Somerset Peat Moors Centre to Close

At a Somerset County Council meeting on 18th February, it was decided to close the Peat Moors Centre near Glastonbury on the grounds of budgetary savings; apparently there was no discussion as to the feasibility of keeping it open. It is set to close in September 2009. The centre features reconstructions of Iron Age roundhouses which frequently host regular craft and living history demonstrations that illustrate how life may have been in the Glastonbury lake villages. Throughout the year the ancient quarter days are marked with exciting events: The Beltane Gathering of tribal re-enactors at the beginning of May, the Lughnasa Skills Fair, full of craft demonstrations in early August, and the season finale of the burning of a wicker man at the annual Samhain event at the end of October.

The warden at the centre hopes that the time available will allow the authorities “possible alternative options for a future for the Centre." Hopefully an alternative solution can be found as such centres are vital in instilling a love of history and an understanding of the countryside in schoolchildren and adults alike. Hands-on experience of past cultures is a vital aid for teachers.

The prehistoric reconstructions found at Peat Moors Centre belong to the rich heritage of the Somerset Levels, a watery landscape that has also inspired stories and myths of a Dark Age peopled with monks and the legendary King Arthur. Glastonbury Abbey, and the famous Tor sit like jewels in the landscape, and nearby Wells Cathedral is one of the most spectacular in the country. The Meare Fish House and Muchelney Abbey all contribute to wonderful area for tourists to visit, rich in both history and mythology. The closure of the peat moors centre would be a loss to us all.

Feature Film Lacks Distributor

Just as January’s media frenzy about Morris Dancing was dying down (see page 2) it was announced that a new comedy film had been made, in ‘mockumentary’ style about a fictional morris side.

Morris: a Life with Bells On is a heartwarming feature-length comedy shot in documentary format that follows the fortunes of one of the leading Morris teams in the country, Milsham Morris, and in particular those of its leader, Derecq Twist.  The film is a gentle and affectionate look at an aspect of English culture which is, in the finest traditions of this country, unapologetically eccentric, and towards which there exists a huge amount of goodwill.  The film's events take place in the summer months in and around Dorset, and specifically centre around an idyllic thatched country pub, the Traveller's Staff.  The 100 minute film is an unashamed celebration of not only the English countryside but also of what it means to be English.  Hopefully it will do for English traditional dance what Spinal Tap did for heavy rock!

Filmed partly in Poole and Tisbury, Morris: A Life with Bells On boasts a fantastic cast which includes Derek Jacobi, Harriet Walter, Greg Wise and Aidan McArdle.

Unsurprisingly perhaps, given the lack of ‘official’ interest in anything to do with our folk traditions, the biggest challenge for the film, despite all the publicity, is to find a distributor. In the meantime it is being shown at various village halls around the country, usually with the support of local morris sides giving displays at the venue before or after screenings. There is also a certain amount of ‘guerrilla marketing’ going on on networking sites such as Facebook, which should help.

To Quote the Daily Telegraph: Chaz Oldham, who wrote, produced and appeared in the picture, admitted that its quirky subject matter may have deterred nervous studio executives from taking a gamble.

He said: "The problem we face is that when we've shown the film to the 'big boys', they've said 'we love it but there's no audience for it. It's just too niche. We disagree. It's The Full Monty with bells on – a nice film about good people that celebrates the best things about England. It gets huge smiles out of every audience. We're proving the studios wrong. It's just gone nuts – we haven't spent a penny on advertising yet we have thousands of people demanding it be shown."

So far reviews have been almost universally favourable. Even without a distributor, this film could at least become the cult hit of 2009.To find out where to see the film, and to view the previews and sign the online petition, go to www.morrismovie.com

Recession Hits Archaeology

One of the least obvious effects of the much publicized economic recession has been the effect on the archaeological profession. Now that many, possibly most, major development plans have been put on hold for the foreseeable future the profession is in crisis, with redundancies being made at all levels. Roland Smith, the resources director of Wessex Archaeology in Salisbury has had to make 60 job cuts since the construction industry “fell off a cliff” in November. "One could have predicted the level of development taking place over the last three to four years wasn't sustainable," he said. "But most of us working in archaeology are inextricably linked to construction."

The fact that most archaeological research is carried out by commercial companies at ‘rescue digs’ at construction sites has been a source of unease for many archaeologists who believe that when things pick up again there will be difficulties finding a skilled workforce. Professor Mark Horton of Bristol University said "Most of those people will have to find jobs somewhere else. There will be a real skills shortage, and a real problem when excavations begin again." Mike Pitts, editor of British Archaeology magazine stated "In the long-term the nation suffers because we're losing people who are very, very cheap and who are creating our nation's story."

OLDER NEWS

No Eastbourne St George's Medieval Fayre this Year

There will be no St George's Day Medieval Fayre in Eastbourne. The event which has run for the last three years, with the proceeds divided between St Mary's PCC and the Eastbourne Lammas Festival was called off after the new vicar booked the Old Parsonage out for another event.

ELF organizers decided not to seek alternative venues.

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