My Biography

I have written three books: Leadville: A Biography of the A40, (link) which won The John Llewellyn Rhys Prize and a Somerset Maugham Award, The City of Abraham: A Journey through Hebron (link), and The Great Flood: Travels Through A Sodden Landscape, (link) which was a Radio 4 Book of the Week. I am currently writing a book about Britain in the year 2060, provisionally called 2060: A Journey in Search of a Map. I have been a journalist for thirty-odd years, during which time I have written for many different newspapers and magazines, including The New Statesman, The Guardian and The TLS. There is a selection of articles here (link). In 2012, I wrote a series of articles for The New Statesman called English Journeys, in which I went back to parts of England where I grew up (Hull, Essex, Newcastle, Liverpool and London) They are posted here. I am keeping an urban storm diary, posted here, which I will update from time to time. Pre-pandemic, I wrote an essay about the John Boorman film, Leo the Last, which was shot in the streets that were demolished to make way for the estate that includes Grenfell tower. It is available via Texte und Tone – https://www.texteundtone.com. There is a screening of the film at the Garden Cinema on January 14th 2025, when I will be talking about the film and its connection with Grenfell. https://www.thegardencinema.co.uk/film/leo-the-last/