Not only was it my birthday in October (I share my star sign with John Lennon), but I also attended several meetings of Milton Keynes Writers, had several recording sessions for The Case of the Curious Client audio book, popped up to the North-East for a few days, and ended the month with my most successful book signing event ever. All whilst continuing to write the 8th Bow Street Society Mystery. To say it was a busy month would be a smidge of an understatement! In this month’s blog, I share some of my October highlights.
Bolsover Castle
On Sunday 12th October, me and my good friend Richard A. Boxshall travelled up to the North-East. Since neither of us are keen on overly long car journeys (it was going to take at least four hours), we decided to break it up by popping into Bolsover Castle along the way. This was a place I’d frequently seen on the brown road signs beside the M1 when driving up to the North-East with family, but that I’d never managed to visit. The Sunday Richard and I went, the sun was shining and it glorious blue skies. Much of the castle is in ruins, but there remains a little castle that you can still walk around. We also had a stroll along the battlements, imagining what the castle would’ve been like in its hey-day as a party pad, and trying to work out whether the pyramid-shaped tops of the pillars served a purpose or were purely decorative. There was a second-hand book shop in another part of the castle, so I bought three titles.
Beamish: The Living Museum of the North
Ever since I visited Beamish with my mum and sisters as a child, I’ve felt like it’s been a part of me. I’d visited twice since then and, on Monday 13th October, I visited it again. As usual, when I stepped onto the main street of the 1900s Town, I felt like I was coming home. It’s hard to describe how impressive Beamish is if you’ve never visited. Every poster, every window, every piece of furniture, has been expertly curated to transport you back in time, whether it to be to the nineteenth century, 1913, the 1940s, or 1950s. You can watch sweets being made in the sweet shop and buy them from there, too. You can buy a drink in the pub. You can speak to the dentist and explore his house. You can watch a film reel in the Art Deco cinema. As evidenced by the cabinet card style photograph at the top of this blog, you can also get your photograph taken in period costume. Although, both the sweet shop and the photographers are highly popular, so be sure to get in there early to avoid disappointment. Honestly, if I could live in Beamish, I would. The best part? Our tickets last for a year, so we’re already planning another trip in 2026.
Hardwicke Hall
On Tuesday 14th October, we travelled back to Milton Keynes but stopped off at Hardwicke Hall to break up the journey. Near to Bolsover Castle geographically, Hardwicke Hall also has a connection to the castle via the Cavendish family. As you can see from the photograph, the day was overcast and grey. Personally, I love Autumn weather like that, as it feels more atmospheric, and you feel as though you’ve stepped into some Gothic novel or tense period drama. We both agreed the main stone staircase and Long Gallery of Hardwicke Hall were the most impressive parts of the “new” house. There were rich tapestries lining almost every wall, and the craftsmanship of them was astonishing. I could definitely imagine an Agatha Christie mystery (or maybe even a Bow Street Society mystery?) being filmed there.
My absolute highlight of Hardwicke Hall, though, were the ruins of the “old” hall. Intentionally dismantled due to structural issues, their walls still bear some of the original plasterwork. The fireplaces are also quite in-tact despite now floating in the middle of walls (the majority of floors are missing). According to some of the information boards around the ruins, a respected servant was called Mr Reason, which I thought was an excellent name for a character! Perhaps he’ll appear in one of the short stories…
Authors At The Armouries (AATA’25)
Last, but certainly not least, I was at Authors At The Armouries on Saturday 25th October. Every time I set up my stand, I say to myself “I’ve got to stop writing books,” as there’s more and more titles each time! (I love it, really). Prior to the event, I had the highest number of preorders I’d ever had for a book signing. Prior to the event, I had the highest number of competition prize winners I’d ever had for a book signing. At the event, all of these preorders and competition winners were collected by a whole host of lovely readers. At the event, I had readers bring copies of their books they’d previously bought for me to sign. At the event, I met existing fans and new fans of the Bow Street Society books. At the event, my good friend Richard A. Boxshall did an amazing job telling everyone what he loved about the books, and an equally amazing job at putting up with stressed T.G. as we got into the hall and set up (he has the patience of a saint!). By the time the day had come to an end, I’d had the most successful book signing event I’d ever had to date (and I’ve been attending them since 2018). Thank you to Sarah Michelle Lynch of SML Events, her staff, volunteers, and, of course, the readers for making it such an incredible day.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this little update of what I got up to in October. It’s back to the computer for me now: back to writing the next book and Bow Street Society Casebook collection. If you haven’t done so already, please join the Bow Street Appreciation Society, the official Facebook group for the Bow Street Society fandom. You can also subscribe to the Gaslight Gazette, the official monthly Bow Street Society newsletter.
~ T.G. Campbell, November 2025