2000 Years of English History.
This book is about the remarkable people from this modest Huntingdonshire village who, over the past two millennia of England’s history, exercised power and influence both locally and on the national stage. The book gives a detailed biography of each of these characters, setting their lives in the wider context of English history from the time of the Romans to the present day.
An introduction to Chapter 29: Staughton Manor Railway Station
This chapter tells the story of the adventurous life of John Howey. A speed fanatic, he built an ambitious model railway in the grounds of Staughton Manor. An observer in an FE2 biplane during the First World War, he was shot down and taken prisoner. After the war, he was a familiar sight at Brooklands, racing his 7 litre Leyland. Returning to his railway obsession, he founded the Romney Hythe and Dymchurch Railway.
And his story began in Great Staughton.
Book progress
I never realised that book publishing was such a complicated business. Fortunately, my designer, Mary, took my Word manuscript and is putting it into book shape. The book will published on the Amazon KDP platform and one advantage of this process is that the book can be printed on demand. In the olden days a publisher would print a limited run which meant that you ended up with 500 copies in your garage. Another advantage of the KDP system is that three versions of the book can be produced: an e-book, paperback and hardback. Mary has just delivered the first version of the e-book which contains all the illustrations in the correct layout. So we are inching towards publication. Some of the illustrations are from public collections and I have been surprised and delighted with the helpful responses I have had from the National Portrait Gallery, British Library, Greenwich Naval Museum as well as the Cromwell Museum in Huntingdon and the Norris Museum in St Ives, all of whom readily gave permission to use images of paintings and documents.
Feedback is welcome: aw.staughton@gmail.com
NEXT WEEK: Chapter 30: Prelude to war
The next chapter of the book will be uploaded to the website on Monday April 10
Click the PDF below to read Chapter 29.
