Books

Walking the Hamster to the Fountain is a highly entertaining and well-researched book which chronicles, in lively and unforgettable detail, some of the thousand-year history of the English village of Hempstead, Essex.

Firmly grounded in English history, the book is packed with stories of country life, parsons, celebrities, arson, political intrigue and even a visit from the Kray twins.   It will appeal to anyone, anywhere, who enjoys disappearing down historical ‘rabbit holes’.  The title comes from an interview with a former resident, recalling summers between the wars when the wells dried up and people had to ‘walk into Hempstead to the fountain’ to fetch water. When the interview was transcribed, the computer produced the titular hamster.

Available December 2024 in paperback, £12.99. Kindle edition will also be available on Amazon from February 2025.

At the Going Down of the Sun is a fascinating and often gripping account of the lives of the eighteen men commemorated on Hempstead’s War Memorial.

Until recently, relatively little has been known about these men (fourteen from the First World War and four from the Second) other than their ‘name, rank and serial number’ and the location of their graves. Ross Midgley’s detective work – building on the research for Walking the Hamster to the Fountain, his book of Hempstead history – has brought to light some incredible stories of their lives in both peace and war, and the manner of their passing.

Available now in paperback £4.99. Kindle edition also available from Amazon at £3.99. Profits from this booklet go to the Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal.

This book, published in 2022 by Hempstead resident Liam Donnelly, traces the English origins of Edward Winslow, one of the original colonists who travelled to America on the Mayflower. Although the Winslow family had left Hempstead long before Edward’s time, Liam’s book traces their connection with the village dating back to the fourteenth century and tells some stories about the colourful ancestors of this key figure in the history of North America.

Paperback £20. All enquiries to winslowgov.@icloud.com