S.C. Skillman's Blog, page 5

A Visit to Denis Severs’ House, Spitalfields, East London

We recently visited Dennis’ Severs’ House at 18 Folgate Street, Spitalfields. This was a revelation to me, and I’ve discovered new things since my visit, about Dennis himself, his life, the creation of the interiors in the House, and the life of the Spitalfields community around him, which make the visit an even more poignant and illuminating experience.

Lamp outside Dennis Severs’ House at 18 Folgate Street, Spitalfields, east London (photo credit Jamie Robinson)

Dennis Severs (1948-1999) was born in the USA and came to Britain to settle; he purchased the down-at-heel property at 18 Folgate Street in the 1970s and created a series of stage sets in this 18th century house which evoke various scenes from the 1700s and the 1800s. We experienced these as he intended – on a silent visit, wandering through the rooms on four floors, with little information, just allowing the atmosphere, the scent in the air, the quality of the candlelight, the open fires burning in the grates, the shadows, the decor of the rooms and the choice and placement of the objects to speak to us and to conjure up stories.

In each room, you feel as if the living occupants of the time have just left, or are just about to enter.

When we emerged from the house afterwards back into 21st century Folgate Street, I felt as if I’d been a time traveller, and had spent the last 45 minutes in another world.

Dennis Severs’ House at 18 Folgate Street, Spitalfields, east London (photo credit Jamie Robinson)

In one of the lamplit rooms, mince pies were being kept warm by the open fire, a dresser along one wall groaned with food – tarts, jellies, pies, mounds of candied fruit – and I felt as if a jolly Dickensian character like Fezziwig was about to stride forward from the shadows and say, “Welcome! Welcome! Come in and make yourselves comfortable, and help yourselves!”

Mr Fezziwig, by the way, was the kind employer in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, whom the First Spirit encouraged Ebenezer Scrooge to remember from his youth – an open-hearted gentleman under whom young Scrooge was apprenticed, who told everyone to stop working and come and prepare for the Christmas party where they were all to make merry.

William Hogarth painting: ‘A Midnight Modern Conversation’

In another room we were invited to contemplate the aftermath of the scene in Hogarth’s painting, ‘A Midnight Modern Conversation‘, a reproduction of which hung above the fireplace. In this painting, a group of men are carousing round the table, and one of them has fallen on the floor, drunk. In Dennis Severs’ re-imagined scene everything was re-created in detail, as if the disorderly drinkers had just lurched out of the room and left the scene; amongst many other elements, I saw a pie on a side table discarded and surrounded by crumbs, and a general sense of disarray clung to the room.

Everywhere in the house homemade paper chains hung from the walls and swags of winter greenery were festooned in the hallways and landings. On the top floor was the early 1900s room, and here was evidence of near-dereliction and disrepair, and in the background the eerie sound of a male presenter’s voice on the radio.

We were left to make our own interpretation of the state of the room, its decor and the arrangement of objects. To me it symbolised a moral neglect, the culture and societies and political situation in which the world became engulfed by the First World War, Also to me it suggested a man called away suddenly to the war, forced to leave his life in an unfinished state, to an uncertain future, from which he may never return to rebuild that life. Others will interpret that room totally differently. In a way, visitors are invited not even to interpret, but to experience the rooms and accept every feeling that arises.

You can read more about Dennis Severs’ house here on the house website. No photographs are allowed inside the house so I was unable to share any here, but you’ll find photos on the website.

Another house in Folgate Street, showing how beautiful these 18th century houses are now, which were so dilapidated in the 1970s when Dennis Severs and others moved into Folgate Street, developed a vibrant artistic community here, and began to renovate the houses
(photo credit Jamie Robinson)

After the visit, I looked up a website called Spitalfields Life: remembering Dennis Severs and this contains photos of several members of the local artistic and gay community who knew and loved Dennis, and includes photos of them too, taken in the House. The information on this website gives a strong sense of the local Spitalfields community which Dennis enriched with his colourful character, and how well loved he was.

A house in Folgate Street – the plaque tells us Mark Gertler lived here – he was a painter born in Spitalfields in 1891 . He died in 1939 and is famous for his relationship with Dora Carrington and involvement with the Bloomsbury Group.
(photo credit Jamie Robinson)

I learned that when Dennis bought the house in 1979 from the Spitalfields Trust, it was severely dilapidated as were several of the houses in Folgate Street, which had been in the past home to the silk-weaving Huguenot community that thrived in Spitalfields from the late 17th century and into the early 19th century. Dennis gradually renovated the house and created the stage sets in the rooms, all on a very low budget. He constructed and painted ‘oak panelling’ using unwanted pallets picked up at Spitalfields Market, he foraged among stalls of bric-a-brac and sourced damaged objects which he could arrange in the rooms to create the scene he visualised.

Even now, remembering going through that house is almost like a dream, as if I have somehow been transported in spirit, just like Ebenezer Scrooge, into other lives and other times.

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If you enjoy my articles and would like to support me on my writing journey, you can do so here at buy me a coffee and I’ll be very grateful.

Book Launch for ‘A-Z of Warwick’ by SC Skillman pub Amberley

I enjoyed my book launch event at Warwick Visitor Centre on Saturday, 25 November 2023.

Thank you to the Warwick Visitor Centre staff for making space for us next to the new Guy of Warwick exhibition (which was fascinating).

Thank you too to fellow author Fran Hill, whose very funny and highly acclaimed novel, ‘Cuckoo in the Nest’, was published by Legend Press in April this year. Fran interviewed me and asked several very interesting questions.

And thank you to all who attended the event!

First of all, I introduced the book and read from my chapter on ‘Incarcerations’. Then I took questions from everyone, and later, there was the chance for my guests to buy a copy of the book and have it signed.

‘A-Z of Warwick’ is published by Amberley and available to buy online as well as in Warwick Books, Kenilworth Books, and in Waterstones branches.

And why not snap up all 3 books in my Warwickshire trilogy while you’re at it? They make an excellent Christmas present!

‘A-Z of Warwick’ by SC Skillman,
book cover design.‘Paranormal Warwickshire’ by SC Skillman, book cover design.‘Illustrated Tales of Warwickshire by SC Skillman, book cover design.

My new book ‘A-Z of Warwick’ is out now from Amberley

I’m delighted to announce that my new book ‘A-Z of Warwick‘ is now available online and in all bookshops. This completes my trilogy of Warwickshire books – ‘Paranormal Warwickshire‘, ‘Illustrated Tales of Warwickshire’ and now ‘A-Z of Warwick’.

As with all my Warwickshire books, William Shakespeare has something to say, at the head of every chapter. There is no doubt that he encompasses every human experience; and he had a word for every location I visited, whether that be in one of his plays or sonnets.

Book cover design: A-Z of Warwick by SC Skillman published by Amberley 15 November 2023

I enjoyed my journey of discovery through my own hometown and learned many things about Warwick I had never known before. I think my favourite entries are those for W, X, Y and Z! But I also enjoyed writing about Bertie Greatheed, colourful Enlightenment Squire who hosted the greatest tragic actress of the 18th century, Sarah Siddons, at Guy’s Cliffe House, that no haunted ruin on the edge of Warwick town; and Sir Robert Dudley, Earl of Leycester, who many not have persuaded Elizabeth I to marry him but certainly benefited from being ‘the Queen’s favourite’, and made his mark on Warwick.

The book is illustrated with 100 full colour photos and I am delighted with the way they have been reproduced on the printed page.

My Warwickshire trilogy complete, I am now well into my research for my fourth Amberley book, Paranormal Gloucestershire. And this county promises to be even more full or rich stories than Warwickshire, if that’s possible.

Why not join me on my writing journey and sign up to receive my monthly newsletter straight to your inbox. I share gems and snippets from my research discoveries, news and insights from the writing and publishing worlds, and you’ll be the first to know when I have a new book coming out.

And if you enjoy reading my articles here on this blog and would like to support me you can do so at buy me a coffee and I’d be very grateful.

Tolcarne Beach, Newquay, Cornwall

Here I am in Cornwall and, as always, for someone who lives in the Midlands, mesmerised by the sea!

I think these photos tell the story, with little need for more words.

The last few photos are of Tolcarne Beach Village, and, best of all, the ‘Colonial’ beach bar and restaurant…

The pumpkins will tell you what day it was when we visited!

The Beauty of the Sea: East Sussex Coast, England

Today, I share photos of the south coast of England where I’ve just spent four days.

Eastbourne, Birling Gap and the Seven Sisters together form one of England’s loveliest coastlines. Enjoy these images. Seagulls, sky, sun, water, pebbly beaches, chalk cliffs and walks to the lighthouse all combine to give you this beauty.

Seagull on Eastbourne Pier. Photo courtesy of Sheila Robinson. View of Eastbourne Pier. Photo credit Sheila Robinson. Child on beach by Eastbourne Pier. Photo credit Sheila Robinson. Sea, sky and sun at Eastbourne Beach. Photo credit. Sheila Robinson. The Seven Sisters viewed form Birling Gap. Photo credit Sheila Robinson. Beach and cliffs at Birling Gap. Photo credit Sheila Robinson. Path up the cliff from Birling Gap to the Belle Tout Lighthouse. Photo credit Sheila Robinson. View of beach, early morning, Eastbourne. Photo courtesy of Bev Turner Kirton View of people on beach, 8.30am Eastbourne. Photo courtesy of Bev Turner Kirton. Path to the lighthouse from Birling Gap. Photo credit Sheila Robinson. Clifftop and sea. Photo credit Sheila Robinson. Walkers on clifftop. Photo credit Sheila Robinson. Belle Tout Lighthouse. Photo credit Sheila Robinson. Walking towards Belle Tout Lighthouse Photo credit Sheila Robinson. Eastbourne Pier. Photo courtesy of Marie Calvert.

Why not join me on my writing journey and sign up to receive my monthly newsletter straight to your inbox in which I share snippets and gems from my research discoveries, and news and insights from the writing and publishing worlds. Also you’ll be the first to know when I have a new book coming out, and to see cover reveals.

And if you’re a regular reader of this blog and would like to support me you can do so here at buy me a coffee and I’d be very grateful.

Book review: ‘Hunter’s Secret’ by Val Penny published by Spellbound Books

I’m pleased to be taking part in the Blog Tour for Val Penny‘s latest Edinburgh crime novel, #5 in her Edinburgh Crime Series, Hunter’s Secret published by Spellbound Books,

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY 

Val Penny has an Llb degree from the University of Edinburgh and her MSc from Napier University. She has had many jobs including hairdresser, waitress, banker, azalea farmer and lecturer but has not yet achieved either of her childhood dreams of being a ballerina or owning a candy store. 

Until those dreams come true, she has turned her hand to writing poetry, short stories,nonfiction books, and novels. Her novels are published by SpellBound Books Ltd.

Val is an American author living in SW Scotland. She has two adult daughters of whom she is justly proud and lives with her husband and their cat.

Author Val Penny

BLURB

Detective Inspector Hunter Wilson is called to the scene of a murder. DCs Tim Myerscough and Bear Zewedu found a corpse, but when Hunter arrives it has disappeared, and all is not as it seems.

Hunter recalls the disappearance of a dead body thirty years earlier. The Major Incident Team is called in but sees no connection – it is too long ago. Hunter is determined to investigate the past and the present with the benefit of modern DNA testing.

Tim has other problems in his life. His father, Sir Peter Myerscough, is released from jail. He, too, remembers the earlier murder. There is no love lost between Hunter and Sir Peter. Will Hunter accept help from his nemesis to catch a killer?
Hunter’s own secret is exciting and crucial to his future. Will it change his life? And can he keep Edinburgh safe?

Book cover image of Hunter’s Secret, latest in the Edinburgh crime mysteries by Val Penny

MY REVIEW

Having met and chatted to the ebullient and lively Val Penny across the dining table at a writer’s conference in Swanwick, I then became lured in to her Edinburgh crime series. Now I’m hooked by her numerous colourful characters, by Hunter himself, his love-life, and his turbulent son Cameron with an instinct for trouble; DC Tim Myerscough and his own nefarious father, former Justice Minister and recently released jailbird Sir Peter Myerscough, the two semi-reformed ne’er do wells Jamie and Frankie, and their newfound responsibilities, and numerous other intriguing and highly believable personalities along the way, both on the wrong and the right sides of the law.

In Val Penny’s Edinburgh crime novels, above all I love the characters and their relationships. I love meeting all the familiar personalities again and particularly enjoy the author’s use of multiple viewpoint. For me it increases the intrigue and pace of the story.

Throughout the book I found myself thinking Hunter’s secret itself was something to do with the discovery of the dead bodies which subsequently disappeared. The author defeats our expectations in spectacular fashion near the very end of the book.

I found Jamie’s telephone conversations with his jailbird father Ian Thomson very amusing, because Jamie relies on his dad for advice about running the family business Thomson’s Top Cars. From previous novels in this series, we know that Jamie and his cousin Frankie, now in charge of the business, can never resist getting involved in dodgy deals, and flying beneath the radar of what is strictly legal. And we can all predict what happens to large cash transactions at Thomson’s Top Cars, the fine art of “writing off” and the inevitable signal that the purchaser of this luxury car is not to be trusted (and probably involved with the murders the police are investigating). However in this story Jamie and Frankie find themselves the unwitting allies of the police in their hunt for the callous, ruthless killers of LGBTQ people in Edinburgh.

Highly recommended, as are all the novels in this series.

WEBSITE AND SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

Website – https://www.valpenny.com

Amazon Author Page – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Val-Penny/e/B07C4725TK

Author Facebook Page – https://www.facebook.com/valerie.penny.739

Author Twitter Page @valeriepenny

Author Instagram Page https://www.instagram.com/valerieepenny/

LINK TO BUY 

Please include the hashtag #HUNTERSSECRET when you are sharing this post. Thank you!

Why not join me on my writing journey and sign up to receive my monthly newsletter straight to your inbox. I share gems and snippets from my research discoveries, news and insights from the writing and publishing worlds, plus you’ll be the first to see new cover reveals and hear when I have a new book coming out.

If you’d like to support me through buy me a coffee I’d be very grateful!

Book Reviews: ‘We Can’t Breathe’ by Olusola Sophia Anyanwu

Today I’m pleased to bring you my review of ‘We Can’t Breathe‘ by Olusola Sophia Anyanwu. I’ve read a few of Sophia’s books now and she gives us a vivid insight into many aspects of life and experience from within an African point of view. She is herself, besides being an incredibly prolific author, an enthusiastic encourager of other authors, and a faithful and consistent commenter on blogs. A blessing from Sophia on Facebook at the beginning of the month can really uplift me!

Book cover image for ‘We Can’t Breathe’ by Olusola Sophia Anyanwu

This latest book of Sophia’s is very thought-provoking. If any of us have thought that during our childhood and early adolescence we missed out on opportunities which would have taken us much further, or we were held back by negative self-limiting beliefs, or we were denied respect and encouragement by those who failed to see our true potential… we can read Sophia’s book, and consider how it must have felt to be a highly intelligent black child in a school in 1960s USA, a school defined by low expectations – simply because of the colour of your skin.

Olusola Sophia Anyanwu, author

AUTHOR BIO

Olusola Sophia Anyanwu is British Nigerian. She started her early and middle education at Ibadan and completed her higher education at University of Ife, (now Obafemi Awolowo University) where she studied Education in English. She served her National Youth Service at Markurdi in Benue State. She taught English and Literature for 20 years in a federal grammar school for girls in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. She relocated to the UK in 2003 and continued as an Educationist in primary and secondary schools. She has been blessed with a great and wonderful family – she’s an active grandmother to seven grandchildren when not writing – and she lives in South East London.

Sophia is a multi-genre writer and poet. She is, amongst many other writing groups and organisations, a member of the Association of Christian Writers, Society of Authors, Black Authors Network, Alliance of Independent Authors, and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. She is also a member of Emmanuel Baptist Church Thamesmead. She can be found on social media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and has her own website.

Sophia is a reviewer, encourager and believes in inspiring people through her writing to love God and derive encouragement. As a multi genre writer and poet, Sophia is able to find something for everyone: children’s stories, romance, historical fiction, adventure, women fiction, Christian fiction, assorted poetry, biblical fiction, fantasy and a host more.

She enjoys playing board games, admiring the beauty of nature, writing stories, poetry and baby – sitting her grandchildren. She has published seventeen books so far, and currently plans to add to her collection of over 100 poems.

In her own words, “writing is an art that demands patience, practice, prayers and perfection. It is great for the mind. The ability to create words that come to life in various forms, or getting into the minds of different characters is amazing. It is like playing God in your own world!”

MY REVIEW

This is a book which opens up for the reader one aspect of how it felt to be a Black American in the 1960s – near the end of which decade the tragic murder of Martin Luther King took place. When you read this you understand just a little more of the huge injustice black people suffered in the USA at that time – and of course continue to suffer in various places around the world today.

The death of King on 4 April 1968 must have been a devastating blow to their hopes for freedom and new life in the days and weeks following his assassination, and indeed unleashed a wave of outrage and violence. Nevertheless few could have predicted how his “I have a dream” speech would reverberate around the world, gain power, and become iconic in our psyche, and in our consciences. You cannot kill an idea by killing the person who holds it. And life is much better now for African Americans.

Set in Detroit, Michigan, USA, in 1967 when overt segregation was practised, this book tells us of highly intelligent 13 year old Ngozi. She has Nigerian roots through her father, but she identifies as a Black American from Georgia. She is in a school which has the reputation of being for “under-achievers” and has a majority of black pupils: Ngozi is brilliant and bored. The College she should really be at is mainly for white pupils and has very high fees. It seems totally out of her grasp.

As Ngozi relates her school life, awareness of racism creeps in, as seen in the behaviour of certain teachers. She’s in trouble for inattention and daydreaming in class: but this is the least of her problems, as her work is unfairly criticised and given low marks. Meanwhile, on a wider political level, the author notes that in Detroit violent riots broke out on 2 February 1967, ignited by the inferior education of the ‘black underclass’ as in South Africa. Black Americans also experienced the mentality of apartheid on public buses. The only redeeming factor of this school life for Ngozi is her two close friends Bella and Pam, whom she would hate to be parted from.

Ngozi’s aunt, Ruth, is the young girl’s confidante – she calls Ngozi by her “full name”, Marsha Lynne, which is what her mother calls her when she has something serious to discuss. Ngozi’s innocence is broken when she learns of the full horror of the history of racism in the USA.  Her mother and grandmother are both a force to be reckoned with, have high hopes for her future; and have determined that they will challenge the system on her behalf. So they rally the family in this cause and together they all confront the school head and call him out for racial prejudice.

The outcome of this, and whether Ngozi ever gets the opportunity to fulfil all her mother’s and grandmother’s hopes for her, form the essence of this story, holding out hope for the future when black people will breathe freely with no fear of oppression and discrimination.

You can find Sophia through her website and by subscribing to her YouTube channel. You can also follow her on all social media here.

Why not sign up to join me on my writing journey and receive my monthly newsletter direct to your inbox. I share gems and snippets from my research discoveries, news and insights from the writing and publishing worlds, and you’ll be the first to see new cover reveals and to know when I have a new book coming out.

And if you’d like to support me through buy me a coffee I’d be very grateful.

New book coming 2024/25: Paranormal Gloucestershire

I’m pleased to announce that I’ve just signed a contract to write a fourth book for Amberley which is Paranormal Gloucestershire.

Woodchester Mansion, Nympsfield, Gloucestershire (photo credit Jamie Robinson) The Ancient Ram Inn, Wotton under Edge, Gloucestershire (photo credit Jamie Robinson) View of The Ancient Ram, Wotton under Edge, from the main road (photo credit Sheila Robinson)

I’ve already begun visiting some of the fascinating locations in Gloucestershire which have a rich history and are surrounded by many curious tales.

These include some of the locations shown above: Woodchester Mansion, Tewkesbury Abbey and the Ancient Ram Inn, Wotton under Edge.

Tewkesbury Abbey (photo credit Sheila Robinson)

I’ve also visited Berkeley Castle, and my next visits will be to Chavenage House and Owlpen Manor.

As with my previous books for Amberley, this one will have 20,000 words of text and 100 original photographs.

Here’s a taste of what will be in the book.

Gloucestershire is a county rich in beauty, history, and a high level of spiritual, mysterious, and paranormal activity. With a profusion of haunted inns, castles, houses and landscape features, the sensitive continue to feel the presence of spirits of the past absorbed into the fabric of places as diverse as the Iron Age burial chamber of Belas Knapp Long Barrow, the prisons at Gloucester and Littledean, and the 12th century Ancient Ram Inn at Wotton under Edge.  In this book I will also be looking at the stories behind the hauntings at Sudeley Castle, Chavenage House, St Briavels Castle, Woodchester Manson and Owlpen Manor.

Many report unsettling experiences at the Abbeys in Gloucester and Tewkesbury, the villages of Prestbury and Arlingham, and in the Montpelier and Pittville areas of Cheltenham. I visit eerie locations and unearth a selection of chilling tales shared by visitors. With everything I investigate in Gloucestershire I will question further to clarify the surprising or less well-known aspects, and unearth the quirky elements that may underlie what is known about the hauntings of this fascinating county.

Why not sign up to join me on my writing journey and receive my monthly newsletter direct to your inbox in which I share gems and snippets from my research discoveries, news and insights from the writing and publishing worlds and new cover reveals. Plus you’ll be the first to know when I have a new book coming out.

If you’d like to support me you can do so at buy me a coffee and I’d be very grateful.

Book Review: ‘St Nicholas Owen: Priest-Hole Maker’ by Tony Reynolds

This past weekend I visited Harvington Hall in Worcestershire – a 14th century house built upon an island and surrounded by a moat both of which can be traced back to the 13th century. A recusant Catholic family lived here so it was a focus for Jesuit priests who had come to Britain during the dangerous period of Catholic persecution in the reign of Elizabeth I. Their mission was to turn England back to Catholicism again.

Book cover image of St Nicholas Owen by Tony Reynolds

Harvington Hall is known as the House of Secrets as it has an incredibly complicated structure, designed to confuse visitors, and contains a total of seven ingenious priest-hides, many of which are known to have been constructed by Nicholas Owen, master priest-hole builder. Nicholas Owen is the patron saint of illusionists and escapologists, too!

Harvington Hall (photo credit Sheila Robinson)

In the shop at Harvington Hall I bought this book ‘St Nicholas Owen: Master Priest-Hole Maker‘ and finished reading it last night. It is a rivetting account of an enormously brave, loyal and gifted carpenter, stonemason and joiner, whose priest-holes in various Catholic houses were so cunning and clever, that there are probably still some around the country that are yet to be discovered. Baddesley Clinton Manor is one of the houses that benefited from Nicholas’s skill and loyalty. Baddesley Clinton is one of my favourite National Trust properties along with Coughton Court, and very near to where I live in Warwick; I’ve visited it many times.

Cafe tables and chairs in the back garden of Harvington Hall with copy of book St Nicholas Owen by Tony Reynolds (photo credit Sheila Robinson)

So I thought it was about time I read about the life of this fascinating and enigmatic man, Nicholas Owen, who was probably about five feet tall and was nevertheless amazingly strong, for he constructed most of the priest-holes unaided and by hand. He would excavate into thick walls; re-site staircases; change floor levels; create secret entrances from a swinging hinged floorboard or flagstone, and numerous other devices to burrow out a secret hide, where the priests could keep out of sight while pursuivants (priest-hunters) rampaged through the house tearing down panelling etc. I hadn’t previously realised that they also charged (or fined) the householder afterwards for the cost of their time and trouble wrecking the house!

Harvington Hall and moat (photo credit Sheila Robinson)

Ultimately Nicholas suffered for his hard work, dedication and prolific career; he was arrested and then tortured to death in the Tower of London, never giving away any of the names of the people he had associated with, whether Jesuit priests, or those responsible for hiding them. Later, the Catholic Church made him a saint.

View of Harvington Hall and front garden (photo credit Sheila Robinson)

This story tells all that is known about Nicholas, and it is riveting, emotional, moving and horrific. It is also a meticulous account, giving us a good background into the persecution and its historical significance. Ultimately the reader cannot but be awed by his courage and singlemindedness: and the same goes for the priests and those who shielded them. The Vaux sisters, Anne and Eleanor, stand out in this story too; and also the priests, Edmund Campion, Henry Garnet, Robert Southwell and John Gerard.

I have read of these priests before in the excellent book God’s Secret Agents by Alice Hogge – another book I can highly recommend.

Book cover image God’s Secret Agents by Alice Hogge

John Gerard effected an astonishing escape from imprisonment in the Tower of London – and remained in the country for several years afterwards, continuing his work in extreme danger, until he was recalled to the English college seminary in Rome again. Later he was asked to write a full account of his life; and to his dramatic account we are indebted for much of what we know about this period. It reads like a thriller, and readers cannot but have huge admiration for him.

Harvington Hall Moat (photo credit Sheila Robinson)

His fellow-priests were not so lucky, meeting the hideous death meted out to those designated ‘traitors’: hanging, drawing and quartering. It is heart-breaking to realise that Henry Garnet was condemned to execution along with several Gunpowder Plotters because one of them had confessed his plan, and Garnet had honoured the confidentiality of confession, and failed to reveal it to the authorities. So he went the way of the rest of them – even though he had strongly opposed the Plot, and advised the plotters against it. It is now even thought that the Plot was carried out by agents provocateurs – for it served to ruin the Catholic Cause in England – something any of them with insight must have foreseen (although of course we are always wise in hindsight!!)

As for Nicholas, even after he had been tortured to death, the final insult was that his torturers manufactured a story that he had committed suicide, to save themselves from getting into trouble. However, the truth will out, and now we know about the life and work of this remarkable man.

Read the book, and visit Harvington Hall, and some of the other historical houses which carry such rich stories in their very fabric.

Why not join me on my writing journey and sign up to receive my monthly newsletter straight to your inbox. I share gems and snippets from my research discoveries, and news and insights from the writing and publishing worlds, plus you’ll be the first to see new cover reveals and to know when I have a new book coming out.

If you’d like to support me through buy me a coffee I’d be very grateful!

Book Review: The Picture House Murders, historical cozy mystery by Fiona Veitch Smith

Today I’m delighted to bring you my review of the latest historical cosy mystery from Fiona Veitch Smith, set in 1929. Published by Embla Books on 19 August 2023, The Picture House Murders is book 1 in the Miss Clara Vale Mysteries. It’s available now and highly recommended.

Book cover image of The Picture House Murders by Fiona Veitch Smith

AUTHOR BIO

Fiona Veitch Smith is a lover of Golden Age mysteries and historical fiction and has been shortlisted for the CWA Historical Dagger. She has worked as a journalist, a university lecturer and a communications manager, and mentors new novelists. She grew up in Northumberland, then spent her teens and twenties in South Africa. She now lives in Newcastle upon Tyne.

Do visit her Miss Clara Vale website here. There’s additional background info there for readers. http://www.claravalemysteries.com/

Author Fiona Veitch Smith in the role of Miss Clara Vale, the main protagonist in her new historical cozy mystery, The Picture House Murders

MY REVIEW

I’m a great fan of Fiona’s previous series of cozy murder mysteries, with Poppy Denby as her heroine. Again, the period is the 1920s, and the central character is a woman ahead of her times.

I loved The Picture House Murders.   Pacy, page-turning, consistently interesting and engaging it is a worthy successor to the author’s Poppy Denby murder mystery series.

Set in 1929, most of the action takes place in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and the story is full of knowledgeable detail and insight into that major moment of transition in cinema history when the industry moved from the silent films to talkies. The author opens up for us the implications of that for small cinema owners.

Miss Clara Vale herself is a main protagonist we can empathise with, every step of the way: enlightened, independent, smart, rebellious: I loved her. I also applaud the author’s depiction of the huge challenges faced by an intelligent, talented, academically accomplished woman in those times, when faced with the misogyny that stems directly from the patriarchal system.

Misogyny of course is still with us, but Fiona Veitch Smith skilfully conveys the particular attitude many people would have had in 1929. Things were changing. Lawmakers were becoming aware of how unacceptable it was to treat women as second class citizens. But those shifts in society’s leaders had not yet filtered down to all members of society. As we know, major shifts in attitude take several generations to work themselves out within a society. So in this story we still have older family members, many themselves female, trying to compel a younger intelligent woman to lower her expectations in life, and focus only on marriage and babies as her sole purpose.

We also have men unwilling to concede that women may in fact inherit in their own names; they may open a bank account in their own names; and that firstborn males should no longer take precedence by default, in questions of inheritance. I notice too that the professionals in the story, solicitors and bankers, have started to feel slightly uncomfortable and ashamed about the belief that women are inferior. BUT in their hearts they still believe it.

The plot is exciting and fast-moving; Clara had never intended to take over a detective agency, but her uncle had believed in her sufficiently to name her in her will as the major beneficiary of his business, his money and his estate.

Inevitably there are snares on the path, strong and powerful adversaries, and some very cunning and malicious forces ready to deprive her of her rights, and to defeat and betray her. Clara is not quite sure throughout most of the story whether she is able or willing to take this on this detective agency. Yet her excellent scientific training and special knowledge carry her through an ingenious series of twists and turns.

I did wonder though, how tolerant and understanding people would have been of homosexuality at this time and in this society, when it was still illegal. I found myself thinking, “Would they have been so enlightened and so accepting at that time?” But such is the author’s impeccable research I can trust her for this.

A brilliant read and I look forward to Clara Vale’s next case!

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