Category: Dorset

What is apple wassailing all about

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Last year I came across a drawing by Kate Lynch that really caught my eye, ‘Musicians at the Wassail’ when writing an article on a Sladers Yard exhibition for the Bull Hotel. It had a feel of black magic, maybe because it’s in charcoal and rather dark but I loved it for its moodiness.

I don’t mind admitting that I had never heard of Wassail so Mr Google was called upon. There was some explanation on this twelfth night of Christmas ritual, all rather fascinating for a French person. Apple wassailing sounded particularly interesting.

It seemed to be all about blessing apple trees with cider and warding off evil spirits with as much racket as possible -including guns- in the apple orchards of the South West. The most interesting site I could find was dark dorset. I particularly like his comment that ‘this custom was especially important during a time when part of a labourer’s wages was paid in apple cider‘. Well we’d all make sure we did anything possible to ensure a good crop then, wouldn’t we?

However bizarre or wonderful pagan rituals appear, there always seems to be an explanation based on Mother Nature, as is the case with Apple Wassailing. I contacted Jill Lloyd of Bridport Community Orchard who finally had the answer to my question. Why oh why so much racket? Surely you want the birds to hang around?

Oh yes, that’s why bread dipped in cider is flung in the apple trees’ branches. Oh the lucky sparrows whose orchards are being blessed. As for the noise, it’s all to do with apple loving little bugs -codling moths- who hide behind the bark in the winter, ready to leap up the trunk and into the apples later in the year.

Shoooo little nasty things, we want our apples for our cider… Bang. Bang. Bang. And (hopefully) away they go.

It is then time for a good old glass of gold nectar around the fire whilst catching up with friends on a cold winter night and watching Morris Dancers, safe in the knowledge that everything humanely possible has been done to ensure a good crop the following autumn.

As orchards have dwindled in West Dorset so has of course apple wassailing. Thankfully not all is lost. The good people at the Bridport Community Orchard have not only turned a field in the town centre into an orchard, they are also reviving this age old West Country tradition. This Sunday 15 January 2012 at 3pm, Bridport Community Orchard. Do you have a tambourine or drums I can borrow?

Inn with rooms in rural Dorset

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Inn with rooms in Dorset by natamagat
Inn with rooms in Dorset, a photo by natamagat on Flickr.

Collage of a photoshoot for the Greyhound Inn in Sydling St Nicholas, Dorset. Capturing the mood that Bridport’s CW Interior Design created was a pleasure.

L’Auberge du Lévrier -Greyhound Inn- est un pub bien Anglais au fin fond de la campagne ondulée du Dorset Occidental avec une bonne table appréciée des gens du coin. Les nouveaux propriétaires ont refaits les chambres avec des couleurs chaudes, des lits comfortables, des détails qui font la difference mais ils ont gardé des prix très raisonnable.

The Greyhound Inn Sydling St Nicholas 

Les Ateliers Ouverts de Bridport, Dorset Occidental

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English version

Bridport et sa région du Dorset Occidental est un petit coin qui inspire les artistes, un peu comme la Normandie et ses ciels changeants avait inspiré les Impressionistes. Depuis 1999 les ateliers de Bridport s’ouvrent au public pour le ‘Bridport Open Studios’ et chaque année le nombre grandit. En 2011, c’est 100 artistes dans 58 lieux d’exposition qui ont offert à un public grandissant leurs oeuvres d’art au mois de Mai.

Les artistes sont variés, certains sont déjà cotés, d’autres débutent. Les prix sont en conséquence très différents suivant les artistes et les supports. Il y a bien sur des peintres, mais également de la sculpture, céramique, mobilier, photographie, textiles, illustrations, chapeaux, bijouterie ou gravure sur bois.

Même si tous les artistes ne représentent pas directement la Côte Jurassique dans leur art, les collines rondes ou les vallées cachées qui nous entourent, ils sont tous inspirés par l’atmosphère particulière et variée du Dorset Occidental. Au milieu d’une campagne agricole où bio est plutôt la norme, de monts d’où les vues sont un patchwork aux couleurs qui changent avec les saisons, d’une côte unique recélant des fossiles préhistoriques, on trouve une ville pleine de contrastes: Bridport.

Les temps ont changé pour ce port qui fournissait des cordes dans le monde entier, y compris aux bourreaux de Londres. La longue usine où les cordes étaient tressées à été adoptée par des artistes qui ont fait revivre cet espace industriel. Dans des petits villages proches mais presque perdus, d’autres artistes et artisans ont redonné vie à des écuries ou autres bâtiments agricoles, d’autres travaillent simplement de leur maison ou cottage.

C’est peut être cet éclectisme artistique et géographique qui fait que Bridport Open Studios attire maintenant des collectionneurs d’oeuvre d’art non seulement de la région mais également du Sud-Est de l’Angleterre.

La communauté d’artistes de Bridport m’ont demandé d’être leur ‘directeur d’évènement’ pour Les Ateliers Ouverts de Bridport de 2012.

Pour plus de détails sur les artistes qui ont exposé en 2011:

BridportOpenStudios

Artiste Andrew Leppard, copyright Nathalie Roberts

Bridport Open Studios 2011

Artists at work in Bridport, West Dorset

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poste en français

Spending a couple of hours chatting to artists at St Michael’s Studios today in Bridport was fun. Artists studios in Bridport and the surrounding West Dorset villages are open to the public for the week, a great opportunity to discover new talent or have a look at more established artists’ new work.

It’s always inspiring to look at art but I find the people behind the paintings, the photography or the montages equally interesting. That’s what I love about the idea of Open Studios. Seeing the artists working is quite a mixed feeling. On the one hand it’s fascinating to see the image slowly -or quickly- appear on paper, canvas or screen but on the other there is a certain feeling of intrusion.

Some are happy to keep on working, clearly in their own world, their mind inside the canvas, others would rather chat and feel a bit awkward at having somebody looking over their shoulder, and I can’t blame them. The art on show is very varied and I only saw a tiny part at St Michaels’. There are 58 venues in all and 100 artists. Pottery, textiles, furniture, woodcraft, jewellery, millinery, sculpture, digital art, screen printing… Something for everyone?

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Philomena Harmsworth working during Bridport Open Studios 2011

Artist at St Michael's Studio, Bridport
Copyright Nathalie Roberts

Bridport Open Studios’ 2011 launch

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Bridport and West Dorset Open Studios is becoming quite a busy affair if the launch at the Bull Hotel yesterday was anything to go by. It was a really pleasant evening filled with artists and art lovers. All the local artists who take part in the Bridport Open Studios submitted three 6×9″ artwork which was displayed along the long walls of the Ball Room with prices almost as eclectic as the art on show.

Affordable art
Having said that there was nothing above £90 so it was all affordable, even from more established artists like Kit Glaisyer or John Boyd. Many artists were there which was great for buyers who could have a chat with them and for artists who could tempt the art lover to come and see larger work in their studio in the coming week.

How did Bridport Open Studios start?
I had a chat with Caroline Ireland who started Bridport Open Studios in 1999. Back then, she knew there were a fair few artists working locally but there was a lack of outlets for showing their work and coordination was needed to reach out to the public. A few posters around the town, some meetings, a lot of hard work and the annual event was born. It gets bigger every year attracting more and more artists and art lovers.

This year, the team who organise the Bridport and West Dorset Open Studios was headed by fellow artist Philomena Harmsworth who directed the 10 day long event. With 58 venues, some with several artists, the usual August Bank Holiday weekend was getting too short if you wanted to see all the local artists studios (or even half!).

 7 year old art lover invests in an original watercolour
My favourite part of the evening, apart from chatting with several artists and friends, was to see seven year old Sarah proudly hand her £2 pocket money to buy an original work of art from Sheila Edmunds. Sheila is part of ‘Spectrum’ a collective of talented amateur artists who will show their work in the Friends Meeting House in South Street on Saturday 21st. As for little Sarah, she was very happy with her watercolour of a dog that she tells me she will hang in her room.

Bridport and West Dorset Open Studios, 21-30 May 2011.
Brochure with participating artists’ addresses available from Bridport Arts and Crafts, tourist information centre and many shops around Bridport or online:

Sarah buys a watercolour at the Bridport Open Studios

A French view on town criers

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Since moving to West Dorset this Frenchie hears “Oyez! Oyez! Oyez!” at many local events of note (and I must say I couldn’t believe my ears that you should use old French, again).

I assumed that town criers had just never disappeared in England. A bit of research when I posted my photo of David Craner, our local loud voice, proved I was wrong.

Ancient and Honourable

The first thing I came across on the net was the ahgtc (Ancient and Honourable Guild of Town criers). They have a website where I was hoping to find out how many town criers there are and a bit of history.

‘Latest news’ section was not quite what I had in mind. The fact that town criers can rent their loud services to private firms to advertise their wares or events in a theatrical way was not spelt out anywhere that I could find.

Instead, this is what I found:
19th February 2011
John Thomas had died.
8th January 2011
Eric Watsham has died.
And so it continued.

I suppose the Guild is there mainly for their members so to honour their lost friends is fair enough, even admirable. The poem that accompanies the obituaries is very touching. The Guild also claims to help with the marketing of Town Criers but I must say that they do not seem to be doing this in a traditional 21st century way. Then again, what did I expect?

In fact, the most informative website I could find is our own David Craner (for Crewkerne and Beaminster) the first town crier I ever came across. There are 220 town criers in Britain mainly representing towns and cities (although sometimes Lords of the Manor as well).

When I last spoke to David he explained that he hoped to go to France to promote the art of ‘crieur public’. I understand he has been approved by the twinning associations so he is a step closer to getting there. Town criers may have spread William the Conqueror’s laws and news after 1066, they have pretty much disappeared in France.

There is a small revival but they are mainly volunteers in city centres, spreading private love messages, recipes (this is France!) and community events that locals ‘post’ in their box or cage, found in the local convenience store or café. Some have links to tourist offices but unlike in this country, they are not linked to civil events and Councils.

It is interesting that daily newspapers (and literacy) should have been the reason for the disappearance of town criers. A revival in town criers cannot be linked to the drop in sales of newspapers but nonetheless, I can’t help but smile at old fashioned ways coming back to entertain us and local papers struggling to find ways to inform us.

I wonder, should newspapers employ town criers to read excerpts of their news and entice people to buy the papers?

Can you hear it? “Read all about it!”

For a history of town criers, you can visit David Craner’s website:
http://www.davidcranertowncrier.co.uk/History.html

Oyez! Oyez! Oyez!

Oyez! Oyez! Les Anglais ont 220 crieurs publics

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et ils commencent souvent leur harangue par ces mots, parvenus en Angleterre par le biais de notre cher Guillaume le Conquérant en 1066.

La renaissance des crieurs

Tout comme en France les crieurs publics avaient disparus avec l’arrivée des journaux. Dans les années 80, il y a eu en Grande-Bretagne un engouement pour les films d’époque et une certaine nostalgie pour le bon vieux temps, alors que le pays se transformait sous la main forte de la dame de fer.

Ceci étant dit, les Anglais adorent se déguiser. Point. Toute excuse pour se parer de costumes d’époque, même si l’audience n’est que de quelques dizaines de villageois, est bonne. Les crieurs n’ont peut être pas d’énormes chapeaux en fourrure comme les Gardes Royaux (heureusement pour les ours) mais ils ont un tricorne et s’habillent de façon à ce qu’on les remarque.

Qui dit crieur dit ville

Au début 2011, la Grande-Bretagne compte 220 crieurs publics. Ils sont en fait des ‘crieurs de ville’ et ne peuvent s’appeler town criers que ceux qui sont reconnus par leur mairie. Ils appartiennent à l’Ancienne et Honorable Guilde des Crieurs de Ville. Certains crient pour plusieurs villes. La plupart crient en privé aussi, pour arrondir les fins de mois. En fait, ils sont souvent volontaires, à la retraite et ce sont les événements privés qui leur permettent de continuer à crier.

Notre crieur local, David Craner (town crier pour Beaminster et Crewkerne), dont la voix porte fort loin, essaie de trouver des sponsors pour venir présenter ce ‘métier’ quelque peu bizarre et pourtant si vieux à nos petits écoliers par le biais de l’association de jumelage.

Crierons nous plus en France?

Moi je dis bravo. Dans notre monde ou les ordinateurs envahissent notre vie sociale sans que nous nous en rendions compte, requinquer une tradition de recevoir des nouvelles de vive voix me plait bien.

Fast-food a fait naître slow-food, peut être que les crieurs publics, éteints par les journaux, vont faire renaitre les nouvelles. ‘Live’, pour de vrai.

Oyez! Oyez! Oyez!