Countrystride #112: Melvyn Bragg - Back in the Day

...in which we return to post-war Cumbria in the company of author, broadcaster and parliamentarian, Melvyn Bragg, to reflect on his early years in the market town of Wigton. Evoking a close-knit community on the threshold of change, Melvyn describes daily life in the Black-a-Moor inn – the Bragg family home for a decade – and celebrates the rich diversity of small-town working class culture: of hound dog trailing; dances; and Youth Hostel trips to the Lakes. Following a breakdown aged 13, Melvyn explains the role education and reading played in his recovery, and the fork in the road that tore him from the community he loved. Finally, we learn why “Wigton men just fight for the love of fighting”, why walking is the best way of understanding a place, why Binsey is best, and why it’s time to rebuild Hadrian's Wall... around the whole of Cumbria…

• You can buy Back in the Day from all good bookshops, including bookscumbria.com/product/cumbrian-books/arts-and-literature/fiction/melvyn-bragg/back-in-the-day-2/