Tuesday, 12 November 2024
How Warwickshire helped give Britain the fireworks bug
Thursday, 7 November 2024
Somerset's role in the explosive history of fireworks
Great to be interviewed by Simon Parkin of BBC Radio Somerset about my new book 'A History of Fireworks from their Origins to the Present Day' (Reaktion Books). We talked about fireworks' mysterious beginnings, their first appearance in England, how a court case about a firework thrown in Milborne Port market made legal history, why Bridgwater (pictured) became a hotbed of Bonfire Night celebrations, the Bath firework maker who kept losing wives in accidents and much more. You can catch the interview via this link at about 2 hr 19 mins in
Saturday, 12 October 2024
A History of Fireworks: my interview on New Books Network
newbooksnetwork.com/history-of-fireworks-from-their-origins-to-the-present-day
Friday, 13 September 2024
Denmark Place: London's forgotten fire that killed 37 people
In 1980, the area in London's Charing Cross Road near the junction with Oxford Street where the new Tottenham Court Road station stands, was a hotbed of unlicensed drinking clubs. The police were always closing them down, but they always seemed to open up again under new management.
On Monday 18 August, they were due to close down a South American club named Rodo's and a Spanish night club, El Hueco, the Hole, which occupied the upper floors of a building in Denmark Place, behind Denmark Street, 'Tin Pan Alley', once the heart of London's rock scene.
Just after 3.30 in the morning on Saturday, 16 August, Soho fire station, just a few hundred yards away, got a call to say the Denmark Place building was on fire. The fire brigade had not even known of the clubs' existence. There were about 150 people inside, what should have been escape routes were locked, and the fire had spread so fast that some people died with drinks still in their hands.
As for those who got out, some were illegal immigrants and melted away into the night, including quite a few who seemed quite badly injured. A man was later convicted of deliberately starting the fire, and died in prison. For more, see my book London's Disasters from Boudicca to the Banking Crisis (The History Press).
Quoting the book and an interview that I did in 2015, the Daily Express has just published an article marking the 44th anniversary of the fire
https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1945243/John-Thompson-uk-biggest-mass-murderer-denmark-place-fireWednesday, 11 September 2024
Fireworks: the Honest Truth - from Scotland
It was good to be interviewed by Sally McDonald of the Sunday Post about my new book A History of Fireworks from their Origins to the Present Day (Reaktion Books). Here's what I told her
Tuesday, 13 August 2024
A History of Fireworks: hear me on Talk Radio Europe, while stocks last!
Monday, 5 August 2024
Fireworks: my new book and the Dorset dimension
https://reaktionbooks.co.uk/work/a-history-of-fireworks-from-their-origins-to-the-present-day
The Dorset Echo has written a nice piece about it, pointing out that Dorchester, described in the 17th century as 'the most puritan town in England', was probably one of the first places to celebrate 5 November with fireworks. Bonfire Night, of course, marks the failure of Guy Fawkes' Catholic plot in 1605 to blow up the Houses of Parliament.
The Echo also reports that by 1632 local constables were having to arrest apprentices who had been overdoing the celebrations.
This illustrates the authorities' dilemma over 5 November. Until 1859, it was compulsory by law to celebrate the day, but it often led to disorder. In the late 19th century, Dorchester was one of a number of places that tried to tame the occasion by putting on official, publicly financed, events.
Then there is the story of the failed attempt to set a world record for firing off rockets at Bournemouth in 2009.
https://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/24471253.history-fireworks-book-sheds-light-dorsets-past/