A little light music

Fred proposed an Electric Cafe breakfast as we'd run out of coffee – how was I to refuse! The Electric did us proud then we walked off the coffee buzz around Brockwell Park. Upon turning for home, I suddenly thought of a place to visit – somewhere I've been meaning to go since a friend mentioned it to me. It's one of those small museums that you need to ring up and book a visiting slot, which I did. It turned out there was a tabletop sale and a music presentation happening in an hour. Ooh. 

Fred was up for the adventure to the British Vintage Wireless & Television Museum. We arrived about ten minutes before the presentation and couldn't figure out how to get into the museum. We'd gone down the side passageway of a house and we could see televisions aglow in the shed in front of us, but the door seemed firmly shut. I rang and the chap opened the door that wasn't firmly shut at all – the weakling that I am just hadn't yanked it open. 

Inside, televisions and radios were crammed into every shelf (see extra photos), dating from the 1930s onwards. Before exploring proper, we were ushered into another shed where several gents were seated. We were greeted enthusiastically as new blood. Over the course of the presentation five new 'new bloods' arrived. There was one chap I recognised, who asked if we'd come today because of a message he'd put on the local group. He lasted only the first half of the presentation as he needed a bit of rock 'n' roll! 

It's so wonderful to listen to people who have great knowledge and passion about a subject. In the first half of the presentation, we listened to these light music classics:

Melody on the Move by Clive Richardson
Montmartre by Haydn Wood
In the Party Mood by Jack Strachey [interestingly, the BBC put on programmes at the end of the war to encourage women to go back to housewife roles after doing 'men's jobs' – this tune was used for the programme 'Housewives Choice'. I can't say that it wants to make me do the washing up! 'Women's Hour' was another programme that came about this time.]
The Girl From Corsica by Trevor Duncan [Mr Duncan was, apparently, a bit of ladies man]
I haven't found the track by Sidney Torch that was played, but here's something similar March of Tomorrow. Sidney was a bit of a snappy dresser with a temperamental edge.

One of the best bits about the presentation was the comedy bickering between the two friends presenting. That was worth the visit alone! One chap made amusing remarks while the more serious chap exasperatedly begged him to shut up and get on with it. 

We had a break with tea and hot food and dessert, though we didn't partake of the food still being stuffed with the big breakfast. Instead, we toured the radios, looking at the wonderful wooden designs and moulded bakelite radios. 

In the TV room, we tried to identify TVs we had known. I failed but Fred recognised a few. Considering the TV is as much a part of the family as as flesh and blood, you'd think that I'd have the decency to remember what the TVs I grew up with looked like. Sorry, tellies of old.

In the afternoon, there was a different speaker, Brian Reynolds, who introduced us to the various orchestras who played on the radio during the light music years. At one point a radio programme could be listened to by around 20 million people! The light orchestras played live much of the time, which was nerve-wracking. The music unions had a lot of power so the BBC couldn't play much recorded music ('needle time'). This changed as people's tastes changed towards the 60s and the players in the light orchestras lost their jobs.

Some of the music in this second half came from Brian's personal recordings so they're not online. The BBC, having wiped a lot of its light music recordings, have asked Brian for copies!

Dusk by Cecil Armstrong Gibbs

A classic tune to end the session – written by Eric Coates on Selsey Beach overlooking the Bognor Regis gas works, which glowed pink for some reason: Sleepy Lagoon. Recognise it? You won't listen to that theme tune again without thinking of Bognor Regis gas works. 

One other notable sight of the day: a tabby cat crossed our path by our front gate. It wasn't going to say hello because it had a mouse in its mouth.