The story behind a stained glass galloper in Govan Church, Glasgow.

This summer I was in Edinburgh visiting family. I was only there for a short time and really wanted to revisit Glasgow.....a day is not long enough!

As well as visiting Kelvingrove Museum, the transport museum and walking part of the amazing graffiti trail I made a point of visiting Govan Church.

Govan Church and Showman's Yard

Inside are some of the most striking stone carvings that I have ever seen, The Govan Stones, Viking Hogback stones.  Large black curved burial stones looking like upturned boats or the humps of whales, they gave me goosebumps! I thought they were magnificent....stunning. I would have loved to have seen them all those years ago when they were in their original positions.

Three of the five Viking hogback stones in Govan Church.

Whilst walking around I noticed a little galloper painted and part of a stained glass window. The curator said that the fairground families that had the yard next door had paid for the restoration and had added the galloper into the glass. Now that I'm home I'm enjoying trying to find more out ,of the link between the fairground and Govan Church.

Galloper decoration on stained glass in Govan Church.

This area was once the home of Fairfield, a massive shipyard.

http://www.govanremgroup.org.uk/digital_stories.php

Picture by Hawkeye Aerial Photography courtesy of BAM

 When it finished two old fairground families set up quarters but were never allowed to live on them full time. Now the area across the river has had the beginnings of development with the building of The Transport Museum ( Riverside Museum),the land around is starting to be more valuable. Tara S Beall was Artist in residence at Glasgow's Riverside Museum and tried to promote the knowledge, history, culture and modern life of the two local fair families, the Stringfellows and the Johnstones. In 2013 there was a three day event and I think that she is still involved with helping fight the causes of these families.

For over 50 years Govan Church has been important to the show folk holding weddings,christenings and funerals. When restoration was needed the families had six windows restored.. ‘

The inscription added to the base of the St Elizabeth window reads:

 TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND IN MEMORY OF CATHERINE MACAULEY, ALISTAIR McCRONE PHYSICIAN, and LESLIE BURNS SHOWMAN. AS AN EXPRESSION OF THE DEVOTION OF THESE AND OTHER FRIENDS, INCLUDING THE FIRST GOVAN EASTER CARNIVAL, THESE SIX WINDOWS WERE RESTORED AND REDEDICATED ON 9th JUNE 1991

Inside Govan Church,Glasgow

It appears that cultural traditional events, lives etc are sometimes classed as intangible which means that they are not protected in the same way as 'tangible' such as buildings etc. In 2013  the UK had not signed a UN charter to help protect cultural heritage and the 'intangible. Social events and craftsmanship is 'intangible' but the vehicles,buildings and tools are 'tangible'. Now that we are heading for leaving Europe will any of this change? I think a big can of worms are being opened. If anyone needs to correct me or knows more, then please comment, Thank you.

https://earlymedievalgovan.wordpress.com/category/museums-conservation/

There has been a fair in Govan for 260 years, and at some a bit of local folk lore arrived. A sheep's head is carried at the head of the Govan Fair procession every year. The story goes that a young man was once refused permission to marry the ministers daughter so he came back at night, cut the head off the ministers prize ram and carried it through the streets of Govan on a pole. On the first Friday in June this event takes place with the grudge being 'put to bed' with the minister crowning the Govan Fair Queen.

https://govanremembersistheww1.wordpress.com/sheeps-heid/

Well I'm not going to delve further in this blog post, but I will say that Govan is worth visiting. There is a huge community spirit and a lot of voices who need to be heard and all care for the area. I loved visiting Govan Church and of course being a fairground decorator/painter, I loved finding the little stained glass galloper.

You can find lovely stories and images on this site -Govan Reminisence Group  http://www.govanremgroup.org.uk

The Bothy Shop in print!

This is a copy of an article written by Kerry Fowler and beautifully photographed by Sussie Bell in the Landlove magazine.

The B

My scraffito at THe Winchcombe Pottery

Years ago I used to have a painting workshop at The Winchcombe Pottery. I used to chat with Ray and Mike Finch, Eddie Hopkins and visiting potters, but didn't have a go. A few more years later I used to swap eggs for egg cups with Ray Finch......but it was only last year that I started working with clay.

Blackbird by Katie Morgan

Last October I joined a Saturday morning class at the famous Winchcombe Pottery. Matt Grimmitt taught us all and after my many attempts at slip decoration , told me about scraffito.....I am now completely hooked! I love Thomas Toft slipware dishes but I find that my style of illustration seems to work well on the earthenware pots.

Geese by Katie Morgan

Matt kindly made me some mugs and I decorated them giving them to friends and family as Christmas presents. 

Pigeon by Katie Morgan

This year I am achieving one of my ambitions by decorating platters celebrating Winchombe Potteries 90th Anniversary. They are made by Matt so have three marks, The Winchcombe Pottery, Matt Grimmit and my own.

Pigeon by Katie Morgan

These celebration plates will be available to buy from The Winchcombe Pottery.

Apples by Katie Morgan

All photographs taken by Alison Morgan - AlisonMPhotography

Knobstick Roses - The art of the British Canals

William Henry Hodgson was born in Crewe on the 7th February 1878. In 1908 he married Jane Sweatman , the daughter of a Blacksmith in Middlewich. Luckily for him, his father in law set him up with a cottage and a large workshop...yes I'm a bit green...but a girl can dream....of the workshop !....Anyway after painting signs for a local pub he was asked by a local boatyard boss, Tommy Williams to paint his boats for him. Later, Samuel Fox came down from Westport ,wanting to employ 'Bill'. Mr Fox found the family a house in Davenport Street and Bill worked there until it closed in the 1930's. Bill then worked for the Anderton Company at Middleport until he retired at seventy. The Anderton Company already the nickname of 'knobstick'. A knobstick can be either someone who refuses to join in a trade union, or a cane with a knob on it. A painters Mahl stick is just that ..but I don't know where the name actually came from.

© the copyright holder
photo credit: The Canal Museum Stoke Bruerne 

Apparently Bill was a quiet man but an obsessive painter, painting all day and painting again at home. People used to leave jobs for him at his backdoor ...( personally this is sounding all too familiar ! ) He not only painted boats , he also painted furniture, mirrors, cushions, screens and even an ice cream van....covered in fancy lettering pictures and flowers....love it.

Photograph by Speedwell of cabin of boat called "Sweden"

Add cwww.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=38998&page=5

Funnily his family just wanted to appear like every other family on the block and were not impressed when he told them that he was going to paint the living room. This he did with trees growing in each corner, lots of bull rushes ad flying birds, up the walls and ceiling. Everyone thought it was marvellous.

Photograph by Speedwell of cabin of boat called "Sweden"

Add cwww.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=38998&page=5

Bills roses were always more realistic and three dimensional , and being a good painter he had devised a technique that could still be quick.....time is money!

His castles were black outlined with the usual lake and mountains but you can see that he couldn't resist adding more of his artistic touches,  sailing boats in the background with their reflections, swans with proper markings, beaks and legs, detailed bull rushes and stripy waving flags and tiny weather vanes. ...lovely.

He had eight children to support so doing outside work must have helped with his income.  I'm sure he must have dreamt of being able to make a living from painting large canvasses.

Bill Hodgson died on the 29th November 1957, not famous in the art world, but extremely well known and respected by the boating world....I wish I could have met him.

I expect that if he was painting now he would still have been the same, probably not well known on the 'World wide web'...not enough time to self publicise... not having time to spend everyday looking at facebook,Instagram, twitter etc etc...only having time to live and paint .....who knows......

Lets all give a HUGE CHEER for William Henry Hodgson....A true artist and boat painter.

Acknowledgement - Flowers Afloat by Tony Lewery.

Hall of Mirrors-Fairground show

A couple of years ago, my Mum rang me to tell me that she thought she saw some of my fairground painting on a Littlewoods TV advert. I looked at their site on the internet just to see ...and there it was...'The Hall of Mirrors'. I haven't seen it for quite a few years, but it looks as though it is wearing well..

I initially painted it for Andrew Harris, who at the time travelled with Carters Steam Fair . He asked me to paint it with an Art Nouveau theme.... which I did , painting four ladies representing the four seasons. Hidden on the front is a Trompe l'oeil Robin and a ' Painted lady' butterfly. At the time my workshop was the upstairs of an old barn near Stanway, Glos. The front came apart to get it up the stairs ,so I didn't see it all together until Andrew came to collect it.I remember being very relieved to see that all the pictures did actually fit together !

To see the advert please click on the following link.

.http://www.littlewoods.com/web/en/shopthead.page

Fred Fowle 'The master' fairground artist

This is the wonderful painter 'The Master' Fred Fowle. Years ago I kept seeing a particular style of painting at all the fairs and I loved it...It was always signed by Fred Fowle. At college I mentioned Fred's name to one of my tutors Mike McInnery, I was as pleased as punch when he said that he had met Fred, that Fred was still about and that he could give me Fred's telephone number and address! I wrote to him and got a reply saying that I would be welcome if I thought it was worth it.

The original letter that Fred sent to me that kicked everything off for me.

I visited Fred and found him very friendly and approachable, and it was definitely a very rewarding visit. He was happy to explain in detail how to do the painting techniques and answer all my questions. I tried to visit as often as I could and was lucky to meet Mark Gill another fabulous painter now working in Australia, I believe...he had a very cheeky and contagious smile. I also met Roger Vinney a champion woodgrainer and cartoonist..he had a woodgrained fridge in his kitchen along with grained glass milk bottles! I wrote my degree thesis all about Fred.

They were all a total inspiration to me and  that is why I do what I do now.

George Codona's Waltzer..Side of a waltzer car being decorated by Fred Fowle.

Self portrait of Roger Vinney from a Ghost Ride.

Gypsy Lee boards in background painted by Mark Gill..At least I'm pretty sure they were his.

A daft thing happened due to the top Black and White photograph. One day I noticed it being used on a fairground website, I was pleased and surprised and asked if they could just add a caption saying that I had taken the photograph...well talk about a misunderstanding another ladies name was mentioned and they said that they would remove it completely because of goodness knows what...very silly so I thought I would share it with everyone again plus some other pictures because Fred was 'MAGIC' and I was extremely privileged to meet him and see him at work.

An interesting website with photographs of the completed waltzer can be found at http://www.fairart.co.uk/

Ice Cream Music

Crammond, Edinburgh Scotland

Tonight the local ice cream van came down the road, I'm not sure how good their business is...most of us have freezers but I do love hearing its chimes. I have an awful thing to admit though...I am one of those Mothers who used to tell their child that if you can hear the music then the van has run out of ice cream....the shame of it ! We can all have ice cream in the freezer but you can't beat a '99'...

Charles II started the rage for Ice cream in this country but the hey day of the van was in the 1950's. The earliest vans had a hand bell but the motorised vans could use the vans electrical system to power a type of Swiss musical box. It was designed by Ray Harris and Bob Vickers for the Toni Bell Organisation in 1954. The traditional loudspeaker a ' Grampion horn' was pointed down to the road so that the sound would surround the van evenly. Favourite tunes were and still are 'Greensleeves', 'Teddy Bears picnic ' and our local one ' The merry widow '. If you click on the following link there are a selection of tunes to hear-

 .http://menmedia.co.uk/tamesideadvertiser/news/s/1060219_does_this_chime_with_you

The 'mobilers' as the ice cream people call them can now play all sorts of tunes, with crystal clear clarity all on a chip...as long as the tune is out of copyright. One manufacturer is having talks with a record producer so who knows what the future holds !

The following link is to an ice cream van orchestra ...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/video/2009/may/04/whitechapel-ice-cream

In Belfast the police while trying to stop a crowd of teenagers decided to broadcast ice cream music through their tannoys ! Apparently the teenagers stopped throwing and began laughing...

http://www.policespecials.com/forum/index.php?/topic/107973-police-cool-belfast-trouble-with-ice-cream-van-music/

No photos today ,I didn't get out fast enough with my camera but if you are into old time music you might like to listen to the following link...Flory FForde singing 'Oh, Oh Antonio ' kindly shared by Gramaphoneshane.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdaXZEbHi88

In quaint native dress an Italian maid

Was seeping distress as the streets she strayed

Searching in every part for her bold sweetheart

And his ice-cream cart

Her English was bad It cannot be denied

And so to herself In Italian she cried

Oh! Oh!  Antonio, he's gone away Left me alone-ee-o,

 all on my own-ee-o

I want to meet him with his new sweetheart

Then up will go Antonio and his ice-cream cart

Oh! Oh! Antonio, he's gone away Left me alone-ee-o,

all on my own-ee-o

I want to meet him with his new sweetheart

Then up will go Antonio and his ice-cream cart

Oh Francis Rossi fro Status Quo isfrom an old Ice Cream Family...perhaps their song  ' Whatever you want ' is actualy about ice cream !

  

Picture from Zacek Perri-Corgi photos

Wild Garlic at the Bothy Shop

The Bothy Shop

Down an old path behind my bothy workshop is a blanket of wild garlic....a fabulous smell and free food.

I've been making soup with it and now the flowers are almost over but there's just time to make some more wild garlic soup....and it's tasty and easy.

You just need a hand full of leaves, an onion, some potatoes and some stock.

fry the onions,add stock and chopped potatoes...boil for twenty minutes.... add washed and chopped garlic leaves , simmer a bit longer then eat or blend to make a smooth fantastically green soup.

Add a lovely swirl of cream and some fresh bread...of course made using the flour from the neighbouring Stanway water mill. To add to the colour sprinkle some finely chopped red pepper.

The smaller leaves earlier in the season have a more delicate taste but now that it's later you can always cook with half nettles and half garlic leaves.

If you'd like to read more about wild garlic then please click on Vegparadise.

My boho home with music from Moishe's Bagel

I've been having fun making small slide video's and uploading them to UTube. After taking masses of photos around my home I played with them on my computer to give them an aged look....this also meant that I didn't have to go round dusting !  The fantastic band 'Moishe's Bagel' very kindly let me use their music for the background...They are performing at this years 'Edinburgh Fringe Festival'

 Well here it is, I hope you like it....Thank you for watching.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDnsT9u2MH0&feature=youtube_gdata

My Spring garden plants and their Romany meanings.

Tulip: Love

Honesty : Sincerity, fascination

Scatter flowers around a childs' bed to protect them from nightmares.

Keep an autumn seedpod in your pocket to attract money.

cowslip : Pensiveness, winning grace

If a bumblebee enters your house it means a stranger will visit.

Apple Blossom : Temptation

Appleblossom when brought into the house or caravan will bring ill health to the family.

Bluebell : I am true,Constancy

Healing powers and bring calmness

Ivy : I will cling to you

'On Hallowe'en,October 31, Romany girls divine using ivy leaves. Each girl picks an ivy leaf, scores it with an individual mark, and passes it through a gold earing. The following morning, if black spots have appeared on the ivy it isa sign of romance with a dark-haired man, If black spots virtually cover the leaf, the girl will marry a dark-haired man within the year. If no spots emerge, no special lover will arrive within the next 12 months.' G.Kemp

Strawberry Blossom : Perfection

Children would make a wish when they ate their first strawberry of the season.

Daffodil : Good manners

Travellers would put bunches of unopened wild Daffodils into a bath of warm water to open them out and make them more attractive to customers when they went out calling .(Hawking/selling)

Violet : Faithfulness

Romanies often sold bunches of sweet violets in March. Why not make a love sachet with violets and lavender.