Tea with William Barnes
In the company of The Ridgeway Singers & Band
The Exchange and Artsreach are proud to present an annual celebration of Dorset!
Dialect poet William Barnes was born in Bagber near Sturminster Newton on 22 February 1801. A scholar, linguist, artist, priest and inventor, Barnes wrote over 800 poems in the Dorset dialect. Barnes also relished the country dances, folksongs and carols of Dorset, and often wrote about community celebrations, where music was a key part of the proceedings.
Alongside a delicious cream tea, The Ridgeway Singers and Band, led by Phil Humphries along with vice president of The William Barnes Society and folk musician Tim Laycock, will perform folksongs and dance tunes from across the county including One Night as I Lay on my Bed collected in 1906 by the Hammond brothers from George House of Beaminster, Away Dark Thoughts from Winterborne Monkton and, The New Rigged Ship and The Young May Moon from the Hardy family manuscripts. This years’ programme also includes a musical setting of William Barnes’ poem Rustic Childhood.
Recitals of some of Barnes’ much-loved poems will keep alive the rich dialect of Dorset in this wonderful celebration of the life of William Barnes.
A pop-up producers’ market will also take place in the atrium of The Exchange, open to the public from 11am-3pm, so why not pop along and do a spot of shopping before the show – there will be lots of Dorset goodies for you to discover!
www.artsreach.co.uk
Dorset Food & Drink Pop-Up Makers Market!
Sunday 23 February, 11am-3pm
The Exchange and Artsreach are delighted to present a pop-up producers and makers market to coincide with the annual Tea with William Barnes celebration. With stalls selling delicious food and drink, locally made products, crafts and art, there will be something for everyone to enjoy!
Open freely to the public and taking place in the Atrium of The Exchange, why not come along and try some famous local produce, or perhaps you’ll discover something brand new made in Dorset! The Bibbern Gallery Cafe will also be open upstairs.
