Rowland Parker – Author.
Rowland became an author as a result of his research to find the history of his cottage. He hand-wrote his notes to make them readable for family and friends, but it was his teenage daughter who wanted him to become a published author. She sent off for self-publication literature and eventually talked him into going ahead. He lost his money (!), but retrieved the typeset, which through Don Challis, he was able to pay Burlington Press to print. ‘Cottage on the Green’ sold well, and The Common Stream, and his other works followed.
Rowland Parker – Younger.
As a young man, Rowland was determined to use his talents. The family farm was not big enough to support all the brothers, and he did well at school. He worked hard and won a scholarship to Nottingham University. His undergraduate studies in modern languages opened his horizons and he decided to become a teacher. He was a keen cyclist and rambler during those years. He also competed as a cross-country runner, representing his university – at least once successfully, judging by the trophy he is holding!
Rowland Parker – Sketcher.
It was during his University years at Nottingham, Rowland had his first sketch published in the local newspaper. He had an eye for detail, and his best line drawings were of buildings and bridges. Wherever he went he would record things that caught his interest in his sketchbook. He would then work these into line drawings, often on a winter’s evening, sitting by the fire smoking his pipe in The Cottage, with a small glass of whiskey on the table beside him. Just before he died he began to experiment with oil paints, which was something he always wanted to do, but never had time for.
Rowland Parker – Thinker.
Although a very practical person, Rowland liked to mull thoughts and ideas over and philosophise. Once he hit upon a theory he was always right of course! He could be very dogmatic. His friend, Peter Lloyd, has a story of how Rowland decided one of the doors in Peter’s house looked like a church door, and by the next time Rowland showed a history group round the house the door had become a former church door, so convinced he was. Maybe this talent for suggesting – and then believing in – what seemed right to him is what enabled him to create the magic of The Common Stream.
Rowland Parker – Archaeologist.
A passionate amateur archaeologist, historian and a natural teacher, Rowland wanted the things he discovered to be available for people to see and touch, so that they could connect physically to the past. He regularly took his ‘mobile museum’ to history groups and schools where he would give talks. He donated some important items to Royston Museum and to The Cambridge Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, but he kept the things that would end up in a storeroom at home where they could be cherished. Holding a roman pot is an amazing experience!