The railway child

The yard of the coaching inn is lit by the moon. The mud-splattered stagecoach creaks as passengers climb from the roof and out of the stale interior. The horses are unharnessed and stabled; the passe

Not many of the great postwar British film stars found box office fame in their early 40s, yet the gravel-voiced and charming Jack Hawkins did just that. His career is perhaps best remembered for his

THE timing of it! How unfair can it be?” Gilly Hyde clamped her hands to the sides of her head in despair, and immediately regretted it. She had spent an hour on her hair that morning. She took her ha

Dear Simon, My daughter, Wendy, and I have enjoyed so many visits to Singapore, and this year we felt it was about time we put our thoughts and experiences down on paper. Sir Stamford Raffles was knig

The daughter of actress Dinah Sheridan and actor Jimmy Hanley, Jenny Hanley came to Magpie as an established actress, already having been in Hammer films, the Bond film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service

This year sees the celebrations marking the 200th anniversary of the opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway, the world’s first steam-worked passenger line. It is an occasion to reflect on the