Helen Matthews

Helen Matthews

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A literary tour of the Chilterns

Some of Britain’s most famous works of literature – from the tales of Chaucer to the creations of Enid Blyton – can be traced to...

20th October 2020

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A hero’s walk: following in the footsteps of John Hampden

Helen Matthews explores her home county of Buckinghamshire on this historic walk.

12th June 2020

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One man and a book

If any single book has immortalised the Thames in literature, it’s Three Men in a Boat (1889).

23rd January 2019

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Musical interlude: The Vicar of Bray

For those of us who learnt it at school it's impossible to visit Bray without thinking of this song.

23rd January 2019

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Helen and Neil Matthews have lived in Prestwood, in south Buckinghamshire, since 1991. Helen is an academic manager at one of the UK’s largest universities, while Neil is a Chartered Marketer. Both hold PhDs in history; Helen’s thesis focused on the illegitimate children of medieval English nobility and gentry while Neil researched the Polytechnic Touring Association, a leading UK travel agency of the 19th and 20th centuries. They have travelled widely, with highlights including piranha fishing on the Orinoco and acting as bridesmaid and accessory to a wedding in Pakistan. Neil is a past winner of the Bradt/Independent on Sunday travel writing competition and the author of Journeys from Wimbledon Common (2012, Palace Park Press) and Victorians and Edwardians abroad (2016, Pen & Sword).