Viva Lewes Issue #140 May 2018

COLUMN
Lewes Out Loud
Plenty more Henty
I’d like to start the merry
month of May with a big
“thank you” to Viva readers
for being part of the audience
at Pelham House Hotel at the
beginning of April for my radio
play Raymond Briggs’s Sofa.
It was a money-raising event
for the Mayor of Lewes
charities and Mike was there
along with his wife, Monica.
My colleagues who helped me
so much with the production
were Stephen, Derek,
Kevin and John. Others
who contributed to the fun
evening were Gilda, Fiona,
and representing The Oldie
magazine, Chelsea, Elisa and
David. Over £1,000 was raised on the night and I
gather everyone had a good time.
Now I must mention an individual reader whose
letter to me last month prompted a sharp pang of
remorse for this normally conscientious columnist.
You see, in April, I suggested that the common
woodlouse in our gardens was a fine example of a
‘pangolin’ – a word I’d discovered when completing
a codeword.
Paul, who described himself as a part-time pedant,
was not amused! ‘If your, or my garden, contained
thousands of pangolins’ he wrote, ‘I would be very
concerned, given that pangolins are mammals the size
of dogs – somewhat similar to, say, an armadillo.’
Fair comment, Paul, and as you, and the LAW
Society (Lewes Appreciates Woodlice) will readily
confirm, woodlice are not mammals. They are
land-dwelling crustaceans akin to lobsters, crabs
etc. The error, by the way, was not deliberate to
see if anyone actually reads my articles. Thank you
Paul, however, I’m glad you
did on this occasion.
Speaking of occasions, I see
that funerals, remembrance
services and wakes are now
available at Southover Grange
in addition to the recently
re-introduced wedding
ceremonies. One such event
caught my eye, as I headed towards
the shops on a weekday
morning.
Clearly, a close family affair and
I was particularly impressed by
a young chap who could only
have been four to five years
old. Talk about fashion! Long
jacket, smart boots and to top
it all, a pork pie hat which he
obviously enjoyed wearing. Where’s my camera?
Other brief encounters this month. A cheery chat
with Gill who lives in Lewes and loves it. She was
opposite the Law Courts with her mum, Barbara,
who had travelled from Farnborough in Kent.
They attended a church service together and then
had a carvery lunch in the White Hart. “It was very
good,” they chorused.
And so too was my piece of coffee gâteau which I
really enjoyed in Robsons on School Hill. Thanks
to chef, Matt, and to Amy and Emma. Finally, a
word about our illustration which demonstrates
so well the commercial acumen of illustrator,
Mabel Lucie Attwell (1879 – 1963). This postcard
from my collection shows her designs for ‘nursery
frocks’ manufactured by Ferguson Fabrics of
Holme Head, Carlisle. They boasted fabrics for
lingerie, suit linings and dresses. The charming
postcard is undated but has a 1930s feel to it.
John Henty
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