Horses Stood Still

by Simon Parker

Imagine Richard Trevithick’s final days, alone and ailing in a Dartford inn, hundreds of miles from his Cornish home and family. What would have been the thoughts of a man who had developed high pressure steam, run the first passenger locomotive on rails and given the world the motor car? Perhaps he would have looked back on his life, assessing the highs and lows, the achievements and disappointments. But who could he tell? In Horses Stood Still, Simon Parker imagines a series of letters written by the great Cornish inventor and engineer to his daughter, Elizabeth. The letters build into a chronological account of his life, from his early years and schooldays, through work at East Stray Park Mine and the inaugural run of his revolutionary road engine, to South America and London.

Opera singer Ben Luxon CBE brings an authentic Camborne voice to Richard Trevithick in a series of letters that build into an account of his life. Recorded in Cornwall and America, the two-CD package is supported by the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site. To hear an extract, visit: http://www.cornish-mining.org.uk/news/horses-stood-still-lost-letters-richard-trevithick

Price: £10 (free p&p)