Twenty First Century Cotswolds


Book Description

Twenty First Century Cotswolds, the first book from award-winning interior designer and spatial planner Pippa Paton, showcases the diversity of buildings in England's famously bucolic Cotswolds region, as well as the ways people choose to live in them. An exploration of the breadth of styles that fall under the heading of contemporary design, Twenty First Century Cotswolds provides insight into how these beautiful buildings can be transformed sympathetically for life today. The habitable structures of the Cotswolds may be hundreds of years old, but the way we live has changed dramatically over the centuries. Today the predominant desire is for open-plan, multifunctional family homes, and for inhabiting living spaces in completely new ways. An underlying demand for functionality, communication, ease of living, high- end technology and luxurious amenities has also shaped the way homes are being designed - and redesigned. Twenty First Century Cotswolds demonstrates a less invasive, specialist approach to transforming properties with ancient character for contemporary living. The focus has shifted towards exposing, enhancing and protecting the historical features and materials of these buildings, and celebrating their individual nature.







Twenty-First Century Estate Agency


Book Description

This book is a must have for those estate agents who want to work more effectively in order to grow their business and profits. With 12,000 separately owned estate agencies in the UK this book illustrates how new technology and working practices can revolutionise the industry. Technology can help to improve the competitiveness and sometimes-tarnished image of estate agents in the eyes of the general public. The book contains case studies from international markets and shows how competitive the industry is and how each competitor needs to adopt new approaches to outwit rivals – and to reassure an increasingly sceptical public that agents are worth using, add value and earn their commission.




The Cotswolds


Book Description

With its gentle hills and timeless villages, the Cotswold countryside is a vision of natural beauty and rural calm, but it is also a region rich in history. In this new addition to the Landscapes of the Imagination series, Jane Bingham offers an intriguing portrait of the Cotswolds over the centuries, ranging from ancient stone circles and ruined Roman villas to the Cotswolds today, a picturesque destination spot popular with country-weekenders, tourists, and celebrities. Readers will visit fine churches and manor houses that have survived from the Middle Ages, and tour a landscape still bearing the scars of the Civil War. The home of kings and nobles since Saxon times, the region is famous for its elegant estates, such as Blenheim Palace--England's grandest stately home--while signs of the early industrial age can be seen in its mills and factories. Artists, musicians, and writers were also drawn to this rural paradise, from William Shakespeare and William Morris to T.S. Eliot and Ralph Vaughn Williams. Bingham captures it all in her charming portrait of this glorious spot in the heart of southern England.




Secret Houses of the Cotswolds


Book Description

Secret Houses of the Cotswolds is a personal tour of twenty of the UK’s most beguiling houses in this much loved area of western England, defined by its distinctive honey-coloured stone, rolling hills, picturesque villages and the most traditional English landscape. Author and architectural historian, Jeremy Musson, and Cotswolds-based photographer Hugo Rittson Thomas, offer privileged access to twenty houses, from castles and manor houses, by way of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century mansions, revealing their history, architecture and interiors, in the company of their devoted owners. In the footsteps of artists and designers from Georgian designers such as William Kent to Victorian visionary, William Morris, founder of the arts and crafts movement, we find a series of fascinating country houses of different sizes and atmospheres, which have shaped the English identity, and in different ways express the ideals of English life. Most of the houses included here are privately owned and not usually open to the public, and all of these houses featured in this book can be enjoyed through the eyes of owners, as well as an experienced architectural historian, and an award-winning photographer.




White Rose


Book Description

R. Garcia y Robertson's delightful saga of time travel and romance, which began with KnightErrant and continued through Lady Robyn, grows even more irresistible as Robyn Stafford, a savvy Hollywood exec mystically transplanted to 15th century England, works overtime to secure happiness and true love amidst the fratricidal madness of the War of the Roses. Once a thoroughly modern Californian (and former Miss Rodeo Montana), Robyn has come to savor her new life as Lady Robyn of Pontefract, betrothed to the dashing young Edward Plantagenet, Earl of March, Duke of York, and heir to the English throne. Temporarily stranded back in 21st century, she wastes no time getting back to 1461, albeit with a few unexpected bumps along the way. But her troubles hardly end when she makes it back to Merrie Olde England and the arms of her beloved knight errant. War is in the air, with a rebellious Tudor army challenging Edward's forces at home, and a French invasion force gathering in the north, preparing to march on London. Having witnessed firsthand the deadly realities of medieval politics, Robyn is in no hurry to see Edward claim the throne, but, like it or not, he is the heir apparent, and Robyn must use all her wits to keep their love alive -- even if it means inventing tabloid journalism several centuries early! Look out, London! Lady Robyn has returned, so the Middle Ages had best mind its manners. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.




The Rough Guide to the Cotswolds, Stratford-upon-Avon and Oxford (Travel Guide eBook)


Book Description

Discover this exquisite region of England with the most incisive and entertaining guidebook on the market. Whether you plan to hike the Cotswolds' trails, marvel at beautiful stately homes and gardens or explore the local gastronomic scene, The Rough Guide to the Cotswolds, Stratford-upon-Avon and Oxford will show you the ideal places to sleep, eat, drink, shop and visit along the way. - Independent, trusted reviews written with Rough Guides' trademark blend of humour, honesty and insight, to help you get the most out of your visit, with options to suit every budget. - Full-colour chapter maps throughout- to explore Oxford's honey-coloured college buildings or discover the Shakespearean sights of Stratford-upon-Avon without needing to get online. - Stunning images - a rich collection of inspiring colour photography. Things not to miss - Rough Guides' rundown of the best sights and experiences in the Cotswolds, Stratford-upon-Avon and Oxford. - Itineraries - carefully planned routes to help you organize your trip. - Detailed coverage - this travel guide has in-depth practical advice for every step of the way. Areas covered include: Cheltenham; Gloucester; Stroud; Cirencester; Chipping Campden; Broadway; the Vale of Evesham; Stratford-upon-Avon; Burford; Banbury; Oxford. Attractions include: Blenheim Palace; Gloucester Cathedral; Kelmscott Manor; Westonbirt Arboretum; Cotswold Farm Park; Rollright Stones; Sudeley Castle; Compton Verney. - Basics - essential pre-departure practical information including getting there, local transport, accommodation, food and drink, festivals and events, sports and outdoor activities, shopping and more. - Background information - a Contexts chapter devoted to history and recommended books. Make the Most of Your Time on Earth with The Rough Guide to the Cotswolds, Stratford-upon-Avon and Oxford




The Rough Guide to The Cotswolds


Book Description

The Rough Guide to the Cotswolds is your definitive handbook to one of the most beautiful and diverse holiday destinations in the UK. From stately homes and wildlife parks to modern art galleries, country walks and adventure sports, a section introducing all of the regions' highlights. For every town and village, there are comprehensive and opinionated reviews of all the best places to eat, drink and stay to suit every budget. It brings the Cotswolds bang up-to-date; out go musty tearooms and chintzy B&Bs and in come the best of the area's new contemporary restaurants, boutique-styled hotels and top-rated country pubs. There's plenty of practical advice and a special focus on the region's gastronomy with features on specialist farmers' markets, local farm shops, gastro-pubs and country restaurants. The guide also comes complete with easy-to-use maps for every area making sure you don't miss the unmissable. Make the most of your time on Earth with The Rough Guide to the Cotswolds. Now available in epub format.




A Cotswold Ordeal


Book Description

Thea Osborne and her spaniel Hepzibah embark on their second house-sitting commission with few worries. Despite her first disastrous venture, in which she became drawn into a murder case, Thea is convinced that lightening will not strike twice, and arrives at the idyllic Frampton Mansell with renewed enthusiasm. However it seems she is jinxed: within days of her arrival she finds a body hanging from the rafters of one of the barns. But was it suicide...or murder?




Secrets in the Cotswolds


Book Description

August, and Thea is tired of having to entertain Drew's children so she accepts a commission to watch over a house in Barnsley. On her first day there, she rescues a fugitive woman she finds hiding under some bushes. The woman's story is thin and incoherent, but Thea gives her sanctuary for the night only to find her dead the next morning. The police are impossibly busy with a big investigation into the trafficking of rare animals and Thea is effectively on her own, trying to make sense of the murder. As she digs deeper into the woman's background, she discovers a tangled web of lies, secrets and at least three very likely suspects .