John Welford
Bio
John was a retired librarian, having spent most of his career in academic and industrial libraries.
He wrote on a number of subjects and also wrote stories as a member of the "Hinckley Scribblers".
Unfortunately John died in early July.
Stories (501)
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Eat less beef - save Planet Earth!
Eating much less meat – especially beef – would be an excellent way in which everyone could help the save the planet. The desire of human beings to eat meat is having a devastating impact on the planet we live on. This is not only because of the destructive pattern of land use that results but also because of the behaviour of the vast numbers of animals that are reared for food.
By John Welford5 years ago in Earth
The Merchant's Tale of January and May
The Merchant’s Tale is the last of the “marriage group” of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. These deal with different aspects of the theme of authority in marriage and include the Wife of Bath’s argument for the sovereignty of wives and the Clerk’s Tale of what can happen when a husband demands complete obedience from his wife. The Merchant turns the tables again with a story of a young wife deceiving an elderly husband.
By John Welford5 years ago in Geeks
A short history of the flute
It is quite possible that something vaguely resembling a flute was “played” by Neolithic people thousands of years ago when somebody discovered that blowing across the hole at one end of a hollow animal bone produced an interesting noise. Discoveries that have been made of pieces of bone with what appear to be fingerholes bored in them would seem to confirm that early man had primitive flutes or recorders with which to make music.
By John Welford5 years ago in Beat
Joseph Hansom and the Hansom Cab
Until a few years ago, the signs that welcomed visitors to the town of Hinckley in Leicestershire declared it to be the “Home of the Hansom Cab”. This might be thought to be a strange claim to make, given that Hansom cabs had not been seen on the streets of Hinckley or anywhere else for about a century, and most people would have very little idea what a Hansom cab was.
By John Welford5 years ago in FYI
The Clydesdale horse
The Clydesdale is one of three native British breeds of heavy horse, the others being the Suffolk Punch and the Shire. In the days before farm tractors, these horses were the mainstay of British agriculture, being bred to pull ploughs through heavy soil for hour after hour.
By John Welford5 years ago in Petlife
Peterborough Cathedral, Cambridgeshire
Peterborough Cathedral is perhaps the second finest Norman church in England after Durham Cathedral, and is certainly one of the least altered. The city of Peterborough, in north Cambridgeshire, has relatively few attractions for the visitor, but the cathedral makes the trip very worthwhile.
By John Welford5 years ago in Wander
Lichfield Cathedral, Staffordshire
Lichfield Cathedral’s claim to fame is that it is the only cathedral in Britain to have three spires (“The Ladies of the Vale”), two at the west end and the third, and tallest at 252 feet, at the crossing. It is unfortunate in that it has suffered from considerable damage over the centuries, and the various efforts at restoration have not always been sympathetic to the original design.
By John Welford5 years ago in Wander
Ely Cathedral, Cambridgeshire
Ely Cathedral is one of England’s architectural masterpieces, made all the more stunning by its location in the fens of north Cambridgeshire, such that it can be seen rising majestically from its flat surroundings from many miles away.
By John Welford5 years ago in Wander
