Review of ‘More Curiosities of Derbyshire and the Peak District’, by Frank Rogers

This review is by Julie Bunting, and was published originally in The Peak Advertiser, the Peak District's local free newspaper, on 9th July 2001, and is reproduced with Julie's kind permission.

To say that Frank Rodgers is a photographer is like saying that Pavarotti sings. During the last 60 years Frank has taken over 30,000 photographs and his work has appeared in the old Manchester Guardian, Country Life, the Field, numerous national papers and on BBC Television. His earlier photographs appear regularly in the Peak Advertiser, specially chosen to evoke nostalgia amongst our readers. In creating a photographic record of the region which he so loves, Frank's work was recognised in the 1997 New Year's Honours List when he was awarded the MBE for his 'Services to the Environment of Derbyshire'.

On his 'rambles with a camera', invariably accompanied by wife Dorothy, Frank Rodgers has demonstrated a keen eye for a vast variety of novel and bizarre features, the sort which make us want to find out more. And more he has provided, by way of a series of publications. So reliable is his information that Curiosities of the Peak District (later extended to include Derbyshire in its title), for example, has become a classic work of reference with over 160 entries.

Now Frank has compiled a successor of totally fresh entries along the same theme of 'features natural and otherwise which arouse curiosity'. Entitled More Curiosities of Derbyshire and the Peak District, this too is published by Derbyshire Countryside Limited. The book contains an amazing total of 171 entries, each with the author's typically readable captions and a high-quality photograph. In many cases old photographs have been used to add extra historical interest. Just to whet the appetite, the selection includes a forgotten High Peak racecourse, a Bear Pit, a crinkle crankle, a Krugal, a hangman's stone, Peeping Tom, and a mystery device. All in all, things to delight, surprise and entertain. Highly recommended.

Review by Julie Bunting