Winter Lamp Magazine

1. Calendar of Events
Interviews Book Reviews
Robert Miles Taunton Thespians
Scarlet von Teazel Taunton Choral Society
Steve Graham Cinephilia
Andrew Davey Poetry Corner
Rachel Hartland Short Story
My Favourite
Winter 2012/13 Free
Shining a light on literature, art, music and performance in Taunton & West Somerset
Winter Issue

2. Contents
05 Introduction by Beth Webb The winter issue of LAMP
06 Robert Miles
covers the period from
10 Scarlet von Teazel: Bohemian Artist
14 Steve Graham: Classic Jazz the middle of November
18 Book Review: Somerset Cricket: The Glory Years 2012 until the end of
19 Book Review: Defence of Somerset February 2013. In this
20 Book Review: Resolution by John Cole third issue we are delight-
21 Book Review: The Quantocks
ed to say that the length
23 Book Gift Ideas
33 Calendar of Events of the magazine has once
37 The Art of Concealment: Artist, Andy Davey more been increased from 48 pages to 56
40 TauntonThespians: Still Pulling it Off pages to accommodate further editorial.
43 Accentuating the Positive: Rachel Hartland
46 Taunton Choral Society: 100 Years of Music Making
49 Cinephilia: The Rise of Film Clubs
50 Poetry Corner: Samuel Taylor Coleridge
53 Short Story: The Birdman of Farringdon Road
55 My Favourite
Editorial Advertising Lionel Ward
Copy Editor: Jo Ward
The views expressed in Lamp
Events Compiler: Julie Munckton are not necessarily those of the
All enquiries: editorial team. Copyright, unless
lampmagazine1@gmail.com otherwise stated, is that of the
01823 337742 magazine or the individual au-
thors. We do not accept liability
c/o Brendon Books, for the content or accuracy of the
Bath Place, Taunton magazine including that of the
TA1 4ER advertisers.

3. Welcome to the third edition of LAMP. I must say I was really grateful for my copy
over the last few months as I tried to keep up with everything that was going on,
especially with the brilliant Taunton Literary Festival – also organised by Brendon
Books and Somerset Arts Week, all running back to back.
There are some first rate ‘what’s on’ internet sites, but nothing really covers every-
thing – and it’s much cosier to sit down with a copy of LAMP, a coffee and my di-
ary. That way I can organise my next few months’ arts activities from my armchair.
I do have a laptop, but the cats like sitting on it and it’s not as friendly to use as a
magazine. Paper feels good and I can scribble on it and find what I’m looking for
again – unlike websites that I think I’ve ‘bookmarked’ but are lost forever in cyberspace.
That’s my Luddite rant over – now to business. In this excellent edition, you’ll read Robert Miles (of the
Brewhouse) talking about his career, there’s Scarlet von Teazel on Bohemian Art and Steve Graham dis-
cussing Classic Jazz. You’ll find some excellent book reviews with genuine local interest: amongst them
I’d like to highlight Resolution by John Cole. Those of you who know John (he’s saved more than one
life in the Wellington area) will be thrilled his book is out. Congratulations to him.
You’ll also read excellent articles on the Taunton Thespians, The Art of Concealment by Andy Davey,
film clubs, Taunton Choral society, plenty of poetry including a feature on Samuel Taylor Coleridge and
the essential calendar of winter events.
Whether you like going out or sitting in for a good read, here’s your checklist: coffee (or tea), diary, pen-
cil, comfy chair by the fire and LAMP.
Beth Webb
Author and storyteller Beth Webb writes for children and teenagers. Stone Keeper, the last in the histori-
cal fantasy Star Dancer quartet, is due out early 2013. For details of her books, storytelling and writing
workshops, go to: www.bethwebb.co.uk

4. Robert Miles he enjoyed the experience immensely - for
now instead of just concentrating on one char-
acter his focus could now become much wider.
Robert Miles looks back on Further directing opportunities followed and
he set up his own production company, Hun-
his career and tenure at the gry Horse Productions, with writer and direc-
Brewhouse and looks for- tor Will Scarnell. This meant that he could
produce the kind of shows that he was inter-
ward to the forthcoming pro- ested in. They aimed to appeal to the younger
duction of The Wind in the market and a new generation of theatre goers.
With Lounge Lizards they enticed the audience
Willows. through a 20 minute slot in a comedy club with
short pieces as a hook to bring the audience Stratford East was putting on another new mu-
along to a full length show in the theatre. sical called The Big Life and it became the first
From the age of eight Robert Miles wanted to Building on their success they began taking Black British musical to transfer to the West
be an actor and yet his family had no connec- up to three shows to the Edinburgh Festival. End with Robert producing in association with
tion with the theatre and at first did not take While there a commission to produce an edgy Philip Hedley and West End producer Bill
his ambition seriously. ‘I nagged and nagged political satire received the attention of Philip Kenwright.
about going to drama lessons ‘ he recalls,’ Hedley who had taken over the running of the At about this time, Robert’s wife was preg-
and after four years they gave in and I was Theatre Royal Stratford East from the legen- nant with their first child and they contemplat-
taken along to a local theatre school.’ It was dary Joan Littlewood. Philip, who served an ed a move from London to bring up a family.
over-subscribed and they said they would put ethnically mixed area with a large black and This was the summer of 2005 and it proved to
him on a waiting list. However, there was an Asian community was impressed by the suc- be an eventful time. The theatre at Stratford
audition the following weekend at the Wind- cess they had in attracting a young diverse au- East had been involved with the Olympic bid
sor Royal Theatre for Babes in the Wood. He dience to their play. As a consequence, Robert and on 6th July it was announced that London
went along – ‘too young to be scared’ – and was asked to work as a marketing associate had been successful. However, the following
won a lead part. He found himself in the late at the Theatre Royal and began collaborating day tragedy struck with the London bombings
70’s earning £35 a week as a boy actor. That on how to appeal to an audience comprising and Robert and his family narrowly escaped
he was a little shorter than the average boy of a number of different ethnic groups. They the carnage at Aldgate East tube station when
his age was an advantage as he was able to discovered, for example, that one of the best they were running late to visit their dentist.
inroads into the black community was to in- The following day Robert attended his inter-
vite black hairdressers to their plays, for at that view for the directorship of The Brewhouse.
time the hair fashions required spending some The trustees put their faith in him and offered
hours in a hairdresser. The hairdressers talked him the job that evening.
about their theatre experience and played a At The Brewhouse Robert found an organisa-
key role in influencing other women to come tion which had just suffered funding cuts and
to the theatre. Robert stayed at the Theatre was struggling with box office receipts. Moral
Royal for 7 years and worked his way up to was understandably low and he had to deal
associate producer. with a situation that meant every time they
When Philip Hedley retired from running hired out the theatre they made a loss. One of
the theatre after 25 years and Robert’s friend the main problems was - and still is – that the
Kerry Michael took over, he felt the time was auditorium was too small to host the kind of
right to move on. quality shows that made money, and yet the
play younger parts, yet was mature enough to However, the theatre were seeking to attract programme had to be commercial in order to
respond to directions. He went on to play the a younger audience for musicals, which in make up for the lack of funding, and the Arts
Artful Dodger in Oliver in the West End with the West End had catered for an older audi- Council had disinvested because they were
Helen Shapiro as Nancy. When he reached 15 ence typically based on the music of Abba or not happy with the programme. Robert initi-
he began to think more seriously about where Queen. At the time rap music was the larg- ated an attempt to drive up the quality of what
his future lay. Deciding to stick with his act- est selling musical form. To coincide with was on offer and make it more adventurous.
ing career he landed a job in a Tom Stoppard the centenary of Rogers and Hart the Theatre There was also an increase in the theatre hir-
play, Night and Day, at the Phoenix Theatre. Royal produced a musical based on the 1930’s ing rates. Community theatre groups could not
He played the boy role in this political drama musical The Boys From Syracuse (itself based always have the annual slots they were used
working alongside John Thaw with Maggie on the Shakespeare play A Comedy of Er- to when a more commercial company such as
Smith and then, later, Diana Rigg playing his rors), remixed with rap and urban music and Hampstead Theatre was available. He realises
mother. All this time he had no formal training renamed Da Boyz. It was a great success, with that he alienated some people including some
as an actor but was able to ‘act as a sponge’ the teachers on the one hand because it was of the amateur theatrical community – which
learning from the actors he was lucky enough using a Shakespeare storyline, and with the he particularly regrets as ‘they are usually the
to associate with. His acting career continued. students as they were receiving it in a musical ones who are the most passionate about the-
He toured throughout Europe with Hair, the form they could identify with. Unable to buy atre’ though he felt that he had no choice, if
hippy musical, and worked with various thea- the rights to film Da Boyz, Channel 4 opted the theatre was to survive. He had to - in the
tre and education companies. instead to record a film of the musical theatre jargon - achieve full cost recovery. He regrets
When in his late twenties he was offered the workshop process that had created the show, that they were not able to communicate more
chance to direct a satirical review show in the and Robert was asked to act as the producer clearly the need to make the changes as well as
London fringe at the Canal Cafe, he found that for the theatre. While this was happening he would have liked.

5. SAGT offers artists and art lovers alike an oppor-
tunity to support the arts in Somerset while pursu-
SCHOLARSHIPS
ing our long term goal of acquiring a high quality
Permanent Somerset Art Gallery Collection. If
you are inspired by, appreciate and value the arts,
SAGT is for you – a community of like-minded art
enthusiasts helping Taunton to be a true Cultural
Centre! Our programme includes exhibitions, talks,
workshops, cultural outings events.
For membership information check out our website or
contact Jeremy Harvey (Chairman) on 01823 276421 13+ Scholarships:
Academic, Music, Sport, Art, Drama Design Technology
Next Event:“Talk on His Art” by Tim Martin
Please contact: Barbara Lancey, Admissions Registrar, 01823 328204
The Barn, Obridge Road, Taunton, TA2 7QA Application closing date: 1st February
Thursday, November 15, 2012 7:30 p.m
www.kings-taunton.co.uk
To Book: 01823 276421 (admission: £5.00)
New Programme in January!

6. In trying to achieve his aim he used the ex- Christmas pantomime performed by The Way- opportunity for the local schools to get involved
perience and techniques that he developed in farers in place. The Christmas show is pro- and Robert has no praise too high for the contri-
Stratford East and Edinburgh, albeit to a very duced by The Brewhouse using professional bution of The Brewhouse staff and volunteers.
different, though still diverse, Somerset com- actors with an local community chorus, quite ‘You could not ask for anything better than the
munity – following in the footsteps of the leg- high in risk because of the long run, but satis- team that is here,’ he says. ‘ They are absolutely
endary Joan Littlewood and applying the same fying and profitable when it is got right. They passionate about what we do here, why we do it
lessons about how to make inroads into the had successes with The Snow Queen and A and how we do it. Doing it to a really high quality
local community through theatre, believing Christmas Carol. Then they delivered a Chi- and serving the community, they are aware that’s
that if you put the stories of your community nese version of Cinderella. Robert admits that what we’re here to do and they really genuinely
on stage they will come and see those stories this was a mistake. ‘We have to hold up believe in that. The amount of hours they put in
and bring more stories so a circle is formed be- our hands and say that we did not get that one above and beyond the call of duty is amazing.’
tween the community and the theatre. ‘That is
the basis of my belief in running a venue,’ says
Robert with feeling, ‘it is what we have tried
to do here with shows like Comfort me with
Apples and The Summer Set trying to replicate
what we did in the East End by doing Somer-
set stories.’ For the evidence of his success he
points to the fact that box office sales went up
by 40% between 2006 and 2009.
Though he feels that his responsibility was
to get the economics right he is also passion-
ate about giving opportunities for students to
progress drawing on the excellent local schools
and colleges in Taunton, for example, in giving
them the opportunity to perform in The Studio
which was converted from a rehearsal room to
a small auditorium. And he sees collaboration
with schools and other institutions as a key way right.’ The show felt really innovative and ex- As chief executive, director and writer he is a
forward. ‘We do not want these young people citing in rehearsal but when the audience saw very busy man and one wonders at the extent of
to disappear until they are 40 and then return to it he could see immediately that it was not the workload and the pressure of always being
settle down. We want there to be enough going what they were expecting- a good lesson to in the spotlight and inevitably not being able to
on in Taunton to attract them back while they him about what the Taunton audience would please everybody all of the time and always in
are still young and help develop and contribute like to come and see. ‘The important thing,’ the critical eye.
to a vibrant cultural community.’ He believes he says, ‘is that you learn from your mistakes.’ ‘It is one of those jobs that looks really great
that there is a critical mass at which we can Successful Christmas shows followed includ- from the outside,’ he explains, ‘but it isn’t al-
transform the culture in Taunton to a level ing the Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe and ways easy - sometimes it is a bit of a slog - but it
where it becomes natural to engage with the Alice in Wonderland. is always a kind of a privilege. I get to work with
arts and, when once engaged, it is natural to Part of the concept has always been that the really nice people - not just the staff but also the
want more. Christmas show has been reflected outside the acts that come in – some of them young artists
He is also optimistic about the future, includ- auditorium and this year is no exception when who walk onto our stage for the first time. It re-
ing dealing with that old chestnut of not having the theme of the river bank will pervade the minds me of me when I was 12. It is a great job
a large enough main auditorium. A feasibility whole of the building with the production of and a great county to do that job in.’
study has been carried out where 5 options The Wind in the Willows. It also provides an
were considered for the future of The Brew-
house including a new site and a completely Rather than use the Alan Bennett version of The Wind in the Willows, pre-
new building. They have decided on a more ferred in recent years or to the A.A. Milne version, Toad of Toad Hall, Rob-
practical but less costly option to expand on ert has adapted it himself. He prefers it this way because as he is also the
the existing site. £10 million will secure an ad-
ditional 750 seat auditorium, a full size gallery,
director he can then write it in the way he wants it performed.
workshop space and a rooftop restaurant. He ‘I try and use as much dialogue from the book as possible,’ he comments.
believes there is there is the necessary support ‘I firmly believe that if you cut things out of the original you have to have a
form the Arts Council and the local authorities really good reason for doing it.’ It is a play with songs written by Wellington
for it will ‘take us to new level and make us
based Nick Brace – though of course there are one or two songs already
financially secure.’ He is confident of success
as he rationalises that ‘there are 3 large cultural included in the book including the infamous self-congratulatory songs of
hubs in the region, Bristol, Plymouth and the Toad.
Bournemouth/Poole conurbation, and that in
the middle of the triangle you have Taunton,
perfectly placed to serve a more rural audience Wind in the Willows at The Brewhouse
along the M5 corridor and to invest in on a re- Friday 7 December to Saturday 5 January
gional basis.’
When Robert came to The Brewhouse the 10.15am 2pm 7pm Check individual days for times
Christmas show was aimed at adults and was
typically a whodunit or musical. They decided
Box Office: 01823 283244 www.thebrewhouse.net
to make it a family show, but keep the after

7. ‘A Book for Those Who Keep the Spirit of Youth Alive
in Them’
(Kenneth Grahame)
The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame (1859-1932)
The story grew out of letters which Graham wrote to his son Alistair.
Graham had enjoyed critical success with The Golden Age (1895) and Dream Days (1899), but he had difficulty
finding a publisher for The Wind in the Willows. Methuen finally agreed to publish it on the understanding that
there would be no advance. When it was published in 1908, he received poor reviews, (with the notable excep-
tions of Arnold Bennett and Richard Middleton). Most of the reviewers could not appreciate the idea that the
principal characters were animals. However, President Roosevelt, who had enjoyed his earlier work and had
received a complimentary copy from Graham, was full of praise and more-or-less demanded that the American
publishers Scribners should publish it (after they had initially rejected it). Sales began to rise, it reprinted many
times and it remains a popular title to this day.
Counselling for Toads Bizarre Incident
Robert de Board used the characters in the Wind in the Willows, and About 11am on the 24 November 1903 a respect-
in particular Toad, to create a modern counselling classic, Counsel- able looking man who gave his name as George
ling for Toads. Written as an extension of the original story we find Robinson, entered the Bank of England asking to
Toad in a depressed state with his friends Mole, Rat and Badger, see the governor of the bank. Grahame, as the
fearful that he will ‘do something silly’. After alternately encourag- Bank Secretary, was the next in command and
ing and then attempting to force him to change his behaviour, they agreed to see him instead. When Graham refused
determine there is only one thing left, ‘You must have counselling!’ to read some documents that the man thrust to-
announces Badger. Over the next ten chapters (or sessions), Toad has wards him, the man pulled out a gun. The quick
counselling with the Heron using the transactional analysis method, thinking Grahame ran out of the room, slamming
learning how to analyse his own feelings and develop his emotional the door behind him. Robinson fired three shots
intelligence. then ran into the Director’s Library. A porter
Grahame and his wife, Elspeth, may have benefited from some form had the presence of mind to lock him in. He was
of counselling with regard to their son Alistair and their own relation- eventually captured with the intervention of the
ship.They lived in a kind of fantasy world as far as he and their mar- fire brigade who used a hose to knock him to the
riage was concerned. Their only child, Alistair was a sickly infant, ground. He was later incarcerated in Broadmoor.
handicapped by blindness in one eye and poor sight in the other. He It is not known what long term effect this incident
was excessively indulged in by his parents and proved to be a difficult had on Grahame. However, he became increas-
child who would sometimes fly into rages. However, for Elspeth and ingly disenchanted with his work at the bank. He
Kenneth, he was ‘loveable and unusually gifted’. He was a misfit at would leave the bank early in the afternoon and
school and struggled to achieve the high academic expectations they was often absent. He experienced ill health as an
had for him. Through Grahame’s influence he was found a place at adult, probably a legacy of the scarlet fever he
Oxford (a thwarted ambition of his own). Alistair could not find a suffered as a child. This was not tolerated by the
course that suited him, was socially awkward and underwent a spir- a new Governor of the Bank of England, William
itual crisis. On the evening of the 7 May, 1920, he took a walk from Campbell Middleton, who was appointed in the
his college to a level crossing on the railway line from Oxford to Wol- spring of 1907. Grahame resigned in June 1908
vercote. He was found dead even though The Wind in the Willows was not
across the tracks in the morn- to be pub-
ing a little way along from the lished until
crossing. Though the official the autumn
verdict was accidental death, and, at this
the position of his body across time, he had
the tracks suggested otherwise. no reason to
The Grahame’s were devas- believe that
tated and spent most of the it would be a
Elspeth Graham
next four years abroad, mostly Portrait by Sir Frank Alistair Graham success.
in Italy. Dicksee The Bank of England

8. ...and butterflies and bugs and other
beautiful things...
Help us celebrate the 5th birthday of
ginger fig gallery
Our ‘birds and bees’ exhibition in January 2013
is open to all local individuals and organisations,
artists, schools and community groups.
When we celebrated our 3rd birthday with
the ‘Gingerbread Man’ exhibition we had
HUNDREDS of entries - and we’d really like
to beat that
We will welcome entries in any media, so take
up your paint brushes, cameras and knitting
needles; oil your printing presses or potters
wheels; get your sewing machines whirring and
put your imagination to work
For more information either pop into ginger fig, call, email, tweet
or facebook us as soon as possible, ideally by 14th December 2012
ginger fig, 1b Bath Place, Taunton TA1 4ER, 01823 326798
10

9. Scarlet Von Teazel: Bohemian Artist
Scarlet Von Teazel re-
flects on her formative
years in Prague and ac-
knowledges its influence
on her recent artwork.
One of the most influential people in Scar-
let’s early life was her maternal grandmoth-
er with whom she developed a strong bond.
She was a gentle warm-hearted person, full
of love and wisdom who was the first to spot
Scarlet’s natural curiosity and creativity. She
inspired and encouraged her. She looked af-
ter Scarlet and her younger sister as both
parents worked. She was fond of her older
granddaughter who reminded her of her be-
loved but complicated father, blacksmith by opted the civil service structure and its em- to work in the hotel industry. As her course
trade, who was able to turn his hand to any- ployees, including her grandfather. Follow- allowed only for the further study of eco-
thing. She can remember how Scarlet was ing the war, the communist regime labelled nomics, she went to university and gradu-
interested in understanding how things were all civil servants collaborators and put them ated with a degree in finance and credit.
made: she could dismantle an old clock and on trial. She remembers finding in one of Despite this diversion she stayed faithful
then put it back together. the drawers in her grandparents house old to her artistic side through part time study
It was old things that took her interest most. handwritten letters from different people at an art college where she specialized in
Scarlet remembers being ill and going to testifying as to how he had risked his life ceramics, photography and creative writ-
stay at her grandparents home, so as not to using his position by smuggling in letters to ing. And she feels Prague, with its vibrant
pass on her germs to her younger sister, who their relatives imprisoned by the Nazis. He cultural scenes, both official and under-
had a weak constitution. She found the best was,as a result, acquitted through the testi- ground, together with its visual beauty,
part of staying there was looking through mony of those who he had helped during the was influential in her development as a
the drawers and discovering old books, Nazi occupation. ‘I realised how powerful person and an artist.
newspapers, family photographs and docu- letters can be,’ explains Scarlet, ‘they can At that time most banks in Czechoslo-
free you but they can also put you in prison. vakia functioned like credit unions. How-
Someone’s life could be decided by pieces ever, there was one commercial bank in
of paper.’ Prague and through a chance meeting with
Another testimony to the importance of let- a friend’s mother who was manager there,
ters in Scarlet’s life was the discovery of a she applied for and was given a job there.
document stating that her father, whose af- Initially she found the work interesting in
fections were always directed towards her its complexity. However, once the chal-
younger sister, was in fact her stepfather. lenge was mastered she became bored and
After her grandfather’s retirement, he start- eventually after a good deal of persistence
ed to work as light operator at the prestig- made her way into the most prestigious de-
Herbal ious Shakespearean “Vinohradske Divadlo” partment of the bank – the dealing room
theatre in Prague. From the age of 8-12 (till – normally the preserve of men and Com-
ments. She recalls being enchanted by the her grandfather’s death) Scarlet had the munist Party members (of which she was
warn leather and the scent of the old pages, unrivalled experience of watching Shake- neither).
fascinated by the gently fading colours and speare’s plays performed from her grandfa- As part of her training she was sent to
beautiful lettering of yellowing newsprint. ther’s lighting box. This gave her an early London, where she met the future father
Her Grandfather was a well read man with exposure to the world of theatre and her of her first child. A year later her son Tho-
many interests. He taught her to play chess already strong love of books and literature mas was born. A move to Shipley near
when she was five. His intelligence and gained a new dimension. Bradford followed. Here she discovered
abilities weren’t reflected in the menial jobs Her parents decided that she should attend the Kirkgate Studios and Workshops. For
he had. As she grew up she became aware a ‘sensible’ college specialising in econom- Scarlet this became a haven to practice art
of her grandfather’s past. Several years after ics, hotel and leisure studies rather than fol- while at the same time she was able to be
his death she discovered that he had once low her heart and study art, languages and near her son who was looked after by two
held a respected position in the civil service. the humanities. She eventually gave in to marvellous women who ran a crèche on
When Germany invaded Bohemia and took family persuasion but very soon discovered the same site. She was able to take advan-
over the state, the Nazi administration co- this to be a mistake and that she did not want tage of the facilities for ceramics, weaving,
11

10. screen printing, stained glass, batique, pho- a foundation degree in fine art at Somerset
tography and film making. Then pregnant College. Even though she had been prac-
with her second child, she and another art- tising successfully as an artist, in her own
ist were awarded National Lottery funding mind she needed the validation of a higher
for their photographic project ‘Hidden in qualification in art. In the second year of her
Plain View’, culminating in an exhibition in degree she began to develop work using pa-
Lister’s Mill in Bradford in 2000. per, glue and a coffee solution. Her tutors
From Kirkgate she then moved on to Brad- were unsure of the initial direction of her
ford and Ilkley College and followed sculp- work (early experiments included strings of
ture and life drawing courses. She was to washing lines of crushed envelopes dripping
add further to her skills with a course for with coffee!), but as the project developed
community arts workers. After the birth of it began to bear fruit. Around this time she
her daughter Aninka the head of a Primary was also invited to work with other artists
School in Leeds offered her an artist resi- alongside the German artist Anselm Keifer
dency. He asked her to make a list of poten- on his installation at London’s White Cube
tial projects that she was interested in doing. Gallery. Later she was invited to visit him
He chose concrete sculpture from the list, in his Paris studio to interview him for her
the one thing she had no practical experi- thesis.
ence in. To test her theory she quickly made An exhibition of her new work Retro-
a sculpture of a tortoise that to this day lives flexions followed at Cream, Leo Davey’s
in her garden. The school wanted the older cafe showing art in Minehead. She was
(year 6) children to create something for the then invited to join ‘The Recessionists’, a
reception class and they chose the characters group of Somerset artists and exhibited both
of A.A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh. Working paintings and sculpture at Pylle Emporium
simultaneouslywith 36 children, split into 6 Gallery near Glastonbury, Wiveliscombe
teams, each responsible for one sculpture, Town Hall and at The Quartz Festival. In
she completed the project from beginning May 2011 she put on a well attended solo
to end in two days. Despite having lost her exhibition Exposed at the Pear tree Gallery
voice and falling ill with exhaustion, as well in East Reach. In 2011 and 2012 she shared Silence
as realizing for the future that project of that a studio with another artist in Paris where insect, a beehive. Her Sun and Moon has a
magnitude should require perhaps 2 weeks they began a joint body of work and which primeval quality. Her work on shoes is at
is ongoing. They exhibited together in a Pa- once haunting and provocative and shows
risian gallery in the Marais. A selection of her skill as a seamstress (from the age of 15
her work along with one or two new pieces she made her own clothes).
will appear at Brendon Books in November There is a profound sadness running
and December. through some of her work and an attempt
Her reverence for and recognition of the to create what she describes as a ‘dialogue
power of books is reflected in their repre- with the unconscious through following
sentation in varied dimensions and forms, instincts and distant echoes.’ There are ref-
the surface of some transformed into an erences to her growing up in Prague, the
extraordinary leather-like texture so they letters and unjust persecution of her grand-
take on the guise and presence of ancient father — she draws deeply upon her child-
manuscripts. Her powerful piece Silence is hood. ‘ I believe our perception of the world
dominated by the image of a mother lying as as children, when we were so much closer
it were within a grave symbolising the death and more open to the beauty of the ordinary,
of a child, perhaps a miscarriage: as though to be something that we should try to re-
with the child’s death part of the mother member,’ she explains. All in all there is an
also dies and a clock symbolises an un- intricate craft and distinct quality about her
One of several representations of Oranges timely death. Oranges are transformed and work whose surfaces invite one to touch and
woven into shapes reminiscent of a skull, an feel their resonance.
rather than 2 days…this initial project had
been a great success. She became registered See Scarlet’s Work
on the ‘Northern Artists into Schools’ data- Scarlet Von Teazel’s art will be on display at Brendon Books, Bath Place,
base as a sculptor and mosaic muralist and
Taunton TA1 4ER
over the next 5 years a further 19 projects
across a variety of themes and with different from 12 November 2012 to 12 January 2013
degrees of complexity followed. 01823 337742
Following her move to Somerset she took www.scarletvonteazel.com
12

11. 13

12. Classic Jazz Man: Steve Graham
Classic Jazz is a
seven-piece band
formed with the
original sounds of
New Orleans jazz in
m i n d . B a n d l e a d e r
and trumpeter Steve
Graham offers an in-
sight into the band’s
influences prior to a
performance at Ilm-
inster Arts Centre.
collaborations he met people interested in al reputation as a trumpet player in
Originally from Grimsby, Lincolnshire, traditional jazz and eventually formed the the New Orleans and Classic styles.
Steve Graham moved to Taunton in 1975, Downtown Galmington Syncopa- Steve had learnt to play very basic
initially to work as a classical guitar tutor tors. With Steve on trumpet, the group trumpet while still at school, putting his
but soon became known as a lute player, soon became a popular local band, and newly-found skills to the test in a jazz
performing with several West Country with a renewed focus on the instru- band during his last couple of years
early music ensembles. Through such ment, Steve gradually gained a nation- there. He continued to fit in playing
while studying maths at the University
of East Anglia, and recalls, ‘I learnt
mandolin when a girl friend gave me
one to take on a New Year holiday in the
Scilly Isles, to pass time in the evenings
playing folk tunes with companions.’
Initially inspired by the music of Louis
Armstrong, which Steve admits is formi-
dably difficult to emulate, he eventually
found his way in the jazz world when in-
troduced to and influenced by New Orle-
ans trumpeters Avery “kid” Howard, De
De Pierce, Kid Thomas Valentine and
Bunk Johnson, not to mention Britain’s
own New Orleans-styled trumpeter Ken
Colyer, who was a leading light on the
English scene during the 1950s and 60’s.
Classic Jazz was formed around 2006,
following Steve’s long-term stint in the
group Original Rags, a duo formed with
Mike Denham in 1999 to play ragtime and
14

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14. classic jazz of the 1920s. ‘We thought
it would be good to have a full band
playing that repertoire for festivals and
concert venues’, explains Steve, ‘and
by that time I had met several top mu-
sicians who were skilled in this music’.
The Classic Jazz repertoire encom-
passes many artists from the hot jazz
era of the 1920s such as Jelly Roll
Morton, and ragtime pieces from the
previous decade by pioneers such
as Scott Joplin. Mainly the band fo-
cus on the recordings of King Oliv-
er’s Creole Jazz Band, which was
the most influential band recorded in
Chicago back in 1923 (with a line-
up featuring the cream of New Orle-
ans jazz musicians; Louis Armstrong,
Baby Dodds, Honore Dutrey, Bill
been with pianist Mike Denham, with and Malc Murphy on drums. The band
Johnson, Johnny Dodds, Lil Hardin-
whom I have been able to develop both do not seek to reproduce slavish cop-
Armstrong and King Oliver himself).
my trumpet and mandolin playing.’ ies of the original recordings, prefer-
‘This music is predominantly of an
Joining Steve, John and Mike for the ring to create their own distinctive
ensemble style’ explains Steve, ‘but
Ilminster concert will be Dave Martin sound of driving, swinging ensemble
we do have an outstanding soloist
on cornet. Dave has been active on the jazz, using music from which the im-
in John Wurr.’ John Wurr is one of
Devon music scene since the mid-1980s mensely popular “Trad” bands of the
the UK’s most versatile reed play-
and runs the City Steam Jazz Band in 1950s and 60s developed their styles.
ers (on clarinet and saxophone) and
Exeter. Somerset audiences may be Steve works throughout the country
has performed previously with Steve
familiar with him through Bob Rey- with a number of other jazz bands, and
Graham and Mike Denham at Ilm-
nolds’ New Society Jazz Band and he has recently decided to devote his study
inster Arts Centre, both with Classic
will soon be appearing with his own time to the lute once more. ‘Having
Jazz and at Mike Denham’s ‘Speak-
Jabbo Five at IAC in April. Complet- spent a lot of time in the past playing
Easy’ nights that have become a
ing the line-up for Classic Jazz will renaissance music and accompanying
regular fixture at the arts centre. All
be Tom Wittingham, who is a natural singers, I am returning to this but am also
three have become great favourites
musician on trombone and has an in- embarking on a study of the wonderful
there and Steve says, ‘I have had the
stinctive feel for the jazz music of the music of the 13-course baroque lute.’
pleasure of working with several top
period, plus Sarah Thatcher on banjo,
British musicians but, undoubtedly
By Sara Loveridge
the most fruitful collaboration has
Hear Steve Graham perform with Classic Jazz
featuring Mike Denham and John Wurr
Friday 30th November
Ilminster Arts Centre at The Meeting House, East Street, Ilminster. TA19 0AN.
At 8pm. Tickets: £15. Pre-Show Supper at 7pm (must be pre-booked).
Box Office: 01460 54973. Website: www.themeetinghouse.org.uk.
16

15. We are committed to providing honest
food and drink, locally sourced, skillfully
prepared and reasonably priced. Our main
menu changes with the seasons and we
have a great range of daily specials on
offer using the best of South West produce.
We also offer bespoke and budgeted
catering for businesses and private events.
19b Bath Place, Taunton, Tel 01823 337234
Somerset, TA1 4EP Email taunton@thescrumper.com
Back in Bath Place
for the winter season
17

16. Somerset Cricket :The Glory Years 1973-1987
In 2010 Somerset Cricket Museum but devotees of the summer game as a
acquired a unique archive of images whole.
relating to the history of the club. Accompanying the pictures is an
Taken by Taunton-based photogra- informative text by County Museum
pher Alain Lockyer, they chronicle Trustee and journalist Richard Walsh
some of the years of the County’s to complete this remarkable visual his-
greatest success, including the tory, packed with classic memories.
period known as the Glory Years Alain Lockyer is a professional pho-
during which Somerset won five one tographer who has run the Taunton-
day trophies in as many seasons. based Somerset Photo News agency
between 1973 and 1990.Garner, for more than four decades covering
Richards, Botham, Rose and a host National news and pictures and who
of fine players feature in this superb has captured the activity of Somerset
collection. County Cricket Club assiduously in
However, it not only highlights that time.
exciting action from classic matches, Richard Walsh lives in Taunton and
but candid behind-the-scenes shots is a freelance journalist who has been
of the players both at rest and at following the fortunes of Somerset
play. CCC for over 40 years. He regularly
Together the pictures are an irre- writes for the Western Morning News,
placeable document of the Country’s the Somerset County Gazette, and the
greatest cricket team at the height Sunday Independent, in addition to
of its powers, and this book which which he has been the editor of the
is the first publication to feature official Somerset CCC website since it Somerset Cricket: The Glory Years,
the collection widely, will be read was first established in 2001. 1973-1987 Hardback; H:297; W:210;
eagerly not only by fans of Somerset 160p.; black and white illustrations
Halsgrove £19.99
Talk Booksigning
at Brendon Books
on Tuesday 13 November.
Both Alain Lockyear and Richard Walsh
will be present
Please R.S.V.P. Brendon Books, Bath Place,
Taunton TA1 4ER
01823 337742
email: brendonbooks@gmail.com
Joel Garner, Ian Botham and Vivienne Richards
18

17. Somerset and the Defence of the Bristol Channel
in the Second World War
The aim of the book is to fill a gap in
the literature by explaining the strategic
concepts underpinning military activity
in Somerset in the Second World War.
The work addresses naval activities, both
enemy and friendly in the Bristol Chan-
nel, the coastal anti-invasion defences
including coast artillery and also covers
the air defence activities including radar,
fighter control and the revolutionary
electronic warfare directed against the
Luftwaffe bombers navigation aids; to-
gether with searchlights, barrage balloons,
Observer Corps, AA guns and rockets.
The surprising plethora of naval, army,
RAF and other activities in the Somerset
coastal area, many of which were secret, Section post at Blue Anchor Photo: David Hunt
are explained. understanding of what we can still see in Hunt as a Somerset man who knows the
All sources of historical data identified our hedgerows and on our beaches in the county well and sees it through the eyes
so far, including surviving archaeological context of both defending one of Britain’s a senior Army officer. This collaboration
evidence, have been examined, evaluated of expert enthusiasts brings archaeology,
and cross-referenced. Many little known archives and military experience together
but key activities like police wartime to effectively complement each other in
roles, fuel denial measures, patrols against this fascinating book intended for the war
agents landing on the coast are covered enthusiast, local historian and the general
for the first time along with the perceived public.
threats and the coastal defence plans
including the roles of the Army, Home
Guard and the secret Auxiliary Units with
saboteurs, spies and hidden wireless sta-
tions.
The account presented will contain many
surprises which challenge commonly-held
beliefs. For instance, the elaborate coastal
Doniford AA range before the war;
defences were primarily intended to guard
photo Hole collection.
against air-borne not sea-borne invasion.
It contradicts fondly held folk memories most vital waterways and the industrial
such as the ineffectiveness of the Mine- heartlands dependent on it but also of the
head emergency battery. It adds to our ways in which war was brought to the
enemy and ultimately led to their defeat.
David Hunt has done the bulk of the
work searching out and sifting the records
in The National Archives and Somerset
Record Office. All three authors have Somerset and the Defence of the Bristol
shared in its interpretation in the light of Channel in the Second World War. David
their extensive knowledge of Somerset: Dawson, David Huntand Chris Webster.
David Dawson and Chris Webster as Published by the Somerset Archaeological
archaeologists who have worked in the and Natural History Society, Taunton, 112
county for twenty years or so and David pages, 64 maps and illustrations.
Talk Booksigning at Brendon Books
Doniford AA range before the war; the on Thursday 29 November.
Queen Bee, a radio controlled target plane is Please R.S.V.P. Brendon Books, Bath Place, Taunton TA1 4ER
launched; photo Hole collection
19

18. Resolution by John Cole
In describing his new novel, “Reso-
lution”, as the book of a lifetime,
John Cole is not exaggerating, for
the book tells the stories of the lives
of three modern women living in
the twentieth century and up to the
present time.
“I worked as a family doctor
throughout the greatest period of
social change for womankind in his-
tory. The social upheaval was enor-
mous and its effects profound” said
77 year old John. The novel had been
gestating for more than 35 years, but
a busy life in medicine as well as be-
ing a dedicated professional musi-
cian meant that he began writing it
only two years ago.
When Taunton-born John started
work as a house physician and sur-
geon in Cirencester back in the career are widely referenced in the cert at which Brahms’ Requiem will
1950s, fewer than 10% of married novel, from cadavers to choirs. It’s be performed by the Amici Choir and
women were in paid employment. entirely appropriate, then, that the Orchestra West. He was until recent-
By the time he retired from gen- launch of “Resolution” coincides ly conductor of both organisations.
eral practice in 2000, that figure had with John’s musical retirement con-
grown to 88%.
“Resolution”, published in early No-
vember, is set against the backdrop
of national and international politi-
cal and historical events. It explores
attitudes to woman’s place in soci-
ety, gender roles, careers and fami-
lies. Societal changes are reflected
through three women; Maria, Debo-
rah and Ruth. Maria is a first genera-
tion immigrant, Deborah a product
of the “swinging sixties” and Ruth a
modern girl born and brought up in
adversity. Their very different lives
and fortunes touch at various points,
leading to what John describes as
Resolution.
The twin passions of medicine and
music that have characterised John’s
Resolution retails at £9.99 and is available from
Brendon Books, Bath Place, Taunton TA1 4ER
01823 337742 email: brendonbooks@gmail.com
or www.johncoleresolution.com
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19. The Quantocks
A new book on the Quantocks has been
published this autumn by long-standing
Somerset resident, Peter Haggett.
The book is arranged on historical lines
and paints a biographical picture, not of
an individual but of a region. The open-
ing chapter identifies the unique charac-
ter of the Quantocks and identifies seven
reasons why the area is of exceptional
interest. The next six chapters takes
the reader through the evolution of the
region; from its deep geological roots
(Chap. 2), through its occupation by ear-
ly settlers (Chap, 3), to the evolution of
its separate villages and parish churches
during the medieval period (Chap.4) to
the evolution of its great country houses
and estates in the early-modern period
Bench Ends
Peter Haggett was born, bred and with the AONB service, local landown-
schooled in Somerset. A former Cam- ers, and the Quantock Commoners to
bridge don and Bristol University pro- safeguard the region. It is currently ap-
fessor, he returned to his roots to write pealing for funds to acquire and conserve
this affectionate tribute to this gentle, a major area of heathland (previously
unpretentious and often overlooked part owned by Somerset County Council) to
of his home county. The many maps look after in perpetuity for the people of
and diagrams have been especially Somerset.
drawn for this volume and he teamed
up with his daughter (an Intensive
Care nurse at a local hospital) to richly
illustrate the text with over a hundred
photographs, a third in colour. Peter has
held university research and teaching
posts around the world for half-a-cen-
tury and in 1997 was awarded the CBE
for services to geographical scholar-
ship.
Profits from the sale of the volume
(Chap. 5) The revolution wrought by are being donated to a leading local
the railways is a theme of the Victorian conservation charity, the Friends of
Quantocks (Chap. 6) while even more Quantock. This was founded in 1949
rapid change and the impact of two with the object of safeguarding the
World Wars dominates the chapter on landscape and natural environment of
the 20thC (Chap. 7). The last chapter the Quantock Hills. It works closely
identifies five current problems in the
region (ranging from maintaining its The Quantocks: Biography of an English Region, it is 240 pages long
fragile heather moors to the challenge of
nuclear and tidal power) and debates the
with 120 figures, a third in colour. pb
future of the Quantocks. ISBN 978-0-9573352-0-2
Brendon Books, Bath Place, Taunton TA1 4ER
01823 337742 email: brendonbooks@gmail.com
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