A Swindon Wordsmith: the Life, Times and Works of George Ewart Hobbs

A Swindon Wordsmith: the Life, Times and Works of George Ewart Hobbs PDF Author: Noel Ponting
Publisher: Hobnob Press
ISBN: 9781906978761
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 430

Get Book Here

Book Description
So-called 'ordinary' working towns sometimes hide their lights under bushels, but this book aims to put the record straight, to some extent - by paying tribute to one of Swindon's forgotten wordsmiths. George Ewart Hobbs deserves to be remembered alongside fellow Swindon writers Alfred Williams and Richard Jefferies, particularly as his works tell us so much about the times through which he lived (1883-1946). Despite working full-time, for more than half a century, as a Great Western Railway engineer, George was a prolific writer, most of his works commissioned as weekly columns in Swindon's local paper, the Advertiser. For the first time, this book republishes a sample of his works, including articles about many of the subjects that fascinated him - religion, philosophy, astronomy, spiritualism, engineering and more. But it also includes poetry, eyewitness reports on remarkable events of the day, pioneering comic sketches and even science fiction stories. As well as this literary legacy, George Ewart Hobbs's vivid writing provides us with a unique and brilliantly observed insight into everyday and so-called 'ordinary' life in Swindon, a century ago.

A Swindon Wordsmith: the Life, Times and Works of George Ewart Hobbs

A Swindon Wordsmith: the Life, Times and Works of George Ewart Hobbs PDF Author: Noel Ponting
Publisher: Hobnob Press
ISBN: 9781906978761
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 430

Get Book Here

Book Description
So-called 'ordinary' working towns sometimes hide their lights under bushels, but this book aims to put the record straight, to some extent - by paying tribute to one of Swindon's forgotten wordsmiths. George Ewart Hobbs deserves to be remembered alongside fellow Swindon writers Alfred Williams and Richard Jefferies, particularly as his works tell us so much about the times through which he lived (1883-1946). Despite working full-time, for more than half a century, as a Great Western Railway engineer, George was a prolific writer, most of his works commissioned as weekly columns in Swindon's local paper, the Advertiser. For the first time, this book republishes a sample of his works, including articles about many of the subjects that fascinated him - religion, philosophy, astronomy, spiritualism, engineering and more. But it also includes poetry, eyewitness reports on remarkable events of the day, pioneering comic sketches and even science fiction stories. As well as this literary legacy, George Ewart Hobbs's vivid writing provides us with a unique and brilliantly observed insight into everyday and so-called 'ordinary' life in Swindon, a century ago.

The Ladies of Lydiard

The Ladies of Lydiard PDF Author: Frances Bevan
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781914407024
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 174

Get Book Here

Book Description
Lydiard House and Park, near Swindon, have been in public ownership since 1943. Today around 700,000 visitors every year jog and cycle or just walk and meander around the 260 acres of beautiful parkland. In a history spanning a thousand years, the Lydiard estate has belonged to just five families. The men were adept at acquiring wealthy brides and spending their fortunes, while their wives were consigned to a private, passive life. Throughout the long history of the Lydiard estate the men have been in charge - or have they? From Margaret Beauchamp, the medieval matriarch who inherited the Lydiard estate as an 11-year-old, to Bessie Howard, the gamekeeper's granddaughter, who staked her claim with a surprise revelation at the funeral of Henry St. John, 5th Viscount Bolingbroke, the Lydiard ladies have been a force to be reckoned with. Now, for the first time the story of the Ladies of Lydiard is told. The book is illustrated with stunning colour portraits, displayed at Lydiard, of many of the women described, alongside illustrations of the house and park.

The Archaeology of the Borough of Swindon

The Archaeology of the Borough of Swindon PDF Author: Bernard Phillips
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781906978747
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 228

Get Book Here

Book Description
The borough of Swindon embraces not only one of the largest towns in central southern England; it includes also large tracts of chalk downland and much of the upper Thames valley. The rapid pace of development across this area has resulted in a wealth of important archaeological discoveries, from earliest prehistory to the recent past. Bernard Phillips, author of this profusely illustrated survey, has played a leading part in excavating and understanding Swindon's archaeology over more than fifty years, and so is able to bring to his subject a unique authority, making this the indispensable handbook to the evolution of a region now home to almost a quarter of a million people.

The Jurassic Coast

The Jurassic Coast PDF Author: Amanda K Hampson
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781914407017
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 110

Get Book Here

Book Description
The Jurassic Coast, A Poet's Journey, is the author's second book of poetry, and as the title suggests, is a voyage in verse around the Dorset and South Devon coast in England. In 2001, the Jurassic Coast became England's first natural World Heritage Site, to be protected, conserved and passed intact to future generations. Its breathtaking beauty and wildness have been an inspiring source of riches for the varied poetry in this volume, together with the artist's vibrant illustrations.

Stuff the Bustard: and Other Poems

Stuff the Bustard: and Other Poems PDF Author: Sue Kemp
Publisher: Hobnob Press
ISBN: 9781906978815
Category : Poetry
Languages : en
Pages : 104

Get Book Here

Book Description
Stuff the Bustard and other poems is Sue Kemp's record of the entertaining and unusual topics that have featured on BBC Wiltshire's Breakfast radio show over the past couple of years. Always light-hearted, this book will rekindle memories for the regular listeners to Wiltshire radio. The poems also stand alone in their own right to provide an accessible and amusing read. Sue Kemp lives in Bratton Wiltshire, where she runs a small bed and breakfast. She enjoys travelling and meeting people and is a regular listener to local radio. She is known on local radio as the Bard of Bratton.

Fresh from the Farm 6pk

Fresh from the Farm 6pk PDF Author: Rigby
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781418914219
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book Here

Book Description


From Ceylon to Corsham

From Ceylon to Corsham PDF Author: Pat Hoare (Commander, R.N.)
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780946418824
Category : Admirals
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book Here

Book Description


Selected Poems and The Testament

Selected Poems and The Testament PDF Author: Alfred Williams
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781906978860
Category : Poetry
Languages : en
Pages : 230

Get Book Here

Book Description
Alfred Williams (1877-1930), dubbed 'the hammerman poet', was a self-taught Wiltshire genius, whose life was toil and poverty, but who deserves to live on and be remembered as a sensitive chronicler of village life, folksong collector, industrial reporter - and rural poet, in the mould of Clare, Cowper and Whitman. This is a facsimile reprint of his Selected Poems, published in 1925, to which has been appended one longer poem, 'The Testament', a joyful celebration of nature and mankind's place in the world.

A Swindon Radical

A Swindon Radical PDF Author: Noel Ponting
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781914407215
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 430

Get Book Here

Book Description
Welcome to a book that was never intended. After all, when A Swindon Wordsmith was published in 2019, highlighting the life and works of railwayman and parttime writer George Ewart Hobbs, the authors were satisfied that it achieved both of their main aims: showcasing work by someone who had undeservedly been forgotten since his death in 1946, but also opening a fascinating window on Swindon in times gone by. However, the surprise discovery of more works by George made it necessary to produce a second volume, and this book therefore samples some of the articles he wrote and published in the 1920s and 1930s, mostly in the Swindon Advertiser. Like its predecessor, this new book covers a wide range of George's interests, including religion, philosophy, astronomy, spiritualism, engineering and more. And as he came to terms with a changing world at home, and as the world spiralled towards the second declaration of global war in his lifetime, it chronicles the views of an increasingly radical thinker, who was always ahead of his time. Along with a simultaneously published companion book, A Visit to Venus (George's 1927 science fiction tale), A Swindon Radical completes the story of this fascinating wordsmith and free-thinker.