An American in Bingley

Paul Halpern
3 min readJun 8, 2021

--

On the Trail of Astrophysicist and Writer Fred Hoyle

Fred Hoyle, born in Gilstead, England

In September 2019, my sabbatical research on the life and work of noted scientist and writer Sir Fred Hoyle brought me to England, and to the region of Bingley (including Gilstead and Eldwick) in the traditional and beautiful West Riding of Yorkshire. I had the chance to see the house where Hoyle grew up, the pub established by his great-grandfather, poet Ben Preston, the former Eldwick School that he attended, and many of the lanes and paths on which he walked. It was a truly lovely and enlightening visit. The result would be my new book Flashes of Creation.

Below are some of the photos I took (or were taken of me) during my visit, beginning with a “selfie” in front of Hoyle’s childhood home.

Selfie in front of Hoyle’s house
The hamlet of Gilstead, where Fred Hoyle grew up
Blue Plaque at Hoyle’s childhood home on Primrose Lane
At The Glen
About poet Ben Preston
A delightful meadow
The former Eldwick School
Three Rise Locks

Paul Halpern is a University of the Sciences physics professor and the author of seventeen popular science books, including Flashes of Creation: George Gamow, Fred Hoyle, and the Great Big Bang Debate.

--

--

Paul Halpern
Paul Halpern

Written by Paul Halpern

Physicist and science writer. Author of Synchronicity: The Epic Quest to Understand the Quantum Nature of Cause and Effect