(Part one appeared in Steam World January 2024)
It was in my second stint at Ian Allan Ltd from 1979 until I came north to edit Steam World in 1992, that I came to know and form a close working relationship with artist and photographer George Heiron.
It might sound harsh that we had nicknames for some of our most prolific contributors but they were terms of endearment born out of respect and frequent – at times continuous – contact with them.
George Heiron, the west country artist and photographer was one with whom I had almost weekly contact during the 1980s. Quiet and unassuming, with a strong ‘Bristol’ accent, ‘High-rise’ was always keen to fulfill a brief for a painting or to provide illustrations for books.him frequently to provide illustrations, usually watercolour paintings, for book jackets where there was no suitable colour photograph available.
