John Knott - The History of the Wilton Club

Medlar Press £50
ISBN 978-1-907110-32-0

The Wilton club is one of England's oldest fishing clubs, having been founded in 1876 on the Kennet by a group of anglers including W.H. Aldam, whose book, A Quaint Treatise on Flies and Fly Making was published the same year. The club flourished, but in 1890 it suffered the indignity of having to move headquarters to the Wylye, which has remained the club's waters ever since.

John's Knott has done a very thorough job on the history of the club and the result is a thick book that covers the subject so well that it makes the perfect template for anyone else considering a similar project. Just about the only book that bears comparison is Maxwell's Chronicles of the Houghton Club, which admittedly has the slight advantages of being illustrated by folk like Turner and Chantrey.

The HIstory of the Wilton Club is a limited edition of 200 copies and I suspect most sales will be to members and former members of the club, but it will also provide valuable reference material to historians of the chalk streams, so if you are in the target audience, grab a copy before they all go...

Review 9th March 2013