Gavin Weightman (4 March 1945 – 18 December 2022) was a British journalist and documentary filmmaker who specialised in the social history of London and Britain from the 18th century.[1]
Gavin Weightman | |
|---|---|
| Born | 4 March 1945 Gosforth, Northumberland, England |
| Died | 18 December 2022 (aged 77) Whitechapel, London, England |
| Occupation(s) | Journalist and documentary filmmaker |
| Children | 3 |
His books included The Making of Modern London, co-authored in 1983 with Steve Humphries (re-issued in 2007 by Ebury Press); The Frozen Water Trade (2003), Signor Marconi's Magic Box (2003), and The Industrial Revolutionaries (2007).[2] Weightman's journalism included many articles for New Society magazine in the 1970s.
Early life
editGavin Weightman was born on 4 March 1945 in Gosforth, Northumberland, England, to Doreen (née Wade), a teacher and translator, and John Weightman, a broadcaster. The family lived in West Hampstead, but spent the summers in Northumberland. He attended Haberdashers' Boys' School with a scholarship, but left there aged 17 to start a career as a journalist.[3]
In 1967, he started a degree in sociology at Bedford College, London.[3]
Career
editAfter leaving school, Weightman worked on the Brighton and Evening Angus and the Richmond and Twickenham Times.[3]
In 1974, he began work for New Society magazine. From 1978 to 1982, he worked as a reporter and presenter for The London Programme.[3]
For London Weekend Television, he produced and directed The Making of Modern London (1815–1914), The River Thames, Bright Lights Big City, Brave New Wilderness, and City Safari, among other series.[4]
Personal life
editWeightman's first marriage to Myra Wilkins ended in divorce. Together they had two children.[3]
In 2009, Weightman married Clare Beaton, a children's author and illustrator, after a long-term relationship. They had one son.[3]
Weightman lived in north London and latterly concentrated on writing social history books.[5] He died at the Royal London Hospital on 18 December 2022, at the age of 77.[6]
Publications (selected)
edit- 1983: The Making of Modern London, 1815-1914, with Stephen Humphries (Sidgwick & Jackson)
- 1984: The Making of Modern London, 1914-1939, with Stephen Humphries (Sidgwick & Jackson)
- 1986: City Safari: Wildlife in London, with Mike Birkhead (Sidgwick & Jackson)
- 1987: Christmas Past, with Stephen Humphries (Sidgwick & Jackson)
- 1990: London River: The Thames Story (Collins & Brown)
- 1991: The Seaside (Collins & Brown)
- 1991: Picture Post Britain (Collins & Brown)
- 1991: London Past (Collins & Brown)
- 1992: Bright Lights, Big City: London entertained, 1830-1950 (Collins & Brown)
- 1992: Rescue: The history of Britain's emergency services (Boxtree, Channel Four)
- 1998: Polar Explorers (Explorers and Exploration series, Grolier Educational)
- 1998: North America (Explorers and Exploration series, Grolier Educational)
- 2003: Signor Marconi's Magic Box: The Most Remarkable Invention of the 19th Century & The Amateur Inventor Whose Genius Sparked a Revolution (Da Capo Press)
- 2003: What the Industrial Revolution Did for Us (BBC)
- 2003: The Frozen-Water Trade: A true story (Hyperion)
- 2005: London's Thames: The river that shaped a city and its history (St Martin's Press)
- 2007: The Industrial Revolutionaries: The creation of the modern world, 1776-1914 (Atlantic)
- 2007: The Making of Modern London: A People's History of the Capital from 1815 to the present day (Ebury Press)
- 2011: Children of Light: How electricity changed Britain forever (Atlantic)
- 2011: Restoration Home: The essential guide to tracing the history of your house (BBC Books)
- 2012: Secrets of a Titanic Victim: The story of the Real My Fair Lady ( backstory.la)
- 2015: Eureka: How invention happens (Yale University Press)
- 2020: The Great Inoculator: The untold story of Daniel Sutton and his medical revolution (Yale University Press)
References
edit- ^ "Gavin Weightman – HarperCollins". Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 24 April 2009.
- ^ "Amazon.com: gavin weightman". Amazon.
- ^ a b c d e f Taylor, John (3 February 2023). "Gavin Weightman obituary". The Guardian.
- ^ "Gavin Weightman". Archived from the original on 2 March 2011.
- ^ "Gavin Weightman Official Website - Gavin Weightman Biography - Children of Light - Frozen Water Trade - Industrial Revolutionaries".
- ^ "Gavin Weightman death notice". The Times. 24 December 2022. Retrieved 24 December 2022. (subscription required)
The British Library has many faculty reading lists.[clarification needed]