Description

Countryside Books [Published Date: 2001]. Soft cover, 127 pp. First edition. In very good condition. Glossy illustrated paper covers have light bumping to edges and light overall scuffing. Binding tight. Pages clean and unmarked. NOT Ex-Library. NO remainder marks. With illustrations by Catherine Hall. [From back cover] The old county of Middlesex has a great tradition of stories and legends from the past and a fascinating folklore. The tales in this book include kings, queens, heroes, victims, literary figures, vicars, misers, entrepreneurs, tinkers and ladies of ill repute. What happened to Simon Coston in the haunted windmill at Perivale? Why did the Barons hold a tournament near Hounslow soon after King John had signed Magna Carta? How did Lord Knyvett of Stanwell Place foil the plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament? Why did William Wilberforce, famous for his long and successful campaign against the slave trade, decide to build a new church in Mill Hill? Why were Sunbury and Shepperton railway stations built so far away from the original village centres? And how did a piece of Harefield's churchyard become a graveyard for Australian soldiers? The answers to these questions and many more can be found in this wonderful collection. Mike Hall has rediscovered many forgotten tales and in the re-telling brings them vividly to life. His stories have a blend of humour and enthusiasm which no Middlesex reader can fail to enjoy.