It is 1939 and newly-weds Tom and Cyby Fenton have started their life together on Manor Farm near Bishop Auckland, Co. Durham.  The horrors of the Second World War seem far away.

But all is not as it seems in the remote northern community. Of course, the Second World War threatens all kinds of horrors, but not even Tom's call-up can affect their happiness.  Strangely enough the threat to their marriage is to be found far away from the battlefield, on Manor Farm itself, in the cockloft, lovenest of widowed farmer gentleman George.

What really caused the death of Clarissa, the wife of gentleman George the farm owner?  Who is the malevolent, mysterious Stone?  Can the vampish, parasitical Gloria keep her man? And will the Fentons' idyllic marriage be able to survive when Tom is posted to France?

Past and present are joined in this polished and compelling work set in England and the USA.  The Cockloft is a magnificant and well-observed novel that cannot fail to enthral the reader.

About the Author -

Edward (or Ted to his friends) Richardson was born in 1933 and raised in the North-East of England.  His family lived in the coal mining community of Willington, Co. Durham.  He first went to Willington Junior School and then to Bishop Auckland Boys' Grammar School.

He experienced the Second World War as a young boy growing up and remembers listening to the Radio reports about how the British and then the

Allied troops were fighting bravely.  During that turbulent period and for some time afterwards, he helped out at a local farm whenever he could.

He studied at Newcastle University and then went into teaching - moving round the country as the jobs became available, to help support his young and then older family.  It was only after his retirement that he decided to write this novel - drawing on his experiences of growing up.

Although the story and characters are fictional, he has used some familar scenes and places from his home county.  His obvious affection for the area is a striking feature of the book.  The heroine, Cyby, for example comes from a village called Staindrop - where his mother's family used to run a horse and coach business.

The narrative brings the story up to the present, which also gave him the opportunity to describe how the landscape has changed over the last seventy years.

Reflecting on the difficulties of writing his first novel, Ted said: "At first, I thought I couldn't write a novel, maybe short stories, writing 70 000 words seemed like so much.  But it just came to me, especially as I was writing about places I remember from my childhood."