THE VILLAGE NEWS: THE TRUTH BEHIND ENGLAND'S RURAL IDYLL

DOWNSTREAM: ACROSS ENGLAND IN A PUNT

Tom Fort followed the course of the River Trent from its source to the sea, partly on foot and bicycle, but mostly in a fifteen foot punt. His journey showed him the hidden face of his own country and taught him much about the life of the river and the land it flows through.

RIVETS, TRIVETS & GALVANISED BUCKETS: LIFE IN THE VILLAGE HARDWARE SHOP

In 2018 Tom Fort's daughter-in-law took over a century-old hardware shop. The family dreamed of developing the shop into one that would become the centre of village life; that much did come true, but not in the way they had expected. Interweaving the evolution of the shop, its previous owners, the customers it serves and the items it sells, Rivets, Trivets & Galvanised Buckets offers a delightful study of community and shines a light on the eccentricities of ordinary people. Alongside, it presents a fascinating history of technological development; from who thought of screwdrivers to where the spirit level came from, who devised the process of galvanisation and what genius worked out that a suction pad on the end of a piece of wood could unblock sinks. As Tom recounts: 'A little girl came with her father into Heath and Watkins, looked around for a while and said "Daddy, this is the shop of EVERYTHING"'. This is the story of how that happened.