In this fascinating account of Christchurch's old Town Halls, Bill Hoodless has delved deeply into the records to unearth the human as well as the historical story. Much of the content is previously unpublished.

Here is set out the traumatic process of removing the 1746 Town Hall to a new position in the High Street in 1860. The ‘Mayor's Parlour' was certainly born amidst an extraordinary amount of conflict, determination and humour. Yet before and after this operation, there were many surprising events and controversies to be described, from ‘losing' a hall in 1826 to the 1961 skeleton mystery!

£ 9.95

This story of the Cornwallis-West family has as its basis the two stately homes:
The ancient castle of Ruthin in North Wales and Newlands Manor at Milford in Hampshire, homes respectively of the De La Warr (West) family and Admiral Sir William Cornwallis.

The lives of the members of the family are a microcosm of the changes experienced world-wide over the last couple of centuries and their individual stories reflect their social situation of the time: from their prominence in the upper reaches of the aristocracy and royal circles, to being at the heart of the lively social scene in Edwardian England with one or  two family members allegedly being lovers of the Prince of Wales, through to the turbulent 20 th century with wars and revolutions affecting their lives and a consequential decline in their position, prestige and finance.          

‘The Wild West Show' was the name given to the family by Edward Prince of Wales, because of their exuberant way of life, particularly when they lived at Newlands, led by the ebullient Patsy and replicated by her children George, Daisy and Shelagh.

£ 12.95

Much like vampires, Rock ‘n' Rollers usually only come out to play after dark and in this book over 50 groups and artistes who visited venues such as the Bournemouth Hard Rock, the Winter Gardens, Gaumont Theatre, Pavilion Theatre & Ballroom, The Ritz, Chelsea Village and The Village Bowl in Bournemouth, The Royal Ballrooms in Boscombe, The Arts Centre and Technical College in Poole and the numerous fine public houses like The George Hotel, The Old Harry, The Potter's Arms and The Halfway Hotel who supported live music are all remembered.

Somewhat autobiographical to reflect the flavour of the era,the book looks back at some of the musicians and bands who emerged from the local scene, either just for the love of playing live music like The Push, Abel Cain, Natural Gas and Rock Circus or seeing the dream through to making records such as Spontaneous Combustion, Team Dokus, The Dictators, Infantes Jubilate, Bram Stoker, Elias Hulk and Room. Then there were those who went the extra mile: Zoot Money's Big Roll Band / Dantallion's Chariot, King Crimson, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, The Greg Lake Band, John Wetton with Asia, Andy Summers with The Police, Lee Kerslake with Uriah Heep, and Al Stewart.

£9.95

Upton, near Poole in Dorset has the great injustice of not having too many books written about it.

It has been said that if anything is planned then it never works out; and it is very true of this book. The short essays and verse herein came together over a period of evenings and weekends as a result of some both fond and frightening thoughts about what the village of Upton was like for a young person growing up in the late 1950's and 1960's.

£ 6.95

A History of Hamworthy relates the story of this peninsula in Poole Harbour
from Neolithic to Modern Times.

£ 9.25