An American in Bingley
On the Trail of Astrophysicist and Writer Fred Hoyle
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.
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.
