Talks & Walks
Mr Dermott presents:
'Popular Entertainment in Margate'
Saturday 21 August 2010 at 12 Noon
The Community Pharmacy Gallery
16 Market Place, Margate Old Town, CT9 1ES
**Free**
From the early eighteenth century Margate developed like a finely honed machine. Designed as painlessly as possible, to part Londoners from their money!
The visitors, freed briefly from the drudgery of everyday existence, were out for a good time and the chance to create as many happy memories in as short a time as possible. It is due to this that the entertainments on offer in the town were often of a somewhat 'sensational' character. Shows put on in Margate in the early twentieth century included such titles as ‘The Girl Who Knew a Bit’, ‘The White Slave Girl’ and ‘Naughty but Nice’.
Nick Dermott relates the history of entertainment in the town and the many engaging forms that it took.
Professor Vanessa Toulmin:
'Humbug' The Life of P T Barnum
Saturday 21 August 2010 at 2pm
The Community Pharmacy Gallery
16 Market Place, Margate Old Town, CT9 1ES
**Free**
Professor Vanessa Toulmin's first talk of the festival is on
T Barnum (1810 - 1891), who was the inventor and pioneer of modern entertainment - be it the sideshow, the circus or the concept of interactive museum style education.
This year marks the 200th anniversary of this most important and universally acknowledged impresario whose influence still continues today and without a doubt influenced our own circus entrepreneur Lord Sanger.
The talk will be widely illustrated, bringing Professor Vanessa’s vast knowledge of Barnum to a Margate audience. Illustrations will include unseen photographic and archival material from the National Fairground Archive at the University of Sheffield.
Professor Vanessa Toulmin: The Sideshows
Sunday 22 August 2010 at 12 Noon
The Community Pharmacy Gallery
16 Market Place, Margate Old Town, CT9 1ES
**Free**
Grab your cup of coffee and feast on this fantastic talk, as Professor Vanessa Toulmin explores the history of ‘The Sideshows’.
Hear the stories of the showmen who presented the shows - the real life of Tom Norman who was notorious for showing the world the Elephant Man and whose reputation has been much maligned, but was in reality one of the greatest showmen of his day.
From headless ladies to living pixies, the fairground shows have captivated and enchanted generations. This illustrated lecture will provide photographic and filmic records of the heyday of these shows, both at the British seaside and on the travelling fairs.
We have a limited number of seats, so first come; first served….don’t say we didn’t warn you!
Margate Cemetery Walk
Sunday 22 August 2010 at 2pm
Margate Cemetery - Meet outside the Cemetery Chapels
**Free - Donations warmly accepted**
Join us for a walk around Margate Cemetery, the last resting place of many of the entertainers and renowned visitors to Margate, including Sanger's memorial and the Courtaulds who funded the Courtauld Gallery, with their last wish to be bought back to Margate, where they had had such wonderful times.
Please note: All Images on
this page are the copyright of the National Fairground
Archive University of Sheffield Library, Professor David Wilde,
Thanet District Council. Full permission needs to be granted
for any usage whatsoever.
The Punch & Judy Man Talk
Sunday 22 August 2010 at 5pm
The Community Pharmacy Gallery
16 Market Place, Margate Old Town, CT9 1ES
**Free**
Grab a cup of tea and come along for this illuminating talk.
Professor David Wilde is an expert on the various styles of Punch figures and identifying their makers. He has one of the largest collections of Punch and Judy puppets in the world and is frequently called upon to identify and value figures by the leading auction houses.
Many famous makers are represented in David's collection including the vent work of Leonard Insull and Punch figures by Quisto, Wal Kent, Bryan Clarke, Tony Green, Joe Parsonage, Teddie Corden, Geoffrey Felix, Miraiker Battey, Mary Edwards and a host of others.
One of the real prizes of the David Wilde collection is surely
the Wal Kent Punch figure which was used by Tony Hancock in the
film The Punch and Judy Man. Tracking
down this puppet took years of detective work by David and his
Grandfather and the figure was eventually located on the Continent.
Having found the owner it then took a great deal of persuasion
before this important piece of Punch history could be returned to
Britain to join this unique collection.
Mr Dermott presents:
'Walking Margate's Entertainment History'
Tuesday 24 August 2010 at 6pm
Meet at the Tudor House, King Street, Margate
**Free**
Nick Dermott relates the history of entertainment in the town and the many engaging forms that it took, on this guided tour around Margate's Old Town and Seafront location.
From the Tivoli Pleasure Gardens to Promenading, from ‘taking the waters’ to ‘bathing in them’ this walk explores the many entertainments and pleasures available from the early eighteenth century.
Visitors, freed briefly from the drudgery of everyday existence, were out for a jolly good time and wished to create as many happy memories in as short a time as possible. Due to this, the entertainments on offer in the town were often of a somewhat 'sensational' character. Shows put on in Margate in the early twentieth century included such titles as ‘The Girl Who Knew a Bit’, ‘The White Slave Girl’ and ‘Naughty but Nice’.
Musical Hall was highly popular at ‘The Hippodrome’ and numerous small venues sprung up around Margate High Street, to cater for smaller more intimate audiences. International celebs of the day (including Marie Lloyd) spent summer seasons in Margate and it became ‘the’place’, to let down your hair and enjoy yourself, especially if you were here on the beach, enjoying the first ever paid ‘Bank Holidays’.
Please note: All Images on this page are the copyright of the National Fairground Archive University of Sheffield Library, Professor David Wilde, Thanet District Council. Full permission needs to be granted for any usage whatsoever.