Web Page  No 2348

25th February 2017

Top Picture: Goss China

Second Picture: Goss Factory

Third Picture: Donald Gill postcard

Holiday Time

Whilst going through the tea towel drawer at home ( I live an exciting life) I noted amongst all the towels we had inherited several had the words ‘A Gift from XVZ’ on it and it made me think how different the souvenir trade is today as opposed to what we and our parents brought home as gifts.

Remember when we went away with our parents when we were children we always brought back a gift for most of the relations. What are the ones that come to mind apart from the tea towels? Coloured sand lighthouses from Alum Bay on the Isle of Wight, Cornish elves or pixies made of Plaster of Paris and painted in bright colours, thermometers attached again to Plaster of Paris items plaques, ornaments or wall plates.  For ourselves we collected the plastic triangular stickers to put on father’s rear screen or cloth badges to sew or stick on your duffle bag. Maybe a small flag or guide book took your fancy or some other such inexpensive item.

Mother and father would religiously buy and/or send boxes of toffees or fudge to relatives and if you were in the West Country the thing to do was to send tins of clotted cream through the post to those at home and in those days, you could guarantee that they would get there before you got home. The same went for spring flowers and plants!

Some folks collected small pieces of china wherever they went and had quite a large collection of crested pottery around the house. Most of these pieces were made by the Goss Pottery Company, other factories, including Carlton, Shelley and Arcadian, also made souvenir ware but Goss was and still is the most collectable.  The history of the company is interesting William Henry Goss (1833-1906), owner of the Falcon pottery in Stoke-on-Trent and his sons, Adolphus and Victor, are credited with the idea of making souvenir ware bearing crests and names of seaside resorts in the late 19th century. Now, many British people are familiar with the white glazed porcelain souvenirs, typically in classical shapes of Roman and Greek antiquities. They also made tiny replicas of visitor attractions like a statue of Captain Cook with the name and crest of the Captain's home town of Whitby. Small busts of famous people like Queen Victoria or George V, were also made together with of ships and cars. However examples of Goss cottages are amongst the most collectible.

By the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, Goss china was immensely popular and, it is said, at least 90% of homes had at least one piece of Goss crested China. The First World War caused a decline and in 1929 the Goss family sold their factory which continued to produce souvenir ware until the end of the 1930s. After the Second World War interest in Goss revived and continued.

Genuine Goss china usually has an inscription on the base describing the item and also a goshawk crest with the name W.H.Goss below it. The impressed Serif mark 'W.H.Goss' shows manufacture 1858–1887 while the Sans-serif mark indicates 1887–1916. Pieces made from 1930, after the factory was sold, also bear the word 'England'. In all there are over 2,500 different models ranging from tea services to pots and jugs to beautiful coloured figures and cottages and they can be found with over 10,000 different decorations. Although the production of Goss China has long finished, the remaining Falcon Pottery building is a grade two listed building part of the London Road site in Stoke on Trent and now owned by an unrelated company, Portmerion.

Whilst on holiday it was the accepted thing to send postcards and there was always a discussion as whether to send a card with a view to the relatives or one of Donald Gill’s saucy ones. The view always won in our house!

Keep in touch

Peter

gsseditor@gmail.com

On this Day 25th February 1960-1965

On 25/02/1960 the number one single was Why - Anthony Newley and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was not listed and the box office smash was Some Like It Hot. A pound of today's money was worth £13.68 and Burnley were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was USSR wins Winter Olympics.

On 25/02/1961 the number one single was Sailor - Petula Clark, Tottenham Hotspur were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The top-rated TV show was The Army Game (Granada) and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmatians. A pound of today's money was worth £13.25 The big news story of the day was Bootsie & Snudge (Granada).

On 25/02/1962 the number one single was Rock-a-Hula Baby/Can't Help Falling In Love - Elvis Presley and the number one album was Blue Hawaii - Elvis Presley. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Lawrence of Arabia. A pound of today's money was worth £12.89 and Ipswich Town were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 25/02/1963 the number one single was The Wayward Wind - Frank Ifield and the number one album was Summer Holiday - Cliff Richard & the Shadows. The top-rated TV show was Labour Party Political Broadcast (all channels) and the box office smash was The Great Escape. A pound of today's money was worth £12.64 and Everton were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 25/02/1964 the number one single was Anyone Who Had a Heart -Cilla Black and the number one album was With the Beatles - The Beatles. The top-rated TV show was Labour Party Political Broadcast (all channels) and the box office smash was Dr Strangelove. A pound of today's money was worth £12.24 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 25/02/1965 the number one single was I'll Never Find Another You - Seekers and the number one album was Beatles For Sale - The Beatles. The top-rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Sound of Music. A pound of today's money was worth £11.69 and Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

Web Page  No 2346

18th February 2017

Top Picture: Sheet music for ‘Like I Do’.

 Second Picture: Maureen Evans Portrait

Third Picture: On Stage

Forth Picture: With Jack Parnall

A Star from Embassy Records

Maureen Evans is a star from the early 1960s, but like many of her contemporaries her top line career was short lived. However she went on to enjoy a career in the music business that has spanned six decades.

She was born in Cardiff on 23rd March 1940 and waseducated at Caer Castell Secondary Modern School, before studying for three years at the College of Music and Drama, Cardiff Castle, where she gained a diploma.

When her aunt heard that local impresario Waldini was looking for a comedienne to join his show, she suggested that Maureen should go along to audition. Maureen told her aunt she was not a comedienne but she replied, ‘I know, but it’s a way in!’”

Maureen went to the audition, chaperoned by my mother and aunt. She was 14 and sang Blue moon and, although he wasn’t looking for a singer, Waldini immediately gave her a spot on his show.

Her first important public appearance was at the New Theatre, Cardiff, in 1955, when Dickie Valentine topped the bill. She soon became known throughout Wales after appearing on the regional television. Her first acting role on screen was as a schoolgirl in the BBC TV drama The Corn is Green, which starred Flora Robson.

She stayed under the guidance of Waldini for nearly three years. He could see her potential and she started to visit London regularly, looking for new material at the song publishers on Denmark Street and leaving copies of demo recordings with record companies.

In 1958, she was noticed by Reg Warburton at Embassy which produced budget-price cover versions of current hit sounds exclusively for Woolworth stores. She was signed for a year and had to emulate the style of singers in the top 20, so one week she had to sound like Connie Francis and on another occasion Shirley Bassey. On the Embassy label she released her first disc, the Connie Francis double A-side Carolina moon backed with Stupid cupid.

Subsequently she recorded many of Connie’s latest hits including “Lipstick on your collar” and “Plenty Good Lovin’. She soon became the most popular female singer on Embassy – which didn’t go unnoticed by Oriole executives, who upgraded Maureen to their core label. Now she could prove herself as a singer in her own right and not just as a sound-alike.

Her first recording for Oriole, “The Years Between” failed to chart. However, her next attempt, “The Big Hurt”, took Maureen to number 26 in January 1960 – gaining the upper hand over the original by American singer Toni Fisher, which only reached No 30.

That same year, “Love, kisses and heartaches” reached number 44 and “Paper Roses” peaked at number 40 as Maureen lost out on chart success to the Kaye Sisters.

Her national television singing debut came when she appeared in ATV’s Saturday Spectacular, hosted by Arthur Askey. She sang “What a Difference a Day Made” (which she recorded for both Embassy and Oriole) and also took part in a song-and-dance routine with Arthur Askey. Although she was only 5’1”, she had to take her shoes off for the dance, as Arthur Askey was so short.

In November 1960, she returned to the Embassy label for a one-off release under a pseudonym – with TV and radio presenter Brian Matthew. Together as Linda Joyce and Matt Bryant, they released a cover of the Peter Sellers/Sophia Loren “Goodness Gracious Me!”

1962 was Maureen’s year – she saw her recording of “Like I do” climb to number 3 in the charts during November. In February 1963, Maureen appeared in BBC TV’s A song for Europe. As a contender, up against the likes of Vince Hill, 16 regional juries voted for a song and singer to represent Britain. Maureen sang “Pick the Petals”, which finished third, whilst Ronnie Carroll scored top points.

An attempt to generate overseas interest, with the release of two German singles in 1963, fell flat.

Dorothy Squires penned “Acapulco Mexico” especially for Maureen. It lasted about 7 minutes in her stage act, as she incorporated send-ups of Eartha Kitt, Shirley Bassey and Dorothy as well.

This and many other noteworthy singles, including “Till” (later recorded by Dorothy Squires) and “Never in a Million Years”, failed to make any impact with the record-buying public. However, Maureen remained a popular guest on shows such as TV’s “Thank your Lucky Stars” and radio’s “Easy Beat”.

Her last chart entry came in 1964. “I Love how you Love Me” had reached number 18 in 1961 for Jimmy Crawford, and just three years later, Maureen took the song to number 34.  Her final disc for Oriole label, “Get Away”, was a fitting title and one of her best.

With the arrival of beat groups and a new wave of girl singers like Dusty Springfield, Maureens pop star days were numbered. She continued to release the occasional single, but now concentrated on her home life her main priority was her husband and young daughter, Lynette.

In late 1964 Oriole was taken over by CBS records and Maureen went on to release four discs for the label, including “Never Let Him Go”. Her last record to date, “I Almost called your Name”, which was also recorded by Kathy Kirby, was issued in 1968.

Maureen recorded over 30 singles, an extended play record, plus an album released in 1963 which took the title of her biggest hit, “Like I Do”.

However she didn’t give up singing entirely. Her brother Gomer owns a recording studio in Germany, where he also writes his own music – and when Maureen pays a visit she often helps out with backing vocals.

Today, Maureen has been married to her second husband, Roy, for over 30 years and they founded their own theatre school in Cardiff in 1998, teaching children aged three to 18 years old all aspects of singing, dancing and drama. “It was always my ambition to run a drama school,” Maureen says. “I wanted to give back what I received when I was a teenager, and in turn, it gives me so much satisfaction.” After Maureen turned 70 years old she decided to give up the drama school and enjoy her retirement.

However, she insists that age is only a number. “I still feel as if I’m in my 30s, so I try and keep my birthdays very low key.”

Keep in touch

Peter

gsseditor@gmail.com

On this Day 18th February 1960-1965

On 18/02/1960 the number one single was Why - Anthony Newley and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was not listed and the box office smash was Some Like It Hot. A pound of today's money was worth £13.68 and Burnley were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.The big news story of the day was EMI's last coarse-groove 78 rpm record was issued.

On 18/02/1961 the number one single was Are you Lonesome Tonight? - Elvis Presley and the number one album was GI Blues - Elvis Presley. The top rated TV show was No Hiding Place (AR) and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £13.25 and Tottenham Hotspur were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 18/02/1962 the number one single was The Young Ones - Cliff Richard & the Shadows and the number one album was Blue Hawaii - Elvis Presley. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Lawrence of Arabia. A pound of today's money was worth £12.89 and Ipswich Town were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was Unknown Sean Connery cast as 007 in Dr No.

On 18/02/1963 the number one single was Diamonds - Jet Harris & Tony Meehan and the number one album was Summer Holiday - Cliff Richard & the Shadows. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Great Escape. A pound of today's money was worth £12.64 and Everton were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.The big news story of the day was Liz Taylor films Cleopatra.

Web Page  No 2344

11th February 2017

Firstly I apologise for the poor quality of the pictures of the teachers

Top Picture: Ken Wells

Second Picture: Traction Engine

Third Picture: Stationary Engine

Forth Picture: Harold Bennet, June Blitz and Jill Coggan

Fifth Picture: Step by step metalwork Book Three

Ken Wells Metalwork Teacher

It must have been about 1957 that Kenneth Wells joined Court Lane Secondary school and in 1972, whilst he was the metal work teacher (although he did originally apply for the job of woodwork teacher, so it makes one wonder had Mr Bennett, our woodwork teacher decided to move on and then changed his mind?) wrote three simple text books under the general title of Step by Step Metalwork. Book Three only contain two basic projects with a couple of extensions but most of the items in this book were covered in the metalwork classes at school. The items covered are:- How to make a stationary toy steam model and how to make a toy steam traction engine. Unfortunately, by the late 1980's, changes in both the Health and Safety Laws and in the current education system's curriculum requirements at that time meant that both of these models had to be stopped being made in the schools workshops.

These models were always made in class as school projects which meant that they were all made to very differing standards and finishes depending on the ability and skill of the boy who was making it. During these metalwork classes the boys had to follow the basic design that Ken issued but they were allowed a little leeway when it came to painting and decorating their model engines.

These three metalwork books are still fairly easy to find on eBay and other such sites and are regarded by many as both great fun and a good addition to a toy steam collection. Unfortunately, after a short illness Ken Wells died in 2008.

The items covered in Book Three were:-

The model  Slide Valve TE Stationary Engine
The Traction Engine
A Twin Piston Chain Drive Traction Engine

I myself was never very good at manual crafts and the only thing that I can remember making in Ken’s metalwork lessons and taking home was an electric porch lamp which had a whitewashed jam jar for its glazing panel and was eventually mounted by our front door at home. I never progressed onto a metal coffee table as Griff and several others did and so never got on to making a steam engine. Apart from the health and safety aspect of the classes, I wonder if the hard pressed Education Authorities today would be able to afford the raw materials required to run such workshops or would the pupils have to share materials and make one between two or three?

For woodwork the teacher was Mr Harold Bennet and I had no more luck in woodwork classes than I did at metalwork although I do remember taking two items home. The first was a teapot stand involving the cutting of a cross halving joint, this is an item long disappeared. The second was a coffee table, rather misshapen and a little wobbly but it still exists and is at present hidden away in the back of my loft!

Not being of the practical type these lessons gave me grounding in hand crafts which to some extent I have used throughout the rest of my life. 

Looking in on school life today it appears that the craft subjects we took are now long gone off the timetable. I doubt if there are many state schools with woodwork shops and metalwork shops and I would imagine that both needlework and cookery or domestic science classes have gone by the board in this day and age. Maybe it was thought that we post war teenagers had to be taught the skills of life in a practical way.

Although not a good chippy or metal worker I can still hark back to those days when we were taught these things and draw on the experience that those classes gave us. I even did cookery for one term whilst the girls had a go at woodwork.

Keep in touch

Peter

gsseditor@gmail.com

On this Day 11th February 1960-1965

On 11/02/1960 the number one single was Why - Anthony Newley and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was not listed and the box office smash was Some Like It Hot. A pound of today's money was worth £13.68 and Burnley were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.The big news story of the day was EMI's last coarse-groove 78 rpm record was issued.

On 11/02/1961 the number one single was Are you Lonesome Tonight? - Elvis Presley and the number one album was GI Blues - Elvis Presley. The top rated TV show was No Hiding Place (AR) and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £13.25 and Tottenham Hotspur were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 11/02/1962 the number one single was The Young Ones - Cliff Richard & the Shadows and the number one album was Blue Hawaii - Elvis Presley. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Lawrence of Arabia. A pound of today's money was worth £12.89 and Ipswich Town were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was Unknown Sean Connery cast as 007 in Dr No.

On 11/02/1963 the number one single was Diamonds - Jet Harris & Tony Meehan and the number one album was Summer Holiday - Cliff Richard & the Shadows. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Great Escape. A pound of today's money was worth £12.64 and Everton were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.The big news story of the day was Liz Taylor films Cleopatra.

On 11/02/1964 the number one single was Diane - Bachelors and the number one album was With the Beatles - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Steptoe & Son (BBC) and the box office smash was Dr Strangelove. A pound of today's money was worth £12.24 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.The big news story of the day was Malcolm X visits Cassius Clay's training camp.

On 11/02/1965 the number one single was Tired of Waiting For You - The Kinks and the number one album was Rolling Stones Number 2 - The Rolling Stones. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Sound of Music. A pound of today's money was worth £11.69 and Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

Web Page  No 2342

4th February 2017

Top Picture: As she appeared with The Bodysnatchers

Second Picture: The Belle Stars

Third Picture: Sarah Jane plays lead guitar in the Belle Stars

Forth Picture: As Sunjay

Sarah Jane Owen of the Belle Stars an ex Manor Court Girl.

Sarah Jane was born in Portsmouth and for several years was a pupil at Manor Court School and moved onto the Portsmouth Art College then to London to The Royal College of Art studying fashion and then teaching fashion. 

Her first foray of note into the music scene was with a band a seven piece all girl band called the Bodysnatchers in 1979 who had a minor hit with 'Lets Do Rock Steady'. The Bodysnatchers moved on and evolved into the Bellestars in 1981 - they had a number of hits with the best known being 'Sign of the Times' which was a UK No3. In this group Sarah Jane played Lead Guitar and undertook some of the vocals. Their first performance was on Christmas Day, 1980 and this was before they had even chosen a name for the group. Within a short time, they became well known around London, notably appearing on the front cover of Sounds magazine early in 1981. Shortly thereafter, they were signed by Stiff Records, then highly successful due to its star act, Madness.

The band's debut single, "Hiawatha" was released in the late spring of 1981 and the band promoted the single by playing support for acts  such as The Beat and Madness. However, the single failed to chart, despite continuing media attention. The same production team was responsible for "Slick Trick", the second single. It too failed to chart. When the third single, the radio friendly "Another Latin Love Song" again failed to break into the charts, the band tried cover versions instead, with some success. "Iko Iko", a cover of The Dixie Cups' 1965 hit (later featured in the 1988 movie Rain Man), was The Belle Stars' long-hoped-for UK Singles Chart debut, peaking at a modest number 35 in June 1982. This single was unfortunately released at the same time as another version by Natasha England, whose version went on to reach the UK Top Ten. The Belle Stars furthered this with "The Clapping Song" (their first top 20 hit), a remake of the 1965 Shirley Ellis hit, and then "Mockingbird", a hit for Inez and Charlie Foxx in 1969 and James Taylor and Carly Simon in 1974.

In January 1983 the Belle Stars released what would be their signature single, "Sign of the Times", peaking at number three, and a chart success throughout Europe. The song's music video, showing the Belle Stars in tuxedos, was also played frequently by MTV in the United States. The song went on to become the 30th bestselling single of 1983 in the UK. .

This was followed a month later by the band's debut album, which reached number 15 on the UK Albums Chart. As with the band's singles, it was a mix of original songs and cover versions, including Bob and Earl's "Harlem Shuffle" and Al Wilson's "The Snake".

However, "Sign of the Times" proved to be the peak of the band's success. Each follow-up single was less successful than its predecessor: "Sweet Memory", reached number 22 in the charts in April 1983; "Indian Summer" number 52 in August; whilst "The Entertainer" did not chart. It took another year before the band had a minor hit, "80's Romance", which made number 71 in August 1984 before it dropped out after a week. Despite this, the band continued to tour throughout Europe. However, the lack of success took its toll, and members began to leave the band leaving Sarah Jane as the lead vocalist.

By 1984, Stiff Records was ailing, and it merged with Island Records; and was liquidated and bought by ZTT. The three remaining members recorded a new Belle Stars album however, the only tracks to be released were as singles "World Domination", which flopped in Britain peaked at number two for two weeks on the Billboard Dance floor charts in the US. Following this release the band broke up.

However, in March 1989, the Belle Stars finally had a big US chart hit, when "Iko Iko" reached number 14 on the Billboard Top 100 after it was included on the soundtrack of the film Rain Man, starring Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman.

From mid 80s onward Sarah Jane did a couple of other music projects and adopted the name SunJay and, alongside her fashion lecturing, now works as a native American healer and facilitator in her own Pow Wow Lodge Retreat near Los Angeles.

Not bad for a Manor Court girl !!!!!!

Keep in touch

Peter

gsseditor@gmail.com

On this Day 4th February 1960-1965

On 04/02/1960 the number one single was Why - Anthony Newley and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was not listed and the box office smash was Some Like It Hot. A pound of today's money was worth £13.68 and Burnley were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was Margaret Thatcher gives her first Commons Speech.

On 04/02/1961 the number one single was Are you Lonesome Tonight? - Elvis Presley and the number one album was GI Blues - Elvis Presley. The top rated TV show was No Hiding Place (AR) and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £13.25 and Tottenham Hotspur were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 04/02/1962 the number one single was The Young Ones - Cliff Richard & the Shadows and the number one album was Blue Hawaii - Elvis Presley. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Lawrence of Arabia. A pound of today's money was worth £12.89 and Ipswich Town were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was US bans imports from Cuba.

On 04/02/1963 the number one single was Diamonds - Jet Harris & Tony Meehan and the number one album was Summer Holiday - Cliff Richard & the Shadows. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Great Escape. A pound of today's money was worth £12.64 and Everton were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was Liz Taylor films Cleopatra

On 04/02/1964 the number one single was Needles & Pins - Searchers and the number one album was With the Beatles - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Steptoe & Son (BBC) and the box office smash was Dr Strangelove. A pound of today's money was worth £12.24 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 04/02/1965 the number one single was You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' - Righteous Brothers and the number one album was Beatles For Sale - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Sound of Music. A pound of today's money was worth £11.69 and Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.