A Sense Of Mells

New Street.

I just thought that I would tell you about our trip to Mells last week because I took a few photos, and it would be a shame to waste them. My friends wanted to see the surrounding area, so as it was a nice sunny day, I suggested we visit Mells as I had heard that there was a nice riverside walk there, and it is only a few miles from Westbury. We parked near the War Memorial which was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens the world-famous architect and then walked up the historic and picturesque 15^th century New Street to St Andrews Church. I told Jacky that I would show her the grave of the war poet Seigfried Sassoon because she studied him at school. While we were wandering around the churchyard looking at the headstones, we met two middle-aged ladies.

Edward Horner.

“If you are looking for famous graves, here is one of the Bonham-Carter family. He was the grandfather of the actress Helena Bonham-Carter.”

“I know”, I replied, “He was also private secretary to Herbert Asquith who was Prime Minister when the First World War broke out, and just here is the grave of Ronald Knox the theologian who inspired Siegfried Sassoon to convert to Catholicism, and that is the reason Sassoon wished to be buried here”.

Cross From WW1

The ladies looked quite surprised at my knowledge. I only knew all this stuff because I had been here last year and had read about it. I hadn’t been inside the church on my previous visit because it was closed during lockdown. It is quite fascinating when you see the interior. There is a large statue of a soldier on horseback by Alfred Munnings. It is a memorial to Edward Horner who was slain during the Battle Of Cambrai in 1917. There is a big connection between the Horner family and Mells. It is said that the nursery rhyme Little Jack Horner was inspired by one of the Horners. Incorporated into the plinth of the statue is the original wooden cross which marked Edward Horner’s grave in France. It is quite moving, and a timely reminder of the horrors of war which seems to be repeating itself today. On a cheerier note, on a wall I noticed a framed tapestry in the pre-Raphaelite style by Lady Horner which was inspired by her friendship with Edward Burne-Jones the artist and designer who worked with William Morris.

We found a Walled Garden nearby which had a café and had lots of plants for sale, but we didn’t buy any. There was a picnic area with some tables, so we had some food and then set off to find the riverside walk. A short distance outside the village on the road towards Great Elm we saw a sign saying Public Bridleway, so we walked up there along the riverbank. It was quite beautiful in the spring sunshine. Lots of wildflowers were in bloom such as bluebells, red campion, wild garlic, and others that I wish I knew the names of. 

We reached a nice waterfall and passed amazing rock outcrops. Eventually we reached these old abandoned and ruined ironworks which date back to the middle-ages. I love how they are being reclaimed by nature and covered in lichen and moss. Apparently, these buildings are of special scientific interest and are home to horseshoe bats. Eventually we turned back and retraced our steps.

I was tired by now so suggested that we repair to the Talbot Inn for a drink and a sit down. I asked the barman why the Inn sign has a dog on it, and he told me that a talbot was an ancient species of hunting dog similar to a beagle which is now extinct. We sat out the back in the courtyard and enjoyed a glass of cider. This place is well worth a visit. The Talbot was voted Sunday Times Hotel of the Year in 2013. Then we wended our way home after a most enjoyable few hours in Mells. So, if you are out and about this summer and you want somewhere nice to visit, I think you would enjoy Mells which was rated as among the "20 most beautiful villages in the UK and Ireland" in 2020.

 

The Unthanks - King of Rome (2012 Folk Music Awards)

A Trip To Bath To See The Unthanks.

Sorry I haven’t written anything for a while. I have had two of my friends visiting for a few days, so we have been out and about every day and I haven’t had time for writing. On Tuesday afternoon we went to the beautiful city of Bath. We whiled away a pleasant hour by the river outside a pub called The Boater. Then went to The Salamander near Queens Square for some food. I have liked this pub ever since I came to this area over 40 years ago. Highly recommended if you are ever in Bath. 

After that I showed my visitors some of the magnificent Georgian splendor of Bath such as the Royal Crescent and the Circus which has that name because it is a perfect circle of Georgian houses designed by John Wood The Elder and built between 1754 and 1768. After wandering around Bath, we eventually made our way to The Forum which is fast becoming my favourite music venue. I have seen lots of great bands here over the last few years. 

We were a bit early, because when we took our seats in the front row I thought the show started at 7.30, but it was actually 8.00 when The Unthanks and their 11-piece band appeared on the stage. It was well worth the wait. The band were magnificent, among the instruments they played were piano, two violins, viola, trumpet, guitars, bass and drums. They were rehearsed to perfection because they had recently been in the studio recording their forthcoming album Sorrows Away. I was particularly impressed with the trumpet player Lizzie Jones who gives an evocative gritty northern feel to the music. The music director would appear to be the pianist and composer Adrian McNally. The focus of the whole group is the two sisters Becky and Rachel Unthank whose harmonies are spellbinding. As well as their astonishing singing ability they even did a bit of clog dancing during the show. They were assisted on some songs by Niopha Keegan who also plays violin. She sang a magnificent version of the McPeake Family song Singing Bird.

I didn’t write down a setlist because I only have two of their albums The Songs Of Molly Drake and The Unthanks Memory Box, so I didn’t know the titles of all the songs. It was five days ago now, but I’ll just tell you what I can remember. The opening song was called The Great Selkie Of Sule Skerrie. The Sandgate Dandling Song was written by Bobby Nunn. I remember a different version by Cilla Black called Liverpool Lullaby. I much prefer to hear The Unthanks sing the original lyrics though. The King Of Rome is one of my favourite songs. It is about a pigeon who won a famous pigeon race from Rome to Derby in 1913. I first heard Magpie when it was featured in Mackenzie Crook’s TV series The Detectorists. (See video below) 

The Bay Of Fundy is the new single from the album and is an instant classic in my opinion. You can also hear it below if you scroll down. Rachel and Becky encouraged the audience to join with the chorus of Sorrows Away. I’m still not sure what Gan To The Kye is all about or if I have spelled it correctly, but it sounded really nice. I think they said that A Whistling Woman was written by their friend the actress Maxine Peake. Lucky Gilchrist is a song about a friend of Rachel’s who died, and it mentions Freddie Mercury. Isabella Coke Ovens reminded me of when I used to work in the coke ovens at Shotton steel works. Mount The Air is the title song to a previous album and was performed sublimely. There were lots of other songs, but I can’t remember what they were called now. There is no other band in the world anything like The Unthanks. Although their roots are in folk music, at times you can hear elements of progressive rock, classical music, minimalism, and ambient music. They are very proud of their northern roots and uncompromising in singing in their northern dialect. If you want to see them for yourself, they are playing all over the country on this tour. You won’t regret it. Thank you very much to The Unthanks for a great concert in Bath.