Gordon Murray Bio

Gordon Murray Biography

Gordon Murray, c.1962
Gordon Murray
c. 1962

Gordon Murray
& friend
c. 1980

Visionary English puppeteer, puppet maker, sculptor, film and television producer, author, and actor who spent almost thirty five years at the forefront of children’s television puppetry.
Born 1921, now retired.
Married ballet dancer Enid Martin, with whom he had two children.
Most famous for the television puppet series, “Rubovian Legends” and the Trumptonshire trilogy.
The Rubovia character Gordon most closely identifies with is Sir Albert Weatherspoon. His favourite Trumptonshire character is Windy Miller.

Gordon Murray has always been interested in puppets. As a child he loved making puppets and used to give little shows to friends and family at home.

Demobbed after WW2, Gordon set up his own puppet company, Murray's Marionettes, and then several years later joined the BBC as a puppeteer in the early days of children’s television.

After more than twenty years of work in children’s television, it is one of Gordon Murray’s earlier efforts, “Rubovian Legends”, that represents his most sophisticated and charming creative output. But such attributes aren’t necessarily big money makers, and overall, he remains most famous for his trilogy of Trumptonshire stop-motion puppet masterpieces: “Camberwick Green,” “Trumpton” and “Chigley”.

The last-surviving Trumptonshire
puppet went to auction in 2003. Notice the deterioration. Mouse-over the image to see a height comparison: Camberwick Green soldier (8") vs. Gerry Anderson's John Tracy (22").

The Trumptonshire puppets, all of which today would have fetched high prices as collectors items, are long gone. Worn out and dilapidated, they were cremated on a bonfire in Gordon’s back yard after the shows were dropped from television in the late 1980s. Only one puppet, a soldier from “Camberwick Green”, miraculously escaped the fire. This same puppet was recently (April 2003) put up for auction at Christies, but failed to meet the reserve price (it was expect to sell for £2,000 - £3,000). By contrast, at the same auction the head of Thunderbirds puppet astronaut John Tracy (made of a very durable fiberglass material, in contrast to the periihable plastic foam of the Trumptonshire puppets) sold for £37,600 - despite a modest £6,000 valuation.

Back in the middle of the 1970s, the “Rubovian Legends” marionette puppets also suffered a fiery fate after Gordon found that their foam latex had gone all gooey. The much later stop-motion “Rubovia” puppets, being made of similar materials to the Trumptonshire puppets (plastic foam, wire and a ping pong ball for a head), can be safely assumed to have gone up in flames too. Incidentally, Gordon has long said that puppets should be seen working, and not hanging up in a static display, looking the worse for wear. (Note: Having seen some seriously decayed foam latex puppets, the authors tend to agree. Better to make some new ones!)

Of his lifelong interest in puppets, Gordon said, “I have been interested in puppets ever since I was a child. My enthusiasm was greatly stimulated, I remember, by a visit to the Victoria Palace when I was about eight to see Delvain’s Marionettes on the variety bill. Later, of course, I avidly read the Whanslaw books.”

Following “Chigley,” it was to be six years before Gordon had a new series on television. During this hiatus, Gordon and his wife Enid were bringing up a young family and surviving mainly on repeat fees and tie-in merchandise sales from the Trumptonshire series.

Gordon's first new television series since Trumptonshire was a six-episode stop-motion remake of some of the “Rubovian Legends” stories. Called just “Rubovia”, this was followed by “Skip and Fuffy” and “The Gublin Legends.” Despite using a stop-motion technique similar to that used in Trumptonshire, none of these later productions achieved anywhere near the success of Trumptonshire. The Gublins puppets were to be Gordon's last. Following this he turned his attention to something completely different, and over the next eight years or so produced and self-marketed more than thirty-four different limited-edition miniature books under the Silver Thimble Books imprint. These exquisitely presented diminutive examples of the book making art were all bound entirely by hand. They include hand-coloured watercolour paintings, special embroidered covers and bindings, and slip cases. A partial list of titles is given below. A major collection of these books, and relevant Gordon Murray correspondence 1982 - 87, is held in the Special Collections Department of the University of Iowa Libraries, Iowa City, USA.

1978: “The Gublin Legends” [TV-Series] (13 x 6-minute colour stop-motion episodes; the 13th episode was not transmitted. Writer, narrator, producer: Gordon Murray. Music: Freddie Philips. Animation puppet films made for BBC television, initially transmitted as part of “Noel Edmonds’ Multicoloured Swap Shop” which provided three hours of mostly-live Saturday morning entertainment for British kids aged 8 to 17. Gordon Murray appeared in person to introduce each Gublins episode.) Eleven of the Gublin Legends episodes were released on Warner Home Video in the VHS (PAL) format in 1984 (See videography, 1984, below. Unfortunately The Prudent Prince was not included, although listed on the tape box). The following details are printed on the tape box: “The Gublin Legends by Gordon Murray are animated puppet films. Each of the legends involving some magic ingredient is set in a different period and background. The charming and endearing characters all have the distinctive Gublin features. The English versions are narrated in rhyme against a specially composed musical background.” Never repeated because the BBC thought the narration was too adult. Gordon's answer to this is that children gain considerable benefit from hearing a few words they are not yet familiar with. (editor's comment: Thereby helping to raise IQ points, not lower them as television is often said to do!) All thirteen films are currently available for license from Double:Take, 13 x 5 minutes. © Gordon Murray. M&E track available. [click here or telephone +44 (0) 208 788 5743]. Gordon also wrote several Gublins children's books. These had stories that were specially created for the books (see bibliography, below).
Episode listing:
            Obadiah and Flo [later made into a non-Gublin miniature book, The Hole. See list of miniature books, below]
             Bessie o' the Glen or The Inversneekie Doonie
            The Barber of Cartina
            Mr. Dilley's Mermaid
            The Prince Frog
            The Magic Tree
            The Kendal Candle
            The Emperor's Willow-warbler
            The Honey-Coloured Hat
            The Dancing Princess
            Charley's Feather
            The Prudent Prince
            --13th episode title is unknown--
1977: “Skip and Fuffy” [TV-Series] (Short stop-motion animation puppet films made for BBC television, transmitted as part of Noel Edmonds’ “Multicoloured Swap Shop” series)
1977: “Rubovia” [LP record] (Two complete stories adapted from the BBC television series. BBC Record: REC 282, 33 r.p.m. 12" LP vinyl record, simulated stereo. SIDE ONE: Tunnel Trouble 21:38, SIDE TWO: The Unreliable Wand 20:16. Written by Gordon Murray. Music by Freddie Phillips. Voices: Roy Skelton and Gordon Murray. Narrated by Gordon Murray)
1976 (20th February): “Rubovia” [TV-Series] (6 x 15 minutes. Six of the old B&W marionette Rubovian plays were remade in colour, with newly designed stop-motion puppets and settings. Roy Skelton did all of the character voices, while Gordon Murray handled the narration. The animation was done by the Bura and Hardwick team. Gordon Murray adapted the scripts and was also producer for the series. The six plays were transmitted on BBC1 in the lunchtime (1:45 - 2:01 pm) 'Watch With Mother' slot, and then given a couple of repeat runs over the next several years. However, even though it followed in the footsteps of Trumptonshire, and used similar production methods, “Rubovia” did not prove to be as enduringly popular, and once the repeats finished it simply “disappeared” from the public’s memory. Gordon said to us that this was to be expected, since “Rubovia” was intended for seven year olds, and that it was never his intention that it should be shown to three and four year olds, to whom it would have meant very little. Against Gordon's sage advice, the BBC children's programming department insisted on putting Rubovia into the same slot as Gordon's similarly produced and very successful earlier stop-motion series, “Camberwick Green,” “Trumpton” and “Chigley.”
Episode listing:
             The Unreliable Wand
             Dragon Doctor
             The Magic Scent Bottle
             The Magic Duck
             The Enchanted Clock
             Tunnel Trouble
1970: Proposal for a fourth Trumptonshire series with a seaside location. Not actually made!
1969 (6th October): “Chigley” [TV-Series] (Stop-motion puppet series made for BBC’s ‘Watch with Mother’ segment, 13 x 15 minutes, colour). Gordon Murray was creator, writer, producer.
Episode listing:
             Lord Belborough’s Secret
             Bessie to the Rescue
             The Balloon
             The Fountain
             The Garden Wall
             Binnie & Bessie
             Lord Belborough’s Lucky Day
             Trouble with the Crane
             Clay for Mr. Farthing
             A Present for Lord Belborough
             Apples Galore
             Willie Munn
             The Broken Bridge
1967 (3rd January): “Trumpton” [TV-Series] (Stop-motion puppet series made for BBC’s ‘Watch with Mother’ segment, 13 x 15 minutes, colour. Written by Alison Prince. Gordon Murray was creator, co-writer, and producer.
Episode listing:
             Nick Fisher the Bill poster
             Miss Lovelace & the Mayor’s Hat
             Mrs. Cobbit & the Ice Cream Man
             Miss Lovelace & the Statue
             The Mayor’s Birthday
             Telephones
             The Rag & Bone Man
             Mr. Platt & the Painter
             The Window Cleaner
             Cuthbert’s Morning Off
             The Plumber
             Pigeons
             The Greenhouse
1966 (3rd January): “Camberwick Green” [TV-Series] (Stop-motion puppet series made for BBC’s ‘Watch with Mother’ segment, 13 x 15 minutes, colour, B&W. The Trumptonshire programmes were immediately successful, and with a wider age group than originally intended) Gordon Murray was creator, writer, producer.
Episode listing:
              Peter the Postman
              Windy Miller
              Mr. Crockett
              Dr. Mopp
              Mr. Murphy
              Mrs. Honeyman
              PC McGarry
              Mr. Carraway
              Farmer Bell
              Paddy Murphy
              Captain Snort
              Roger Varley
             Mr. Dagenham
1964/65: Due to pressure of competition from ITV’s live action adventure series, the BBC moved away from puppet productions. A major change was the disbanding of the Children’s Department. Not liking the direction things were taking, Gordon decided not to renew his contract, and in 1964 left BBC staff to become a free-lance TV film producer, using a stop-motion system. Before long, however, the BBC asked Gordon to submit some ideas for a new stop-motion series for young children, set in a rural village. Sufficiently impressed, they asked Gordon to produce a pilot episode. Due to a serendipitous typing mistake, the original series title, “Candlewick Green”, became “Camberwick Green”, and the rest, as they usually say, is history.
1962: The Dancing Princess (BBC Productions. Marionette play)
1960: The Magic Tree (BBC Productions. Marionette play)
1960: BBC moved from Lime Grove studios to the new Television Centre, where Gordon was put in charge of the new purpose-built puppet studio.
1960: The Crumpot Candles (BBC Productions. Marionette play)
1959: The King of the Golden River (John Ruskin) (Marionette play. BBC Productions)
1959: The Emperor’s New Clothes (Hans Christian Andersen) (Marionette play. BBC Productions)
1959: The Petrified Princess (Richard Arnell) (Marionette operetta. BBC Productions)
1958: The Winkleburg Armourer (BBC Productions. Marionette play)
1958-65: “Rubovian Legends” [TV-Series] (Twenty-six further marionette plays using Gordon Murray’s own marionettes, 26 x 20 minutes, B&W, presented by BBC Puppet Theatre. Settings and costumes by Andrew Brownfoot, assisted by Margaret Brownfoot. Gordon Murray was writer, director, & producer. Note that the title frame on the films actually says “A Rubovian Legend by Gordon Murray”, which is how the series is indexed by the BBC in their Infax database. Gordon, however, usually refers to the entire B&W marionette series as the “Rubovian Legends” which is the convention we've adopted here. See the FAQ section for more information on this topic.)
Episode listing:
             Clocks and Blocks
             The Dragon's Hiccups
             Mystery of Rubovia Castle
             The Wonky Wand
             Zaza Knows All
             Spray Fever
             Chickweed Wine
             Knight for a Day
             Crafty Art
             Fit and Well
             Something in the Air
             The Clue
             The Bell
             Bees and Bellows
             The Enchanted Duck
             The Trap
             Gala Performance
             A Cranky Banquet
             The Secret River
             Stop Press
             Fire, Fire, Fire
             Calling All Trunks
             The Troublesome Double
             Bewitched Boots
             A Sinister Visitor
             The Giddy Ghost (not Tx'd)
1957: “Captain Pugwash” [TV-Series] (BBC Productions. 86 x 5 minute episodes, B&W. Electronically recorded at 405 lines resolution onto 16 mm film from a studio television camera. Gordon Murray was producer with John Ryan. Created, written, illustrated and directed by John Ryan. Voices by Noel Coleman [1957], followed by Howard Marion-Crawford [mid 1958], and then Peter Hawkins)
1957: Beauty and the Beast (BBC Productions. Marionette play)
1957: The Emperor’s Nightingale (BBC Productions. Marionette play. Tx’d live in B&W, but simultaneously filmed in colour as an experiment to demonstrate the advantages of colour. Scenery and costumes by Andrew Brownfoot)
1956: “Toytown” [TV-Series] (S.G. Hulme Beaman) (Rod puppet series. BBC Productions. Gordon Murray designed & made puppets, and was producer)
(Note: Toytown's Larry the Lamb and co were revived by Bob Bura and John Hardwick for 27 stop-motion colour episodes for ITV in 1972, but Gordon Murray was not involved in that project, which was produced by Hendrick Baker)
1956: The Bird of Truth. (BBC Productions. Puppet play by Joy Martin. Gordon Murray producer. Puppets & settings by Andrew Brownfoot)
1956: The Dragon's Hiccups (A further marionette play in the Rubovian Legends series. Marionettes by Kim Allen. BBC Productions. Some of the settings and a new costume for the Queen by Andrew Brownfoot. Gordon Murray was writer, director, & producer)
1956: Clocks and Blocks (A further marionette play in the Rubovian Legends series. Marionettes by Kim Allen. BBC Productions. Some of the settings by Andrew Brownfoot. Gordon Murray was writer, director & producer)
1955: The Queen’s Dragon (The very first play in what was to become known as the Rubovian Legends series. Marionettes by Kim Allen. BBC Productions. Some of the settings by Andrew Brownfoot. Gordon Murray was writer & producer)
1955: The Wonderful Horse (BBC TV puppet play with music. Gordon Murray was one of the puppeteers for this production, alongside Audrey Atterbury, Molly Gibson, Joan Garrick, Elizabeth Donaldson, Elizabeth Thorndike)
1955: Will O’ the Gris (BBC TV puppet play. Gordon Murray was one of the puppeteers for this production, alongside Audrey Atterbury, Molly Gibson, Wolf Goldberg and Joan Garrick)
1955-57: Most of the productions made during this period, including “Rubovian Legends” The Queen’s Dragon, and the non-Rubovian The Emperor’s Nightingale, and Beauty and the Beast, were rehearsed, sometimes for weeks, and then performed once, live in front of the TV camera.
1955: Gordon Murray joined BBC Children’s Television department, first as a marionette operator in “The Woodentops” series (mainly working Spotty Dog), and then as a marionette operator in a play called Will O’ the Gris, and another called The Wonderful Horse. After these projects, Gordon quickly stepped into the role of producer of children’s television puppet programmes, and director of the BBC's Television Puppet Theatre.
1955: Rod puppets, with Alan Judd, at the Soho Fair, London: Up the River (Herve) and Spoiling the Broth (Offenbach)
1953: Summer season marionette show at Broadstairs. Gordon advertised for marionette operators and took on a 16-year-old named John Hardwick!
1952: Marionette productions, with Alan Judd: The High Toby (Priestly) and The Rose of Auvergne (Offenbach), at Broadstairs and Boltons Theatre, London.
Main source of timeline information: Dictionary of Puppetry by A.R. Philpott. McDonald, London, 1969.

1982-90: Silver Thimble Books. 33 miniature book titles. See complete list below.
1981: Mr. Dilley's Mermaid: A Gublin Legend by Gordon Murray, (p. 92-5), in BBC Swap Shop Book 4. The television programme of the same name presented in 'widescreen' picture strip form. A total of twelve pictures are used. The script was modified somewhat from the film, principally to remove topical and geographic references. The story features Harry Dilley; the Vicar; the Vicar's daughter, Agnes, a crook called Titus Leach, four members of the Women's Institute, and a mermaid called Lucy Lock.
1980: The Magic Tree: A Gublin Legend Picture Strip by Gordon Murray, (2 pp.), in BBC Swap Shop Book 3. A version of the television programme of the same name. The 7200 frames and complex choreography of the film have been reduced to just seventeen still pictures by skillfully rearranging the layouts and using a wider-angle view, thereby also increasing the visual appeal of the picture strip. The story features Abdul, the Caliph, an ornamental tree and a whole lot of 'Bunzibub'.
1979: The Prince Frog: A Gublin Legend by Gordon Murray, (2 pp.), in BBC Swap Shop Book 2. A version of the television programme of the same name. The 7200 frames of the film have been reduced to just six still pictures by skillfully rearranging the layouts and using a wider-angle view. The story features Mr. Wiffin, a coachman, King Alfonso, Princess Tina, and a Frog Prince.

1979: The Surprise Present. A young Gublins picture story book written and illustrated by Gordon Murray. Dean (see picture above).
1979: Grandpa's Mistake. A young Gublins picture story book written and illustrated by Gordon Murray. Dean (see picture above).
1979: The Wishing Well. A young Gublins picture story book written and illustrated by Gordon Murray. Dean (see picture above).
1979: The Lost Drum. A young Gublins picture story book written and illustrated by Gordon Murray. Dean (see picture above).
1969(?): Camberwick Green Postcards. Scenes from the BBC television series, “Camberwick Green”. Gordon Murray Puppets Ltd. Printed by Dixon-Lotus. A set of at least 6 cards, as follows:
               L6/8404, Series No. BBC11 “The Mayor sits for his Portrait”.
               L6/8406, Series No. BBC13 “The Mayor presents the Prizes at the Flower and Vegetable Show”.
               L6/8408, Series No. BBC15 “Mr. Dagenham drops in on Windy Miller”.
               L6/8410, Series No. BBC17 “Captain Snort, Sgt. Major Grout and the Soldierboys at Pippin Fort”.
               L6/8411, Series No. BBC18 “Dr. Mopp at a Medical Inspection”.
               L6/8412, Series No. BBC19 “Peter Hazel collecting the Post”.
1964: Blue Peter Instruction Leaflet: Gordon Murray's Bottle Puppets. 6 pp. Stapled loose-leaf, illustrated step-by-step instructions for making bottle puppets and a puppet stage. Available to viewers of the BBC “Blue Peter” television series who wrote in and requested the leaflet.
1958: Puppets. By Gordon Murray. Illustrated by Tony Hart. Puffin Picture Books. Press-out pattern-cards and full instructions for making any number of marionettes, using thin card and gummed paper strip as the main materials.

2003: The Complete Collection—Camberwick Green / Trumpton / Chigley. All 39 episodes on 3 DVDs, Telstar/Firefly Entertainment TDVD9033. © Gordon Murray (Trumptonshire) Ltd., 2002. Region 0 DVD, PAL, colour. After a number of incomplete releases on videotape and DVD, 1984–2002, the release of this complete DVD boxed-set coincided with a strong renewal of interest in these classic children's television programmes. “Camberwick Green” (13 episodes: Peter the Postman, Windy Miller, Mr. Crockett, Dr. Mopp, Mr. Murphy, Mrs. Honeyman, PC McGarry, Mr. Carraway, Farmer Bell, Paddy Murphy, Captain Snort, Roger Varley, and Mr. Dagenham); “Trumpton” (13 episodes: Nick Fisher the Bill poster, Miss Lovelace & the Mayor’s Hat, Mrs. Cobbit & the Ice Cream Man, Miss Lovelace & the Statue, The Mayor’s Birthday, Telephones, The Rag & Bone Man, Mr. Platt & the Painter, The Window Cleaner, Cuthbert’s Morning Off, The Plumber, Pigeons, and The Greenhouse); “Chigley” (13 episodes: Lord Belborough’s Secret, Bessie to the Rescue, The Balloon, The Fountain, The Garden Wall, Binnie & Bessie, Lord Belborough’s Lucky Day, Trouble with the Crane, Clay for Mr. Farthing, A Present for Lord Belborough, Apples Galore, Willie Munn, and The Broken Bridge).
2002: Chigley–Stories from Chigley. 111 minutes. (8 episodes: Lord Belborough's Secret, Bessie to the Rescue, The Balloon, The Fountain, Trouble with the Crane, A Present for Lord Belborough, Apples Galore, and The Broken Bridge). 1 DVD, Telstar/Firefly Entertainment TDVD9027. © Gordon Murray (Trumptonshire) Ltd. 2001. Region 0 DVD, PAL, colour.
2002: Trumpton–Stories from Trumpton. 115 minutes. (8 episodes: Nick Fisher the Bill poster, Miss Lovelace & the Mayor’s Hat, Mrs. Cobbit & the Ice Cream Man, Miss Lovelace & the Statue, The Mayor’s Birthday, Telephones, The Rag & Bone Man, and Mr. Platt & the Painter). Telstar/Firefly Entertainment TDVD9026. © Gordon Murray (Trumptonshire) Ltd. 2001. Region 0 DVD, PAL, colour.
2002: Camberwick Green–Stories from Camberwick Green. 174 minutes. (12 episodes: Peter the Postman, Windy Miller, Mr. Crockett, Dr. Mopp, Mr. Murphy, Mrs Honeyman, PC McGarry, Mr. Carraway, Farmer Bell, Paddy Murphy, Captain Snort, and Roger Varley). Telstar/Firefly Entertainment TDVD9025. © Gordon Murray (Trumptonshire) Ltd. 2001. Region 0 DVD, PAL, colour.
1996-7: Seven videotapes under the Camberwick Green banner, comprising 28 episodes as follows: Vol.1: A Busy Day in Camberwick Green (TVE3011) (Peter the Postman, Windy Miller, Mr. Crockett, Dr. Mopp) ; Vol.2: A Trip to Trumpton (TVE3012) (Nick Fisher the Bill poster, Miss Lovelace & the Mayor’s Hat, Mrs. Cobbit & the Ice Cream Man, Miss Lovelace & the Statue); Vol.3: Let’s Visit Chigley (TVE3014) (Lord Belborough’s Secret, Bessie to the Rescue, The Balloon, The Fountain); Vol.4: It's Fun to Work in Camberwick Green (TVE3018) (Mr. Murphy, Mrs. Honeyman, PC McGarry, Mr. Carraway); Vol.5: Tales from Trumpton Town (TVE3020) (The Mayor’s Birthday, Telephones, The Rag & Bone Man, Mr. Platt & the Painter); Vol.6: A Ride to Chigley (TVE3021) (Trouble with the Crane, A Present for Lord Belborough, Apples Galore, The Broken Bridge); Vol.7: Meet Your Friends in Camberwick Green (TVE3022) (Farmer Bell, Paddy Murphy, Captain Snort, Roger Varley). VHS PAL, colour.
1989: Three videotapes, Trumpton 1: The Greenhouse (BBCV4230) (The Greenhouse, The Plumber, and Pigeons); Camberwick Green 1: Mickey Murphy ‘The Baker’ (BBCV4231) (Mickey Murphy ‘The Baker’, Mr. Carraway ‘The Fishmonger’, Mrs. Honeyman & Her Baby); Chigley 1: A Present for Lord Belborough (BBCV4232) (A Present for Lord Belborough, Apples Galore, Trouble with the Crane); VHS PAL, colour.
1984: A VHS tape by Panache Video International., “The Gublin Legends” (eleven 6-minute stop-motion animation puppet films made for BBC television, originally transmitted as part of Noel Edmonds’ “Multicoloured Swap Shop” series). Runtime approx. 66 minutes, colour. Catalog #88030 (VHS PAL/English language). Distributed by Warner Home Video. Copyright © Gordon Murray. According to the sleeve, this tape comprises twelve episodes, but only eleven are actually present. Presented as a series of delightfully animated puppet films, the Gublin legends all involve some magical element, and each is set in a different period and background. The charming and endearing characters all have the distinctive Gublin features. The films are narrated in rhyme against a specially composed musical background. Story titles: Obadiah and Flo (this story was later made into a non-Gublin miniature book, The Hole. See list of miniature books, below), Bessie o' the Glen or The Inversneekie Doonie, The Barber of Cartina, Mr. Dilley's Mermaid, The Prince Frog, The Magic Tree, The Kendal Candle, The Emperor's Willow-Warbler, The Honey-Coloured Hat, The Dancing Princess, Charley's Feather. (Not present on the tape, but listed on box: The Prudent Prince).
1984: A set of three VHS tapes by Longman. Titles: Trumpton: 4 Stories from the Ever Popular TV Series (Nick Fisher the Bill Poster, The Mayor’s Hat, Mrs. Cobbit and the Ice Cream Man, and Miss Lovelace and the Statue); Camberwick Green (no further details known); Chigley (no further details known).
1978: Bessie o’ the Glen or The Inversneekie Doonie. Runtime 5:00. A Gublin Film by Gordon Murray. Narration: Gordon Murray. Music: Freddie Philips. In Children’s Seventies TV Favourites video compilation. CTD11047. © Contender Ltd. 1998. VHS PAL, colour.

Gordon Murray’s Silver Thimble Miniature Books
(A complete set is held in the Charlotte M. Smith Collection of Miniature Books,
Special Collections Department, University of Iowa Libraries, USA)

Robert Burns. My Heart’s in the Highlands. 1990. 1 3/4" x 1 1/2" (44 mm x 38 mm). (20)pp. Limited edition of 22 autographic miniature books calligraphed and bound by Gordon Murray, made entirely by hand, no printing process involved. Signed by Gordon Murray. Made to celebrate the visit to Scotland of members of the Miniature Book Society. Bound in watercolour decorated paper boards and endpapers, black slipcase with label. A copy is held in the Charlotte M. Smith Collection.

Gordon Murray. Russian Imperial Easter Eggs. Illustrations and descriptions of Easter eggs. 2 7/8" x 2 1/2" (73 mm x 63 mm). (48)pp. Signed by Gordon Murray, dated II 1988. Green linen-finish cloth with colour illustration recessed on cover. Slipcase covered in black paper. The copy held in the Charlotte M. Smith Collection is numbered “1/1”, indicating that it is possibly one-of-a-kind.

John Clare, 1793-1864. February. Silver Thimble Books, Bexhill-on-Sea, England, 1987. 2 1/2" x 2 3/4" (53 mm x 70 mm). Limited edition of 32, numbered and signed by Gordon Murray, dated III 1987. The book has a needlepoint cover with a watercolour picture inset into the front. In glassine dust jacket and black slipcase with printed label. The book contains seven original watercolours of pastoral scenes in winter. [N.B. Another book in this edition was described as having a very fine in tan cloth cover with a watercolour winter landscape inlaid into the front, and a calligraphed label.] The copy in the Charlotte M. Smith collection has an errata slip: “ERRATUM / copies 1 to 8 / Versus marked / D E F G should / be read after / those marked / A B C”. In pencil he has lightly lettered the appropriate pages. Copy #1 is held in the Charlotte M. Smith Collection.

Thomas Love Peacock & Robert Louis Stevenson. The Innocent Eye. Silver Thimble Books, Bexhill-on-Sea, England, 1987. 2 7/16" x 1 15/16" (62 mm x 49 mm). (26)pp. Limited edition of 32, signed by Gordon Murray, dated VI 1987. Gordon Murray is the artist and designer. Peacock’s essay and Stevenson’s poem, about the child’s discovery of the world, are illustrated with two full-page watercolours at the beginning of selections. A watercolour of an eye is mounted and inset in the salmon cloth of the front cover. In glassine dust jacket and black slipcase with printed paper label. Copy #1 is held in the Charlotte M. Smith Collection.

Edward Thomas. Haymaking. 1987. 2 3/4" x 2 3/4" (70 mm x 70 mm). (27)pp. Signed by Gordon Murray, dated X 1987. Poems in manuscript. The poems are written across the openings. Bound in green linen-finish cloth with colour illustration recessed on cover. Slipcase covered in black paper. The copy held in the Charlotte M. Smith Collection is numbered “1/1”, indicating that it is possibly one-of-a-kind.

Robert Herrick, & Thomas Traherne. A Crown of Rosebuds: From the Wisdom of Solomon. Silver Thimble Books, Bexhill-on-Sea, England, 1986. 2 7/16" x 1 15/16" (62 mm x 49 mm). (26)pp., frenchfold. Limited edition of 50, signed by Gordon Murray, dated XII 1986. Gordon Murray is the artist and designer. Passages on the “Gather ye rosebuds while ye may” theme, with two watercolours and numerous pictorial initials. Watercolour endpapers. Bound in a rust corduroy cover. Front cover has a tiny frame enclosing a watercolour angel bearing a wreath of rosebuds. In a glassine dust jacket and a black slipcase bearing a paper label. Watercoloured endpapers, illustrations and illuminated capitals. Copy #1 is held in the Charlotte M. Smith Collection.

A. E. Housman. When I Was One and Twenty. Silver Thimble Books, Bexhill-on-Sea, England, 1986. 2 7/16" x 1 15/16" (62 mm x 49 mm). Limited edition of 50, signed by Gordon Murray, dated XI 1986. Bound in an olive green cloth with a counted-cross-stitch red heart tied with a gold shaded bow. In a glassine dust jacket and black slipcase with a paper label. Four poems by Housman illustrated with two full-page watercolour illustrations by Gordon Murray with hand-watercoloured end papers, and capitals. Copy #1 is held in the Charlotte M. Smith Collection.

Gordon Murray, ed. Splendour of Life. A Miscellany. Silver Thimble Books, Bexhill-on-Sea, England, 1986. 2 1/8" x 1 11/16" (54 mm x 43 mm). (24)pp. Limited edition of 50, signed and hand-illustrated by Gordon Murray, artist and designer. Contains four pictorial watercolour title pages, and the endpapers show panoramic watercolour landscapes. There are four hand-coloured initials. Text includes “Adlestrop”, a poem by Edward Thomas (1878-1917); “Four Ducks on a Pond”, a poem by William Allingham (1824-1889); and the “Gem-like Flame”, an excerpt from Walter Pater. Bound in light blue cloth with red and black needle-work butterfly on the front. Glassine dust jacket. In a black slip-case with a printed label. A very beautiful book. Copy #1 is held in the Charlotte M. Smith Collection.

Algernon Swinburne. The Making of Man: From Atlanta. Silver Thimble Books, Bexhill-on-Sea, England, 1986. 2 7/16" x 1 15/16" (62 mm x 49 mm). Limited edition of 50, signed by Gordon Murray, dated V 1986. One illustration. Bound in a blue-grey cloth with a circle inset of needlepoint, in red on a tan background, covered with a glassine jacket. In a black slip-case with a printed label. Each page has a different marbling pattern and design, with the text lettered and pasted on. The initials are hand-coloured. This is an exquisite book. Copy #1 is held in the Charlotte M. Smith Collection.

Gordon Murray, ed. Waterloo 1815. Lord Byron, Captain Gronow, and Thomas Hardy. Silver Thimble Books, Bexhill-on-Sea, England, 1986. 2 1/8" x 1 11/16" (54 mm x 43 mm). (19)pp. Limited edition of 50, signed by Gordon Murray. Three accounts of the battle are printed, with reproductions of wood-engraved illustrations. Illustrations and initials are hand-coloured by Gordon Murray. Bound in fabric with a embroidered drum hand-stitched on cover. In a glassine dust jacket and a black slip-case with a printed label. Copy #1 is held in the Charlotte M. Smith Collection.

William Barnes, John Claire, & Richard Jeffries. Summer. Silver Thimble Books, Bexhill-on-Sea, England, 1986. 2 7/16" x 1 15/16" (62 mm x 49 mm). (26)pp. Limited edition of 50, signed by Gordon Murray. Bound in gold needlepoint with a large rose and four buds with green leaves and a green border stitched on front cover. A fore-edge of a floral bouquet painted on double folds of paper. Each of the four endpapers is a different watercolour floral arrangement. The double title page has a woman sitting at the water’s edge with a rose in her hand and white iris in front of her. Other illustrations of flowers, animals, and boats are all done in delicate watercolours. Copy #1 is held in the Charlotte M. Smith Collection.

Gordon Murray. The Hole. Silver Thimble books, Bexhill-on-Sea, England, 1985. 2 1/8" x 1 11/16" (54 mm x 43 mm). (40)pp. Originally produced as a Gublin puppet film, Obadiah and Flo (1978). Limited edition of 50, bound and coloured by hand, numbered and signed by Gordon Murray, artist, designer, and publisher. Bound in rose coloured cloth with coloured illustrated paper label on the front, and glassine dust jacket. In black slipcase with illustrated paper label, uncoloured. Copy #1 is held in the Charlotte M. Smith Collection.

Gordon Murray's miniature book, The Hole, 1978
The Hole, for which Gordon Murray was designer, artist, and publisher,
was originally produced as a Gublin puppet film, Obadiah and Flo, 1978.
This miniature book measures a mere 2 1/8" x 1 11/16"
(54 mm x 43 mm) and has 40 pages.

Archibald Marshall. The Princess. Silver Thimble Books, Bexhill-on-Sea, England, 1985. 2 1/8" x 1 11/16" (54 mm x 43 mm). Limited edition of 150, bound and coloured by hand, signed by Gordon Murray, designer and publisher. Printed by Bondestat, Eastbourne. Bound in brown cloth with a hand-coloured illustrated label. In black slipcase. One illustration, with illuminated initials. Copy #1 is held in the Charlotte M. Smith Collection.

Kenneth Grahame. The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. Silver Thimble Books, Bexhill-on-Sea, England, 1985. 2 1/8" x 1 11/16" (54 mm x 43 mm). (48)pp. Limited edition of 500 copies hand-coloured and signed by Gordon Murray, designer and publisher. Five hand-coloured illustrations. An excerpt from The Wind in the Willows. Bound in blue cloth, hand coloured pictorial paper label. In a black slipcase. Copy #1 is held in the Charlotte M. Smith Collection.

Saki. The Saint and the Goblin. Silver Thimble Books, Bexhill-on-Sea, England, 1985. 2 1/8" x 1 11/16" (54 mm x 43 mm). Edition of 150, bound and coloured by hand, signed by Gordon Murray, designer and publisher. Five hand-coloured illustrations. Bound in green cloth with a hand-coloured paste on illustrations. In a black slip case. Copy #1 is held in the Charlotte M. Smith Collection.

Oscar Wilde. The Selfish Giant (1888). Silver Thimble Books, Bexhill-on-Sea, England, 1985. 2 1/8" x 1 11/16" (54 mm x 43 mm). (38)pp. Limited edition of 50, hand-coloured, signed by Gordon Murray, artist, designer, and publisher. Bound in blue cloth with a cut-out pictorial hand coloured paper label with a glassine dust jacket. In a black slip case with an uncoloured paper label. Copy #1 is held in the Charlotte M. Smith Collection.

Abraham Elder. The Pied Piper. Silver Thimble Books, Bexhill-on-Sea, England, 1985. 2 1/8" x 1 11/16" (54 mm x 43 mm). (34)pp. Limited edition of 50, bound and coloured by hand, signed by Gordon Murray, designer and publisher. Bound in cloth with cut-out pictorial watercolour label, and glassine dust jacket. Hand-coloured endpapers. In black slipcase with black and white paper label. Copy #1 is held in the Charlotte M. Smith Collection.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The Three Kings. Silver Thimble books, Bexhill-on-Sea, England, 1985. 2 1/8" x 1 11/16" (54 mm x 43 mm). Limited edition of 50, numbered and signed by Gordon Murray, designer, maker, and publisher. The cover is of brown cloth with a rectangle of black velvet on which a stylized star has been embroidered in silver thread. In a glassine dust jacket and black slip case. Copy #1 is held in the Charlotte M. Smith Collection.

William Shakespeare. Sonnets Five. Silver Thimble Books, Bexhill-on-Sea, England, 1985. 2 1/8" x 1 11/16" (54 mm x 43 mm). Limited edition of 50, signed by Gordon Murray, designer, maker, and publisher. Bound in an old rose cloth with a needle point panel of rose flowers and green leaves on an ecru background. Hand watercoloured end papers: at the front a cottage and figures; at the back a river with a boat and trees. There are six watercolour panels mounted exquisitely at the beginning of each sonnet, and ten smaller panels beautifully done. This is a unique book. It has a glassine dust jacket and is housed in a black slipcase with printed label. Copy #1 is held in the Charlotte M. Smith Collection.

Charles Dickens. A Christmas Drive. Silver Thimble Books, Bexhill-on-Sea, 1984. 2 1/8" x 1 11/16" (54 mm x 43 mm). Limited edition of 500 signed copies. Signed by Gordon Murray, designer and publisher. Printed by Bondestat Printers, Eastbourne. Bound in rose cloth with a hand-coloured paper label. Copy #1 is held in the Charlotte M. Smith Collection.

Lewis Carroll. Pig and Pepper. Silver Thimble Books, Bexhill-on-Sea, England, 1984. 2 1/8" x 1 11/16" (54 mm x 43 mm). (44)pp. Limited edition of 150, bound and coloured by hand, signed by Gordon Murray. Inscribed by Gordon Murray, designer and publisher. Illustrations after John Tenniel. Printed by Bondestat Printers, Eastbourne. Hand-coloured by Gordon Murray. Bound in gold cloth with paper label bearing title, author, and coloured illustration. Copy #1 is held in the Charlotte M. Smith Collection.

Charles Dickens. Winkle on Ice. Silver Thimble Books, Bexhill-on-Sea, 1984. 2 1/8" x 1 11/16" (54 mm x 43 mm). Limited edition of 500 signed copies. Signed by Gordon Murray, designer and publisher. Printed by Bondestat Printers, Eastbourne. Hand-coloured illustrations. From Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club. Copy #1 is held in the Charlotte M. Smith Collection.

The Chelsea Herald. Harrods 1884 ‘The Baron’. East Sussex, England. Silver Thimble Books, 1983. 2 1/8" x 1 11/16" (54 mm x 43 mm). (40)pp. Inscribed by Gordon Murray, designer and publisher. Illustrated. From The Chelsea Herald (30 August 1884). Bound in full olive cloth, pictorial colour inlay to front cover. A copy is held in the Charlotte M. Smith Collection.

Gordon Murray. A Van Called Alice. Silver Thimble Books, Bexhill-on-Sea, 1983. 2 1/8" x 1 11/16" (54 mm x 43 mm). (40)pp. Limited edition of 500 signed copies. Signed by Gordon Murray. Inscribed text and illustrations by Gordon Murray, designer and publisher. Bound in dark rose cloth, illustrated. Label and picture on front cover. Copy #1 is held in the Charlotte M. Smith Collection.

Gordon Murray. A Nightingale in the Sycamore. Silver Thimble Books, Bexhill, 1983. 2 1/8" x 1 11/16" (54 mm x 43 mm). Limited edition of 500 signed copies. Signed by Gordon Murray, designer and publisher. Bound in gray-blue floral cloth with white pattern with a label bearing title. Copy #1 is held in the Charlotte M. Smith Collection.

George R. Sims. Christmas Day in the Workhouse. Silver Thimble Books, Bexhill-on-Sea, 1983. 2 1/8" x 1 3/8" (54 mm x 35 mm). From The Dagonet and Other Poems, (1903). Limited edition of 500 signed copies. Signed by Gordon Murray, designer and publisher. Printed by Bondestat Printers, Eastbourne. Bound in blue-green narrow corduroy. Coloured label on front. Copy #1 is held in the Charlotte M. Smith Collection.

Lewis Carroll. Advice from a Caterpillar. From Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Silver Thimble Books, Bexhill-on-Sea, England, 1983. 2 1/8" x 1 11/16" (54 mm x 43 mm). (48)pp. Limited edition of 150, bound and coloured by hand, signed by Gordon Murray. Inscribed by Gordon Murray, designer and publisher. Illustrations after John Tenniel. Bondestat Printers, Eastbourne . Illustrations hand-coloured. Bound in orange cloth with illustrated paper label. A copy is held in the Charlotte M. Smith Collection.

Henry Mayhew. Covent Garden Market. Silver Thimble Books, Bexhill-on-Sea, England, 1983. 2 1/8" x 1 11/16" (54 mm x 43 mm). Limited edition of 500. Published by Gordon Murray, who is also the designer. From London Labour and the London Poor, (1851), by Henry Mayhew. Bound in green cloth. Two illustrations plus one on back endpaper. Label plus coloured basket of apples on front cover. The copy held in the Charlotte M. Smith Collection is inscribed “To Charlotte Smith with best wishes, Gordon Murray.”

Lewis Carroll. The Walrus and the Carpenter. Silver Thimble Books, Bexhill-on-Sea, England, 1983. 2 1/8" x 1 11/16" (54 mm x 43 mm). (44)pp. Limited edition of 150, bound and coloured by hand, signed by Gordon Murray, designer and publisher. From Through the Looking Glass. Copy #6 is held in the Charlotte M. Smith Collection.

Charles Dickens. A London Morning. Silver Thimble Books, Bexhill-on-Sea, 1983. 2 1/8" x 1 11/16" (54 mm x 43 mm). Limited edition of 500, signed by Gordon Murray, designer and publisher. From Sketches by Boz, (1835). Bound in dark blue cloth with coloured label. Copy #1 is held in the Charlotte M. Smith Collection.

Gordon Murray. One Dancing Princess. Silver Thimble Books, Bexhill, England, 1982. 2 1/8" x 1 11/16" (54 mm x 43 mm). Limited edition of 500, signed by Gordon Murray, designer and publisher. Two illustrations. Patterned coloured cloth. Copy #319 is held in the Charlotte M. Smith Collection.

Charles Dickens. A Christmas Tree. Silver Thimble Books, Bexhill-on-Sea, England, 1982. 2 1/8" x 1 11/16" (54 mm x 43 mm). Abridged from Household Words, (1850). Printed and published by Gordon Murray. Bound in patterned holly berry cloth with label on front. A copy is held in the Charlotte M. Smith Collection.

Edgar Allen Poe. The Raven. Silver Thimble Books, Bexhill-on-Sea, England, 1982. 2 1/8" x 1 11/16" (54 mm x 43 mm). (21)pp. Signed by Gordon Murray. Designed and published by Gordon Murray. Three illustrations. Bound in maroon corduroy with printed paper label on front. A copy is held in the Charlotte M. Smith Collection.

Gordon Murray's “The Gublin Legends” television series for young teens used stop-motion puppets that looked a little like monkeys. Each of the legends involved some magic ingredient in a different period and setting. The narration was in rhyming verse. Transmitted on Saturday mornings as part of the BBC's “Multi-Coloured Swap-Shop”, Gordon Murray appeared in person to introduce the series. Pictured here is a scene from The Prince Frog episode, 1979	Gordon Murray's “Skip and Fuffy”, was a stop-motion children's television puppet series about a boy and girl. Transmitted as part of the BBC's “Multi-Coloured Swap-Shop” in 1977. Word games and puns based around rhyming couplets.
Gordon Murray's “Rubovia”was a stop-motion television puppet series for children. Pictured here is a scene from The Unreliable Wand episode, BBC, 1976. L to R: Sir Albert Weatherspoon, Queen Caroline and King Rufus.	Gordon Murray's “Camberwick Green”, a stop-motion television puppet series for children, BBC, 1966. In this scene, the soldiers from Pippin Fort help whistle up some wind so that Windy Miller can make the flour that Mickey Murphy urgently needs.
Gordon Murray's “Chigley” stop-motion television puppet series for children, BBC, 1968, was the last in the Trumptonshire trilogy. In this scene, Lord Belborough and Brackett drive Bessie through Chigley's verdant landscape.	Gordon Murray's “Trumpton” stop-motion television puppet series for children, BBC, 1967. In this scene, Captain Flack of the Trumpton Fire Brigade checks the roll: “Pugh! Pugh! Barney McGrew! Cuthbert! Dibble! Grubb!”
Gordon Murray's The Dancing Princess, a marionette television play for children, BBC, 1962	Gordon Murray's marionette production of Ruskin's King of the Golden River, BBC, 1959.
Gordon Murray's marionette production of Andersen's The Emperor's New Clothes, BBC, 1959	Gordon Murray's *The Winkleburg Armourer*, a marionette play for children, BBC, 1958.
Gordon Murray's “Rubovian Legends”, a marionette television series for children, BBC, 1958. In this scene the Lord Chamberlain (L) and King Rufus (R) play a game of draughts while Sir Albert Weatherspoon looks on.	Gordon Murray's production of S.G. Hulme Beaman's “Toytown” rod puppet series for children, BBC, 1956
Gordon Murray's first three “Rubovian Legends” puppet plays used marionettes made by Kim Allen. Andrew Brownfoot designed some of the settings, and possibly also the dress worn by the Queen in this photograph. BBC, 1955.	Gordon Murray started at the BBC as the puppeteer for Spotty Dog ("the biggest spotty dog you ever did see") in “The Woodentops”, a marionette television series for children, BBC, 1955.