Gavin Weightman (4 March 1945 – 18 December 2022) was a British journalist and documentary filmmaker who specialised in the social history of London and Britain from the 18th century. ^[1]

His books included The Making of Modern London, co-authored with Steve Humphries (recently re-issued by The Ebury Press); The Frozen Water Trade; Signor Marconi's Magic Box; and The Industrial Revolutionaries. ^[2] His journalism included many articles for New Society magazine in the 1970s.

Early life

Gavin Weightman was born on 4 March 1945 in Gosforth, Northumberland to Doreen (née Wade), a teacher and translator, and John Weightman, a broadcaster. The family lived in West Hampstead, but spent the summers in Northumberland. He attended Haberdashers' Boys' School with a scholarship, but left there aged 17 to start a career as a journalist. ^[3]

In 1967, he started a degree in sociology at Bedford College, London. ^[3]

Career

After leaving school, Weightman worked on the Brighton and Evening Angus and the Richmond and Twickenham Times. ^[3]

In 1974, he began work for New Society magazine. From 1978–1982, he worked as a reporter and presenter for The London Programme. ^[3]

For London Weekend Television, he produced and directed The Making of Modern London (1815–1914), The River Thames, Bright Lights Big City, Brave New Wilderness, and City Safari, among other series. ^[4]

Personal life

Weightman's first marriage to Myra Wilkins ended in divorce. Together they had two children. ^[3]

In 2009, Weightman married Clare Beaton, a children's author and illustrator after a long term relationship. They had one son. ^[3]

Weightman lived in north London and latterly concentrated on writing social history books. ^[5] He died at the Royal London Hospital on 18 December 2022, at the age of 77. ^[6]

Publications (selected)

• 1983: The Making of Modern London, 1815-1914 with Stephen Humphries (Sidgwick & Jackson)
• 1984: The Making of Modern London, 1914-1939 with Stephen Humphries (Sidgwick & Jackson)
• 1986: City Safari: Wildlife in London with Mike Birkhead (Sidgwick & Jackson)
• 1987: Christmas Past with Stephen Humphries (Sidgwick & Jackson)
• 1990: London River: The Thames Story (Collins & Brown)
• 1991: The Seaside (Collins & Brown)
• 1991: Picture Post Britain (Collins & Brown)
• 1991: London Past (Collins & Brown)
• 1992: Bright Lights, Big City: London entertained, 1830-1950 (Collins & Brown)
• 1992: Rescue: the history of Britain's emergency services (Boxtree, Channel Four)
• 1998: Polar Explorers (Explorers and Exploration series, Grolier Educational)
• 1998: North America (Explorers and Exploration series, Grolier Educational)
• 2003: Signor Marconi's Magic Box: The Most Remarkable Invention of the 19th Century & The Amateur Inventor Whose Genius Sparked a Revolution (Da Capo Press)
• 2003: What the Industrial Revolution Did for Us (BBC)
• 2003: The Frozen-Water Trade: a true story (Hyperion)
• 2005: London's Thames: the river that shaped a city and its history (St Martin's Press)
• 2007: The Industrial Revolutionaries: the creation of the modern world, 1776-1914 (Atlantic)
• 2007: The making of Modern London: a People's history of the Capital from 1815 to the present day (Ebury Press)
• 2011: Children of Light: how electricity changed Britain forever ( Atlantic)
• 2011: Restoration Home:the essential guide to tracing the history of your house (BBC Books)
• 2012: Secrets of a Titanic Victim: the story of the Real My Fair Lady ( backstory.la)
• 2015: Eureka: how invention happens ( Yale University Press)
• 2020: The Great Inoculator: The untold story of Daniel Sutton and his medical revolution (Yale University Press)

References

The British Library has many faculty reading lists.^{[ clarification needed]}

Gavin Weightman's Official Website

• Official website