly the other books in the ‘Life in’ series: Medieval England, in a Monastery, Tudor England, Stuart England and Victorian Britain.

Life in a wartime house

This Pitkin guide uncovers the fascinating lives of medieval monks in Britain.

The golden age of the monastery in Britain was between the Norman Conquest (1066) and the dissolution of the monasteries (1536-40). The monks were secluded in the great monasteries, freed from the temptations and distractions of the fallen world and governed by the triple vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Yet they contributed to the societies of their time to such an extent that they can be proclaimed pillars of the medieval economy. 

This guide explores how this happened, and how the daily lives of the monks influenced great social and political changes across the country.

Look out for more Pitkin Guides on the very best of British history, heritage and travel, particularly the other books in the ‘Life in’ series: Medieval England, Tudor England, Stuart England, Georgian England and Victorian Britain.

Pitkin presents the fascinating and engaging story of everyday life in and around castles – from 1066 to the 1400s.

Alongside the Church, the stone castle was one of the enduring symbols of medieval life. To the poor, its intimidating walls represented the preordained social order. To many, the castle represented business, and the heights of ambition. And to the rich it represented fun and frivolity in the form of
feasting, chivalry and games.

The guide uncovers the complexities of life in and around such settlements: the family, the workers, the food, the wars and the entertainment.

Look out for more Pitkin Guides on the very best of British history, heritage and travel, particularly the other books in the ‘Life in’ series: Medieval England, Tudor England, Stuart England, Georgian England and Victorian Britain.