A YEAR ON THE BENCH
by Roger Jones
Benches are a welcome sight when we’re in need of resting weary legs. They are a commonplace in our city streets, on village greens, in well known beauty spots and other less obvious locations. They often display plaques which reveal the occasion which prompted the placing of such a bench and which, in many cases, are in memory of someone who has passed away and who had a fondness for a particular place. In walking along pavements and footpaths, the compiler of this book has recorded some of the many benches, and often their dedications, which he has passed and occasionally sat upon. And benches themselves display an extraordinary variety in their appearance and construction.
Colour throughout
96 pages; £6.50
by Roger Jones
Benches are a welcome sight when we’re in need of resting weary legs. They are a commonplace in our city streets, on village greens, in well known beauty spots and other less obvious locations. They often display plaques which reveal the occasion which prompted the placing of such a bench and which, in many cases, are in memory of someone who has passed away and who had a fondness for a particular place. In walking along pavements and footpaths, the compiler of this book has recorded some of the many benches, and often their dedications, which he has passed and occasionally sat upon. And benches themselves display an extraordinary variety in their appearance and construction.
Colour throughout
96 pages; £6.50
ANOTHER YEAR ON THE BENCH
by Roger Jones
A new album of benches, many of which bear dedications, collected in the years since A YEAR ON THE BENCH was published. More recently, benches have evolved into art works and, rather sinisterly, into conveniences on which to perch, not sit in comfort. This is known as the ‘hostile bench’.
Colour throughout
96 pages; £6.50
by Roger Jones
A new album of benches, many of which bear dedications, collected in the years since A YEAR ON THE BENCH was published. More recently, benches have evolved into art works and, rather sinisterly, into conveniences on which to perch, not sit in comfort. This is known as the ‘hostile bench’.
Colour throughout
96 pages; £6.50
A BOOK OF STILES AND FIELD CROSSINGS
by Roger Jones
More people walk in the countryside today than ever before, which means that more people negotiate field crossings. Yet the traditional stile – fashioned from stone, wood or metal, perhaps by the local mason, carpenter or blacksmith – is rapidly being replaced, thanks to considerations of health and safety, by gates, most often of galvanised steel. It seems worthwhile, at this stage in the evolution of our countryside, to record something of the variety of stiles and field crossings which it has been our pleasure to encounter and convenience to use.
Colour throughout
80 pages; £5.50
by Roger Jones
More people walk in the countryside today than ever before, which means that more people negotiate field crossings. Yet the traditional stile – fashioned from stone, wood or metal, perhaps by the local mason, carpenter or blacksmith – is rapidly being replaced, thanks to considerations of health and safety, by gates, most often of galvanised steel. It seems worthwhile, at this stage in the evolution of our countryside, to record something of the variety of stiles and field crossings which it has been our pleasure to encounter and convenience to use.
Colour throughout
80 pages; £5.50
BOOKPLATES: IMAGE AND STORY
A seond collection
by Roger Jones
Within are a further one hundred or so bookplates, almost all gleaned from books donated to the Oxfam bookshop where I volunteer once a week. It’s always a thrill to discover an example one hasn’t seen previously though it must be said that this is becoming a rarer occurrence as time marches on. A bookplate unique to an individual is one thing but unearthing something about his or her life story, most often with the aid of the world wide web, is a bonus. Here then are the fruits of my searches over the past few years.
100 pages; £6.50
A seond collection
by Roger Jones
Within are a further one hundred or so bookplates, almost all gleaned from books donated to the Oxfam bookshop where I volunteer once a week. It’s always a thrill to discover an example one hasn’t seen previously though it must be said that this is becoming a rarer occurrence as time marches on. A bookplate unique to an individual is one thing but unearthing something about his or her life story, most often with the aid of the world wide web, is a bonus. Here then are the fruits of my searches over the past few years.
100 pages; £6.50
BOOKPLATES: IMAGE AND STORY
A third collection
by Roger Jones
A third collection of bookplates, again mostly found in books donated to the Oxfam bookshop in Bath where I volunteer once a week. The small thrill of opening a book and finding a bookplate attached to the inside cover or front endpaper never dims especially, as is usually the case, when one had not previously seen it. I don’t desire possession of the artefact itself; it is sufficient to scan the image and store it for future perusal and, of course, to search for information about to whom it belonged. However, having being a publisher for the past forty plus years I much enjoy the process of making books, so much so that I cannot resist the temptation of putting these freshly seen bookplates between covers.
100 pages; £6.50
A third collection
by Roger Jones
A third collection of bookplates, again mostly found in books donated to the Oxfam bookshop in Bath where I volunteer once a week. The small thrill of opening a book and finding a bookplate attached to the inside cover or front endpaper never dims especially, as is usually the case, when one had not previously seen it. I don’t desire possession of the artefact itself; it is sufficient to scan the image and store it for future perusal and, of course, to search for information about to whom it belonged. However, having being a publisher for the past forty plus years I much enjoy the process of making books, so much so that I cannot resist the temptation of putting these freshly seen bookplates between covers.
100 pages; £6.50
WALKING TOUR OF THE BRADFORD HUNDRED
by Roger Jones
In need of a project but unable to drive during the days of Lockdown in April and May 2020, as his permitted daily exercise the author undertook a series of walks. From home in Bradford on Avon he visited each of the nine tithings within the ancient district of the Bradford Hundred. At the heart of these tithings lie the villages of Limpley Stoke, Winsley, Monkton Farleigh, South Wraxall, Atworth, Broughton Gifford, Holt, Wingfield and Westwood. The sun shone throughout the months and, already somewhat familiar with these communities, it was a particular pleasure to seek out previously unwalked lanes and footpaths on routes there and back. The author is in possession of a 1940 West Wilts Directory organised in terms of the Bradford Hundred and its constituent tithings so there were interesting comparisons to be drawn. Much has changed in the intervening 80 years but village life continues to thrive, even without the range of facilities and level of self sufficiency enjoyed in earlier times.
Colour throughout
66 pages; £6.50
by Roger Jones
In need of a project but unable to drive during the days of Lockdown in April and May 2020, as his permitted daily exercise the author undertook a series of walks. From home in Bradford on Avon he visited each of the nine tithings within the ancient district of the Bradford Hundred. At the heart of these tithings lie the villages of Limpley Stoke, Winsley, Monkton Farleigh, South Wraxall, Atworth, Broughton Gifford, Holt, Wingfield and Westwood. The sun shone throughout the months and, already somewhat familiar with these communities, it was a particular pleasure to seek out previously unwalked lanes and footpaths on routes there and back. The author is in possession of a 1940 West Wilts Directory organised in terms of the Bradford Hundred and its constituent tithings so there were interesting comparisons to be drawn. Much has changed in the intervening 80 years but village life continues to thrive, even without the range of facilities and level of self sufficiency enjoyed in earlier times.
Colour throughout
66 pages; £6.50
JOURNAL OF A TOUR FROM CLAVERTON, BATH TO LANDS END IN 1797
by John Skinner
The fashion for home travel was well established by the close of the eighteenth century when John Skinner undertook his two-month long tour. Less fashionable was his destination: the West of England. Whilst many of his contemporaries followed William Gilpin to the Lake District, North Wales or the Wye Valley in search of picturesque landscape, comparatively few were willing to tolerate the poor roads of Devon and Cornwall. From his home near Bath, Skinner visited Wells and Taunton and spent a month in Sidmouth. Here he accepted an invitation from his friend Dr Flammank of Bodmin. Following a week visiting places in and around that town, he set out on a tour to Land’s End. Unlike many of his contemporaries, the young John Skinner’s interests are wide ranging and his observations for the most part fresh and first hand; his natural curiosity and ingenuous style engages the reader from Somerset to Land’s End and back again. In addition to recording his travels in his daily journal, Skinner also drew many sketches on the spot, in the same way that we now use cameras and mobile phones to snap the places we visit. To these he would later add colour, such as the one of Teignmouth below.
Includes 14 pages of colour illustrations
76 pages; £7.00
by John Skinner
The fashion for home travel was well established by the close of the eighteenth century when John Skinner undertook his two-month long tour. Less fashionable was his destination: the West of England. Whilst many of his contemporaries followed William Gilpin to the Lake District, North Wales or the Wye Valley in search of picturesque landscape, comparatively few were willing to tolerate the poor roads of Devon and Cornwall. From his home near Bath, Skinner visited Wells and Taunton and spent a month in Sidmouth. Here he accepted an invitation from his friend Dr Flammank of Bodmin. Following a week visiting places in and around that town, he set out on a tour to Land’s End. Unlike many of his contemporaries, the young John Skinner’s interests are wide ranging and his observations for the most part fresh and first hand; his natural curiosity and ingenuous style engages the reader from Somerset to Land’s End and back again. In addition to recording his travels in his daily journal, Skinner also drew many sketches on the spot, in the same way that we now use cameras and mobile phones to snap the places we visit. To these he would later add colour, such as the one of Teignmouth below.
Includes 14 pages of colour illustrations
76 pages; £7.00
BRADFORD ON AVON IN LOCKDOWN
April–May 2020
by Roger Jones
A photographic record of the town’s weeks in Lockdown
Colour throughout
32 pages; £2.50
April–May 2020
by Roger Jones
A photographic record of the town’s weeks in Lockdown
Colour throughout
32 pages; £2.50