Welcome to my Home Page

University of Nottingham

I studied Chemistry at the University of Nottingham from 1957 to 1963. The teaching staff in the Department of Chemistry were, and still are, a very talented bunch and I thoroughly enjoyed my years as an undergraduate and later as a post-graduate student. Many of their lectures were entertaining as well as informative; here is a collection of the more memorable quotations from them.

Egyptology

A Nile cruise in 1997 and more recent visits to Cairo, Giza, Saqqara, Dahshur, Dendara and Abydos stimulated an interest in ancient Egyptian history and culture. I am particularly interested in the New Kingdom, have visited several sites in Upper Egypt (Aswan, Edfu and Luxor), and hope to visit many more once my grasp of hieroglyphs has improved. I recommend anyone with an interest in current work in the Luxor area to visit the Theban Mapping Project website which gives up-to-date information on work in the Valley of the Kings, including progress with the excavation of the tomb of the sons of Ramesses II.

Images of Egypt - a selection of photographs taken on our visits to that most fascinating of countries.

Family History Research

I am actively researching the histories of all lines of my family and, having pretty well exhausted the period covered by Civil Registration and the 1841-1891 Censuses, I am exploring Parish Registers. Many of my ancestors were farmers in Cheshire or lead miners in Derbyshire, both areas are well documented in one way or another and I am hopeful of getting back to 1700 or before on most branches without too much trouble. Visit my Family History Page where you will find my current research interests, summary family trees, links to several Family History Society sites, the Catley Database, datasets of events extracted from a variety of sources and brief biographies of selected individuals.

New on the Family History Page:

	Nov 2006	Mystery photograph - The Family Grave of James Westbrook
	Oct 2009	Surname Data Sets updated, about 300 new records added
	Oct 2011	Census and Surname Data Sets, and Trade Directory extracts updated. Olby One-Name Study data updated.

Wild Oat Books

I am writing a series of books for publication by Wild Oat Books:

• 'From Flints to Fireplaces' - the Olby families of Brandon and their descendants [published February 2006]
• 'Base Lead and Shining Silver' - the Hall family of Middleton-by-Wirksworth and Sheffield [published December 2006]

The Questors Theatre, Ealing

The Questors, the UK's largest non-professional theatre, has comprehensive facilities for lighting and sound in two auditoria and I spend many evenings and weekends working on the lighting and, occasionally, on the sound for shows. I have been a lighting designer since 1997 (qv lighting designs), doing two or three shows a year, which is great fun as I really enjoy attending rehearsals and watching the production take shape before getting down to the actual task of designing and setting up the lighting. I always try to see the shows in production - when I can get a seat, several have been 'sold out'.

Walking

There are plenty of good walks in and within 50 miles of London, but most are rather flat. In the early summer I escape to the Lake District to indulge myself on some real hills! And, of course, having a good pub lunch is all part of the enjoyment. Here is a small selection of my favourite pubs:

Cumbria: 'The Queens Head', Hawkshead Tel: 01594 36271 Fax: 01594 36722 Email: enquiries@queensheadhotel.co.uk
    Website: www.queensheadhotel.co.uk [OS Map ref: SD 352 983]. Excellent food, ideal for dinner after a long day on the fells.

Cumbria: 'The Drunken Duck', near Hawkshead [OS Map ref: NY 351 013]. Signposted from the Clappersgate to Hawkshead road, the name itself is an attraction
    but the food is also very good. They have their own award winning micro-brewery.

Cumbria: 'The Britannia Inn', Elterwater Tel: 015394 372210 Fax: 015394 37311 Email: info@britinn.co.uk [OS Map ref: NY 328 048].
    An ideal lunch stop for walks in the Langdale valleys, on Loughrigg or by Elterwater/Skelwith Force.
    The village shop opposite the pub sells excellent locally produced ice creams.

Cumbria: 'The Woolpack Inn', near Eskdale [OS Map ref: NY 190 010]. Just the place to stop for lunch or a drink to recover from or prepare for the drive across the Hardknott Pass.

Cumbria: 'The Dog and Gun', 2 Lake Road, Keswick, Cumbria, CA12 5BT Excellent local beers and home-cooked food, including their famous goulash.

Cumbria: 'The Horse & Farrier Inn', Threlkeld near Keswick, Cumbria, CA12 4SQ [Tel: 017687 79688]
    Four miles from Keswick along the Keswick railway footpath and a couple of miles from the castlerigg Stone Circle.
    A good destination for a refreshing beer and a nourishing pub lunch.

Gloucestershire: 'The Red Lion Inn', Westbury on Severn (Tel/Fax: 01452-760-221) [OS Map ref: SO 717 140].
    Run by John and Liz Parry, their home cooked food is delicious. Comfortable rooms for B&B.