Born in Worcester, later lived in Weston-super-Mare and Harrow. Spent happy childhood holidays and weekends visiting castles, museums, abbeys etc – loved scrambling on ruins! No interest in history at school – did a degree in Library Studies at Loughborough University and was inspired by tutorials on Local History librarianship, and introduced to W.G. Hoskins’s classic books on landscape history.
Moved to Portsmouth with first job in an MoD library, married Chris (a chiropodist) and both continued to enjoy visiting old sites, walking, visiting old churches (lots in the countryside near here), going to evening classes on geology, local history etc.Started as a volunteer steward at the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum at Singleton.
Children now 12 and 8, getting a bit fed up with being dragged to “boring old historical stuff”, so I’m delighted that local TTFF has emerged at just the right time.
Have watched TT since the very first series and have only missed a couple of programmes – still the high spot of my week in winter! Stayed at a cottage in Much Wenlock the week after the very early TT programme was filmed there and were thrilled to see it in the view from the church tower on the film.
Special Interest Areas
History of buildings, vernacular architecture, castles, old churches, landscape history. I collect pictures of doorways of all kinds.
I’m researching the history of Farlington House and its residents (a large house, now demolished, near my home on the outskirts of Portsmouth).