Nos Galan Gaeaf



Photo by Christine Moriarty©
Owenynagat ('cave of the cats'),
one of the many 'gateways to the Otherword
' from whence beings and spirits
were said to have emerged on Samhain


Other Americans have often asked me if they celebrate Halloween in Great Britain and they are surprised to find out that it actually originated there. I explain that yes they do, but it is generally not the big over the top celebration that we have over here. Case in point, I was at a friend’s house today and I said that I was not particularly interested in Halloween and she agreed that she felt the same way. This was as she was showing me her multi lighted pumpkin, her witch shoe, her two lighted pumpkins, the skeleton on her front window, the Halloween chip and dip plate, and her ceramic ghost! 

Samhain is the Irish/Celtic name for what we now call Halloween and Nos Galan Gaeaf is the Welsh name. It was an important time of year as it marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter. Winter is the darker half of the year and it was seen as the time when spirits or fairies could come more easily into our world and were particularly active. On entrances to footpaths, it was said that dead persons could appear at midnight. In some parts of Wales, the cost was called the Ladi wen (white lady). Northern Wales called it the Hwch ddu gwta (tail-less black sow). In Scotland and Wales they would light huge bonfires on the hillside, often within sight of each other to see who could burn their fire the longest. People often took flames from the bonfire back to their homes, doused their hearth fires on Samhain night and reignited the hearth from the communal fire. Stones would be thrown into the fire and when the flames died down, everyone would run to escape from the Hwch ddu gwta. By the light of the next morning, they would try to find their stones and those who succeeded would be guaranteed good luck for the coming year. If you were one of the unlucky searchers bad luck or even death would come to you.

Photo by Toby Ord

 
Our modern jack-ò-lantern actually originated in Ireland and the lights within were to represent the souls of the dead. Throughout the Gaelic and Welsh regions many games were played, often using apples and nuts. Trick or Treating may have come from the custom of going door to door collecting food for Samhain feasts and offerings. 


Souling Plays



Weston Mummers

Britain has it’s own unique customs to celebrate Halloween and one of them is called a Souling Play which is a variation of a Mummers Play. These are seasonal folk plays performed by troupes of actors who are known as mummers or guisers. They usually perform the plays as house to house visits or in a pub. A Souling Play is traditionally around Halloween or All Souls Day on November 2^nd. The performances are done on the doorstep and there is a hero who’s name is most commonly Saint George, King George or Prince George, who slays an opponent who is later revived by a quack doctor. Each region adds their special twist; the Cheshire play ends with a horse and driver. The Cheshire horse always has a real skull and three legs. The best-known Souling Plays are performed around Antrobus, Comberbach, Warburton and Chester. The Halton Souling Play is identical to the 1886 version and was revived in 2000 by the Earl of Stamford Morris. Any money collected tends to go to charity.


Photo by Simon Garbutt
Soul Cakers in Cheshire, England


Tradition dictates that if you were to have a Souling Play troupe come to your door, you would give them a Soul Cake. Some regions refer to those who perform in a Souling Play as Soul Cakers. The tradition of giving Soul Cakes was celebrated in Britain and Ireland during the Middle Ages. The cakes are filled with allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger and raisins or currents. Before baking they were marked on top with a cross to signify that these were alms. Children would go "souling" or begging for cakes door to door.

Big Ben



Photo by Andrew Dunn
Big Ben at Dusk

The most popular landmark in Great Britain, Big Ben had its time moved back one hour as British Summer Time switched to Greenwich Mean Time last night. The Keepers of the Clock, headed by Ian Wesstworth performed the task. The schedule for the time change weekend is as precise as the mechanics of the clock and takes five hours to complete. In order to reach the clock, workers must clime 334 steps or eleven floors just to reach the clock. In order to adjust the 14.5ft pendulum swing, pennies are used. Adding or taking away a penny will alter the time by two fifths of a second.

Big Ben was never the official name for the clock, but only a nickname referring to the clock and the tower. It may have been named after Sir Benjamin Hall who oversaw the installation of the Great Bell in the tower. The official name was Clock Tower and was changed on 2 June 2012 to "Elizabeth Tower" in tribute to the Queen in her Diamond Jubilee year. The large west tower was named "Victoria Tower" as a tribute to Queen Victoria on her Diamond Jubilee, so it was felt to be appropriate.
Londoners who live within earshot of Big Ben can hear the bell strike 13 times. It’s possible because of the speed of sound is actually a lot slower than the speed of radio waves. A fun game of counting the chimes aloud while the radio is turned down will allow the 13^th strike. 
 

Crinkle Crankle Walls

Photo by Nat Bocking
Crinkle Crankle wall in Bramfield, Suffolk

One of the reasons I decided to start this blog was to collect all of the quirky British customs and put them in one place for other Anglophiles. The other reason is so I would have an excuse to learn more and more. This is exactly the kind of thing that delights me. There is nothing more heavenly than an English garden and I especially love walled gardens. I come from the land of the grid – Chicago. The entire city is laid out in a very logical, easy to understand grid. While it is easy and accessible, it lacks a certain charm. These walls are not only fun to look at, but economize on bricks because it can be made just one brick thin. Even though it is thin, it does not require a buttress, which it would if the curves didn’t offset each other! It’s really very useful and imaginative.

I adore the name, Crinkle Crankle but these are also known as crinkum crankum, serpentine, ribbon or wavy walls. The Crinkle Crankle name originated in the county Suffolk, which has at least 50 examples of this which is more than twice what the rest of the country has. None other than Thomas Jefferson thought the idea so good that he used it when designing the gardens at the University of Virginia, which he founded. A document at the university shows how he calculated the savings and combined aesthetics with utility.

 

Defender of the Faith



Photo by Lgkdlgkd
St. George's Chapel, Windsor
 

Today Prince George was christened at the Chapel Royal in St. James Palace. One of his eventual roles, Defender of the Faith and Supreme Governor of the Church of England. The Church was formed when King Henry VIII separated from the Roman Catholic Church in 1534 when Pope Clement VII refused to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon so he could marry Anne Boleyn. Pope Leo X originally gave the title Defender of the Faith to Henry VIII as a reward for writing his pamphlet, Declaration of the Seven Sacraments Against Martin Luther. Upon Henry’s break with the papacy the title was taken away from him. Parliament restored the title to the king in 1544 and is still a very important role of all British sovereigns.

The queen is very religious and attends church every Sunday. She is usually at Windsor Castle at the weekend and worships at St. George's Chapel with Prince Philip. While The Duke of Edinburgh is very religious, in typical Phil fashion he insists on time limits for his sermons. Prince Charles is a known for being very spiritual and is even learning Arabic in order to study the Koran, which is very controversial, as he will be Defender of the Faith of the Church of England. His sister Princess Ann and brother Prince Andrew are not known to have strong religious views while their younger brother Edward is so religious one girlfriend is known to have dumped him because of it! In 1950, nearly 70 percent of the British population was baptized into the Church of England, which most Brits refer to as the CofE. In 2010, fewer than 20 percent were baptized into the CofE. 

Cabmen's Shelters



A London taxi shelter at Russell Square

On a cold January evening in 1875, ex soldier and editor of The Globe newspaper sent his manservant into a blizzard to collect a hansom cab. He needed to get to his office in Fleet Street from his home in St. John’s Wood and was surprised when his servant returned after an entire hour had passed. The manservant explained that he eventually found several cabmen in a local pub, but all of them were too drunk to drive! During this time the Temperance Society was in full swing and excessive drinking was highly frowned upon.

Hansom Cabs were the vehicle of choice at the time. They were horse-drawn and open to the elements for the cabmen. He was expected to sit waiting for a fare in all types of weather and the only place he could go for comfort was a public house. Even then he had to pay someone to watch the cab and horse, as it was illegal to leave them unattended. Captain Armstrong saw the predicament and together with his friends, including the 7th Earl of Shaftesbury formed the Cabmen’s Shelter Fund. 
Between 1875 and 1950 forty-seven shelters were built. Eventually they included a kitchen so hot meals and drinks could be provided for a charge. Watermen were employed to ensure the horses had enough water to drink and to keep order. The shelters are small but can accommodate 10-13 diners. Two benches run along the walls of the shelters with two long, thin tables comprise the main area. At the far end the proprietor has access to a cooker (stove) and refrigerator. While many cabmen’s shelters were destroyed in the Blitz and because of post war development, the remaining 13 shelter’s are Grade II listed buildings and protected by English Heritage. While they do not generally let non-cab drivers in, some do offer take-away service. There is a lovely little film about the shelters at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aA3NNNehxU




Russell Square – western corner

Chelsea Embankment – near the Albert Bridge
 
Embankment Place
Grosvenor Gardens – west side of north garden

Hanover Square – north of central garden

Kensington Park Road – outside numbers 8-10

Kensington Road – north side

Pont Street

St George’s Square, Pimlico – on north side

 

Temple Place

Thurloe Place, Kensington – opposite the Victoria & Albert Museum
 
Warwick Avenue – centre of the road, by Warwick Avenue Tube Station

Wellington Place, St John’s Wood, handy for Lord’s Cricket Ground

A Unique London House

Photo by Alan Will
Dennis Severs House

Who doesn’t like to peek into other’s lives? Well at 18 Folgate Street in Spitalfields, London you can do just that at Dennis Severs house, which is part museum, part local history and part, antiques. The creator, Dennis Severs was a transplanted American who moved to London in 1967. He bought the Brick George I terraced house in 1979 and spent the rest of his life working on it.

Severs invented a family of Huguenot silk weavers named Jervis, who had lived in the house for centuries to "inhabit" the house. To the visitor, it seems as the Jervis family has just left each of the rooms. They can sometimes be heard, but not seen in any of the ten rooms which are lit by fire and candlelight. As the visitor comes upon half eaten meals, and hear but not sees the family members the viewer begins to use their imagination, which is Mr. Severs’ intention and his art. He called his unique house a "still-life drama" his goal was to provide his visitors with a way to get lost into another time and place.

Mr. Severs was undoubtedly a unique individual who says he was a dreamy and imaginative child who was regarded by his teachers as somewhere between "exceptional" and "mentally retarded." He died in 1999 and the Spitalfields Trust subsequently bought the home. His home is open to visitors and more information can be found at http://www.dennissevershouse.co.uk/

To see a bit about the house and an interview with Mr. Severs please follow the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yr2HtBYSNY0