My latest research work at Silverstone has unearthed the story of Luffield Priory, the abbey complex on the site. It’s a fascinating tale of medieval life – and monastic misbehaviour – largely lost under the plough and the JCB but coming to life from the records and the digs. And I took an excursion into circus history to track down the elephant who visited the circuit in the 1950s!
I’m enjoying more work on the Silverstone Heritage Project, this time researching and writing up just about everything that’s happened at the circuit. It’s involved revisiting many years of watching sports with the F1 story, but new ground for me with motorcycles and production cars. This great picture is of Sheila Van Damme with her Sunbeam at Silverstone in about 1955. Her racing team partner was Stirling Moss.
Was published in `Best of British’ in June. The ice cream weather may have gone, but it was lovely to see my piece, subtitled `The golden age of ice-cream’, fronting up this summer-themed issue.
What a great job! I’ve just completed researching the history of RAF Silverstone and have now turned to the racing history of the site for the Silverstone Heritage Live Project. Silverstone’s owners, the British Racing Drivers Club, are leading this multi-million pound visitor experience, and I’m working directly with designers Mather and Co and the BRDC Archive.
`Belvedere Village – Victorian Prayers and Profit’ is a primary source- based article on the rapid development of Upper Belvedere in the 1800s. It’s a tale of pubs and patrimony, crooks and committees, old salts, villas and watercress. `Bygone Kent’ is the magazine of Kent’s history and `Belvedere Village’ will appear shortly.
(well, I found it quite exciting…..)
Remember Mivvi, Heart or Kinky? `Just one Cornetto!’, a nostalgic look back at the golden age of the hand-held ice cream will appear in `Best of British’ in the summer.
Museum designers Studio MB feature all their projects on their website and I’m pleased to report that they have used my photographs for their page on The Green Howards Museum in Richmond, Yorkshire.
There are more – and they’re bigger and brighter – at studiomb.co.uk
I’ve been copyediting and copywriting text for the redevelopment of The Green Howards Museum in Richmond in Yorkshire. Everyone’s hard work – especially the museum staff and designers Studio MB – has come to fruition in a great new museum. They had financial support from the HLF and their Friends and local community – and over 200 people crammed into the opening. I’m really pleased to have been part of this excellent project.
The tale of Charlie’s traumas – with lovely pics of that `adventurous black cat’.
