This week we have added 113,770 pages to The Archive, with the inclusion of several brand new Scottish titles such as the Dalkeith Advertiser, the Banffshire Advertiser, the Hawick Express (pronounced “Hoick”!), and the Coatbridge Express.

The years we’ve added to the Coatbridge Express expose a time in distinct contrast to the quaint and bright North Lanarkshire town you’ll see today – or, indeed, you would have seen in the 18th century before the town became one of the primary mining towns in industrialist Scotland. Lush forest and greenery paved way for ironworks and furnaces, lacing the town in thick plumes of smoke and dust on a daily basis.

The Gartsherrie Ironworks was the largest of the ironworks in Scotland, and it was sites like this that ultimately made Coatbridge such a popular destination for workers around Scotland and even farther abroad, such as immigrants from Ireland. And due to the industry’s prosperity throughout the 19th and early-mid 20th century, the lure of coal apparently proved too tempting for some. As this page dated 19 January 1938 reveals: “On Sunday night the police on duty observed two men carrying bags of coal along the siding. It was dark and they were out for the express purpose of stealing the coal.”

We have to remember that coal in the industrial age was as good as a sackful of cash!

Coatbridge Express | 19 July 1944

We also have further additions to our specialist publication The Queen, with pages being added between the years of 1901 – 1904. This society magazine offers a fascinating insight into the goings-on of high society and the British aristocracy of the time, and proves an invaluable resource for fashion historians.

Illustrated London News | 8 January 1927

In this week’s blog we’re taking a look at the history of Brighton as a popular seaside resort. This town by the sea was considered a haven of sorts – a place for people to escape the industrial hubbub of London and other surrounding cities and find a bit of respite. A bulletin in the London Evening Standard even describes how the current monarch – King Edward VII – had seen a ‘benefit’ in his health from visiting Brighton in the winter of 1908.

The peace wasn’t to last, of course, when the railways were constructed and Brighton quickly became known as ‘London-by-the-sea’. The simple access the railways afforded led to even more flocking to Brighton’s coast and, ultimately, drowning out its galvanising qualities with their urban sprawl.

Illustrated London News | 23 April 1870

Read the full blog to learn more of Brighton’s fascinating history.

NEW TITLES

This week we have eight new titles.

UPDATED TITLES

This week we have updated three of our existing titles.

You can learn more about each of the titles we add to every week by clicking on their names.

Register now and explore the Archive

You can keep up to date with all the latest additions by visiting the recently added page.  You can even look ahead to see what we’re going to add tomorrow.