I’ve had to revisit this article which I wrote before I got my very own copy of ‘Return to Windmill Land’
Read on and you’ll see that Michelle and Brian have been on my radar for a while, and only when I came to write this piece in the first place did I start to add the bits up. I still wasn’t there – looking at the cover I thought the book would be a factual recount of the Fylde – which is so far from the truth that I’ve had to come back for a PS!
My very own copy arrived yesterday, so as a designer/publisher I was first of all intrigued by Lulu, the platform on which it had been published, even though you won’t be interested in that!
Anyway, this being Christmas week and me being ‘on holiday’, last night when my family settled down to watch tv, I settled down to read my new book. It’s hilarious!
What I’ve really enjoyed about it is the absolute localness – the places I know, the people I know, the observations I know to be so true. It’s a brilliant observation of the area – and yes you’ll learn lots of historic facts and ‘Oh I didn’t know that’ things – but there’s also observation about the people who make the Fylde Coast so interesting.
It’s all peppered with humour and sharp eyed comment – from Brian and Michelle’s world, their friends and the people who have helped them to pull the book together, the people who all the members of the ‘Past’ Groups on Facebook know so well.
I kept passing it to Chrissie to read paragraphs, reading bits out loud, and wiping the tears from my face when I started laughing. Maybe it’s me – I don’t think it is – but by the good night it’s worth five quid or whatever I paid for it. Go and get yours now!
Michelle Harris and Brian Hughes – Local History Authors
Published 13.12.14
They laugh at me in our house. Chrissie Blogger loves watching murder films and I love watching ancient history documentaries!
I’m not on my own though, because there are hundreds, probably thousands of people right here on the Fylde Coast who share my fascination with the past, and it’s probably fair to say that the more grassroots and accessible that local history is, the nearer it is to places where we live and visit, the more we all love it.
We’ve mentioned the ‘Past’ Facebook Groups many times on the Visit Fylde Coast websites – popular pages for Blackpool, Thornton Cleveleys, Fleetwood, Poulton and more, and the two authors we’ve been talking to are regulars and stalwarts of both, and that was how we came to find out about ‘Return to Windmill Land’.
Their Facebook page of the same name (find it here) introduced their book as they were still writing it with the words… “You see, in 2016 it’ll have been exactly one hundred years since Allen Clarke’s ‘Windmill Land’ was first published and, because he’s one of our favourite authors – if you haven’t read his work you really should – we’re writing a sort of homage to him; an update if you prefer; a revisitation; a ‘Return to Windmill Land’.
“But we’re looking for information, as well as anecdotes, historical titbits and all sorts of other stuff; bits and pieces to drop into our own ‘Windmill Land’ book wherever necessary. Which is where this page comes in. …”
More about ‘Return to Windmill Land’
Allen Clarke was a very well known local historian who wrote a number of books up to the 1930’s, and he carried out cycling and walking tours of the Fylde in the WWI era, about which he wrote the original ‘Windmill Land’. Although he doesn’t discuss the war in his book he does talk about soldiers training locally in the area – there were various training trenches and barracks in these parts.
In their new book, Brian and Michelle go back to look at the lands which Allen visited, and to see just how, or indeed whether they have changed. For example Squires Gate is described as farmland, which clearly it isn’t now. On the other hand, Over Wyre is pretty much the same – including areas like Preesall and Pilling.
They’ve hunted out anecdotes, spoken to people and researched snippets of local folklore, hand-me-down bits of truly local history, and included it all in their book.
Brian’s a talented illustrator and he’s created beautiful line drawings to bring the 224 pages to life, created from fresh photos of modern scenes which they’ve been out and taken as they’ve tramped the trails so well used 100 years ago. It’s a lovely twist which evokes a feeling of the history and age of the scene, but with the actual buildings and sights which you’ll see if you go to visit the places right now.
This week turned into a bit of a Michelle and Brian week, all by coincidence. I knew the book was out and we’d arranged to chat, but before I did that I’d read about ‘Return to Windmill Land’ on publishing website Lulu and realised that it was a ‘revisit’ – putting the past into the context of today. Then, I’d stumbled across an aerial clip of The Mount at Fleetwood and having had permission from the film maker to use it on Visit Fleetwood, I went back to the existing pages to do some updating, add the video etc. A bit of Googling to check some details took me to the Wyre and Fylde Antiquarian website, which was the online portal for the Wyre Archaeology Group, of which Michelle and Brian were founder members and contributors. Then I discovered a string of books which they have written about various pieces of local history, some of which you can also get from Lulu.
You might have noticed that I can’t be doing with starchy phraseology, and so I love Brian’s turn of phrase. Much like the friendly and personal style we favour here at Visit Fylde Coast, he’s got a way with words that draws you in to read more. For example, there’s excited group banter on the Return to Windmill Land Facebook page about the arrival of the first run of books which people have ordered, to which Brian dryly replies ‘It’ll certainly help you to sleep’. I was smiling to myself when reading some of the snippets interjected into the piece about The Mount which I’d found online – at that point I’d realised our Brian was a bit of a wag!
Brian was born in Anchorsholme, and Michelle brought up in North Shore. Now living in Fleetwood they both have a fascination in local history that goes back to the year dot. In fact with the Wyre Archaeology Group they were the first ones to find an Iron Age Roundhouse at Bourne Hill in Thornton. Brian has always been an author and illustrator, and Michelle is head of ancient history and research – a partnership made in heaven I’m sure you’ll agree. They write local history books because they love doing it – and in doing so give a lot of people a lot of pleasure along with plenty of ‘Oh I didn’t know that’ moments!
Return to Windmill Land by Brian Hughes and Michelle Harris is available online from Lulu at an introductory price of just £5. I’ve ordered mine and you can order yours here and start your own collection of local history books.
‘Return to Windmill Land’ is just £5 and you can order yours here
This is Brian’s illustration of Dougal, the winning scarecrow in the Staining competition this summer.
Other posts you might be interested in:
- A Day in the life of Homer
- Andy and seafaring sayings
- Bobby Ball – in memory
- Cliff and his Fylde Coast wildlife
- John Barnett – High Sherriff of Lancashire
- Michelle Harris and Brian Hughes – Local History Authors
- Peter’s Make Music Live – Busk 2018
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