Tanners Hatch - Finding old friends

Subject: RE: Tanners Harch - Finding old friends
From: polesden
Date: 09 Nov 99 - 04:26 PM

FOR INFORMATION ONLY THE NEXT TWO FOLK NIGHTS AT TANNERS HATCH ARE ON SAT. NOVEMBER 13th. HOSTEL BEDS AND CAMPING STILL AVAILABLE AND ON SAT. DECEMBER 11th. WHICH ONLY HAS CAMPING AVAILABLE.(ALL THE HOSTEL BEDS ARE BOOKED) THE DECEMBER FOLK WILL BE A BIG CHRISTMAS PARTY FOLK NIGHT AND ALL OLD TANNERS FOLKIES ARE WELCOME.

HOPE TO SEE SOME OLD FRIENDS

ALL THE BEST BOB MERRETT

Subject: RE: Tanners Harch - Finding old friends
From: polesden - bob merrett
Date: 09 Oct 99 - 10:05 AM

Another little fun thing we used to do at Tanners was to send some newcomer about 200 yards into the woods to turn on the generator. On their return, unable to find it, we then explained that we only had gas lighting! One poor soul spent about 2 hours searching the woods.

Subject: RE: Tanners Harch - Finding old friends
From: polesden - bob merrett
Date: 09 Oct 99 - 10:05 AM

Another little fun thing we used to do at Tanners was to send some newcomer about 200 yards into the woods to turn on the generator. On their return, unable to find it, we then explained that we only had gas lighting! One poor soul spent about 2 hours searching the woods.

Subject: RE: Tanners Harch - Finding old friends
From: polesden - bob merrett
Date: 09 Oct 99 - 10:04 AM

Another little fun thing we used to do at Tanners was to send some newcomer about 200 yards into the woods to turn on the generator. On their return, unable to find it, we then explained that we only had gas lighting! One poor soul spent about 2 hours searching the woods.

Subject: RE: Tanners Harch - Finding old friends
From: Margmac
Date: 07 Oct 99 - 10:13 PM

My daughter Megan and I stayed at Tanners Hatch near Easter around 1976 on a musical weekend, met a fellow dulcimer player, Guernsey Pete who was a regular there. We kept in touch and he subseguently married Maggie , a girl from this country that I knew. We have kept in touch all of these years. I visited them last year when I was in London. We spoke with nostalgia of Tanners Hatch and Warden Graham.

Subject: RE: Tanners Harch - Finding old friends
From: Bob Merrett
Date: 07 Oct 99 - 04:30 PM

Another little story regarding the witch at Tanners Hatch is that when there was a group of children staying at the Hostel, and there were often children staying there,be it Guides, Scouts, school parties etc. someone would start a story about a witch. The story usually went along the lines of a Witch who came to haunt the Hostel once a year(and that date just happened to be always the date those children were staying there) and banged on the door to be let in. Meanwhile someone would have slipped outside and on a sign from the story teller would bang hard on the door! Did those children jump!

There are lots more stories about Tanners but I will leave it at that for the moment.

regards Bob Merrett

Subject: RE: Tanners Harch - Finding old friends
From: Lady McMoo
Date: 07 Oct 99 - 03:35 PM

I know Tanner's Hatch very well and some of its regulars although I never played there myself. I lived nearby in Dorking for about six or seven years and helped run Dorking Folk Club for several years up until 1991 when I came to live in Belgium. Please pass on my best regards to all those still attending!

Best regards,

mcmoo (Richard)

Subject: RE: Tanners Harch - Finding old friends
From: Griff
Date: 07 Oct 99 - 03:21 PM

Hello Bob,

Couldn't believe it when I saw Tanners on the mudcat list........! I was hoping it was from someone I hadn't seen for years, but it turned out to be you! So I thought I'd better say Hello anyway.

Great to hear from someone Stateside who knows Tanners, and to get such a great rendition of the owl story.

Others it would be good to hear from from across the pond are Greg [at Tanners 1973/4], Canadian Barri, Charlie Schwarz [1975ish]. And loads more I can't bring to mind.

Not to mention New Zealand Colin [1974ish]

Would love to hear from Dutch Janine too.

For any one who has visited Tanners since 1968, you might like to know that the Warden, Graham, retired just last year.

Subject: RE: Tanners Harch - Finding old friends
From: katlaughing
Date: 07 Oct 99 - 05:35 AM

Wondeful story! Thank you for sharing it.

Subject: RE: Tanners Harch - Finding old friends
From: Tom on Comfort
Date: 07 Oct 99 - 01:30 AM

I love stories like that!! Thanks.

Subject: RE: Tom on comfort - story of the owl
From: POLESDEN
Date: 05 Oct 99 - 04:49 PM

This is the story of the owl that has been told for many years but is not entirely true

THE TANNERS OWL

'Have you been to Tanners Hatch Youth Hostel? If so,you have seen our stand and on it an owl.

Tanners Hatch Youth Hostel was damaged during the war and was rebuilt by YHA members. After a hard days work, sitting by a nice log fire drinking tea on a cold and rainy night, a knock was heard on the door and standing there was an old lady. Can you tell me the way to Wotton Hatch? Yes said one of the group, but first have some tea and a warm by the fire. I have been watching you working on the house she said, its looks very nice. I used to live here years ago. After a while she was ready to leave, on opening the door the lady had vanished. Sitting on the back of the chair was an owl. The only person who had watched the rebuilding was an owl who lived in the roof. We asked around to find the old lady but nobody but nobody knew about her. As old folk lore states it was an old witch, was it her who had come back to her old home in the woods?'

The beginning of the story states that Tanners was damaged during the war, it was in fact two cottages approx 500 years old that were found in a derelict state just before the beginning of WW2 and was given to the National Trust by Lady Greville on the understanding that it was only to be used as a Youth Hostel. A group of volunteers led by Noel Vincent spent two years rebuilding it using whatever materials they could lay their hands on carrying everything by hand the long distance from the nearest transport. Yes the owl did exist there is a photo of it in the hostel sitting in the once derelict building.

Subject: RE: Tanners Harch - Finding old friends
From: Bert
Date: 04 Oct 99 - 10:01 AM

Hi Ferret, We used to get around to most of the hostels in the Home Counties in the late fifties. The only organised folk stuff we were involved in was folk dancing.

I don't think we ever got to Tanner's Hatch, but we danced at Holmbury St Mary, Goudhurst, Maldon and Ivinghoe.

I don't know any of the names on your list though.

Thanks for bringing back happy memories.

Bert.

Subject: Tom on Comfort's story
From: Polesden
Date: 04 Oct 99 - 01:56 AM

Hi Tom, yes i do know of the story regarding the old woman and the owl, it is still being told, I will tell you more when i have looked it up

Subject: RE: Tanners Harch - Finding old friends
From: Tom on Comfort
Date: 03 Oct 99 - 02:07 AM

Wow, it's neat to hear about the hostel again. I stayed there one night about 20 years ago (December, and pretty chilly). It was beautiful, though it was a good long walk from where the nearest public transportation dropped us off (with backpacks & all).

Nobody got into a song session that night, but there was some story telling. Can you tell one about the old owner of the house? If I remember it right--didn't the building get damaged during World War 2? And after the war, a company of volunteers went out to repair it. And met an owl, who was the embodimet of an old wise woman who used to live there. (That's what someone told me anyway, probably figured I was some gullible Yank who wanted to hear ghost stories.) But now their little hostel stamp is the image of an owl. It's a rainy weekend here (St. Louis), maybe I'll go rooting through an old box or two to see if I can find any of that...

Good luck finding the people you're looking for.

Tom

Subject: RE: Tanners Harch - Finding old friends
From: katlaughing
Date: 02 Oct 99 - 06:03 PM

WOW! Bob, that sounds like quite a crew and site! Wish I lived in the UK! Great nicknames. I wish you luck. I'll bet some of the UK Mudcatters will be able to help.

katlaughing

Subject: RE: Tanners Harch - Finding old friends
From:
Date: 02 Oct 99 - 05:59 PM

OOPS! I transmitted my message when I had not finished writing it.

To continue

Contact the Warden on Tel. [phone] for more details.

About the Hostel

It is a very old building (about 500 years) which still has gas lighting and an open log fire and is situated in woodland in the surrey hills about a mile from the nearest road or house which gives it a feeling of isolation and a wonderful atmosphere for folk sessions

regards Bob Merrett

Subject: Tanners Harch - Finding old friends
From:
Date: 02 Oct 99 - 05:44 PM

My name is Bob Merrett (sometimes known as ferret) and have been going to folk sessions at a Youth Hostel called Tanners Hatch near Dorking, Surrey for the past 30 years. This Hostel has been having folk/singarounds for even longer then I have been going! Over the years I have lost contact with a number of people who used to come to these great gigs and I would like to contact them as I have recently been 'sorting out' and compiling tapes I recorded at many of these nights into a 'best of' set of 4 tapes. I intend to make about about 50 copies which I will to all my friends who I still see at Tanners folk nights but also to all those who used to come but for various reasons I have lost contact with. A lot of them I don't know their sur-names so I will give the names I know them by.

They are:-

All members of a medieval folk band called 'Antic Hey', Tony Harbour, Dick and Mel, Dago Pete, Mary Fookes, Rowan, Carol Gardener and any others who remember those folk nights of 20 to 30 years ago. If any of the above, or people who might know any of the above are wondering who (or how many) of the old crowd are still going to Tanners the following might jog their memories.

Andy Ive(Randy Andy), Geoff Chapman, Ned Clamp(Fluff), Lorna and Sue, Tim Dowd, Paul Flannery, Sean, Babs, Anna, Ann, Jenny(Tits),John(J.B.), Roy, Julie and many others who still turn up now and then.

As a final word, if any one wishes to attend these singarounds, they are still being on the 2nd. saturday of every month from September through to May at Tanners Hatch Youth Hostel, Dorking, Surrey (the last folk in Semtember finished at 7-30 on Sunday morning!)

All are welcome.

Contact the warden on T