Welcome

I am not usually the type of person who enjoys or does well in formal introductions, and I'm not sure how to come across as professional. I have no professional or academic qualifications in History - not even an 'O' Level. Being dyslexic, education in the 1970's/80's was hard. However, I am extremely passionate about Leicester's History. I was one of those kids at school who enjoyed what I was doing at the time. If I was interested in it, I would take notice, but if I wasn't, I would pay it no attention. Even my pre-school Nursery Teacher, Mrs. Rule, called me a 'Dizzy Blonde'. I was always getting myself into scrapes, and she was forever having to chase after me.

I was looking through some old things the other day, and I found my school report from Abington High School.

It did finally improve and by the end of the term the 'Excellent' box was ticked.

I have invested a great deal of time over the past twenty years researching my family tree. During my research, I found out that my great grandfathers were Freemen of the Town of Leicester.

I am the author of two books - 'Joseph: The Life, Times & Places of the Elephant Man' and 'Peppermint Billy and the Toll Gate Murders of 1856'.

For four years, I worked as a Verger at Leicester Cathedral. The week of Richard III's reburial, I was part of the floral team responsible for the displays inside and outside the Cathedral. I assisted Royal florist Rosemary Hughes.

One of the most memorable moments from my time at Leicester Cathedral was being a part of the Royal procession for Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip on Maundy Thursday in 2017.

In addition to local radio interviews and newspaper articles relating to my research on Joseph Merrick, I also appeared alongside Michael Portillo in his new documentary series 'Hidden History of Britain' which aired on Channel 5 in April 2018.

The late, great British actor Julian Sands

In April 2019, I made an astonishing discovery - I found the final resting place of Joseph Carey Merrick. Even though Joseph's skeleton is located at the Queen Mary Medical College in London, Joseph's remains were given a Christian funeral and were buried at the City of London Cemetery and Crematorium. In June 2019, cemetery officials placed a brass plaque on Joseph's grave. This discovery not only lead to a BBC Inside Out documentary on the discovery, but further led to a campaign to raise money to have a statue erected of Joseph Merrick in his hometown of Leicester. As a result of all this, I earned a seat on the red sofa on BBC Breakfast.

On 13 March 2020, the 1980 film 'The Elephant Man' starring the late John Hurt will be re-released in cinemas.

Directed by David Lynch this truly wonderful film is fully restored in 4k definition. You can see a preview of the film in the Joseph Merrick tab on this web site.

This is my own copy of the new Blu-ray Ultra HD copy of The Elephant Man, together with the Collectors Edition Booklet which mentions my book.

II am available to work as a freelance consultant, specialising in early nineteenth century and twentieth century crime/mystery and murder in Leicester. I have a keen interest in these areas, and have worked extensively on similar projects in the past. I am also a member of Leicester Cathedral's Fabric Advisory Committee, and, in addition, I am also the archivist for the Leicester Civic Society. I am available for a range of different events, including historical walks in Leicester, school events, group events, and talks. I have an Enhanced DBS Certificate, as well as Public Liability Insurance.

I am available for talks, and subjects include:

Life and Execusion of Peppermint Billy in 1856
The Melton Mowbray Toll Gate Murder 1856
Recreation of the Trial of William Brown - The last man publicly hanged in Leicester.
Wigston - The Wistow Poaching Murder of 1873
Murders/Execusions and Crime in the 19th and early 20th Century in Leicester.
Past residents of Leicester and their untold stories
Joseph Merrick: The Elephant Man.
Trench Cats of WW1 and their stories.

If you would like to book a talk, please use the contact form and get in touch.