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Groby and its Railways front cover

Groby & its Railways

Newly republished in A4 format.
Price £6 plus £1.80 post and packing.
   
Bradgate Park is an area of some 800 acres in north-west Leicestershire, England which welcomes over a million visitors per year.   Yet a surprising number  of visitors leave wondering how the ancient deer park came into existence, who lived there - as the large house has been in ruins since 1740 - and why the folly tower called Old John was built.  All of these questions and many more are answered in these books:
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Book One: Time Line ... Old John
A diary of events which affected the Park from 1066 to 1928 when the Park was presented to the people of the City and County of Leicester.(56 pages) Revised 2nd edition December 2002   Price £3.95 + 80p p&p.
Book 2: Breakfast at Bradgate
Draws on the weekly recordings of purchases and payments made by kitchen staff at Bradgate House during the years 1679 – 1681 and by so doing the reader gains an insight of how life was lived in the late 17th century. It is even possible to count the number of visitors by counting the incomings and oats drawn for visitors horses (96 pages) Price £3.95 + 80p p&p
Book 3:  Was there a Village called Bradgate?
Draws on both State Papers and archive documents still held by of the descendents of the Earls of Stamford.Bradgate did support a tiny village by that name and curiously the village moved! From Hallgates, to a point south of the present day Cropston reservoir and finally to Field Head, close to Markfield. (Glossy cover & coloured photographs 80 pages) Price £4.95 + 80 p&p.
 
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Book 4: Newtown Linford Notes and The Leicestershire Slate Industry.
Takes a close look at the early slate industry within Newtown and Groby Parishes and how the early Newtown settlers slowly developed the land and houses along the Main Street. The Swithland Woods quarries adjacent to Bradgate Park are identified with the groups who worked the quarries until their closure in the 1880’s and for family historians the surnames of the Newtown Parish families are brought together in chronological order for the period 1327 -1837.
(Glossy cover -100 pages + sepia photographs)
Price £6.95 + 80p p&p.
   
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Book 5  The Surnames, Occupations and early working practices within the Bradgate Area of Leicestershire 1296 - 1890   Contains details on the early settlers names, their occupations and the villages became they became associated with.  Groby Pool, the second Bradgate House c1856, Samuel Deacon the clock maker, John Martin, artist and the granite and slate quarry manager, The Sacheverell family in Ratby, Frame Work Knitting and 19th century emigration to Australia, Canada and New Zealand are just some of the subjects covered.  Many of John Martins sketches made in Bradgate Park during the 1840s are used to compliment the text (Glossy cover - 150 pages) Published December 2003 Price £9.95 + £1.50 p&p.