Our Publications

Since 2005, the Society has written and published various books about life in and around Whiston. Below is a profile of each book.

Our publications are on general sale throughout the year; but are also sold at the annual Whiston Summer Festival every July and at the Christmas Fayre / Lights Switch-on in December; where we usually have a stall at both events.

Secondly, we have prouced an annual calendar featuring appropriate photos of Whiston and the surrounding area for each month of the year.

If you are interested in purchasing one of our books, booklets or calendars, please fill out the form on the Contact Us page; and will then be in touch with you to arrange delivery (or collection) and payment as necessary.

All publications are currently being sold at £2.00 each.

 

Books

Whiston: Beyond the Village Centre (2017)

Written by the late Mr Henry Tompkin, Whiston: Beyond the Village Centre follows the boundaries of the village in order to tell the story of the outlying areas of our Parish / Civic area; including the hamlet of Morthen and its Grand Hall (featured on the cover). This book proved to be very popular when it was published and quickly sold out of its original print run. Unfortunately, with the death of Mr Tompkin in 2020, the original digital manuscript is no longer available, so it is unlikely that we will be able to print any more copies of this book.

WhistonBeyondtheVillageCentre

Whiston At Play (2014)

Whistonatplay

This is the story of sports and recreation in Whiston over the years; including pastimes such as football, cricket, tennis; summer festivals, gang shows, tea dances and much more. This book proved to be so popular when it was originally published that we ordered an extra print run; which means we currently have approximately sixty (60x) copies available.

Old Whiston: Good - Buy! (2012)

A guide to all of the shopping, goods and services that used to take place in Whiston; and still do in some cases. Whilst many business (or their premises) have long since ceased to exist, some have been repurposed. For example, the former Co-op on Turner Lane is now in use as a pharmacy. The story of that, and many others, are to be found here.

Old WhistonGoodBuy

A Village Remembers: Whiston 1936 - 1953 (2009)

AVillageRemembers

What was Whiston like during World War II? How did residents contribute to the war effort? Did any of them make the ultimate sacrifice? Find the answers to these questions, and a whole lot more, in this publication covering the village during the war years.

The Changing Face of Whiston (2007)

A second vilume of stories and photographs covering the life and times of the village.

This book focuses on three different aspects of Whiston that were introduced in our first book (below).

i) The visible changes made to Whiston.

ii) The upgrades made due to development in transport infrastructure.

ii) Water usage in Whiston.

This book is very much worth reading alongside its counterpart in order to gain a greater understanding of Whiston's history.

ChangingFaceWhiston

Stories and Photographs of Whiston Past (2005)

ChangingFaceWhiston

A general guide to Whiston; featuring stories and photographs that cover the life and times of the village over the previous 100 years.

Our first ever book was (and still is) a pictorial and written guide to life in the village before the 'march of progress began' i.e. pre-1960s when Whiston was a mostly rural village separated from Rotherham by farms and fields that would leter be given over to housing.

As per the introduction, this book aims to "capture the conditions of a more rural age".

Booklets and Pamphlets

Harry Armitage and his Family (2018)

The story of Harry Armitage (1900 - 1993): 'A real Whiston character '

Harry was a pony-and-trap rider, smallholder and fairground amusement owner. He also wrote a book about Whiston: Sorrelsykes: extracts of which have been reporduced in this booklet. His recorded memories provide an insight into life; and particularly; the people of Whiston during his lifetime.

Harry Armitage

Whiston Manorial Barn (2019)

ManorialBarn

The Manorial Barn on Chaff Close is one of only a handful of such buildings in the country. Formerly a working barn; it was bought by Whiston Parish Council in the 1980s and modernised in a multipurpose building for use by the community and today is available for hire for wedding receptions, business functions and parties etc. This booklet tells the story of its life as a farm building as well as its renovation and modern use by local residents.

Wartime Memories of Whiston by Colin Wade (2020)

A booklet by local resident Colin Wade with further information about Whiston during World War Two.

WartimeMemories

Youthful Memories of Whiston by Eleanor Kimber (2008) reprinted (2018)

YouthfulMemories

A booklet about Village life during the 19th Century by local resident Eleanor Kimber. Please see the Anecdotes page for extracts from this booklet.

Calendars

2020

We have produced slimline calenders of Whiston; featuring appropriately seasonal photographs of the village for each month of the year. These proved to be very popular for the two years that we have been able to produce them (2019 and 2020). Unfortunately, we were not able to put together a calendar for 2021 or 2022 due to the coronavirus pandemic (which meant that there was no Summer Fayre or Christmas Lights Switch-On events at which to sell them). Nonetheless, we hope to be able to do so again in the future.

2020calendar1 2020calendar2

Other Publications - non Whiston Heritage Society

  • A collection of six notelets featuring pen drawings of Whiston; drawn by a local artist. ₤2.00 - currently out of print.

  • J.D. Griffin (1956) The story of the church of St. Mary Magdalene: Whiston and its Parish.

  • J.D. Griffin (1967) The Parish Church of St Mary Magdalene, Whiston.

  • Manorial Barn Opening Cemeremony Programme (1988)

  • M.Butcher (1989) A History of Whiston.

  • D.G. Bartholomew, Memories of Whiston. - Non-WHS publication, currently unavailable.