Meeting Up With Queen Victoria!

Barry – Soldier to the Queen!

I expect by now many of you have already seen my pictures on Facebook from this weekend when I sang at the Milton Keynes museum’s Victorian event. It’s always a delight to visit somewhere new and oddly enough although I only live 20 minutes away from the museum this was my first visit. I can’t think why but often when you travel as much as I do it’s all too easy to miss the very things which are right on your door step!

On this occasion I had been engaged to perform 2 x 30 minute Music Hall sets in the Hall of Transport which couldn’t have been easier. I’m usually expected to work much harder but it did at least give Paul and I the rare treat of enjoying the museum and seeing all the exhibits. I p

The Ragged Victorians!

Paul Enjoying the Museum!

articularly enjoyed looking around the house and seeing the rooms which were set out in the Victorian style. In one room I became the school mistress where in another I was allowed to play the pianola.  This reminded me of when I was a small child visiting my grandmothers house  in the days when she would let me play her piano/pianola. Paul however found amusement in looking at beautiful landscapes in what the butler saw in 3D.

What the Butler Saw!

A great deal of thought had gone into the planning of this event which had attracted some of the best re-enacters and historians in the business. Apart from myself there were a verity of talks and entertainments. The Palace of Curiosities who came with a wonderful display of oddities from the hand of Cleopatra to the head of a politician with two faces.  Graham Bandy’s  talk on Victorian military uniforms which I found extremely informative. Neil Storey’s lecture on Jack the Ripper. An equestrian re-enactment of Fanny Duberley of the Crimea War, not to mention the drilling of Queen Victoria’s Soldiers and the opportunity for ticket holders to have tea with the Queen. Although for me the re-enacters which took the prize were the Ragged Victorians who all looked suitably dirty with their bad teeth and ragged clothes. Their attention to detail was superb and are certainly the best Victorian re-enacters I’ve ever seen.

I performed two completely different sets one in my day dress with the other in my Burlington Bertie top hat and tails mixing songs from the Music Hall, Verity and Operatic stage. Whenever I do a show I always bring along a few alternative numbers and I decided on this occasion to finish my show with Nessun Dorma which earn’t me a standing ovation.

This Friday I will be heading off to Colchester Town Hall as I’ve been booked to sing for a 1940s wedding. Some of you who follow my blogs will know I was requested to perform “Long Ago and Far Away” and the bride also wants to walk down the isle to “I’ll be with you in Apple Blossom Time”. As I didn’t have these songs in my repertoire I commissioned them especially from Richard

Dressed for My Bertie Set!

my musical arranger. I’m looking forward to singing them very much and it looks like we are in for another beautiful weekend as the weather stays hot and sunny.

On Sunday Paul and I will be returning to the Crooked House, Lavenham and Munnings Tea Room. We’ve been booked to sing all day from 11am to 5pm for Munnings’s vintage day.  So if you would like to join us for high tea it would be delightful to see you and please do book a table as we expect to be extreamly busy with all this beautiful sunshine Tel 01787 249718.

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Meeting Ripper Expert Neil Storey!