Get in touch
1984: Paul-D Stephenson as Winston Smith. Photo by Mark Drinkwater at Sydenham Photos.
If you're interested in the plays featured on my website, or want to discuss a potential project, then please do get in touch. |
|
About
I'll tell you a bit about myself...I'm a born and bred Mancunian and Lancastrian and I've lived in Bromley for over twenty years with my partner Stephen.
I worked for thirty-five years: twenty-nine as a Civil Servant for two departments and a quango, the rest for a local authority and the voluntary sector. I've done casework, worked on inner city schemes - including my favourite, the Castle Vale Housing Action Trust (HAT) - managed a small regeneration scheme, produced publications and worked on business improvement projects and a voluntary sector community project.
My family and the Industrial Revolution
My Nana's Dad plied a coal barge between Manchester and the West Midlands, where he met her Mum. When my Nana was a toddler, they used to tie her to the barge so she wouldn't fall into the canal. Census records show her mother's family lived on a boat in the West Midlands.
Also on the maternal side, a great-great-great-great grandfather came over from Ireland and provided three generations of steeplejacks to keep those tall Lancashire mill chimneys in good shape.
On the paternal side, a great grandparent migrated down to Lancashire from Northumberland, a coppersmith. My great grandfather managed a tavern in Salford - one of many in that area!
My paternal grandfather was a member of Salford Lads Club and joined up with the Salford Pals who fought in WW1. He was a supervisor in the gas works, probably the one mentioned in Ewan MacColl's song 'Dirty Old Town'.
My Dad's mother and aunt worked in textile mills. In the 1970's me and my Dad used to visit his aunt who lived in a terraced house in Salford, which could have featured in the black and white film 'A Taste of Honey'. It had a back yard and when you went through the gate you would find yourself in a bleak dystopian wasteland, the only feature being an unfenced rail track.
My Dad grew up in Salford and after he left the RAF in the 1950's worked as a policeman there. His only method of communication with HQ was a police box, since adopted by Doctor Who for time travel.
The Working Class Movement Library is a treasure trove of information for anyone interested in the political backdrop for the area and my audio play Theatre Workshop or The Ballad of Ewan and Joan.
I'll tell you a bit about myself...I'm a born and bred Mancunian and Lancastrian and I've lived in Bromley for over twenty years with my partner Stephen.
I worked for thirty-five years: twenty-nine as a Civil Servant for two departments and a quango, the rest for a local authority and the voluntary sector. I've done casework, worked on inner city schemes - including my favourite, the Castle Vale Housing Action Trust (HAT) - managed a small regeneration scheme, produced publications and worked on business improvement projects and a voluntary sector community project.
My family and the Industrial Revolution
My Nana's Dad plied a coal barge between Manchester and the West Midlands, where he met her Mum. When my Nana was a toddler, they used to tie her to the barge so she wouldn't fall into the canal. Census records show her mother's family lived on a boat in the West Midlands.
Also on the maternal side, a great-great-great-great grandfather came over from Ireland and provided three generations of steeplejacks to keep those tall Lancashire mill chimneys in good shape.
On the paternal side, a great grandparent migrated down to Lancashire from Northumberland, a coppersmith. My great grandfather managed a tavern in Salford - one of many in that area!
My paternal grandfather was a member of Salford Lads Club and joined up with the Salford Pals who fought in WW1. He was a supervisor in the gas works, probably the one mentioned in Ewan MacColl's song 'Dirty Old Town'.
My Dad's mother and aunt worked in textile mills. In the 1970's me and my Dad used to visit his aunt who lived in a terraced house in Salford, which could have featured in the black and white film 'A Taste of Honey'. It had a back yard and when you went through the gate you would find yourself in a bleak dystopian wasteland, the only feature being an unfenced rail track.
My Dad grew up in Salford and after he left the RAF in the 1950's worked as a policeman there. His only method of communication with HQ was a police box, since adopted by Doctor Who for time travel.
The Working Class Movement Library is a treasure trove of information for anyone interested in the political backdrop for the area and my audio play Theatre Workshop or The Ballad of Ewan and Joan.