In March 2020 we were joined by Geoff Brookes who talked to us about researching local history and traditions.
After an early life in Sheffield and the Midlands, Geoff moved to his wife’s home town of Swansea in 1981 and spent 38 years in the teaching profession, beginning a parallel career as a writer in 1998. His early writing included articles and books about education, but Geoff is best known for his local history books, which came about through his writing for “Welsh Country Magazine”. His first history title, “Stories in Welsh Stone”, explored the tales behind gravestones across Wales.
This was followed by several books about the history of Swansea, initially for History Press and then for Amberley Publications, with titles including “Swansea in the 1950s”, “A-Z of Swansea – Places, People, History” and “Swansea in 50 Buildings”.
2018 saw the publication of Geoff’s first novel, “In Knives We Trust”, the first in a series of stories about Police Inspector Rumsey Bucke. The second novel in the series, Our Lady of Mumbles, followed in 2019. These stories are set in Swansea in the 1880s and draw on Geoff’s knowledge of the city’s history.
To see Geoff’s publications, click here