{"title":"Chris Upton","description":"\u003cp\u003eDelve into the world of Chris Upton, where history comes alive with vivid detail and engaging storytelling. Perfect for history enthusiasts, explore his works and uncover fascinating insights into the past.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"living-back-to-back-book-chris-upton-9781860773211","title":"Living Back-to-Back","description":"Back-to-backs were once the commonest form of housing in England. Built in rows or courts or blocks, the back-to-back was home to the majority of working people in our Victorian cities. There were once half a million of them - vermin-infested slums, damp, overcrowded and disease-ridden, as Giles Worsley graphically describes them - yet they have almost entirely vanished from our urban landscape. Using a mixture of documentary evidence and oral history, Chris Upton uncovers a fascinating corner of our common past and tells the story of the folk who lived in Court 15 in central Birmingham. Such people are all in our family trees, but are all unique - the glass-eye maker from Birmingham, the Jewish watch-maker from Poland, the tailor from St Kitts. What was it like to live in a house with only one bedroom and no running water? How did 11 families share two toilets? Dr Upton, well-known in the West Midlands as a broadcaster and public speaker, started work on back-to-backs as a research project ready for the restoration of Court 15. He realised that he had 'stumbled upon a gold mine ...too good a story to leave on an office shelf'. The rise and fall of the back-to-back is a sobering tale - an extraordinary microcosm of life in England from the boom years of Victorian expansion through to the Hungry Thirties, and beyond.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49529814286609,"sku":"GOR002749377","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49635837247761,"sku":"GOR005880441","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51831400464657,"sku":"GOR010636936","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1860773214.jpg?v=1751155301"},{"product_id":"back-to-backs-birmingham-book-chris-upton-9781843591061","title":"Back to Backs, Birmingham","description":"The National Trust cares for the finest collection of historic buildings, gardens, parks, landscape and coastline in the world. Its famous and well-respected series of guidebooks provides the essential companion to your visit and a lasting souvenir of the experience. And now you can buy the guide before your visit. Authoritative texts and superb illustrations illuminate the history of the place and tell the stories of the people who have lived and worked there.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49544465318161,"sku":"GOR001587497","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49638261424401,"sku":"GOR004076028","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1843591065.jpg?v=1750802648"},{"product_id":"history-of-birmingham-book-chris-upton-9780850338706","title":"History of Birmingham","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49563306262801,"sku":"GOR002784207","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49641006072081,"sku":"GOR005579131","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51850942546193,"sku":"GOR011785920","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0850338700.jpg?v=1751139393"},{"product_id":"history-of-lichfield-book-chris-upton-9781860771934","title":"A History of Lichfield","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49564545286417,"sku":"GOR003088113","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49568855359761,"sku":"GOR008141369","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1860771939.jpg?v=1751155297"},{"product_id":"history-of-wolverhampton-book-chris-upton-9781860770807","title":"A History of Wolverhampton","description":"The author traces the history of the town from the first grant of land by Wulfruna to the re-development of the 1990s; the first comprehensive account of this ancient town.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49568438616337,"sku":"GOR004442174","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49601233846545,"sku":"GOR008515144","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1860770800.jpg?v=1751092816"},{"product_id":"history-of-birmingham-book-chris-upton-9781860776618","title":"A History of Birmingham","description":"Birmingham was a village worth only one pound in the Domesday Survey, yet it rose to become the second city of the British Empire with a population that passed a million. Its growth began when Peter de Birmingham obtained a market charter in 1154 for his little settlement by an insignificant river, with all roads leading to its all-important market-place, the great triangular Bull Ring, with the parish church of St Martin's in the middle. In the succeeding centuries, Birmingham has been a product of market forces, as a market of agriculture, trade and metal work. By the 18th century, Birmingham overtook Coventry as the biggest town in Warwickshire and by 1800 it was 'the toy shop of Europe', having cornered the markets for gun-making, jewellery, buttons and buckles with a bewildering variety of specialist craftsmen and traders. The factory system had already begun and men like James Watt, Matthew Boulton, Joseph Priestley and William Murdock made Birmingham the powerhouse of the Industrial Revolution, selling their wares in vast quantities to the entire world. The middle of the 19th century saw Birmingham pioneering political reform, education and municipal government. In this first single-volume history of the city for half a century, Dr Upton looks at why Birmingham grew and what it has become. It has always been a place in which to experiment, from the steam engine to the factory in a garden; from the Bull Ring to Spaghetti Junction. To some, the story of Birmingham is one of great industries: Boulton and Watt, Dunlop, Cadbury's, G.K.N., Lloyd's Bank and Austin Rover. But there are many lesser known tales: of the Bull Ring Riots, the Onion Fair, the first floodlit football matches and the tripe sellers. It is a story of communities, too. The Quakers settles in the 17th century, the Irish and Italians in the 19th and, more recently, people from the Caribbean, the Indian subcontinent, China and Vietnam have all made Birmingham their home. As Birmingham makes it marks on the map of Europe again, one thing is certain... the story of the city that brought us Joseph and Neville Chamberlain, Thomas the Tank Engine, Fu Manchu and Mendelssohn's Elijah can hardly be dull. Chris Upton's lively account ensures that Birmingham's fascinating story loses nothing in telling.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49578941808913,"sku":"GOR007554178","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50169565151505,"sku":"CIN1860776612G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50303572148497,"sku":"GOR008501375","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":50697587458321,"sku":"NGR9781860776618","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1860776612.jpg?v=1767867960"},{"product_id":"living-back-to-back-book-chris-upton-9781860776557","title":"Living Back-to-Back","description":"Back-to-backs were once the commonest form of housing in England, home to the majority of working people in Victorian cities, but they have now almost entirely vanished from our urban townscape. The survival of Court 15 in Birmingham is the starting point of this book. A mixture of documentary evidence and oral history tells the story of those who lived there, each unique - a glass eye maker from Birmingham, a Jewish watch-maker from Poland and a little girl who used to sleep in the entry. Each contributes fascinating evidence about 19th- and 20th-century Britain, from the boom years of Victorian expansion to the Hungry Thirties.  Dr Upton explores such practical matters as: What was it like to live in a house with one bedroom and no running water? How did eleven families share two toilets? This book also looks at issues of where we live and why. The rise and fall of the back-to-back is a sobering tale of how our nation houses its people, and illuminates the story of the development of urban housing.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49585108615441,"sku":"GOR005291885","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50831972303121,"sku":"GOR011298867","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51716341498129,"sku":"GOR014375679","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52856548196625,"sku":"GOR009414350","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1860776558.jpg?v=1767866184"},{"product_id":"thoresby-the-end-of-the-mine-book-chris-upton-9780993416200","title":"Thoresby the End of the Mine","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50110532583697,"sku":"GOR012661948","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0993416209.jpg?v=1750788888"},{"product_id":"history-of-lichfield-book-chris-upton-9781860776632","title":"A History of Lichfield","description":"Lichfield, of all the towns and cities in the West Midlands, has the longest and most intriguing history. Its famous son, Dr. Samuel Johnson, called it 'a city of philosophers' and the extraordinary society of writers, scientists and thinkers who lived in the shadow of its great cathedral in the 18th century proved his point. By that time the city already had well over a thousand years of history under its belt, since St Chad came down from York in the 7th century and recognised Lichfield as a place of mystery and power, perfect for his new church. In the Middle Ages, powerful bishops fortified the town and the close and created one of the earliest markets in the Midlands. Such was its importance that every English king included it in his itinerary. In the 1640s Lichfield was the focus for one of the most dramatic conflicts of the Civil War, when within four years the city came under siege three times. In this important new book, Dr. Upton, who is as well known for his entertaining style of writing as for his erudition, has provided a comprehensive and compelling account of one of England's great cathedral cities from its early Saxon origins to its modern growth. A tale of two cities - the ecclesiastical centre of prime importance and the market town struggling to emerge from the shade of the three famous spires - it takes in a holy well, a royal prisoner, a notorious asylum and Dr. Darwin's amorous cat with many amusing stories of former residents and notable incidents. It is the book that Lichfield has been waiting for!","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50467447734545,"sku":"GOR006996318","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":50697597387025,"sku":"NGR9781860776632","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53057166213393,"sku":"GOR005598425","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1860776639.jpg?v=1751092828"},{"product_id":"birmingham-parish-workhouse-1730-1840-book-chris-upton-9781912260140","title":"The Birmingham Parish Workhouse, 1730-1840","description":"Very little is known of the first workhouse in Birmingham, which was located in Lichfield Street. Even the assumed date of its building, given as 1733 by William Hutton, Birmingham’s first historian, is wrong. This book is the first attempt to write a history of the workhouse and the ancillary welfare provision for Birmingham, frequently referred to as the `Old Poor Law’. The first workhouse remained in operation until 1852 when a new building with its infamous `arch of tears’ was constructed in Winson Green and the original building’s history has been overlooked as a result of the association of the word  `workhouse’ with Nassau Senior and Edwin Chadwick’s `New’ Poor Law, implemented in 1834.  This study of welfare in Birmingham in the century before the Poor Law Amendment Act reveals some surprising facts which fly in the face of the scholarly consensus that the old system was incompetently administered and inadequately organised. A workhouse infirmary opened in the 1740s, long before the General Infirmary in Summer Lane. The Overseers of the Poor built a well organised `Asylum for the Infant Poor’ before the end of the eighteenth century. Work was found for the able-bodied. The insane were housed separately in specialist facilities. Food, although dreary, was certainly adequate. The records of the Overseers and the Poor Law Guardians reveal a complex balancing act between maintaining standards of care and controlling spending. Although there was mismanagement, most famously in 1818 when George Edmonds exposed embezzlement by workhouse officials, the picture which emerges will be familiar to our age when welfare services struggle to meet public needs with limited budgets.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":50978747515153,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50978747580689,"sku":"GOR009977642","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/191226014X.jpg?v=1751251021"},{"product_id":"history-of-wolverhampton-book-chris-upton-9781860775086","title":"A History of Wolverhampton","description":"An Anglo-Saxon settlement, a medieval market place and wool town, it was also a centre for metal-work and manufacturing. As the markets changed, the industries changed, from locks to trains, cars and planes.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":51523459547409,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51523459809553,"sku":"GOR007279644","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53618927272209,"sku":"GOR014984087","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/186077508X.jpg?v=1751442334"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/de-ch\/collections\/autor-buecher-von-chris-upton.oembed","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}