Browsing recently in a charity shop, I came across a copy of a book I had at home on my shelf of treasured children’s books. I was young when I first read it and it proved to be a seminal book, one to which I have been indebted ever since. First published in 1937, it was written by a Wesleyan minister who roamed England in a horse-drawn caravan, writing as he went of the countryside and its wildlife. He called himself Romany.
Born in 1884 in Hull, “Romany” was George Bramwell Evens, the son of a true-blood gipsy mother and a Salvation Army lieutenant father. His fame grew gradually from the appearance of his first book A Romany in the Fields in 1929. This was followed by three more until 1937 when Out with Romany was published, the first in a series of six books which continued until his death in 1943. All the books became bestsellers and Romany became a household name with his Out with Romany programmes on BBC Radio. These began on BBC Northern Children’s Hour and went nationwide in 1938.
The programmes and books provided welcome relief and interest throughout the war, when everyone yearned for a romantic view of the countryside, a yearning that is still with us today.
The reason for Romany’s success was the skill with which he imparted expert knowledge of natural history with an air of relaxed enjoyment. He was the David Attenborough of his day for the young, initiating an enthusiasm for wildlife.
To appreciate his books we have to look to his formative years. Although his childhood was imbued with the Christian religion, a life devoted to it was not the sort of life he would have chosen for himself. His mother, in later years, admitted: “I gave him to the church before he was born,” and he never found the over-emotionalism of Mission meetings to his liking.
At school he was an all-round athlete, captain of football and cricket, had a talent for art and was a gifted musician. Fortunately, his headmaster interpreted the Bible in a way that treated equally the beauty of religion and the natural world around him. Steered as he was
into Wesleyan ways, he became a genuinely sincere and convinced Christian. A rebellious streak remained, however, and a tendency to be outspoken singled him out from the early days of his induction.
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Anglesey's Beacon
South Stack Lighthouse.
Wiltshire's Strange Place Names
The county of Wiltshire is famous for unusual ancient sites such as the standing stones at Avebury and Stonehenge, and the man-made mound of Silbury Hill. It also has its fair share of places with strange and amusing names. Blue Vein, Knockdown and Bleet are just a few.
Escape To The Lake District
The early months in the lead up to summer offer the perfect chance for the first warm weather getaway of the year. Spring wafts in with the promise of summer bursting forward, and a trip to the mountains makes it extra special.
Music Makers
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Then & Now
Banbury Market Place, Oxfordshire
On The Air
Well-loved programmes from the world of wireless.
Cinemagic
I love the history and grandeur of my little London retreat; some say it is too big for me alone, but I love the space.” Ava Gardner’swords might perhaps conjure images of some bijou bolt-hole nestled in the heart of the capital, but the beautiful Hollywood star was actually referring to her 3,000 square foot home on the first floor of 34 Ennismore Gardens in Knightsbridge. It was here in this elegant garden square flat that she spent the last decades of her life enjoying a surprisingly quiet existence.
Rural Rides
How many of us search for a dream, and then spend a lifetime fulfilling it? Clough Williams-Ellis spent 20 years seeking the ideal location to build his Italianate village and 50 years building it. Originally he thought an island might be a possible location, but it was only when he came to an untamed peninsula on the breathtaking Traeth Bach tidal estuary that he realised he had finally found his chosen spot.
The Literary Pilgrim
Browsing recently in a charity shop, I came across a copy of a book I had at home on my shelf of treasured children’s books. I was young when I first read it and it proved to be a seminal book, one to which I have been indebted ever since. First published in 1937, it was written by a Wesleyan minister who roamed England in a horse-drawn caravan, writing as he went of the countryside and its wildlife. He called himself Romany.
Almanac
The Lady Of Vision.
