Woking Writers’ Week – Special Feature

As we know, Woking is a town of huge historical interest. Two authors in particular have recorded much of its heritage with their own titles. Check out these excellent books by Alan Crosby and Marion Field.

Read on to find out more...

A History of Woking by Alan Crosby

Woking, though the largest town in Surrey, is known to many only as a railway junction and might seem to be the archetype of suburban dormitories with no past or any interest. However, this first comprehensive account of its origins and growth shows that Woking, with its associated villages of Byfleet, Horsell and Pyrford, can trace its varied history back over fourteen centuries. Inevitably, the book concentrates on the period since 1800, during which the present town has evolved. The landscape and character of the area at the end of the 18th century are described as a prelude to a fascinating account of the unique new town of the 1870s and its bizarre origin as the speculation of a cemetery company. The author paints a vivid and detailed picture of the conditions that prevailed, often primitive and even squalid, during the vigorous expansion of the late 19th century. A series of institutions, prominent in the development of Woking included Britain's largest cemetery and oldest crematorium, the first mosque in Western Europe and an abortive university. All are given full attention in the author's compelling narrative which carries the history up to the present day.

 

Buy the book from Amazon HERE

 

Secret Woking by Marion Field

Woking is a rather strange place. The Saxon village of ‘Old Woking’ appears in the Domesday Book but ‘new’ Woking is a nineteenth-century town. Over the years, the town has continually reinvented itself. Demolished buildings have been rebuilt and new roads streak across the countryside. However, the names of roads are often a reminder of Woking’s past inhabitants. Woking has become a popular place to work, and nowadays many people travel from London to work while others reverse the journey to work in the city. Secret Woking contains a collection of lesser-known facts about the town and ‘secrets’ that will be brought into the open – from owing its existence to a cemetery, something few towns can claim, to a Nazi spy, gruesome murders, royal visitors, a horse’s cremation, and a look at a number of colourful eccentrics. Join Marion Field as she delves into all of these stories and others, and learn more about Woking’s hidden past. 

* Marion has written a number of other books about Woking and its rich history, all of which can be found on Amazon and elsewhere on the internet.

 

Buy the book from Amazon HERE

 

Note: The renowned local historian, Iain Wakeford has written a number of booklets and guides about Woking and its surrounding villages across the years. Other books such as his early work, Bygone Woking appear to be currently out of print. You can find out more about Iain's writing and his many informative booklet publications from his website at: https://wokinghistory.org/

 

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Woking Writers’ Week - Special Feature

It’s a dog’s life ~ Check out the 'Bertie and Winnie' book series… as two authors, who have never physically met, come up with this enchanting creation. Dylan H. Beckett represents the Woking half of the duo.

Read on to find out more...

 About the books…
 

One unlikely friendship, many transatlantic letters, and just as many adventures later, Bertie and Winnie return in this latest book with nothing to lose and the world to see!

In the latest book in the series, 'The Journeys of Bertie and Winnie', adventure abounds as Bertie and Winnie, their long-lost romance rekindled, embark on a grand tour of Europe—but little goes quite as planned. And change is afoot in America, prompting a restless Winnie and her friend Lottie to escape to the UK on holiday. Both pairs make new friends and stumble into some tricky situations, whilst solving a historic mystery and discovering a hidden past.

Bertie & Winnie reminds us that detours may be just as meaningful as destinations, and that love and friendship will weather all storms along the way.

"There are snippets of things related to Woking, given I’ve lived here a long time," writes co-author, Dylan. "A reference to St John’s albeit in London (book 1), where there is a real park named that. Many of the places in MA are real too, the whisper bench on the coast, for example, these references are generally in all books. We had great fun researching the real places and adding them to the books. There are numerous references, which have been annotated and we liked to add in little hints to things that happened at later dates. The books are set in 1978-79 and the letters show more specific dates. For example, Bertie was watching TV in his flat in Dolphin Square, London and up popped a funny little character called Morph, I added a line that Bertie said that Morph could do with a friend to banter with, Chas, who hadn't appeared on the show yet, or the incident with the VW badge in Germany when one fell off Bertie's van when he was searching for the filler cap. He ended up putting a chain on it and giving it to a young pup who wore it around his neck, in reference to the Beastie Boys phenomena."

More about the authors… 

Britt L. Gourley hails from Swampscott, MA, in the USA and Dylan H. Beckett is from Woking, England. Both authors write using pseudonyms. Britt has a Master’s degree in English Literature and Dylan is a designer. They met online during the first UK lockdown of 2020 and have collaborated on three books in the Bertie & Winnie series. Their work has helped sustain them through the challenges of the global pandemic and by having a common aim of publishing a book they got to know each other better. Their hope is that the stories will give their readers something to smile about.

All titles are available from Lulu.com HERE

 A brief interview with Dylan…

 

When did you start writing your new book?

December 2020

What was the inspiration behind the book?

We were exchanging snippets of family lore and sharing stories of our own and other people’s pets when we hit upon the notion of transatlantic tales incorporating these ideas. The Journeys of Bertie & Winnie is the third book in the series that was thus inspired.

Can you describe your route to publication from concept to completed novel?

Lots of talking via What’s App, lots of brainstorming, and an abundance of positivity, along with plenty of multicoloured text in various Google docs as we added, suggested, commented, and edited.

What ideas do you have for any future books?

We are already working on a fourth book, which is going to contain a number of short stories, with some of the familiar characters from the Bertie & Winnie series making cameo appearances. It’s full of humour and hijinks.

Which publishing services (if any) would you recommend?

Lulu, self-publishing. There was a learning curve in getting the book artwork and content in the correct format and some teething problems with the system, but overall, it is a useful free service to use. 

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Submit Your Book

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Woking Writers’ Week – Special Feature

Thirty-three years ago, in May 1988, Woking celebrated 150 years of the railway coming to the town with a weekend of festivities set in the down yard sidings at Woking’s railway station.

Two former train drivers who were based at Woking’s Mixed Traction Depot in the 1980s, Geoff Burch from Worplesdon and Jim Lester from Horsell, have since become respected authors in their own right, both recollecting their prolific railway careers.

Read on to find out more...

 

Geoff Burch – Ramblings of a Railwayman 

A superbly self-written and published 236-page book lavishly illustrated with mainly previously unseen colour photographs accompanied by informative and often amusing stories from the authors former railway colleagues from Guildford, Eastleigh, Salisbury and Weymouth engine sheds. There are some rare photographs from driver Jim Wattleworth"s collection on his sojourn at St Johns Road shed in Ryde, Isle of Wight during the sunset of steam on the island and if you are a fan of Southern steam, Geoff Burch"s books are an essential read, as are his regular railway talks in the Surrey area. Altogether a remarkable achievement from Geoff who left school aged 15 to become a cleaner, fireman, driver then instructor with a long and varied career on the railway. – Amazon Review by Ben Darnton

Buy from Amazon HERE

Geoff Burch at a book signing event

Other books by Geoff are Further Ramblings of a Railwayman and Rambling Railwayman’s Recollections. All books are rated as five-star reads.

 

 Jim Lester – Southern Region Engineman

Jim Lester started his career as a cleaner at Nine Elms in 1957, later being based at Woking before moving on to Eurostar in the 1990s. As would be expected he passed through the ranks, becoming fireman, and then passed fireman by the very end of the steam age. Ordinarily this would be both a story and a path trod by countless others before, but Jim s tale is exceptional as he was chosen to be the fireman on perhaps the most famous of all steam workings out of Waterloo in the closing days of steam, that of the funeral train for Sir Winston Churchill. A born raconteur, he ensures that this is no ordinary book of reminiscences. Instead it is the story of the last years of steam from someone who was 'inside the fence', not simply viewing it from the end of the platform. We are treated to the intimate details of the men he worked with and the many locomotives he worked on. The routes, the trains and the experiences are all revealed providing a complete portrait of life on the railway. Supplemented by many unpublished illustrations taken from the footplate and of the men who formed the Nine Elms and Feltham workforce, here is the true story of a Southern Region Engineman.

Buy from Amazon HERE

 

Jim Lester - Pic: Courtesy Yorkshire Post

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Woking Writers' Week : 30 May - 5 June 2021

Welcome to the very first Woking Writer’s Week, hosted by Writers at the Gate. Woking is a Surrey town famous for producing some great talent and attracting some notorious residents from the world of art, literature and music. Everyone knows about The Jam and H.G. Wells et al, but what about our current writers, many of whom have enjoyed various levels of success, but could do with a bit more exposure?

One of Sean Henry’s Woking statues gets a friendly make-over for Writers' Week

Woking Writer’s Week is all about showcasing the work of our local authors. Just click on the links below to find out more... you won’t be disappointed! 

Support Your Local Authors

Sunny Angel author of 'Wings'

Lelita Baldock author of 'Widow's Lace'

AlanDale author of 'Theta Double Dot'

Mal Foster author of  'Jude & Bliss'

Jacquelynn Luben author of 'Lost Innocents'

Sue Mackender author of  'Girl on the Hill'

Harriet Steel author of 'High Wire in Nuala'

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WOKING'S SLIGHTLY MORE FAMOUS AUTHORS

H.G.Wells

Woking is a town already famous for its writing inhabitants, not least of all, one Herbert George Wells (1866-1946) who of course is famous for his classic novels The War of the Worlds and The Time Machine.

 

Wells in Woking

Dame Hilary Mantel MBE 

Dame Hilary Mantel MBE, the twice Man Booker Prize winner is said to have penned much of her famous novel, Wolf Hall, whilst residing in her penthouse suite at the former Brookwood Asylum/Hospital in Knaphill.

 

Check out Woking’s The Light Box, to find out much more about the town's many other famous authors including Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry V11 and owner of Woking Palace and amongst others, Alfred Bestall, famous for the Rupert the Bear comic books who is buried at Brookwood Cemetery.

Woking Writers Circle

 

Woking also has a vibrant writing circle, Alan Dale (pictured above) is an active member. You can find out more about the group at https://wokingwriters.wordpress.com or by email from Peter Morley at morleypg@gmail.com

Note: Writers at the Gate is not affiliated with the above writers' group.

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