4 days ago
Clive Birch, publisher whose books on British towns reinvigorated the field of local history
Clive Birch, who has died aged 93, was an innovative publisher in the field of local history, his 'Town Books' providing readers with an authoritative and entertaining guide to the lore of their neighbourhoods.
A former journalist, Birch founded an independent publishing firm, Barracuda Books, in 1974. Operating at first from an attic office in Soho, Barracuda became particularly well-known for its books on British towns: crisply written and abundantly illustrated, they were received as a breath of fresh air in the local history genre, which at the time largely comprised either dry-as-dust tomes or cheap catchpenny volumes. Having settled in Buckinghamshire – in a 17th-century farmhouse he had restored – Birch wrote many of the volumes on Bucks towns himself.
Several members of the Royal family were fans of the 'Town Books'. Prince Charles wrote the forewords to three of the volumes and once lent Birch a Royal barge for a launch party.
One memorable day saw Birch do the rounds of 10 Downing Street, Lambeth Place and Clarence House to present volumes to Mrs Thatcher (on Grantham), the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Queen Mother. The Queen Mother's aide Sir Martin Gilliat greeted him with the words 'Hello Barracuda, have a little drink-o' and instructed him that the correct etiquette was to inscribe the book 'from your faithful servant'.
Clive Birch was born in Edgware on December 22 1931. His father, Raymond Birch CBE, ran Birch Bros, the family bus and coach operating business that had begun by running horse-drawn cabs in 1837. His mother Valerie (née Fry) was a performer who sang with Ivor Novello.
After Uppingham School his National Service with the RAF amounted to 'undistinguished service stopping planes hitting mountains' in radar. His plans to go on to university were thwarted by the expectation that he would join the family firm, but he rebelled by heading north to work as a teaboy on a local newspaper in Manchester. He went on to be appointed editor of the Bucks Examiner aged 24.
Birch yo-yoed for many years between the worlds of journalism and public relations. He was credited with doubling the circulation of Shooting Times as publishing manager of its parent company; when the editor, Philip Brown, chided him for his ignorance of field sports, Birch immediately took up game shooting, which he enjoyed into his 80s.
In the 1970s Birch was appointed editor of the ailing Illustrated London News, the venerable magazine that had been purchased by the press magnate Lord Thomson of Fleet. 'The Times is my flagship, the ILN my pinnace,' Roy Thomson told Birch. 'They're both sinking. Save the ILN in 15 months or you're fired.' Birch reversed the circulation decline, but Lord Thomson fired him anyway in 1972 during a cost-cutting drive and although he almost immediately tried to rehire him, Birch decided to strike out on his own and launch Barracuda Books.
He maintained an interest in the family transport business and in 1984 served as Master of the Worshipful Company of Carmen, as his father had been before him. He was a driving force in establishing the Carmen's Research Fellowship in vehicle design at the Royal College of Art, and in his 70s he became a visiting lecturer and tutor at the RCA, relishing involvement with university life, which he had been denied as a young man. He finally retired at 87.
In 1985 he founded the Buckingham Heritage Trust, which, among other projects, bought and restored Buckingham Old Gaol and refashioned it as a museum. He was appointed MBE in 2000 for services to local heritage.
His numerous books included a novel, A Decent Man, and a history of his family's firm, A World of Wheels, published when he was 92.
After two marriages that ended in divorce, Clive Birch was married for more than 40 years to his third wife, Carolyn, who survives him with four children and three stepchildren.
Clive Birch, born December 22 1931, died April 29 2025
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