Sidmouth Beach Store

Subject: Sidmouth Beach Store
From: GUEST,Ted Crum (Steamchicken)
Date: 15 Feb 14 - 03:42 AM

For those aged musos like me, the Beach Store at Sidmouth was a sort of Mecca. I watched so many great singers there in the sixties and seventies, and what a pity it was that the council finally decided they needed a car park and knocked it down. We found a video of our old band recently, taken from the BBC Bristol recordings made throughout the festival in 1981, and if you go to www.youtube.com/channel/UC8ki-fBWHdz_3BxEsdA0cnw/videos, you can relive a little of the joy of those years.

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8ki-fBWHdz_3BxEsdA0cnw/videos

Subject: RE: Sidmouth Beach Store
From: Will Fly
Date: 15 Feb 14 - 05:05 AM

Nice version of "Far From Home".

Subject: RE: Sidmouth Beach Store
From: GUEST,Ted Crum (Steamchicken)
Date: 15 Feb 14 - 06:09 AM

Thanks! It came out well I thought. It was the title track of our LP (remember those?)

Subject: RE: Sidmouth Beach Store
From: bubblyrat
Date: 15 Feb 14 - 07:03 AM

I'm confused !! I first went to Sidmouth in 1965, as half of duo "Robin & Roger" ; I usually stayed at Robin's parents' house , which in those exciting times was "The Winter Gardens" at the end of Fore Street near the Esplanade ; I think that it is now "Brown's Bar" or something similar , but in my day it was full of palm trees and old gramophones (lovely !) . My point is that whilst many of the events, Morris dancing ,etc., took place around or in "The Black Horse " , the other main venue was "The Forge" , more or less where the swimming pool is now --so was that later "The Beach Store " ?? Ask Pete Coe, he was there in 1965 too !!

Subject: RE: Sidmouth Beach Store
From: GUEST,Ted Crum (Steamchicken)
Date: 15 Feb 14 - 07:38 AM

As I recall it was where the car park is behind the seafront flats over the road from the yacht club. The floor was sand and the smell was faintly maritime. Acoustics were good too, which in those pre-PA days was an important factor.

Subject: RE: Sidmouth Beach Store
From: GUEST,Henry Piper of Ottery
Date: 16 Feb 14 - 06:11 AM

The Beach Store was actually Situated underneath the seafront flats referred to above, it was closed when the flats were rebuilt and renovated in the late seventies I believe.
Bubblyrat, your memory is I think slightly askew, Whilst the Black horse did host some activity during the 60's and 70's it was never one of the major venues, I think what you are remembering is the Horse and Groom which was immediately behind The Swan, and is now a terrace of houses, many official sessions were held in the Skittle Alley there, and the garden and small front bars were always a centre for unofficial song and music activities.

Henry Piper Old Father Christmas, Sidmouth Traditional Mummers.

Subject: RE: Sidmouth Beach Store
From: Alan Day
Date: 16 Feb 14 - 08:05 AM

I remember it clearly.I enjoyed The Bushwackers,Tony Rose,Eric with the late Nigel Chippendale and Ralphie Jordon.The Storytelling session with Taffy Thomas.I did a little bit there with Rosbif.It was a scruffy place but well remembered with sadness that it is no longer there.
Al

Subject: RE: Sidmouth Beach Store
From: GUEST,Black belt caterpillar wrestler
Date: 16 Feb 14 - 08:38 AM

And in case anyone was wondering it was where the deck chairs were stored when not in use.

Subject: RE: Sidmouth Beach Store
From: RTim
Date: 16 Feb 14 - 10:53 AM

I have fond memories of The Beach Store in my early days at Sidmouth. One of my favorite venues. I remember having a set recorded by the BBC one year - just as a floor singer, and it was later played on the Folk Programme - I was even paid for it! and I still have the "contract"!

Tim Radford

Subject: RE: Sidmouth Beach Store
From: GUEST,Derek Schofield
Date: 17 Feb 14 - 07:57 AM

Tim - me too!
The Beach Store was just a few yards down Ham Lane, where the flats are now (they were built recently, not rebuilt, on the site of an old garage.
And of course, the Beach Store was also where they stored the beach in the winter (according to some .....). It was last used in about 1985.

The Winter Gardens is now Carina's night club. There were folk dances in Tedbury's Café in the Winter gardens even before the festival started in 1955. Fred Tedbury encouraged song and dance displays in his café in 1969. Bubbyrat - was your friend Fred's son?

The bar-room of the Black Horse was on the left as you went in the main entrance - there was certainly informal singing in there in 1971. The bar itself was down the middle of the pub. The lounge was on the right and the folkies weren't encouraged to go in there! There was a yard in the back. In the 70s, a separate rom was built in the yard, and that was used for festival events later in the 1970s.
As Henry said, the Horse and Groom skittle alley was used as a festival venue, and the garden was full of people when the sun shone! The pub has now been replaced by flats.
The Beach Store was first used for song events in 1964.
The Old Forge was used for musicians workshops from at least 1966, and then for the Ballad sessions in 1969.

I wrote a book about all this ......

Derek

Subject: RE: Sidmouth Beach Store
From: Andy Jackson
Date: 17 Feb 14 - 08:21 AM

And we all had to step over the kids playing in the sand right in the doorway! Orange squash on sale in the interval, happy days, and yes you had really made it if you sang in the Beach store.
Thanks for the link to the video. The series was called "Souvenirs of Sidmouth" and as I remember there was no commentary just let the pictures speak for themselves.

Subject: RE: Sidmouth Beach Store
From: bubblyrat
Date: 17 Feb 14 - 09:46 AM

Derek Schofield ,
                   Yes, Robin Tedbury was one of two sons of Fred Tedbury who were in the Royal Navy . I stopped going to stay at the Winter Gardens after the end of 1966 ,when I left Yeovilton to join carrier HMS Eagle in Plymouth ; I never saw Robin again ,although we corresponded once or twice . I think he left the RN and became a policeman in Exeter .A few years ago, I was being treated in Sidmouth hospital ,when the subject of the Tedburys came up, and immediately you could cut the air with a knife !! " We never mention Robin Tedbury here , after what he did " , they said, although they didn't elucidate and would not answer questions ; so, I STILL don't know what he is supposed to have done,but it must have been pretty bad , I suppose ?? Do you know ?? I made a lengthy contribution to a book about Sidmouth (yours ??) a few years back, but it was not printed ( my contribution ) - perhaps whatever involved the Tedburys was the reason ?? And is it true that Fred used to dye his hair PINK to match his pink-dyed poodle ?? Ye Gods !!

Roger Mills in Tewkesbury

Subject: RE: Sidmouth Beach Store
From: GUEST,cardboard cutout
Date: 17 Feb 14 - 12:04 PM

Yes Derek, I've just realised we all should have gone straight to your book for answers to questions about the Beach Store: and yes, successive generations of folk children genuinely did believe that it was literally where the beach was stored (and sorry if you tripped over the 1980s cohort Andy!)

Just re-read it all in "The First Week of August".

Subject: RE: Sidmouth Beach Store
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 17 Feb 14 - 01:08 PM

Thanks to the storm last Friday there is now actually a stretch of sandy beach - the pebbles got chucked onto the Esplanade!

Kitty

Subject: RE: Sidmouth Beach Store
From: GUEST,Henry Piper Of Ottery
Date: 17 Feb 14 - 03:42 PM

Derek, you are of course quite correct in the location of the beach store, I was trying in my clumsy way to describe the location as situated roughly beneath the current position of the flats which as you pointed out replaced the old garage, I thought the flats were built earlier than 1985, but as the beach store was still in use until '85 my memory is obviously playing tricks!!
My first visit to the festival was in 1966 and I remember many excellent sessions in the beach store over the next few years particularly hearing Dave and Toni Arthour singing there for the first time, I new Dave and Toni socially from my time as a visitor to the Pheobus Awakes folk club in Catford, I had met them through a mutual friend (the Late Jacqui Walker as she was then ) but had never heard them singing together until then.
I must admit the venues for the modern Folkweek are a lot more sophisticated and comfortable, but there was something about squatting on the floor of the Horse and groom skittle alley, or sitting in a broken deckchair or in the sand in the beach store.Or perhaps its just time lending a rose tint to the memories.
Henry.

Subject: RE: Sidmouth Beach Store
From: GUEST,cardboard cutout
Date: 17 Feb 14 - 05:27 PM

"I must admit the venues for the modern Folkweek are a lot more sophisticated and comfortable, but there was something about squatting on the floor of the Horse and groom skittle alley, or sitting in a broken deckchair or in the sand in the beach store.Or perhaps its just time lending a rose tint to the memories"

Or, for that matter, sitting on the floor rammed into the Drill Hall while rubber chickens were flung back and forth.

Subject: RE: Sidmouth Beach Store
From: GUEST,Derek Schofield
Date: 18 Feb 14 - 11:25 AM

First year I went, 1971, there was the Beach Store, where I usually had to stand as there weren't many seats, or the Drill hall (3 or 4pm every day) where we sat on the floor because there were no seats! Only the benches round the edge. Still, we were young .......
Derek

Subject: RE: Sidmouth Beach Store
From: GUEST,Dave Hunt
Date: 18 Feb 14 - 11:51 AM

Yup...many happy hours in the Beach Store.....then there was the SWEB centre, behind the flats where the car park is now...we used it several times for 'making' workshops. Also fond memories of the Masons Arms....in fact very recently looking at some pics of me with Giffard Morris outside there in 1968 /9? (little display of several of my photo albums on my 70th b'day)

Subject: RE: Sidmouth Beach Store
From: Irene M
Date: 18 Feb 14 - 03:41 PM

I did my first ever floor spots in the Beach Store. I was 16 and it was 1975. I loved the morning sessions in there. Heard Martin Graebe in there and so many people whose names I have long forgotten.
I recall the start of story-telling in there, maybe 1979?
I also recall with horror, the flaming back-killer chairs in there. One flaming narrow slat against which to lean!
BBC Folkweave used to a live broadcast from the Beach Store. I saw Alex Atterson, Bob Stewart (Psaltery, Graham and Eileen Pratt, Tony Capstick........

Subject: RE: Sidmouth Beach Store
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 18 Feb 14 - 07:45 PM

I first came to Sidmouth Festival in the early 1970s after meeting my Sidmothian husband-to-be up in Sussex, and coming to meet the in-laws-to-be in Sidmouth. They only knew it as a dancing festival, specifically what went on in the Arena at The Knowle, just up from where they lived. It was me who found out about the singing, and we did go to a couple of concerts in the Beach Store. memories of who we saw are now hazy, but Packie Byrne was one who stands out in my mind. I also remember seeing Ossian in somewhere down there, but that was probably a bit later: prob not in the Beach Store but some other venue close to Port Royal.

Subject: RE: Sidmouth Beach Store
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 19 Feb 14 - 05:15 AM

I first saw Carthy and Swarbrick in the Beach Store, also Pete and Chris Coe (actually Chris was still Chris Jackson then), the Valley Folk...

Kitty

Subject: RE: Sidmouth Beach Store
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 19 Feb 14 - 09:51 AM

yes my parents used to take me throughout the 60's and well into th 70's - I don't think we were aware of the singing. we used to like the dancing from all over the world.

Subject: RE: Sidmouth Beach Store
From: GUEST,Derek Schofield
Date: 19 Feb 14 - 10:46 AM

Chris Coe was formerly Christine Richards
Derek

Subject: RE: Sidmouth Beach Store
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 19 Feb 14 - 02:21 PM

Thanks Derek - it was a long time ago and my memory's not as good as it used to be....

Kitty

Subject: RE: Sidmouth Beach Store
From: GUEST,Jenny sans cookie
Date: 20 Feb 14 - 08:31 AM

Standing by the back wall in the Beach Store one night (no, never enough seats) I lost a contact lens - spent the rest of the evening crawling around in the sand looking for it (found it eventually).

Subject: RE: Sidmouth Beach Store
From: Dick The Box
Date: 21 Feb 14 - 05:53 AM

The garage over the beach store was featured in an episode of Miss Marple (the proper one with Joan Hickson not the new fangled rubbish). I think other bits of Sidmouth featured as well.

Subject: RE: Sidmouth Beach Store
From: bubblyrat
Date: 21 Feb 14 - 06:31 AM

Yes ! The town was re-named "Dilmouth " for that episode, and featured Kenneth Cope of "That Was The Week That Was " fame. The bus-shelter on the seafront opposite the Bedford featured too !

Subject: RE: Sidmouth Beach Store
From: GUEST
Date: 13 Jun 15 - 12:42 PM

I was at the festivals from '75 and remember it all well (reasonably well anyway).

I am involved with the attempt to save the Drill Hall but we are handicapped by the fact that the East Devon District Council who now own it won't let us in to take photos and document what is there.

Unfortunately all my pictures from there were focused on the performers and I have nothing which shows the building interior. Does anyone have any photos which would help us save this once lovely building?

Subject: RE: Sidmouth Beach Store
From: GUEST,Mary Walden-Till
Date: 13 Jun 15 - 12:46 PM

Perhaps I should have said how you could contact me :-)

If you go to http://sidmouthdrillhall.com/ there are contact details for the directors who will pass info on to me.

At the moment they have been concentrating on the links with fishing in that area but we badly need to put our case about community and music uses.

Subject: RE: Sidmouth Beach Store
From: GUEST,padgett
Date: 13 Jun 15 - 01:06 PM

went twice I can't remember when ~ one year there was a song competition judged by Bob Copper and Jim Lloyd a lad from the North East won, no idea who!

Saw Sean Cannon on the beach one year he had lost his voice, he just managed to sing a set in the Beach store

We (John Booker and another lad and me in the infamous tent) camped up the top next to Tony Rose and Nic Jones, they invited JB to a get together (not me) and I later found out they could not understand a word he said!

Ray

Subject: RE: Sidmouth Beach Store
From: GUEST,LynnH
Date: 13 Jun 15 - 01:15 PM

The beach store in the days of the obligatory cassette recorder........I remember Bob Stewart playing there and asking those in the front row to remove their cassette recorders from the 'stage' since the vibrations from his psaltery would ruin them. One person wouldn't believe this and left his recorder on the stage, earning from Bob the comment,"Be it on your own head, don't say I didn't warn you!" After Bob finished playing, said person picked up his recorder and listened in disbelief to all the detached bits and pieces rattling around inside!