Powderham Castle, home to the family for over 600 years, was where 'Timothy' resided during his last century of life. It was during the 'Charleston' era when it was discovered HE (Timothy) was actually a SHE!

Timothy witnessed vast changes within this once huge country estate but remained 'untouched 'within the perimeters of 'his' Rose Garden. Having survived six monarchs, two world wars and numerous Earls of Devon, Timothy journeyed on to chelonian heaven in April of this year.

In his telling of the life of Timothy, the author captures the very essence of English tradition, old spirit and values, an age such a far cry away from today's world of bigotry, hypocrisy and political correctness.

This is a charming biography, both well researched and passionately written, a must for your fireside collection!


TIMOTHESIS, December 1, 2004   December 1, 2004
 2 out of 2 found this review helpful

This is a wonderfully enchanting read. Humourous, yet hugely informative, Rory Knight Bruce tells the true story of a tortoise's life, spanning an incredible 160 years, from humble ship's mascot to much treasured family pet of the Courtenay family, Earls of Devon.

Powederham Castle, home to the family for over 600 years, was where 'Timothy' resided during his last centuary of life. It was during the 'Charlston' era when it was discovered HE (Timothy) was actually a SHE!

Timothy 'witnessed' vast changes within this once huge country estate but remained 'untouched' within the perimeters of 'his' Rose Garden. Having survived six monarchs, two world wars and numerous Earls of Devon, Timothy journeyed on to chelonian heaven in April of this year.

In his telling of the life of Timothy, the author captures the very essence of English tradition, old spirit and values, an age such a far cry away from today's world of bigotry, hypocrisy and political correctness.

This is a charming biography both well researched and passionately written, a must for your fireside collection!


Life in a Shell   November 17, 2004
 5 out of 5 found this review helpful

Every now and then you find a book which unashamedly enchants. This is the story of a country estate in the South of England seen through the wise old eyes of its oldest tenant, Timothy the Tortoise.
Timothy was not born at Powderham Castle,in Devon, but on the sun-kissed shores of the Turkish Mediterranean. Much of his (or, indeed, as it is revealed, her) early existence was spent as an able seaman aboard a British frigate, and he/she saw action at the Siege of Sebastopol. Later Timothy saw service in the East Indies, and in the China Seas,chasing Chinese junks loaded with opium, with perhaps the occasional night out in Hong Kong.
Fifty is not a bad age to give up the sea, and having jumped ship at Portsmouth in 1892, Timothy became a land-lubber, choosing instead the pursuit of lettuce and roses at Powderham. It could not last. During his and her lifetime so much was to change in the countryside. Timothy must have known when it was time to move on.
Now I have known many tortoises in my time, but it has never occurred to me to enquire of their age. Rory Knight Bruce had no such inhibitions when he interviewed Timothy in 1998. The outcome of their encounter is one of the most charming and intelligent biographies of our time.


An ingenious biography   November 3, 2004
 7 out of 7 found this review helpful

There can't be many biographies of 160 year old Mediterranean spur-thighed tortoises. Rory Knight Bruce was a great friend of Timothy who belonged to the Courtenay family, Earls of Devon.

The book is an excuse for a discourse on the aristocracy, English history and stories of Timothy's celebrity friends, which is a good job because most of the time he, 'hibernated under a giant purple wisteria and never came indoors'.

Timothy faced some traumas in his life - a walk-on part at the bombardment of Sebastapol in 1854, the two frozen winters of 1947 and 1963, not to mention the discovery that he was a she in 1926.

This is eccentric British humour at its best - mixing joy and melancholy in equal measure.