THE PREDATOR

I can remember reading ‘Tarka the Otter’ when I was about ten, and being very impressed with the book.  Although sad, I really liked the ending when Tarka kills the dreadful hound but is killed in the process.  Henry describes the event beautifully and the description of the bubbles rising to the surface is almost poetical.  It has stayed with me for many years.

However, I was not thinking about Tarka, or even otters in general, when I popped into the Arcade with Caron and Jenai last week.  My daughter was visiting and wanted to look around the Arcade, as she always does when she is in Hungerford.  Naturally, I faded towards Countryside Books under Rafters and was soon bitten by an otter.  Not physically, as there are not that many otters in the Arcade, although I am told that they can be seen in the wetlands around Hungerford.

I spotted a first edition of Henry’s book which, although a little tired, was the 1927 Putnam’s edition.

This was a great find in itself but the dedication immediately aroused my interest.

There was something special about the dedication.  Henry’s full name was Henry Williamson, so it was not beyond the realms of possibility that the Will noted in the dedication was the author.  The inscription was also a massive clue, as Henry’s love of nature has been well documented.  So I gave Dr Watson a call and off we trotted to see if the dedication was indeed Henry’s.  I checked a number of his letters online to see if there were similarities and it did not take me long to confirm that it was from Henry Williamson.  I checked individual words and some characters and it left me in no doubt that the dedication was genuine.

This is what makes book hunting so much fun, as you never know what you are likely to find.  My rule of thumb, outside of the actual edition, (first editions are quite easy to spot) is always to look at any signatures or dedications and also the bookplates.  You never know what you might find.

I’m not going to retire with this find but it did brighten up my day, as it was so unexpected, and it has given me the chance to read Henry’s wonderful book once more.

‘Til the next time.

Stuart MIller-Osborne

Hungerford Arcade are not the only ones gearing up for Christmas.  The main tree for the town is being erected this morning – lots of excitement with heavy loaders and equipment and men at work!  It cheered up an otherwise dank and dull morning.

We are indebted to the Town Council, Yattendon Estates for supplying the tree and Broadmead Estate Services for erecting it.

Now for the lights and decorations!

Hello Again,

Soren Wolf

A small point, but have you noticed how many times you see tigers when walking around the Arcade?

This is not to say that one of Blake’s pals will jump out on you when you pass quietly along the passages with your purchases in hand.

But they are there hidden away and watching you.

You might find them made of china or the subject of a famous painting or up to a few years ago, as a rug to be placed in front of your fire.

They also watch you from the books under Rafters and can be found almost anywhere.

But you feel safe, as Hungerford is the last place that you expect to attacked by a bad tempered tiger.

You might die of old age waiting for a train or get lost looking for a  McDonald’s, but a tiger will not get you – you are tiger safe in Hungerford whether it be in the Arcade or on the mean streets outside Costa’s.

These might have been the thoughts of Hannah Twynnoy (1670-1703) as she went about her duties in The White Lion in Malmsbury.

But Hannah was about to make history.

Not that she enjoyed her fifteen minutes of fame.

Greenshed [Public domain]

For poor Hannah had the unfortunate distinction as being the first person to be killed by a tiger in the United Kingdom.

Lets face it. as she emptied the chamber pots and ensured that the WiFi was ready for the guests, the last thing that was on Hannah’s mind was tigers.

After all, Wiltshire or even West Berkshire was not renowned for anything more dangerous than butterflies.

Yet she met a tiger when a passing circus stopped in the town.

Even then she should have been safe as the creature would have been caged.

But something went wrong and William’s favourite creature found freedom.

Unlike most of the people in the town it did not pop down to the local for a pint or take in the clothes optional day at the Abbey Garden.

It for some reason attacked poor Hannah which is incredibly sad.

Why Hannah and the Tiger found themselves in the same space is open to interpretation.  Maybe out of ignorance Hannah entered the cage or at least opened it.

Maybe she just wanted to stroke the magnificent creature or get it to sign her Frostie carton.

License to use Creative Commons Zero – CC0

We will never know and history records that Hannah was sent to meet her maker on that fateful day.

But, she is not forgotten, as a number of Wiltshire publications record the tragic incident and I am told that Hannah is remembered on a tablet in Hullavington church which is about five miles from Malmsbury.

Hungerford Arcade in 2019 is as safe as Malmsbury was in 1703 and as I have noted, you are very unlikely to be attacked by a tiger in the Arcade or elsewhere in our lovely town.

But I warn you, when you stroll around the ancient passages in the Arcade to exercise caution and not speak ill of tigers as you never know where they might be hiding.

I usually finish off by saying Happy Hunting but on this occasion, I think I will remain silent.

Bye for Now.

Stuart Miller-Osborne

Paul Nadar [Public domain]

As some of you might have guessed, I love poetry and frequently haunt the book section under Rafters Café to see what I can find.

To me poetry is the truest form of writing and the most difficult.  I have studied it since my early years and do not pretend to understand all of its forms.

Once of the most difficult poets to read, even in his native French, is Stephane Mallarme (1842-1898) and like many others, I have tried translating his poems into English but have just created a jumbled mess.  My French master once joked that in France, people often ask for translations of Mallarme’s work into French.  His poetry is, as you can gather, very difficult to read.

I adore the French Symbolist Poets and have read Baudelaire, Rimbaud, Verlaine and many others but Mallarme’s work is the most challenging.

Another rather boring fact about me is that I come from Bradford on Avon in Wiltshire.

But both Bradford on Avon and Stephane Mallarme have a connection which I was made aware of when I was at school.  I was told by one of my masters that a great French poet had visited my little town in 1871 but I forgot the poet’s name instantly and it stayed like that for many years.

Later when trying to recall this visit, I thought that either Arthur Rimbaud or Paul Verlaine might have travelled west and for some reason ended up in Bradford on Avon.  I knew that these poets had been in London in the 1870s and their close relationship had been so volatile that there was no reason in saying that after another of their bust ups, one of them might have hopped on a train at Paddington and travelled to Bradford on Avon.

But it was not Rimbaud or Verlaine who visited Bradford but the much more sedate Stephane Mallarme.

Histoire du Félibrige [Public domain]

The reason that he travelled from France was to meet his friend William Charles Bonaparte-Wyse (1826-1892) who was also a poet and was living in Bradford on Avon at the time.  In a way, it was most probably a good time to be travelling as the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871) was in full swing and the bloody Paris Commune (March/May 1871) was making Paris a distinctly unpleasant place to be.

Details of Mallarme’s visit are sketchy, but it is recorded that he visited William at his Woolley Hill House address and whilst there, composed his famous poem Dans le Jardin.

As you can tell from his name, William was related to Napoleon being the maternal grandson of Napoleon’s brother Lucien  He was actually an Anglo-Irish-French poet who was interested in writing in the Provencal tongue and like the much more well known Frederic Mistral (1830-1914), was a member of the Felibrige.

Tucker Collection [Public domain]

William was also a close friend of Frederic Mistral and the French poet was the godfather of his eldest son.  But if you are hoping to find a book of his poems, then please join the queue as I have never seen any of his work at the Arcade.  About eight years ago I did see some of Mistral’s work for sale but as I was travelling, I did not purchase it.

Mallarme’s poems do show up from time to time in their original language and in translation as do Baudelaire, Rimbaud, Paul Verlaine and others.

Not so long ago I saw a copy of Les Chants de Maldoror by Isadore Ducasse (Comte de Lautreamont 1846-1870) at the Arcade so if you keep your eyes peeled then these poets do show up.

I was introduced to the French Symbolists at a young age and they changed the way I thought about poetry.  It was not however, until I read a biography of Mallarme that I found out that he had visited my home town and composed a poem whilst staying with William.

Who knows, he might have passed through Hungerford on his way to Bradford, although it is likely that he would have travelled via Bath but it is fun to think that he might have glanced at our town as his train steamed through.

These are just some of the fascinating facts to consider if like me you are a poetry buff.

When you visit the Arcade there is always a good selection of poetry books to purchase.

Some of these poets might be well known but others may have just faded into the mists of obscurity.

Happy Hunting 

Stuart Miller-Osborne

Hungerford Arcade is a great place for buying china particularly dinner and tea sets so many ladies come to buy for weddings, tea parties or just for home.  Also wedding organisers come to the Arcade buying tea sets, coffee sets, candlesticks and vases.  Other popular table items are odd cups and saucers to hold candles and seating names, teapots for flowers and lots of other great ideas they have.

One such lady was Alison Farrier who bought this wonderful china for her future daughter-in-law’s Vintage G & T Hen Party.  (I love the sound of that!).

 Alison did a superb job of laying the table and the flowers are superb. Well  done Alison!

I asked Alison to send me some photographs for my blog and true to her word, sent this lovely email together with photographs.  Thank you Alison.

“Hi Rita,

I promised to send you some pictures of the afternoon vintage g&t hen do I bought all that fab crockery for so here we are loving it.

Lucy the lady in the sun glasses gets married next week at Syrencot House to my son Guy”.

Thanks for the amazing crockery all stored away for the next time !!

Alison”

All the ladies looking very beautiful with Alison on the right and Lucy, wearing sunglasses, on the left. Cheers everyone and good health!

Many congratulation to Guy and Lucy on your Wedding Day from everyone at Hungerford Arcade.

Emmeline Pankhurst (1913) Library of Congress [Public domain]

Hungerford Arcade is full to bursting with antiques and collectables.  The one thing that is rarely seen anywhere in the antiques world is Suffragette memorabilia.  I think this is mostly because a lot of it is held in museums, handed down the generations in families involved in the movement and people just do not want to part with it.

Well, having said that, stallholder, Ian Spuffard has just acquired a beautiful Suffragette ring.  In 1908, the co-editor of the WSPU’s newspaper, Votes for Women, Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence, designed the suffragettes’ colour scheme of purple for loyalty and dignity, white for purity, and green for hope.

Here, you can see those very colours in this stunning ring.

At a political meeting in Manchester in 1905, Christabel Pankhurst and mill worker, Annie Kenney, disrupted speeches by prominent Liberals Winston Churchill and Sir Edward Grey, asking where Churchill and Grey stood with regards to women’s political rights. At a time when political meetings were only attended by men and speakers were expected to be given the courtesy of expounding their views without interruption, the audience were outraged, and when the women unfurled a “Votes for Women” banner they were both arrested for a technical assault on a policeman. When Pankhurst and Kenny appeared in court they both refused to pay the fine imposed, preferring to go to prison in order to gain publicity for their cause.

By Women’s Social and Political Union…NOR. – Museum of London, Public Domain Link

The suffragettes also used other methods to publicise and raise money for the cause and from 1909, the “Pank-A-Squith” board game was sold by the WSPU. The name was derived from Pankhurst and the surname of Prime Minister H. H. Asquith, who was largely hated by the movement. The board game was set out in a spiral, and players were required to lead their suffragette figure from their home to parliament, past the obstacles faced from Prime Minister H. H. Asquith and the Liberal government.   Also in 1909, suffragettes Daisy Solomon and Elspeth McClelland tried an innovative method of potentially obtaining a meeting with Asquith by sending themselves by Royal Mail courier post; however, Downing Street did not accept the parcel.

At the commencement of the World War I, the suffragette movement in Britain moved away from suffrage activities and focused on the war effort, and as a result, hunger strikes largely stopped. In August 1914, the British Government released all prisoners who had been incarcerated for suffrage activities on an amnesty, with Pankhurst ending all militant suffrage activities soon after. The suffragettes’ focus on war work turned public opinion in favour of their eventual partial enfranchisement in 1918.

Women eagerly volunteered to take on many traditional male roles – leading to a new view of what women were capable of. The war also caused a split in the British suffragette movement; the mainstream, represented by Emmeline and Christabel Pankhurst’s WSPU calling a ceasefire in their campaign for the duration of the war, while more radical suffragettes, represented by Sylvia Pankhurst’s Women’s Suffrage Federation continued the struggle.

The suffragette campaign was suspended when World War I broke out in 1914. After the war, the Representation of the People Act 1918 gave the vote to women over the age of 30 who met certain property qualifications. Ten years later, women gained electoral equality with men when the Representation of the People (Equal Franchise) Act 1928 gave all women the vote at age 21.