Ian’s Blog 24th November 2024

My version of the traditional folk song called the Unquiet Grave was included on the Strummers and Dreamers radio show number 579. You can hear me singing it with Jules Jones at about 1 hour 21 minutes into the show:-

https://www.mixcloud.com/StrummersandDreamers/show-579-the-brothers-el-camino-remembrance-141124/

Here is some additional information about the radio show:-

The radio show has a new Instagram account - @Strummersanddreamers

The show includes:

- a live session by The Brothers El Camino (David Myers)

- some songs to mark Remembrance Day

- details of upcoming gigs in the Cambridge area by Bob Fox (at Ely Folk Club), Le Vent du Nord (at The Junction), Christine Collister and Hunter Muskett (at Cambridge Folk Club)

- lots of new music by independent folk artists.

Ian’s Blog 17th November 2024

 On Monday it was the anniversary of the end of WW1. Here is a link to my song about what happened on the 11th November 1918 in Torquay

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbYU_q37HPU

Come celebrate the war is over

An armistice has been signed

It's the eleventh of November

By sea the news has arrived

From HMS Onyx

Great news was received

In Torquay's harbourside

Of the victory that was achieved

Come celebrate the war is over

An armistice has been signed

It's the eleventh of November

By sea the news has arrived

Marching from St Marychurch

The New Zealand troops in Torquay

They were singing at Castle Circus

A great joy to hear and to see

The Mayor led the crowd in cheers

For Sir Douglas Haig

The Prime Minister, King and Queen

And the national anthem was played

Crowds of joyful people

On the pavements and in the road

Applause erupted for the Mayor

Later fireworks would explode

Come celebrate the war is over

An armistice has been signed

It's the eleventh of November

By sea the news has arrived

I visited Exeter library on Tuesday and saw that there was a copy of the Devon book by WG Hoskins that I had looked at in Torquay library. I had another look at it and then realised that I had got some of the pages muddled up with the book by Cherry and Pevsner. The reference to the wanton boys smashing the medieval glass is in the Hoskins book, not the Cherry and Pevsner book. 

Ian’s Blog 10th November 2024

 Ian’s Blog 10th November 2024

On Monday I took my car over to Edginswell on the outskirts of Shiphay, Torquay for the annual service. I can remember when there were fields there rather than the site of the Eden Vauxhall. 

On the way home I decided to visit the reference section of Torquay library to see if there were any books that mentioned the church in Coldridge. I was rather surprised to find quite a few pages in some of the books about Devon churches. Most of it is already known to the Coldridge section of Philippa Langley’s missing princes team. I made a note of the following:-

1) Church restoration dates of 1877 and 1897. The 1877 date is in the Mike Salter book and both dates are quoted on p 274 of a book by WG Hoskins.

2) Some 15th century glass smashed recently by Wanton boys mentioned in a book by Bridget Cherry and Nikolaus Pevsner on page 372. I don't think I have come across this before? I wonder if the boys were prosecuted and if there is a record of the date somewhere? Could Bridget Cherry be the mother of Martin Cherry who was one of the authors of an article in the Journal of stained glass about Edward V and Sir John Evans.

3) Map of the Devon hundreds.

4) I found a list of the Bishops of Crediton and Exeter.This might be useful for the Bishops of Exeter file on Coldridge in the Devon heritage centre.

5) Parclose Screen similar in style to those found in Brittany mentioned on page 48 of a book called Churches and Their Furnishings. This is mentioned in the Martin Cherry stained glass article which I mentioned in a previous paragraph in this week’s blog.

I found a couple of books which were the diaries of old Devon antiquarians but I couldn't find any reference to Coldridge. There might be other books which do provide some additional useful information. I will be visiting Exeter later this month and will endeavour to visit Exeter library to look through their books. It might also be worth contacting some local museums. I believe that Torquay museum has some old books on Devon. Also my friend Rosalind has told me that she might be able to help with the old handwriting in the Bishops of Exeter file on Coldridge in the Devon heritage centre.

Here is a link to the song that I composed with John Dike about the mystery of Sir John Evans and Edward V which features some video footage of Coldridge:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVsqR26RqO4&t=123s

Ian’s Blog 3rd November 2024

 Ian’s Blog 3rd November 2024

A few days ago I had an email from Graham Moores who has agreed to help me with the artwork for another album cover. Unfortunately there has been a delay with him helping me with this as he has recently been ill with Covid. The proposed title of the new album is ‘The Further Adventure Of’ and Graham says that he will see if he can make the album cover look like a postage stamp as one of the songs is about my stamp collecting hobby.

Here is a link to the song which features photos of some of my stamps

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uohuJ1PyApY

The Philatelist

I've been to Paris I've been to Rome

With postage stamps in my home

I've flown to Oslo and Stockholm

In my stamp album that I own

I've travelled to Brussels and Cologne

With my stamp album in my home

I've seen the Archduke Ferdinand

On the stamp of a foreign land

In the days before I went abroad

But these old old stamps I could afford

Some of the stamps that I love the best

Are the older ones I must confess

Biplanes drawn in the sky

And back in time I could fly

With history in front on me

And learning lots of geography

I've seen the Archduke Ferdinand

He was assassinated so I understand

This led to the first world war

Catastrophe and so much more

Postal history philately

Fond memories of my hobby

I've been to Paris I've been to Rome

With postage stamps in my home

I've flown to Oslo and Stockholm

In my stamp album that I own

I've travelled to Brussels and Cologne

With my stamp album in my home