Hi, I’m Malcolm. This page tells you about me and this website.
Born in England but raised as a Scot, I grew up on the borders of Surrey & South London, and have now been living in or around Wiltshire for more than 20 years. These days I write, and sometimes talk about, history, fiction and genealogy, and am often found wandering around churches and graveyards looking at stained glass, wall paintings, and memorials to the dead.
About this Website
I have set up this website for three reasons:
First, to bring together, and give focus and direction to, my main creative interests, all of which can be found in the separate sections of the site.
Second, to highlight for those interested, ways in which more detailed information can be obtained on some of my new work, such as publication of articles, delivery of public talks, and planned books.
Last, to ensure that I have control over the public availability of my written and photographic work, bearing in mind the increasing uncertainty of the future of social media sites such as Twitter, and the relative newness of alternative vehicles such as BlueSky or Threads.
In a way, this time for me is almost like developing a new career, later in life, albeit at a far slower pace than my previous professional work. But whether it is serious writing or just self-indulgent delving into things that fascinate me, this website will be a vehicle to record such research and share it with anyone interested.
About Me
There is a detailed autobiography on my first post for this site: ‘This is My Life’.
For here, suffice to say that I am retired from a career as a psychiatric nurse, drugs worker, trainer, manager and NHS director, and now I spend much of my time writing, reading, researching and talking about all the themes on this website: Medieval to Victorian History, Churches and Religious History, Genealogy and DNA, Jazz & Jazz Photography, and my own Fiction-writing.
I also am occasionally taken out for a walk by my Basset Hound, Yoshi, and have an unfortunate passion for two football teams: Chelsea and Heart of Midlothian.
When not pursuing any of the above areas, I can often be found on Twitter as @HistoryMalc connecting with historians, writers, church visitors, and others interested in art, literature, film and politics.
Lastly, and I have been very open about this with family, friends and on social media, I have been living with Kidney Cancer since 2018. In 2023 this has resulted in a need for further abdominal surgery, but that has in no way diminished my creative drive, and in some ways it has in fact increased it. Our life on this earth is limited, regardless of illness, so, other than supporting our nearest and dearest, we should put our time into whatever gives us the most enjoyment, and where possible connect with others who share similar interests.
The threat of secondary cancer, whether it is real or just a scare, makes me realise that now, for me, it is immediate family needs and self-indulgent interests first, close friends and wider family second, and the rest of the world a very distant third. This website is about the me part in all that, and I hope that from time to time, other people may find it worth exploring.
Malcolm Sinclair, Berryfield, Wiltshire, Autumn 2023.
