About David Winpenny

David has always been interested in architectural history - especially its quirkier side. His researches into the wide variety of pyramidal structures in the British Isles resulted is his book 'Up to a Point – In search of pyramids in Britain and Ireland' – the only book on the subject. He has been filmed for BBC television and interviewed on the radio on the subject.

David lives in Ripon and is a Vice-President and Co-Chair of Ripon Civic Society. He is the author of ‘Secret Ripon’ (published by Amberley Books) and of several books for the Automobile Association, including the Leisure Guide to Northumbria and Hadrian’s Wall’ and ’50 Walks in North Yorkshire’. 

As well as his work for the Automobile Association, he has written for English Heritage Magazine and the Canal and River Trust’s Waterfront magazine, and as a regular contributor to BBC CountryFile Magazine. His work has appeared in The Times, The Independent and the Daily Telegraph.

David studied at Ripon Grammar School and the Universities of Birmingham and Hull. He taught English before joining the Countryside Commission to coordinate its 'Watch over the National Parks' Campaign, which culminated in a National Parks Festival at Chatsworth, attended by the Princess of Wales.

After working as a government information officer in Leeds and as head of editorial services at a public relations company in York he set up his own PR company in 1991, from which he retired in 2016. His clients included The Green Howards regiment, St Leonard’s Hospice in York and L’Arche, an international charity for people with learning difficulties.
A life member of the Society of the Protection of Ancient Buildings and of the National Trust, and a member of the Outdoor Writers and Photographers Guild and of the Victorian Society, David has taken part in the BBC's ‘Brain of Britain’ contest and in 'Mastermind' on both television and on radio; he was a Mastermind finalist in 1999.

David is an Accredited Lecturer for the Arts Society.  He has been asked to  lecture for P&O, Fred. Olsen, Saga, Voyages of Discovery, Ambassador and Viking cruises,  as well as on the Hebridean Princess.

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