Most English and Welsh towns were founded or grew rapidly in the later medieval period, in particular between the mid twelfth and early fourteenth centuries. This book begins by giving a brief outline of the great growth in the number and size of towns and outlines the archaeological, documentary and cartographic evidence that is available. It then goes on to relate that evidence to surviving and lost features in the townscape, with the aim of providing enough background material for the reader to be able to see why, when, where and how any medieval town grew. Particular topics covered...

The medieval economy was centred on a phenomenal growth in trade of all kinds of goods, yet few have studied the actual network of roads that was so vital to medieval trading. Starting with the basic concept of a 'road' in medieval times, and discussing the increasing need to travel, this book explores the evidence from documents and maps that provide clues as to where the roads of medieval Britain led, connecting the study of individual roads together to paint an image of the broader road network. The author also uses findings from archaeological surveys and bird's-eye-view photographs to...

A fascinating collection of images showing how Prestwich and Whitefield have changed across the last century.