Country Life

Newsman makes the news

MY first paid journalism (other than a short book review for a children’s page in the Evening Standard in 1960, for £1.10s) was a piece in the Surrey Advertiser that brought me 2gns in 1966. This gives me a near familial interest in the silver sale held by Ewbank’s of Woking back in December last year. By far the largest component of 600-plus lots was the collection of Sir Ray Tindle, who died in 2022 aged 95.

Collecting was not only his hobby, but his career. After war service in the Far East with the Devonshire Regiment, Tindle eventually spent £250 of his £300 and, by the time he finally retired as president of Tindle Newspapers at the age of 90, he had built up a network of local papers that covered the southern counties of England and extended to Wales, Ireland, the Channel Islands and Isle of Man. As he said: ‘If I could have my way, I’d have a new newspaper for every street.’ He gave his editors considerable freedom, but, ultimately, he was the boss. As sole shareholder, he could see ‘nothing wrong with the principle of one man, one vote’.

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from Country Life

Country Life2 min read
The Legacy Sir John Soane And His Museum
EXASPERATED and despairing at the provocative behaviour of his sons, Sir John Soane (1753–1837) decided towards the end of his life to make the British public his heir. His eldest son, John—whom he had hoped would follow him as an architect, but who
Country Life6 min read
A Hungry Heart
WHEN the Nazis mounted an exhibition in Munich in 1937, their purpose was not to celebrate art, but condemn it. The so-called ‘Entartete Kunst’ or ‘Degenerate Art’ show was a macabre blockbuster designed to represent what was perceived to be the very
Country Life4 min read
Smart Thinking
A private family garden near Godalming in Surrey IMAGINE standing in a garden for the first time and trying to work out what it can become. Will it be minimal or traditional? Will the planting be cottagey, Mediterranean or jungly? How is the garden g

Related