Old Pond publishing days

Roundoak Nynehead and Old Pond

By mutual consent, it has been agreed that from 1 October Old Pond Publishing will no longer distribute books and DVDs from Roundoak / Nynehead.

Ken Stewart of Landsmans Bookshop

Ken Stewart died peacefully at home on 24 July. He was ninety years old.

I first met him in 1976 when I was editing a series of self-sufficiency books called ‘Invest in Living’. We were told that the person whose advice had to be sought about what backyard farming books were already in the market and what would sell was Ken Stewart. I caught up with him on the Landsmans stand at the Harrogate spring fair. He was tall, courteous and full of helpful information, not least about the need for good covers.

The second time we met was in December 1979. Ken’s courtesy was being stretched at the Smithfield Show by an argument with Philip Wood, then books manger at Farming Press. In fact this was a blazing row sparked by Philip discounting the price of books on his stand to undercut Landsmans who were Farming Press’s major British retailer. Ken told him exactly what he thought about it.

When I got to know Ken better I appreciated his friendship and knowledge, and understood why he had such a pride in the company he had developed with his cousin Jane Young. They ran bookstalls at all the major farming and gardening events; their trailer toured agricultural colleges, and they issued an annual catalogue of 5,000 titles which was the trade’s bible. He had joined Landsmans from the airforce and he was also a keen sailor.

When Ken moved towards retirement Landsman continued to be run by his son, Peter, and Jane Young’s son, Keith. Ken finally liquidated the company in 2008, as reported here.

Ken is survived by six children, fifteen grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Demolition Giants Volume 2 filming starts at Kidderminster for new DVD

Steven Vale has now started preparing a second Demolition Giants DVD. In early July we were filming at the site of the Kidderminster sugar beet factory. DSM Demolition had two Hitachis in action, an EX1200 with a 60-foot Kocurek conversion and a 670LCH reaching to 23 feet.

Extended to about 55 feet and mounted on a ramp for extra height, the 1200 was reducing the tower beside one of the two silos.

The cab of the 1200 tilted to give the operator a clear view.

One of the silos was partially demolished, leaving the 670 to finish the job.

The plant, which opened in 1925, was closed in 2002, a victim of the restructuring and reduction of the UK’s beet output as part of the EU sugar regime. The buildings stand quite near a car showroom and light industrial businesses, so DSM has had dust control as a priority.

The rest of the 74-acre site has been cleared, with only the silos to go – a three-week job for DSM. After clearance the St Francis Group will begin the first phase of redevelopment including 200 houses, a medical centre, shops and a major link road.

Programme-maker Jonathan Theobald (left in the photograph below) was kindly chaperoned by DSM staff Declan Boland (centre) and Christopher Bibb.

For photographs of the Kidderminster plant taken in 2001/2 see here. For details of Steven Vale’s first demolition DVD see here. Information on Chris Lockwood’s recent Beet Harvesters DVD is here.

UK Heavy Haul new CP Productions DVD advance information

UK Heavy Haul, Pete Connock and Martin Phippard (CP Productions), DVD, approx 85 minutes (inc. Extra). ISBN 978-1-908397-40-9. Available now from Old Pond at £16.95 inc. VAT.

Pete Connock and Martin Phippard have captured three very different types of abnormal load movements in the UK.

The first film, Deep Pile, follows the movement of a 50-metre-long, 170-tonne steel pile from the Chepstow plant of manufacturer Mabey Bridge to the docks at Avonmouth. We see the Collett Group securing the self-supporting load aboard two modules, leaving the factory and then crossing the new Severn Bridge. Motive power is provided by two MAN four-axle prime movers, a V10-powered TGA and V8-powered TGX.

In the second feature, Kolossal Komatsu  the CPP team capture the marriage of the body to the chassis of a huge Komatsu 785 dump truck prior to its delivery to a busy Hanson Aggregates quarry in the Mendip Hills. This sequence shows the problems associated with carrying such a big machine along the lanes of Somerset. It is supplemented by a short but exciting few minutes in which several Komatsu 785s are seen at work in the quarry.

The final story is a record of the movement of a massive quad-booster from the Alstom factory in Stafford to an electricity generating station near Preston. Power to the People not only shows the 500-tonne combination moving over the road network but also depicts the ship-to-shore transfer of the complete vehicle from the marine vessel Terra Marique. Allelys Heavy Haulage completed the move using ballasted MAN and DAF prime movers and an enormous girder trailer.

Pete Connock and Martin Phippard have been making trucking programmes for nearly twenty years. Their DVDs are fully researched and narrated and aimed squarely at fellow trucking enthusiasts.

Modern Tractors Part 3 new DVD from Tractor Barn advance information

Modern Tractors Part 3 'Out in the Fields', Stephen Richmond and Jonathan Whitlam (Tractor Barn Productions). DVD approx 110 minutes. ISBN 978-1-908397-47-8. Now in stock at Old Pond at £16.95 inc. VAT.

The product of three years’ filming, this programme takes us on a tour of Britain to see all the major tractor manufacturers out at work in the fields.

Sites visited include a large dairy farming enterprise, various contractors’ fleets and farms and also demonstration units. Stephen and Jonathan include a detailed look at one of the most popular models of recent years, the John Deere 7530.

Tractors from Case IH, John Deere, New Holland, McCormick, Valtra, Challenger, Deutz Fahr, Massey Ferguson, Fendt and JCB are all featured as Tractor Barn continues the story of the modern tractor and its amazing electronic wizardry.

A Farming Legacy 1920-2010 new book by Rosalind Thomas is now in stock

A new book celebrating the centenary of the Felix Thornley Cobbold Trust is now in stock at Old Pond. A Farming Legacy 1910-2010 by Rosalind Thomas costs £19.95. Details and online orsering are here.

Know Your Dogs and Know Your Trains paperbacks are now in stock

The addition of two more titles to the 'Know Your ...' range of pocket-sized paperbacks for novice enthusiasts brings the total to fifteen. The new books now in stock are:

Know Your Dogs, Jack Byard, £4.99. Details and online ordering here

Know Your Trains, James Race, £4.99. Details and ordering here

Old Pond summer catalogue is now available

Old Pond is now mailing its summer catalogue. This includes details of the books and DVDs brought into stock since last autumn when our annual catalogue was published.

If you are on our mailing list you should be receiving a copy of the catalogue in a day or two. To be added to the list or for other enquiries please contact [email protected].

All the titles in the new catalogue are now in stock, except for the book Farming Legacy which will be published on 10 July.

To print your own copy of the new catalogue or to look at a flip version, see here.

Massive Wheeled Loaders two DVDs by Steven Vale are now in stock

Two new Massive Machines series DVDs from Steven Vale are now in stock at Old Pond. They each run for approximately 75 minutes. Individually the titles cost £16.95 each (inc. VAT). Or they can be bought as a set for £31.95 inc. VAT. Full details and online ordering are as follows:

For Massive Wheeled Loaders Part One: Caterpillar, Liebherr, Volvo, see here

For Massive Wheeled Loaders Part Two: Hitachi, Komatsu, LeTourneau, see here

The set of two can be accessed at either of the above links or directly through the Old Pond Offers page

Manapouri Tunnel and Country Calendar New Zealand DVDs now in stock

Manapouri the Toughest Tunnel on DVD from TVNZ and NHNZ is now in stock at Old Pond at £14.95 including VAT. Full details and online ordering are here.

Also from TVNZ, and now in stock at Old Pond, is Country Calendar Director's Pick. Running time 183 minutes, price £17.95 including VAT. Full details and online ordering: here