The Diary of a Rowing Tour from Oxford to London Via Warwick, Gloucester, Hereford and Bristol, August 1875

THE DIARY OF A ROWING TOUR FROM OXFORD TO LONDON VIA WARWICK, GLOUCESTER, HEREFORD & BRISTOL August 1875 Howard Williams. Alan Suttonn Publishing, Stroud. 1982 First Edition ISBN 0904387704 168pp This copy is in fine condition in illustrated card covers as issued. In late July 1875 five young men set off for a three week trip around the rivers and canals of the West of England. On the lower reaches of the Thames their craft and apparel would have appeared quite normal, but in the backwaters of of the rural west they were constantly the centre of attraction. Although in concept the trip seems reminiscent of Jerome K Jerome's 'Three Men In A Boat', this diary pre-dates that book by several years, the only difference being that rather than camping in the boat as Jerome, Harris, George and 'Montmorency' did, Howard Williams, his two brothers and two friends opted for rural inns, thus giving us an amusing insight into the hazards and limitations of country inns and hotels one hundred years ago. Ref G4.…