{"title":"Books by Robert Bard","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9781398108028","title":"Paranormal Kent","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn this book author Robert Bard takes readers on a spine-tingling journey around Kent to some of its most haunted locations. He discovers tales of ghostly apparitions, unexplained events and paranormal phenomena. Among the places investigated is Pluckley, which was named in the Guinness Book of Records as England’s most haunted village. Its twelve spirits include a screaming man who fell to his death and a spectral highwayman who haunts a spot named Fright Corner.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOther haunted sites are Rochester Castle, with its thirteenth-century White Lady; Chislehurst Caves, with sounds of children’s laughter, footsteps and sightings of a woman dressed in white; and Bilsington Priory, with its hooded monks. Hever Castle, once home to Anne Boleyn, lays claim to her spirit, and Dover Castle is a popular spot for organised ghost hunts, where reported apparitions include a headless child, a woman clad in red clothes and a soldier who prowls the underground tunnels. Ghostly episodes from Canterbury and Chatham also feature, together with Blue Bell Hill, where drivers have reported colliding with phantom pedestrians.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIllustrated throughout, Paranormal Kent will appeal to those interested in the supernatural and local residents who want to discover their county’s haunted heritage. Are you brave enough to read on?\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43204153082034,"sku":"9781398108028","price":15.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781398108028.jpg?v=1786018524"},{"product_id":"9781445661117","title":"London's Hidden Burial Grounds","description":"It is fascinating to think that many hundreds of generations of Londoners lie beneath the city without us knowing. Over many centuries burial grounds have been developed, built over and then forgotten, often beneath playgrounds, gardens or car parks. When modern development takes place, remains are disturbed and we are reminded of a London that has long since disappeared, particularly with recent archaeological discoveries across the city.In London’s Hidden Burial Grounds, authors Robert Bard and Adrian Miles seek to uncover many of the capital's lost graveyards, often in the unlikeliest of places.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56299459641717,"sku":"9781445661117","price":15.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781445661117_d8e2cd10-22e2-4d1a-94da-52acccf4bb2a.jpg?v=1786020889"},{"product_id":"9781445695891","title":"Paranormal Berkshire","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn this book, author Robert Bard guides readers on a spine-tingling journey to discover the paranormal and unexplained happenings that have occurred throughout Berkshire. From haunted sites to spectral figures and supernatural phenomena, here is an eerie exploration of the royal county and a collection of its chilling tales.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEach of the chapters in Paranormal Berkshire focuses on a different location linked to ghostly occurrences and among the places featured are Windsor Castle, Old Windsor, Reading Abbey, Maidenhead, Ascot, Newbury, Hungerford, Bisham, Caversham, Cookham, Datchet, Slough, Thatcham and some of the smaller villages in the county. The author visits the traditional sites of paranormal activity and, with the assistance of the Oxfordshire and Berkshire Paranormal Research Group, reveals newly discovered material. He also participates in a local ghost hunt and provides a fascinating account of his observations accompanied by his own photographs. As well as detailing the nature of his own interest in the paranormal, and his experiences at the various paranormal sites, author Robert Bard also selects his own haunted highlights from his chilling exploration through the county.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eParanormal Berkshire will appeal to those with an interest in the supernatural, and to local people who want to discover their county’s haunted heritage. Are you brave enough to read on?\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56300027150709,"sku":"9781445695891","price":15.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781445695891_898acb55-5a36-4553-8abd-c780d322419f.jpg?v=1786020661"},{"product_id":"9781445640372","title":"The Channel Islands at War","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe incredible true story of what really happened in the Channel Islands during the Second World War.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Channel lslands were occupied on 30 June 1940 when four German planes landed at Guernsey Airport. They were the only part of Britain to be occupied during the Second World War. The islands had been officially demilitarised on 19 June, but the War Office in London overlooked the necessity to inform the Germans. This led to a German air attack on 28 June, which resulted in thirty-eight civilian deaths. Hitler was extremely proud of the conquest of the Channel lslands, and saw it as a stepping-stone to the full invasion of the rest of Britain.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe occupying forces were instructed to behave correctly. This would show the rest of Britain that there was nothing to be feared from life under the Third Reich. This book looks at the German Occupation, the unsavoury events that occurred on the Islands, and why at the end of the war a cover-up of these events was instigated by the British Government.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56312392876405,"sku":"9781445640372","price":15.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781445640372_10b859ac-c3f9-48aa-9171-2b672d6ef8d3.jpg?v=1786020797"},{"product_id":"9781398120020","title":"Secret Barnet and Hadley","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe town of Barnet grew up in the twelfth century to the north of London. The town’s alternative names of Chipping Barnet or High Barnet are recognition of the market that was established there at the same time and the town’s elevation. Today the town and the integral area of Hadley adjoining Barnet are part of Greater London. This was the site of the Battle of Barnet in 1471, which was one of the key battles of the Wars of the Roses. Barnet’s position along the old Great North Road brought a large number of inns to cater for travellers, including Ye Olde Mitre Inn which was first recorded in 1553 and still stands today. Evidence of the lives of everyday folk through the centuries can still be discovered beneath the surface of today’s Barnet and Hadley, from numerous blue plaques for the rich and famous to workhouses, hospitals and almshouses.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith tales of remarkable characters, unusual events and tucked-away or disappeared historical buildings and locations, Secret Barnet and Hadley will appeal to all those with an interest in the history of this distinct area of North London.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56368751116661,"sku":"9781398120020","price":15.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781398120020_9b64496d-0ba0-4754-b0bd-712a2d611467.jpg?v=1786018175"},{"product_id":"9781398119079","title":"Churches of Berkshire","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe county of Berkshire has a rich and varied past which is reflected in its historic churches. In Churches of Berkshire, author Robert Bard explores a selection of the most interesting churches across the whole of the county. The buildings range from churches in the county town of Reading and Windsor with its historical connections to royalty, to market towns, villages and remote locations, and represent the many different architectural eras and styles to be found in Berkshire. The book covers a cross section of churches throughout the county, both well-known and those waiting to be discovered by a wider audience.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis fascinating picture of an important part of the history of Berkshire over the centuries will be of interest to all those who live in or are visiting this attractive county in England.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56368751542645,"sku":"9781398119079","price":15.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781398119079.jpg?v=1786018137"},{"product_id":"9781398120044","title":"Secret Watford","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn the Middle Ages Watford was a small Hertfordshire market town, well placed on trade routes near London. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the arrival of the canal system and the railways brought industries to the town. New housing was built and the town expanded to accommodate the rising population. Beneath the surface of today’s Watford, evidence can be found of the town’s past, from the importance of religion and churches in the town’s history and how crime was dealt with, to workhouses and hospitals which have now disappeared. Some historic yards and buildings remain, and the book explores the history of Cassiobury House and Park, which was part of the Earl of Essex’s estate.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith tales of remarkable characters, unusual events and tucked-away or disappeared historical buildings and locations, \u003cem\u003eSecret Watford\u003c\/em\u003e will appeal to all those with an interest in the history of this town in Hertfordshire.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56368751640949,"sku":"9781398120044","price":15.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781398120044_d82bb9e8-d2cd-4d52-a9ac-6f7c56ec98dd.jpg?v=1786034239"},{"product_id":"churches-of-surrey","title":"Churches of Surrey","description":"\u003cp\u003eSurrey was lightly populated for much of its history as it was heavily wooded with poor agricultural land and no major settlements yet it still contains a number of ancient and fascinating churches, both in the towns and in the countryside, including St Mary’s West Horsley which is the burial place of Sir Walter Raleigh’s head, the Evelyn family chapel in St John’s Wotton and the Lumley Chapel in Sutton. As transport links to Surrey improved, particularly with the arrival of the railways in the nineteenth century, the population grew as many families adopted the commuter lifestyle of working in London and living in Surrey. A large programme of Victorian church building or rebuilding was needed to cater for the new inhabitants of the towns and villages and London itself spread, its suburbs merging into Surrey. From being an architectural backwater, Surrey became a leading inspiration for new vernacular styles of architecture at the end of the nineteenth century and in the twentieth century the county town Guildford became the home of England’s most recently consecrated cathedral.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis fascinating picture of an important part of the history of Surrey over the centuries will be of interest to all those who live in or are visiting this attractive county in England.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57503777751413,"sku":"9781398129757","price":15.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781398129757.jpg?v=1786867488"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-robert-bard.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}