Saturday May 19 2012
Art & Literature Archive
Village Art & Literature
Tale of old Redditch
Posted on June 16 2009 at 2:02:33 0 comments
The story behind a Victorian poem is uncovered in a new booklet by local historian Ian Hayes.
We are so used to thinking of Redditch as a modern town, thanks to its redevelopment in the 1960s, that we sometimes forget what went before – so Ian Hayes’ new booklet is an intriguing insight into life in Redditch not so very long ago.
The publication was inspired by a letter and poem discovered in the personal papers of the author’s grandfather Harry Guise (long-time editor of the Redditch Indicator) who died in 1948. It had been sent to Harry’s father William in 1867 by his friend James Woodward, a former Redditch resident residing in Spain.
The poem takes the form of a request for information, or perhaps gossip, about people and events in Redditch, revealing not only Woodward’s nostalgia for his hometown but also a cheeky sense of humour poking gentle fun at the town’s eccentricities.
Of course, to today’s readers the characters and places referred to will mean little – but by meticulous research using archive sources such as the Redditch Indicator, Ian Hayes has been able to piece together the jigsaw and provide us with the stories behind each verse of the poem.
An ideal read for anyone interested in the people behind the history.
Victorian Redditch is available direct from Ian Hayes – send a cheque for £2.95 to him at 441 Birmingham Road, Bordesley, Redditch B97 62L.
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