A History Of Norfolk In 100 Placesa History Of Norfolk In 100 Places

Norfolk has a wealth of important archaeological sites, historic buildings and landscapes. This guide is the first to use them to tell the county's rich history. Starting with real footprints of people who lived here nearly 1 million years ago, A History of Norfolk in 100 Places will take you on a chronological journey through prehistoric monuments, Roman forts, medieval churches and Nelson's Monument, right up to twentieth-century defensive sites. With detailed entries illustrated by aerial photographs and ground-level shots, here you will find a reliable guide to historic places that are either open to the public, or are visible from public roads or footpaths for you to explore.

Norfolk's first purpose-written guidebook to the county's key archaeological sites and historic buildings

Norfolk is often characterised as a sleepy backwater of Britain. In fact its closeness to continental Europe led it in the past to being at the cutting edge of contact with immigrant peoples, often bringing with them innovative developments and cultural influences. Compiled by two highly respected authors and curators at Norwich Castle Museum, this enthralling book features 100 objects--all from the archive of the Norfolk Museums & Archaeology Service--that each tell a fascinating history of Norfolk and demonstrate the centrality of objects to understanding our past. Its coverage spans the period from the very earliest evidence for humans in north-west Europe, to the end of the twentieth century and illustrates famous former inhabitants, ranging from Boudica to Lord Nelson. The result is a fascinating and complex history which reveals the often crucial role Norfolk had in the development of our national story. This book will appeal to everyone interested in finding out more about the people, places and past practices of Norfolk through the objects, artefacts and relics of times gone by.

The origin of the names of many English towns, hamlets and villages date as far back as Saxon times, when kings like Alfred the Great established fortified borough towns to defend against the Danes. A number of settlements were established and named by French Normans following the Conquest. Many are even older and are derived from Roman placenames. Some hark back to the Vikings who invaded our shores and established settlements in the eighth and ninth centuries. Most began as simple descriptions of the location; some identified its founder, marked territorial limits, or gave tribal people a sense of their place in the grand scheme of things. Whatever their derivation, placenames are inextricably bound up in our history and they tell us a great deal about the place where we live.

"Everyone should have two copies - one for the car and one for the house to plan journeys. . . a reminder to think more about the places you pass and less about your route, because every British journey is through rich history." (Edward Stourton) From much-loved historian Neil Oliver, comes this beautifully written, kaleidoscopic history of a place with a story like no other. The British Isles, this archipelago of islands, is to Neil Oliver the best place in the world. From north to south, east to west it cradles astonishing beauty. The human story here is a million years old, and counting. But the tolerant, easygoing peace we enjoy has been hard won. We have made and known the best and worst of times. We have been hero and villain and all else in between, and we have learned some lessons. The Story of the British Isles in 100 Places is Neil’s very personal account of what makes these islands so special, told through the places that have witnessed the unfolding of our history. Beginning with footprints made in the sand by humankind’s earliest ancestors, he takes us via Romans and Vikings, the flowering of religion, through civil war, industrial revolution and two world wars. From windswept headlands to battlefields, ancient trees to magnificent cathedrals, each of his destinations is a place where, somehow, the spirit of the past seems to linger.