"Singer’s Legacy: His Family and his Home" is a digitally-printed hardback with dust cover, which is presented in A4 format containing 224 pages and over 200 colour and B&W images, many of which are published for the first time.  It’s written to appeal to Singer enthusiasts, past and present students of Coundon Court, and historians in general.  Vividly illustrated throughout, its nine chapters cover Singer’s early family life, his rise to fame and fortune, and his dedicated public life.  His children’s lives are traced, along with the heroic yet ultimately tragic destinies of his grandchildren.  Alongside the captivating story of his family and business, the book offers a uniquely detailed tour of Singer's beautiful home, Coundon Court, as well as the latest personal accounts of its ghostly residents.  Finally, prior to the "Epilogue" is a chapter dedicated to "his master’s voice", which reproduces a recently discovered collection of Singer’s speeches from his time as Mayor of Coventry, which both capture and dramatise his natural authority, his charisma, his humour and committed humanitarian nature.

 

Dorset-born George Singer was destined to become both a local celebrity and a global industrial figure of the Victorian age whose name was synonymous with quality.  Richard Hoare's "Singer's Legacy: His Family and his Home" is the first to research the Singer family history using original contemporary sources to present readers with an insight into the character of Singer himself and the legacy he left to his family: the uniquely heroic Singer descendants.  Richard Hoare was fortunate to teach at Coundon Court Comprehensive in Coventry for 30 years.  With his office and classrooms in the beautiful Victorian Gothic building which held such history, he soon became interested in the legendary achievements of George Singer.  Over many years, and with the help of Singer enthusiasts at home and abroad, he amassed a substantial collection of material and, in response to the many requests, has finally written this exhaustive and absorbing study of George Singer and his family.