I have many interests - I'm a photographer, hill-walker, engineer, ergonomist, author, bellringer and more. For many years I have shared my interests with clubs and groups by giving talks on a wide range of topics. | Home page | Bellringing | Talks & lectures | Fell walking | Settle - Carlisle | Metal sculpture | Brickwork | Interesting journeys | Ergonomics | The rest | Site map |
I have many interests - I'm a photographer, hill-walker, engineer, ergonomist, author, bellringer and more. For many years I have shared my interests with clubs and groups by giving talks on a wide range of topics.
If you are based not too far from Wokingham, and interested in a talk, then contact me.
That is an apt description of the tradition of English-style bellringing, which began around 1600 and thrives today. It is also the title of my book on the history of ringing in Wokingham . Unlike my general talk on bellringing , this talk looks at the lives and times of ringers in an English market town. The talk takes the same 300-year time-span as the book (the period since the oldest bells were installed in 1704). It looks at the 18th century when ringing was a public sport, at Victorian reform of both the church and ringers, and at the 20th century when the band evolved through the trials of two world wars, and into the modern era. It looks at how the ringers related to both the community around them, and to the church whose bells they rang. The talk lifts the lid on the very special, fascinating, but largely hidden, world of the men and women who kept alive this ancient art in an English market town. [Back to top]
(Or the art of fell walking) This draws on a lifetime of hill walking with a camera to bring you a pictorial anthology of hills and mountains. As well as enjoying the superb upland scenery, you will see how geology and civilisation have influenced the landscape, and how a walker can make the best of the resulting terrain. [Back to top]
This is the story of England's most spectacular main line railway. Born out of inter company rivalry, the line is a superb example of Victorian engineering achievement, driven through the most hostile but beautiful terrain. In the 1980s British Rail's controversial attempts to close the line resulted in the largest public reaction to any rail closure proposal ever. It is now a successful commuter line, a tourist line, and a heavily used freight route. The talk brings you glimpses of the line's past and recent history, gathered over many years, as well as views of the line's spectacular surroundings and the challenging terrain through which the Midland Railway forged a route. (See also the famous Ribblehead Viaduct knitted in a sweater) [Back to top]
Have you ever wondered why there is so much pattern in the world around us and why our brains invent it even if it isn't there? Have you ever wondered why illusions work? This talk will give you new insights into your perceptual senses with many examples of illusions and paradoxes. An engineering career, artistic hobbies and a lifelong scientific curiosity have gone into this fascinating talk spanning many disciplines. [Back to top]
Brick-work is all around us - we take it for granted - but look more closely and you can see a wealth of fascinating detail. Through the centuries, brick-work has been influenced by changing needs, by improved technology and by passing fashions. In the talk, I show you how with simple observation of the brickwork, you can read the stories that are written in the buildings all around us. The talk is illustrated with slides, and I normally bring some samples from my collection of different types of brick – you'll be surprised how varied they are. [Back to top]
The discipline of Ergonomics has come to prominence during the last half century, and plays an increasingly vital role in ensuring that our ever more complex and technological world is fit for humans to live and work in. In this short talk, I will give you some insights into the history and current practice of this fascinating subject that spans the divide between people and machines, and between the 'hard' and 'soft' sciences. To illustrate the problems, I will describe examples drawn from real life, both major disasters and every day objects. [Back to top]
English style bellringing is part of our cultural heritage, and is a sound familiar to us all. It originated in England around 400 years ago and has spread to many parts of the world. Ringing requires skill, dedication and teamwork, from people who are normally invisible to their audience. I have been a ringer since my teens, and been actively involved in training ringers at local, regional and national level. I have published several books, including "Ringing Skills", and the most comprehensive reference work "The Tower Handbook". For eight years I wrote a monthly column "The Learning Curve" in "The Ringing World". I ring at All Saints Wokingham. See also my talk on the history of ringing in Wokingham . [Back to top]
In this talk for non ringers, I explain how English style ringing evolved, how bells work, and the music of change ringing, with glimpses into the world of ringers and the fascination that ringing can offer. I vary the talk to suit the needs of the groups I am talking to. It can be anything from a 20 minute after dinner talk to a full evening illustrated presentation. I also vary the content to suit the interests of the audience, for example to emphasise the historical, musical, local or other aspects. [Back to top]
The Pennine Way was one of the first long distance footpaths in Britain. It is also the longest (apart from the Southwest Coast Path) and it passes through some of the finest scenery in Northern England. I walked the Pennine Way with my wife in 1970 and revisited the area later to complete a photographic essay. Though much of the walk is on the hills, it crosses valley after valley giving fascinating tastes of the different communities through which the way passes. (See also Pennine Way). [Back to top]
Iceland sits just below the Arctic Circle astride the mid Atlantic ridge, which divides the European and North American tectonic plates. This unique situation gives it amazing geology, scenery, wildlife and culture. My wife and I first visited Iceland in 1991 and we have returned many times since. I will give you glimpses of this fascinating and very special country. (See also Iceland Links.) [Back to top]
My garden and I have been together for over thirty years. The garden now bears little resemblance to what was there before, with more diversity and year-round interest. Yet there were no grand schemes and no dramatic make-overs, just a slow evolution motivated by an underlying desire to enrich it. Many changes were opportunistic, rather than premeditated. I try to work with the garden rather than fighting against it. This talk describes how the garden evolved, and why, illustrated with many pictures taken in different seasons over the years. [Back to top]
The talks above originated in response to particular requests. Several other potential talks are in my head, but I haven't yet got round to preparing them because no one has yet asked for them, so if one of them catches your fancy, try asking me. [Back to top]
For several years while our children were young, I spent a significant part of my holidays doing metal sculpture. I started with no prior experience, and managed to produce an interesting collection of objects that adorn our home. If you are curious to know about different types of artistic casting, and what is enigmatically known as 'found' sculpture, I will explain. You will also hear the experiences of a novice working under considerable time pressure, and of course you will see some of the results. [Back to top]
Upland footpaths provide vital arteries for walkers, and enable us to enjoy wild places, but in many areas the paths are becoming an endangered species. Paths come into being because of human use, and they move or disappear when human use changes. But as more of us take to the hills, many of them are suffering from over use and destruction. Many that were pleasant grassy paths in the '60s and '70s when I first walked them are now often ugly rock strewn scars on the hillside. For many years I have observed paths in all sorts of terrain, seeing how they respond to both use and mis-use. This talk will be a pictorial essay showing the diversity, as well as the fragility, of a very 'natural', but equally a man-made upland phenomenon. [Back to top]
The Pennine hills contain some of Northern England's most beautiful scenery. Rugged moorland is crossed by a succession of valleys, each slightly different in character, and threaded with urban and rural settlements that portray much of the nation's industrial growth in recent centuries. I grew up on the edge of the Pennines and I have revisited them them many times since. In an area larger than Wales, but perhaps less well known, there is much to tempt the photographer. [Back to top]
If you are interested in any of these talks, and not too far from Wokingham, then contact me.
Rose Street Transport Society, Wokingham Rotarians, Hart Rotarians, Wokingham U3A, Wokingham Activity Group, Bracknell Forest U3A, SE Berks National Trust, Farnborough U3A, Yateley U3A, The Marlow Society, Kennet Camera Club, Wokingham History Society, Winnersh History Group, Finchampstead Society & Heritage Group, Reading Association of Women Graduates, Bracknell Railway Society, Mid Hants Railway (Thames Valley Branch), National Women's Register, Slough & Windsor Railway Society, Wokingham Civil Service Retirement Fellowship, Surrey County Council Staff Retirement Association, Kingston Civil Service Retirement Federation, Berkshire Industrial Archaeology Group, Wokingham and District Health Walkers, Wokingham Older People’s Forum.
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