In Search of England

Re: In Search of England

Thomas Johnson — Mon, 16 Jun 2014 18:06:13 GMT

[quote user="Niall Taylor"]

I'll keen an eye out for "Landscape with Machines" - anything else by Rolt that you'd recommend, Thomas?

[/quote]

My introduction to him was 'Railway Adventure', which is his account of running the Talyllyn Railway in 1951/52, the first preserved railway in the country. 'Narrow Boat' was his first success, it was published during WW2 and recounts his time travelling the rather derelict canal network. His biograhies of Brunel, Telford and the Stephensons are very good as well.

Re: In Search of England

Hannah Wynne Richards — Sat, 14 Jun 2014 11:52:14 GMT

Francis Brett Young's novels.

Wynne

Re: In Search of England

Bob Russell — Sat, 14 Jun 2014 11:03:23 GMT

If you are English or want to get an idea of what makes a certain level of English society tick then "England Their England" is the book to read!

This was a set book at school as was "My Family and Other Animals" which is another gem which set me on the road to a veterinary career (far more than James Herriot!). One of my O Level books was "Far From the Madding Crowd". In preparation for the exam I watched the film and did not really read the book until the summer holiday. Absolutely loved it when there was no pressure to read it!

Put together (plus a bit of Dickens and Jeeves) and you get a bit of a picture of 'traditional' old England.

Re: In Search of England

Niall Taylor — Sat, 14 Jun 2014 08:40:26 GMT

[quote user="Thomas Johnson"]Have you read any L.T.C. Rolt, particularly the first part of his autobiography 'Landscape with Machines'? He grew up in Hay-on Wye in the 10's and 20's and then took an engineering apprenticeship.[/quote]

Again, unfortunately, not an author I have read although he sounds interesting, partcularly writing as he does, about canals and railways. HV Morton apparently didn't like trains, although he did condescend to write quite favourbly about Birmingham New Street Station (presumably not the monstrosity that's there now!).

And one of Morton's most collectable works, his 1928 "In the Land of the Vikings", was sponsored by one of the railway companies of the day as a promotional exercise. It was part of a set of three, with the other two being written by Dell Leigh, also concerning the railways.

I'll keen an eye out for "Landscape with Machines" - anything else by Rolt that you'd recommend, Thomas?

Niall

Re: In Search of England

Thomas Johnson — Fri, 13 Jun 2014 09:42:09 GMT

[quote user="Niall Taylor"]

And, Richard, I'd never heard of this one I'm afraid but a quick google suggests it might be my kind of thing, especially as it is written by a Scot, about England, around the 20's and 30's - another one for the Christmas list.

[/quote]

Have you read any L.T.C. Rolt, particularly the first part of his autobiography 'Landscape with Machines'? He grew up in Hay-on Wye in the 10's and 20's and then took an engineering apprenticeship.

Re: In Search of England

Niall Taylor — Thu, 12 Jun 2014 22:37:18 GMT

[quote user="Evelyn Barbour-Hill"]Niall, just browsing the HV Morton Society site, I see you mention Westhay and Meare.......... brought back happy memories. Glad to see that you too feel the magic of the Tor, Burrow Mump, Athelney, the Levels..... have you read Avalon and Sedgemoor by Desmond Hawkins?[/quote]

It is an area that has a real magic to it, as an ex-pat Scot I like to think I can appreciate it as an outsider as well as a (nearly) local. I didn't realise you knew it too. "Avalon and Sedgemoor" sounds interesting - I'll see if I can pick up a copy from Abebooks. The website is in need of some repair by the way - I'm currently between softwares.

[quote user="Richard Allport"]Niall, please tell me you also love 'England, their England' by A G Macdonell[/quote]

I've just finished reading "Down the River", by HE Bates - that might go some way to making amends! His account of English village life is an interesting contrast, not to say antidote, to Morton's more idyllic depiction.

Cheers,

Niall

Re: In Search of England

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Thu, 12 Jun 2014 19:21:00 GMT

Niall, just browsing the HV Morton Society site, I see you mention Westhay and Meare.......... brought back happy memories. Glad to see that you too feel the magic of the Tor, Burrow Mump, Athelney, the Levels..... have you read Avalon and Sedgemoor by Desmond Hawkins?

Re: In Search of England

Niall Taylor — Thu, 12 Jun 2014 12:41:56 GMT

[quote user="Richard Allport"]One of my all time favourite books is 'In Search of England', an account of a journey through England by car in the 1920s by H V Morton. Nobody else I have spoken to has ever heard of it ... so I was amazed to see a letter in Vet Times by Niall Taylor extolling the very same book. Niall, please tell me you also love 'England, their England' by A G Macdonell, and in particular the description of the cricket match, and I will forgive you for ever for being so nasty about homoeopathy!

Richard[/quote]

Aha, I see there's hope for you yet, Richard!

I am a massive Morton fan and, for my sins, coordinate the HV Morton Society! His books are just wonderful - a real escape from some of life's little stresses. The first one I read was "In Scotland Again" which I just happened to find on the shelves of a second-hand book shop while on holiday in the Mull of Kintyre - I was gripped by his account of the times in which he lived - particularly Glasgow during the great depression and first-hand accounts of casual chats with young veterans of the great war about Suvla Bay, Chocolate Hill and Gallipolli.

Since then my interest has grown enormously (as has my collection). I mainly love his books about journeying around Britain and the even older volumes on London but he has also written on his journies through the Holy Land which even this old non-believer enjoyed!

All the best,

Niall

P.S. - Did you notice the only other letter was the one right next to mine - by Tom Lonsdale

Re: In Search of England

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Wed, 11 Jun 2014 01:35:09 GMT

I have. I read it several times while a teenager. The Penguin edition.