Nadine Bonsor (edited by)

2024 | 372pp pb | ISBN: 978-1-914002-49-6

Rachel Phipps’s life should be measured not in years, but in the wealth of interesting things she did and saw. She kept a diary between the years 1905-1912, in which she recorded events of historic interest as well as giving us a vivid glimpse of her everyday activities and enthusiasms.

Sharply descriptive, she was 18 years old when the diary began and 26 when it abruptly stopped. A few months later she marries ‘Mr Lampson’.

Her only son Graham was ten years old when his mother died. He kept her precious diaries by his side throughout his life. When he died, his daughter compiled them with fascination and awe in honour of the grandmother she never knew.