Researcher and volunteer, Christine Sanderson and Chair of Friends of 78, Rob Kendall, have both been very busy during lockdown, scribing books! Both books outline the important work of two influential men who lived and worked in Northampton and who are intrinsically linked to 78 Derngate's history. One, the founder of a prosperous model-making business and possibly Mackintosh's most demanding and progressive patron and the other a Scottish born Architect celebrated not only for his initial work on 78 Derngate but for all the wonderful buildings in and around the town, still very much in existence today.
Christine's book - Bassett-Lowke War Work: The Making of an Identity is the second in her comprehensive series on the Northampton-based man and his model making company and it covers the extent and the importance of the work undertaken by the artisans of Bassett-Lowke Ltd and associated companies, Winteringham Ltd and EW Twining Ltd during the war. This significant work, bearing in mind the shortage of materials at the time and often undertaken in the utmost secrecy, makes for an incredible story.
With over 100 pages and colourful images, the A5 sized book is packed with original information from articles produced by WJ Bassett-Lowke himself. Printing was generously funded by The Friends of 78 Derngate and is available both in the shop and online at £9.99.
Rob's book - Alexander Ellis Anderson - Architect demonstrates within its illustrated pages that Anderson was already a well-established architect in Northampton prior to the plans he drafted for the modification work on 78 Derngate. Anderson had already designed a series of Arts and Crafts houses known then as the Alexandra Park Estate and his incredible Baronial style castle, the Taylor Memorial Hall and the colossal Barratt Footshape Boot Works factory are but two examples of his extraordinary vision.
This A5 36-page landscape book, which costs £5 and is available online and in our shop, provides a most interesting insight into Anderson and will give the reader plenty of motivation to go out and locate all those celebrated buildings that do still exist in Northampton.
Both Rob and Chris offer Talks on their subjects and Rob also runs local Walks visiting the Anderson sites and both can be contacted via phoning 01604 603407 or emailing 78office@78derngate.org.uk