Steady Air and Striding: Clent 1901 by Pam Yarwood
Specially written for the society by Pam Yarwood and illustrated by artist Phil Buckley.
This, our latest book , is quite a departure from our previous publications. Once again the reader is on the move, walking, sometimes riding, through a period of Clent History. (There’s a lot of walking in Clent!) Clent, and the people who inhabited Clent around 1901, are very much at the heart of this book , yet the narrative and events move us beyond the village and into a wider world. There are concerns about — British men dying far away, fighting ‘a foreign war’; the death of the Queen and the changes a new King will bring ; the drift away from traditional rural occupations, the industrial life offered by towns. Problems with alcohol, problems with health. Where does the church fit in to everyday life? Education – is it of any importance to educate girls? How to deal with a bully and what to do when love and ambition suddenly collide ?
Serious readers of history on reading the book ,want to know who and what is real. Many names will jump out of the pages well known to local readers John Amphlett, Alfred Roberts, Mr Chance, Mr Cadbury, Mr Macaulay the vicar, the schoolteachers and their familes. With the 1901 census as a starting point and much subsequent research through archive material discovered we know who lived where and just what was happening at that time. Most characters are real- including Hugh and Lady Bell and Gertrude in Redcar. Tom Mills and Eveline Colesby might be a little harder to find!
The beautiful illustrations by Phil Buckley, commissioned especially by Clent History Society, add a unique touch to the book.
The book has been enjoyed equally by people who know Clent and by those who do not.
Availability: Yes
Price: £5
Contact Us for details on how to obtain a copy. Or buy online at Amazon
ISBN 978-0-9514105-3-0
Published 2008 By Clent History Society