Welcome to my Home Page.
You will find links here to all my pages where you can read some of my published
articles, essays, book summaries and buy some original craft work.
Braughing - A small Hertfordshire village renowned for its locally produced sausages,
the annual ‘Old Mans Day’ celebration and the famous wheelbarrow race.
Folly Island - A real island in the middle of Hertford, the county town of Hertfordshire
which has a fascinating history as a port and from where barges carrying malt started
their journey to the London brewers.
The Old Bedford Music Hall - the story of the stars of variety who played at the
music hall that stood in Camden High Street, North London which fell into decay
with the coming of Hollywood and TV.
George Robey - A short biography of one of the greats of British Music Hall dubbed
‘The Prime Minster of Mirth’.
Round the Horne - An article on one of the iconic comedy shows of BBC radio. This
page has audio clips from the cast of outlandish characters and links to many of
the recordings and books on Amazon.
Flanders & Swann - An article on the famous musical duo who managed to combine humour
with some serious issues such as ‘The Reluctant Cannibal’ and ‘The Hippopotamus Song’.
This page has audio clips from the shows and links to recordings on Amazon.
Sir Alec Guinness - An obituary originally published in The Stage magazine on the
death of one of the major British stars of stage, film and TV.
Leslie Welch - known as ‘The Memory Man’ he could recall the most obscure sporting
detail as part of his radio and stage act but one day just vanished from the professional
theatre.
Le Petomane - Alfred Pujol was the greatest star on the variety halls in turn of
nineteenth century France. He outsold Sarah Bernhardt at the Moulin Rouge. What was
his act? He farted.
Henry Andrews - Best known as the editor of Old Moore’s Almanac but he was also a
renowned astronomer.
Charles Bradshaw - His name passed into common speech as the publisher of Bradshaws
Railway Timetables without which Sherlock Holmes could not have solved all the crimes
that he did. This page has a link to a music hall song about a girl who gets lost
and is rescued by a gentleman with a copy of a ‘Bradshaw’.
The Camden Town Murder -
The murder of Emily Dimmock in 1907 was headline news. Robert Wood, a local artist
was accused of her murder and tried at the Old Bailey. He was acquitted. My book
now in paperback examines this case with new forensic and unpublished material and
offers what I consider to be the conclusive solution to this 100 year old murder
mystery.
The Tunnels of Hertford -
A story in 2004 published in the Hertfordshire Mercury claimed that a network of
tunnels exists beneath the streets of Hertford and is the meeting place for the
descendants of the Knights Templar and a modern group of the Illuminati. This essay
provides the evidence to suggest that it is all a great big hoax.
Hidden Hertford -
This project has now closed but I have placed on these pages over 20 photographs
of Hertford following the town centre tour developed for this project. You can buy
a 4gb silver ipod nano from this page with the audio visual guide in full and commentary
in English, French, German and Polish.
The Imbibers Sign -
If you are interested in astrology and enjoy the odd alcoholic beverage then these
greetings cards could be just what you are looking for.
The Spurs Double Side -
A tribute page to the great Spurs League and Cup winning side of 1960 -1961.
How to win the Lottery
Some number sequences in Lottery draws that will help reduce the odds in your favour
and make winning the big prizes just a bit closer.
Brewing in Hertford - A short history of the malting and brewing industry in the
county town and a note as to the origins of bottled beer.
Easter - A stone stands in the grounds of Hertford Castle to commemorate the first
Synod of 673AD when the Archbishops set the rules for determining the day on which
Easter would fall each year.
Hertfordshire Clergy - Accounts of local clergymen noted for their eccentric behaviour
down through the last couple of centuries.
The Wicked Lady - the story of Katherine Ferrers, known as the Wicked Lady. But was
she really the highwaywoman of legend or has history not served her well. This long
essay in two parts offers the definitive answer.
Thomas Clarkson - Just outside Hertford on Wadesmill Hill there is a monument to
Thomas Clarkson who along with William Wilberforce campaigned to end slavery. There
is a legend that a group of negro US airmen cleaned the memorial but the answer was
a bit more mundane.
Charles Macintosh - Macintosh was a Glaswegian inventor most known for surprisingly
the ‘macintosh’.
Jerome K Jerome - this follows and comments on the route Jerome, George and Harris
took in ‘Three Men in a Boat’ through Buckinghamshire, passing Medneman Abbey, home
to the Hell Fire Club.
St Bruno - more about the pipe tobacco than the saint and why its trademark is a
St Bernard.
The Home Page of John Barber
Magnets by Design
A store selling fridge magnets based on traditional folk art as well as Mondrian
inspired designs and all the 32 World Cup 2010 flags. You can also select birthday
badges which can be personalised with any design and any age. Together with nameplates
these attach by magnets - not pins which can stick into young bodies or ruin clothing.
An on- line resource of news stories from the 1980’s with more available by subscription.
The whole collection of 11 monthly issues covering 1979 - 1991 costs just £4.99 or
posted without illustrations £2.99. The first issue FREE. Find out more.
