No. 1

by Tony Stowers

“It is the intention of the proprietors to meet below the tower at Brusselton near West Auckland, about 9 miles west of Darlington, at eight o'clock A.M. and after inspecting the inclined planes proceed at nine o'clock precisely to Stockton-upon-Tees, where they will arrive about one o'clock.” “Four hours to do twenty-six miles? Impossible!” Set in Regency England, “No. 1” draws on the real and the imagined from every region of the North East present at the birth of the railways, starting on 18th September 1810 in Stockton and finishing there on 28th September 1825, the day after the first ever railway trip between two towns, an event that changed history, though history didn’t record it inadvertently carrying a boy fleeing from a miscarriage of justice and an ex-Waterloo veteran intent on silencing him but history can now be straightened out. In this ambitious and unique re-creation by Darlington-born writer Tony Stowers, reality and fiction are blended through the eyes of real-life celebrated figures and everyday ordinary people impacted by the revolutionary technology. It also includes an hour-by-hour account of the opening day on 27th September 1825.

258 pages, Paperback

First published January 6, 2014

About the author

Tony Stowers was born into a working class family in North East England in 1963. A love of literature, a supportive English teacher, school pantos, theatre and writing sustained him through his early years, despite getting up to all manner of trouble associated with disenfranchised youth in small towns. In 1979, against his better instinct, he signed up for an apprenticeship but was fired in 1981 for daydreaming. From that moment he determined to become a writer and artist. 1981 - 1985 saw him experimenting with various styles of theatre and he became a published poet and performed much of his work to "punk" audiences or in support of the Miners' Strike. As well as attending various drama groups, he wrote theatre plays in the search for an original voice, highlights including "The Waiting Room" which featured a young Mark Gatiss and "Norm & Ahmed" by Alex Buzo. Unable to attend The Drama Centre, London as an acting student in 1984 due to being turned down for a grant because of professing a doubt in the existence of God when interviewed by Durham County Council, he went on writing, performing and publishing, some of his best poems having been recently set to music and recorded by French group Insanzo. In 1985, successful as an applicant to London's Central School of Speech and Drama, he left the North East and lived in London for the next 11 years. As well as graduating as an actor, he pressed on with his own unique vision and, despite an irregular and itinerant lifestyle, wrote some of his best plays in various squats and whilst living on friend's floors. In 1996 he returned to the North East and formed The Northern Line Theatre Company, beginning with TIE issue-based plays, 1997-2000 producing six new plays, employing up to 30 actors and technicians, giving many Equity cards and entertaining around 75,000 children. After a brief sojourn in France in 2002, he again returned to the North East and formed Associated Professional Artists and it was with this company he gained creative successes with "Space Jockey" and "X", employing up to 50 NE-based actors in a variety of workshops and read-throughs, as well as travelling in Europe and the UK to enhance his skills and knowledge. Today he lives in France and continues to create new theatre work which always strives for originality both in terms of writing and direction, as well as performing in challenging spaces. His most recent success is the one-man show "Gauguin's Ghost" which was first performed in Pont-Aven, Brittany in August 2009 in French and English at the same time! Happy to receive the label "maverick", Tony continues to write, act and direct and continues to strive to create original work and to challenge conventional ideas.

Reviews

[Barbara Scott-Emmett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book free from a Giveaway and meant to leave a review a while back. Typically, life got in the way and I forgot.

I really enjoyed reading about the history of the railways and the mines and all the details of the time. There's a lot of research gone into this and it shows without being obvious - that is, it's not presented in a dry instructional way but in a lively manner that gives a feel of the whole period.

The characters come alive and the dialogue is entertaining and believable. There are some great descriptions too.

For me, the factual parts were the most interesting as I'm interested in the North East but I'm sure others will also enjoy the fictional bits.

If you have an interest in the early days of steam engines, mining, or general North East history, you'll find much in this book to enjoy.

Give it a go.

[tana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been remiss in not writing this review sooner! I received this book as a goodread giveaway and I LOVED IT. It was part story telling but the history involved re: railways was inspiring. Many terms I did need to look up or had to read a bit more until it became clear.
I loved loved the characters! I felt each one could have had their own novel - look into this Tony Stowers!
I was sad when we moved onto a new vignette because I wanted more of the person I'd just met but had to let go of too soon...That's the mark of some good (and clever) story telling.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I also won my copy on Goodreads and I can not say it much better than "Barbara Emmett" was SPOT on with her review. So that someone else can enjoy this I will be paying it forward as I do with most my GoodReads win and give this to a friend to enjoy.

[Ben · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tony Stowers rented my flat in Chalk Farm, Camden in the late 1990s. He didn't pay his rent from a month or two after moving in. He then wrecked the place and departed the day before he was going to be evicted.

[Alison Lane · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read.