LOCAL AUTHORS
Tavistock Canal Poetry Trail Guide Figures in a Frame by Dan Bishop by Simon Dell
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This charming little guide to the Tavistock Canal Poetry Trail starts with a brief history of the canal written by Simon Dell. This sets the scene for the poetry trail and gives valuable background information on why the canal was built by the mining engineer John Taylor. This was initially to transport uide copper ores from the G l i a r T Poetry Wheal Friendship mining complex at Mary Tavy to the port of Morwellham on the navigable River Tamar. The canal was deliberately built on an incline which generated a current, meaning that only one horse was needed to transport the ores from Tavistock to Morwellham, but two were needed to pull barges back against the flow. The current was also used as a source of power for waterwheels for agriculture along the length of the canal... Today the flowing water is used as a source of energy to generate hydroelectricity which feeds into the National Grid. The canal builders also aimed to exploit any ores, particularly copper, found while blasting out the canal tunnel. The canal took from 1803 to 1817 to complete with fourteen years spent on the tunnel. This also involved some mining operations at Wheal Crebor and Crowndale.
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The Poetry Trail Guide chapter written by James Crowden walks you along the length of the canal from Abbey Bridge, passing Drake’s statue and his birthplace at Crowndale. The chapter also details the schools involved in generating the poetry in 2002 and 2012 from workshops led by James Crowden. It points out all the places where there are plaques bearing poetry. These poems were all written by the children and were inspired by the canal itself and the mysterious magic which it generates as it flows quietly by. The poems enrich the experience of a walk along the canal. The chapter ends with a poem by James Crowden at the point where it is no longer permitted to walk the canal and is a tribute to John Taylor. Available at Tavistock Visitor Information Centre
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Having spent 40 fulfilling years performing Punch & Judy for a living, I decided it was time to ease off a little. Mr Punch has been good to me, providing the chance to meet many memorable people over the years, make lasting friendships, and travel to amazing places. So, what better subject to write about than Mr Punch? And where better to commence than in London in 1789: the time of the early days of the street Punch & Joan show, the Italian showman Giovanni Piccini, and the onset of the French Revolution? The novel is written in four parts, set in London and France in times of social turbulence, unrest and war between 1789 and 1828. The story revolves around the central character of 28-year-old Eddy Adams, and begins in Newgate Prison, where he and a French puppet showman, Henri Castillou, are both awaiting execution. Following their escape with the help of the enigmatic Calvert, and separated from Henri, Eddy initially becomes entangled with a band of highway robbers, leading to an affair with one of their number - an extraordinary woman called Rumer. He then subsequently falls in with Italian street puppeteer Giovanni Piccini… Published by United Writers on 15th October 2021: ISBN 9781852002039; £12.95 (paperback); available at Book Stop, Tavistock and at www.unitedwriters.co.uk
Princetown & the Conscientious Objectors of WW1 by Pip Barker Over 16,000 men refused to fight in World War One and became known as Conscientious Objectors. Their initial incarceration in prison was deemed unsuitable for many and they were then sent to work centres to be engaged on work of national importance. One such work centre was in the village of Princetown, Devon - home of the notorious Dartmoor prison. This book explores its change of purpose to that of Dartmoor Work Centre, and the daily life, type of work, and health of COs held there. It also looks at the impact of their arrival on the local community and the attitudes of the village
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