The East Yorkshire town of Hornsea is surrounded by natural beauty. Sandwiched between the North Sea and Yorkshire's largest freshwater lake, Hornsea Mere, the town has attracted visitors since a chalybeate spring was discovered in the 18th Century. This started over 250 years of conflict between those residents who wanted to develop a resort, and those who preferred to retain the small market town. This book charts the history of Hornsea from the earliest times through to 2013 illustrating how the town reached its present state. The history of Hornsea is the history of everywhere. It has been ruled by the Celts, the Romans, the Anglo-Saxons, the Normans, the Church, the Crown and Parliament in all its forms. It has survived at least four invasions, two World Wars and, bizarrely, the American War of Independence. And Hornsea has pretty much ignored all of it. With a wry humour and a very personal approach, this is your guide through a journey of 1,000 years in a rural English market town which became a reluctant resort. This deluxe edition has over 250 pages crammed with colour photographs and maps, the ideal adornment for even the finest coffee table.