User:DavidFarmbrough

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I am not most of the Jeremy Butlers who turn up in a Google search.

Dürer's Rhinoceros, in a woodcut from 1515.
Dürer's Rhinoceros, in a woodcut from 1515.

Contents

[edit] Schools

I was educated at St. Paul's C Of E School, Winchmore Hill, and at Bishop Stopford's School at Enfield, where I was in the Choir Form and was the Public Speaker.

[edit] Acting

When I was at secondary school I appeared in

I was a member of Trent Players from 1990 to 1995 and during that time appeared in:

It is very rare that I play English people on stage!

[edit] Writing

I first started writing book reviews for my youth club's magazine, Explorers Bulletin; I was about ten years old at the time. I would be sent a book by the publisher (usually a Puffin or Penguin, despite my request for Doctor Who books.) and asked to submit a review. Among these books was After The First Death by Robert Cormier and The Silver Sword by Ian Seraillier, I Am David by Anne Holm and The Painted Tent by Victor Canning.

In around 1983, I started writing music reviews for Musicnet, the music magazine of Prestel. This lasted for a couple of years until wholesale Prestel cuts resulted in its closure. Among items reviewed were singles by the Boomtown Rats and Whitesnake, and albums by Bronski Beat, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, The Eurythmics and The Shadows.

Some biographical web pages I wrote on Ken Campbell (actor) were recommended in the Radio Times Web Watch feature.

From about 1991 until 1995 I edited the Trent Players' magazine Trent News, and wrote many articles for this. I started a series of features called Heroes Of Comedy, among them Eric Sykes, Frankie Howerd, The Goodies, and Spike Milligan, well before the title was appropriated for a television series. I wrote film and play reviews, as well as editing a variety of articles from other contributors.

I have had several letters published in Private Eye and one in Record Collector, and reviews in Celestrial Toyroom, Doctor Who Magazine, Cybermag, Outpost Gallifrey and the BBC's own website. During my second degree, I edited the Birkbeck College magazine, Lamp And Owl, wrote some articles and contributed photographs. I have started a review website, [FilmTVReview.com], but my day job and my parenting role means I have little time to maintain this, so it remains a shell. I have also written many film, music, television, toy, and book reviews for Amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, and the Internet Movie Database. My current outlet is usuallyWikipedia, mainly in view of the ease of uploading and editing, but I have also written five legal articles in Axis magazine since May 2004.

[edit] Education

First degree in English Literature from Birkbeck College, University of London where I studied black British writing, post-colonial writing, Shakespeare, classical epic and science-fiction, and an M.A. in History Of Film & Visual Media, also from Birkbeck, where I studied under Professors Laura Mulvey and Ian Christie. My research report was on recovering our lost television heritage and my dissertation was on deaf people's access to television and film. My M.A. was presented to me by Eric Hobsbawm.

[edit] Cricket Career

I was a keen cricketer at school and club level, also representing Glenisters during the early 1990s. I never had the honour of representing the MCC, Middlesex CCC, Oxford University Cricket Club, HDG Leveson-Gower's XI, Free Foresters and Harlequins at first-class level, playing under the name "Lord Dunglass", but would that I had.

[edit] Work

My work is not my principle source of fulfilment in my life. Those are my family and my interests. As Prof Quatermass said, "I have never had a career, only work".

[edit] Personal

Happily married with 1 son and living in Brentford. My brother is the "Wizard Of Wikipedia" User:Rich_Farmbrough

The Rt Revd David Farmbrough, the former Bishop of Bedford is a distant cousin of mine, as are nurse, writer, and photographer Florence Farmborough, writer William Henry Farmbrough, sculptor David Fambrough (see his note on talk page), Bassist Charles Fambrough, Detroit Spinners singer Henry Fambrough, and the Dave Farmborough who set up Abbeydale Designers.

[edit] Interests

Dr. Who This user has been a Doctor Who fan since the Third Doctor. 3rd
This user is a member of WikiProject Doctor Who.

My other interests include music, archaeology, film, television, theatre, dancing, and computers. Click on one of the following numbers for a random link to one of my interests: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6.


[edit] Six Brentford Buildings Under Threat

I am particularly concerned with the fate of six buildings in my home town of Brentford. All appear to be neglected, and am worried that it won't be long before someone has the lead off the roofs or developers arrange for a little fire. One of the reasons I am so concerned is that many many buildings of Value in Brentford have been 'swep away' in favour of undistinguished, soulless blocks of concrete, particularly in the post war years, but right up to the present day. The buildings I am worried about are:

The Boat-House on the Potomac
The Boat-House on the Potomac
  • The Gothic Boathouse, Gunnersbury Park This started off as a pottery kiln, then was later converted into a folly, but one with a very practical use. Even though it looks like part of a church or a castle, it was genuinely used just for keeping boats in. Apparently owned by a trust with plans to restore it, nothing has been done for at least ten years, the overgrowing has increased, and more of the unique concrete facings have fallen off (the concrete is made form a lost 'recipe' and can't be reproduced).
  • St Lawrence's Church, Brentford High Street. Apparently bought by developers. This building contains the oldest known extant structure in Brentford, the 15th Century Tower. A Grade II* Listed building, nothing has happened for many years. This church now looks very green as algae and other plants gradually overwhelm the structure.
  • St George's Chapel, formerly the Musical Museum, Brentford High Street. Vacated earlier this year, it is included in the area to be 'regenerated' by the council and collaborators. It is a comparatively modern building, dating from the late nineteenth century, but the site has had a chapel on it for hundreds of years.
  • Mrs Trimmer's Sunday School, the first Sunday school in the world, Brentford High Street. Adjacent to St George's Chapel. This is a Grade II listed building of 1786 and was the first school of Mrs Tristam, founder of the Green School Movement.
  • Public Baths, Clifden Road, Brentford. Not used, boarded up, and apparently forgotten.

Like many of Brentford's neglected gems (and some more appreciated ones), designed by the Borough Architect Nowell Parr. Like many councils, old swimming pools seem to be abandoned in favour of modern lido style 'leisure centres'.

The Public Baths, Clifden Road, Brentford
The Public Baths, Clifden Road, Brentford
  • Wesleyan Chapel, Brentford. I saw a load of fittings being removed from this building a few years back. No doubt it has been stripped of pews by now.

I was also concerned about the magnificent Art Deco building, Wallis House, The The Golden Mile, The Great West Road, however it is too late to save the main structure of this as half of the lower section has already gone, leaving only a fascia and the tall tower.

[edit] Wikipedia articles written

[edit] Wikipedia articles requested