Sadly, I've just heard from Chris Timson to say that the folk music session at the Beehive pub in Trowbridge Road has had to be discontinued due to the closure of the pub.
I can think of no better way to report this news than to quote Chris:
Well it's a classic case of good news bad news ...
The English music session in Bradford on Avon convened in what we hoped would be its new home, the Beehive, 2 weeks ago, only to be told by the landlord that he was being forced into bankrupcy... That's a shame for the session but a body blow for Mark and his wife, who had worked hard to keep that pub as the best in Bradford.
That fine pub is now closed. We don't know its future or if it will even remain a pub.
The upside of the poor trading conditions for pubs is that it seems to be much easier than it used to be to find landlords who appreciate the value of a bunch of musicians turning up every 2 weeks or so, drinking beer and wine and extortionately priced soft drinks and otherwise not making nuisances of themselves. So finding a new home was pretty straightforward.
From Monday October 13th the session will be at the Barge Inn, 17 Frome Rd, Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire, BA15 2EA. It will be following its usual 2nd and 4th Mondays cycle thereafter.
My original post follows:Yesterday, I wrote here about an excellent folk music session at the Sidmouth Sailing Club during Sidmouth folk week.
Today, Chris Timson, who is closely involved in that other Sidmouth English folk music session phenomenon at Sidmouth's Radway Inn, has sent me details of a relocated Bradford on Avon English music session which will be held at The Beehive second and fourth Mondays of each month from September 2008.
I have to say that the pub Chris and his friends have chosen looks a real cracker. It has real ale, a big car park (narrow entrance) and is located close to the Kennet & Avon Canal and Bradford-on-Avon Marina.
Mark and Bel, the landlords, sound really nice too and very folk-friendly, based on information I have taken from their web site:
Inside we have an inviting real wood burning fire place; a welcome sight on those cold, wet and windy winter afternoons! The Beehive is a traditional real ale pub with no piped music, football, juke boxes or gaming machines to interfere with your meal, drinking or conversation. Outside we have one of Bradford-on-Avon's best kept secrets - a huge beer garden which includes a boules, (or petanque), pitch and even a children's play area.It sounds like bliss and I shall be aiming to get up in my camper van to sample the session's English music and the pub's traditional beers as soon as I can. (I wonder if the camper van will fit through the narrow entrance to their car park?)
Finding pub venues that are happy to host folk musicians can be a difficult task but the guys and gals of Bradford and Avon seem to have found a corker here.
The English folk music should be good too with Chris Timson involved.
So, if you are in the vicinity of Bradford on Avon on one of their session evenings, I hope to see you there for some great traditional English tunes :-)
From Chris Timson's email to me, the English Music Session is 8.30 pm, on the following dates in 2008
Sep 8th Sep 22nd
Oct 13th Oct 27th
Nov 10th Nov 24th
Dec 8th Dec 22nd
or second and fourth Mondays of each month. All musicians welcome.
The photo shown above was taken at the last Sidmouth Radway reunion weekend and shows Sidmouth seafront in the early morning before most people have got up, when everything is so wonderfully atmospheric.
Remember, before travelling, to avoid disappointment, confirm details with venue, in case of changes.
Especially in these credit crunch times, sadly no pub can be guaranteed to stay open in perpetuity as the above closure amply demonstrates.
Bye for now
Rob Hopcott
(Online author and folk music session groupie)
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