My name is Averil Shepherd. I live in Ovington, a small village in Northumberland, and I’m married to John. I graduated with Honours in History from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne and work in the book trade. For many years I’ve toured the country in search of historic and architectural curiosities to photograph with a particular interest in pre-1650 sepulchral effigies, regional foods and commemorative monuments (John just goes along for the ride and the food – he likes the events more than old houses and churches!).
Me, firing a Fenny Popper.
My hero is Nikolaus Pevsner who wrote the Buildings of England series (see them here), invaluable to every church-crawler in the land. Other interests include reading, choral singing, Richard III Society and collecting miniatures for my palatial dolls’ house. An overwhelming enthusiasm for customs and traditions was sparked by a visit to Abbots Bromley Horn Dance in 2009 on our annual Man Free Weekend with former Uni flatmate Lisa Lawrence. I made a ten year plan of things to attend and I’m particularly keen on wild sports, hobby horses and anything involving fire or explosions… Watch this space… The ten year plan was of course completely disrupted by covid, and I’ve added a number of events over the years, so it’s still got a while left.
You can contact me here: