A HISTORY buff and owner of a Carlisle bookshop is on the verge of publishing his fourth book, a deep-dive into the history of Swan Hunter Shipbuilders.

Robert Turnbull, who runs Reiver Reads in Carlisle's Market Hall, manuscript, Blue Ribbands and Hobnailed Boots: Swan Hunter Shipbuilders 1860-2006, is in its final stages. 

His upcoming book is particularly close to his heart, blending personal family history with it dedicated to his mother Audrey, with a broader narrative of the storied shipbuilders in Wallsend, North Tyneside.

“Swans is in the blood," Rob said. His grandfather worked at the shipyard, where he suffered an industrial accident that cost him his leg.

"While it's a general history of Swans, I sat down with my mum in 2020 and she told me about being evacuated during World War II and how she got caught in a Luftwaffe air raid while visiting a friend.

"So the story is a bit of both, a lot of anecdotes about growing up in Wallsend in the thirties and quite a bit about the founders, John Wigham Richardson who was a Quaker, which in many ways, was the demise of Swans as they wouldn’t build for military contracts in the early days," he said. 

The 55-year-old, who lives in Hexham, has already penned three books, including a poetry collection and Left for the Rising Sun, Right for Swan Hunter, and contributed to various publications, such as The Times Literary Supplement, BBC History Magazine, and The Morning Star.

With the manuscript ready for final touches, Rob is actively seeking a publisher to bring this piece of history to life. 

“I’ve always said that being a bookshop owner is the best job there is,” Rob said.

Looking to the future, Rob already has ideas for his next historical project. “There’s more history in Carlisle than people realise". 

Rob hints his next pen-to-paper will focus on the history of when King Edward II was proclaimed at Carlisle Castle, with a look towards his father, Edward I, dying out in the Solway.