Gordon grew up in Stretford near Manchester. He studied Mathematics at The University of Manchester before joining the oil company Esso (part of the ExxonMobil group) at its huge refinery by Southampton Water. There he met his wife, Sue. They married in 1966. He retired from Esso 40 years later and moved home to the historic town of Arundel in West Sussex. There, they both immersed themselves in voluntary work for the Arundel Museum Society. Sue had introduced Gordon to Family History research in 1986 and in Arundel they worked as a team undertaking family history research for others as a way of raising funds for the Museum. In 2011 they moved to Strensham. Their beautiful home, Sunday House, was next to the former parish church of St John the Baptist, now a grade 1 listed building under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. What better place to be inspired to research and write his first book, ‘The Ancient Manor of Strensham’.

The Manor of Strensham is a unique and special place, a charming English rural parish on the West Bank of the River Avon. For over 400 years, the Russell family were Lords of the Manor, and along with the Taylor family generations later, oversaw major changes to this agricultural estate's fields, farms and buildings.

This book charts those changes, explaining how they were influenced by local and national events and ultimately explaining how to recognise the past in the present-day village of Strensham.

This book is a fascinating stroll through England's history and its early agricultural systems.

Available in softcover and hardcover

Softcover:

https://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Manor-Strensham-Gordon-Sawyer/dp/1922343145/ref=pd_rhf_se_p_img_6?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=QYHNXC0XTF6ZZT2F9FDC

Hardcover: 

https://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Manor-Strensham-Gordon-Sawyer/dp/1922343218/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=strensham&qid=1585742715&s=books&sr=1-1