Benjamin Travers was a dramatist and a novelist. He served in the Royal Air Force in the First and Second World Wars, and his best-known plays include A Cuckoo in the Nest, Rookery Nook, Stormy Weather, Foreign Affairs, Banana Ridge, Pot Luck, Dishonour Bright, and Spotted Dick. A number of them were turned into early movies. He was born in 1886.
This exhibition at The Museum of London in The Docklands focuses on the guiding movement in London since The Girl Guides Association was formed in 1910.
With a colourful account of guiding history old stereotypes of cake baking and below the knee skirts are dispelled, as the exhibition highlights the relevance of guiding in today’s contemporary society.
With its origins in Edwardian London, it provides a timely opportunity to reflect on a movement which has been such an influence on generations of women. Marilyn was a London guider, so this is a must see exhibition for us.
‘A Hundred Years of Guiding in London’ runs from the 26th of June until the 31st of October 2010. Further details at: www.museumoflondon.org.uk
The wartime evacuation of London’s children was a very key moment in the 1940′s, and here Enid Stamp Taylor plays her part in this promotional picture taken in her Park Lane apartment. ‘Standing in’ as an evacuee is Enid’s daughter Robin Anne. The evacuation of London’s children to far-flung parts of the United Kingdom is a subject that has been well debated over the years. It was a move thankfully that could never be contemplated today.
St Albans Magna Carta Weekend
Part of this year’s St Albans Festival in Hertfordshire England is the St Albans Celebration of the Magna Carta. The Magna Carta is the great charter agreed in 1215 between King John and his Barons.
St Albans and its Abbey played an important part in the events surrounding this momentous step on the way to many of our most valued freedoms.
This is a must event for Marilyn and I, over the weekend of the 11th and 13th of June, and such a visit to St Albans Abbey will allow us a personal look at a copy of the Magna Carta.
Three Generations…
This shot taken in 1934 depicts three generations of the Stamp Taylor family…
Agnes Stamp Taylor, mother to Enid Stamp Taylor, and Enid’s daughter Robin Anne.
The picture was loaned to me from Robin Anne’s own photo collection of her mother and grandmother.
Wendell Wilkie, an American politician who was a presidential nominee in 1940 and the leader of the International wing of The Republican Party. He wielded tremendous political influence and rallied Roosevelt’s opponents in support of the administration’s foreign policy for the sake of wartime unity. He died in 1944.
The simple art of the classic beauty is delightfully portrayed in this early picture of Enid Stamp Taylor.
Thought to have been taken when Enid was in her late teens, it shows the deep sentimentality and loving way that she displayed throughout her short life.
Tragedy beset Enid’s life; losing her younger brother at the age of only 9 years, then others members of her family. It is truly remarkable that we can now look back on this lovely lady’s life some One Hundred Years on, and appreciate the talent and effort that she gave to the early British Film and Stage.
This enchanting portrait taken by Ismay of Harrogate defines the gentleness and inner warmth of Agnes Stamp Taylor.
Agnes is mother to Enid Stamp Taylor and in this rare snapshot the likeness is uncanny… just study her profile for a few moments…
The date of the picture is uncertain, but would likely have been produced soon after Agnes’s marriage to George Stamp Taylor in 1901. A truly elegant picture.
The Kings Head in Bayswater West London was featured in my radio play ‘The Shriving of Miss Esme Stamp’. It is sited opposite Charles Hepworth’s photo studio in the 1920′s, and in one scene inside The Kings Head… Esme and Charles indulge themselves in a sensual meal of game and champagne… much to the disgust of Esme’s over-protective mother…
We have all enjoyed the fantastic hospitality of this wonderful London Pub throughout the years… Adrian, Anya, Michelle, Dave, Steve, Robert, Shannon, Marilyn, and of course myself – such a great offering of wines, beers, spirits and food!
We have our favourite corner, just below the black and white framed photographs showing The Pub’s own on-site brewery way back in the 1900′s, and one day perhaps, we may see you there too… Just sitting beside us.
The 3 week Wandsworth Arts Festival takes place from the 1st of May until the 23rd right across the borough of Wandsworth London.
It’s a celebration of events such as outdoor arts, music, films, and dance, with a culmination ‘Shimmy’ in Wandsworth Park and Putney Wharf on Sunday the 23rd of May, featuring music, sculptural installations, projects, and a dog show.
More details are available at: www.wandsworth.gov.uk/artsfestival
