Category Archives: Music

Live music: gigs, concerts, recitals, etc. Any reference to Nigel Kennedy. Excludes music that is already included in the ‘noise’ category (raves, Beachdown, etc.)

Steyning Grammar events

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Steyning Grammar School
Steyning Grammar will be celebrating 400 years of existence at the end of May with a variety of events including:

  • 24th May: the opening of the Church Street School and grounds to the public with archive material relating to the school’s history on display;
  • 24th-25th May: three performances each day of ‘Carvings, Corridors and Timbres’, a musical about the school, at the Church Street site;
  • 26th–28th May: a heritage quilt will be on display in the Church of St Andrew and St Cuthman;
  • 29th May: Janet Pennington will give a talk on ‘Steyning Grammar School, 400 Years of Education’ at 2:00pm in Bolton House;
  • Until 31st August 2014: an exhibition titled ‘The Scholar’s Tale — 400 Years of Schooling in Steyning’ at Steyning Museum.

Further details about these and other events can be found here.

Tolly Rothwell at The Paddock

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The Paddock in 2007

The Paddock in 2007

Eric Marchant built The Paddock in the 1960s, but lived in it for only a short time before selling it to Talbot (Tolly) Rothwell OBE (1916-1981). In WWII, Tolly was an RAF pilot. Shot down over Norway, he bailed out of his plane, was captured and held in a German prisoner of war camp, where he became well known and much loved for staging musical shows to entertain his fellow prisoners. On occasions he arranged special acts with particularly loud singing and laughter to divert attention from the sound of fellow prisoners escaping. After the war he returned to England and started to work for the BBC.


He was a well known script writer for film and television, perhaps best known for the ‘Carry On’ films and the TV show ‘Up Pompeii’ starring Frankie Howerd. He also wrote scripts for Frankie’s one-man TV and stage shows. Tolly was a frequent visitor to the Shepherd and Dog and it was soon discovered that he would buy anyone a pint if they could tell him a joke of any ‘colour’ that was new to him. It seems he had to purchase a great many pints, but he always had a good supply of jokes, many of which appeared in some form in his scripts.

The Paddock,Poynings Road, Fulking

Tony Brooks

Richard Linford (2008) Talbot Rothwell: Carry On Fulking. Pigeon Post March, page 2.

Robert Veitch (2017) Carry On Tolly. Sussex Living December, page 74.

For a full biography of Tolly Rothwell, see Mike Cobley (2012) A Write Carry On: The story of Talbot ‘Tolly’ Rothwell. London: Wholepoint Publications.

Frankie Howerd Up Pompeii poster

[Copyright © 2014, Anthony R. Brooks. Adapted from Anthony R. Brooks (2008) The Changing Times of Fulking & Edburton. Chichester: RPM Print & Design, pages 18 and 138.]

Photo added: 28th December 2016.
Poster addded: 6th January 2017.
Reference added: 9th February 2017.
PDF replaced and new reference added: 1st December 2017.

Drumming & Percussion Group

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djembeDrumming & Percussion Group on Sunday 27th April (date changed from March 30th)

– with West Sussex Music tutor Steve Morley – Poynings Village Hall from 2pm – 3.30pm

With a view to meeting on the last Sunday of each month, the emphasis will be on enlivening but relaxed music-making for adults using traditional West African djembe rhythms; no experience is necessary. £7/person.

A diverse range of percussion instruments will be provided but do bring your own drum if you have one. Hope to see you there!

Call Steve on 857590 for more information

Measure twice, cut once

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Steyning Grammar will be celebrating 400 years of existence in May with a variety of events including:

  • 24th May: the opening of the Church Street School and grounds to the public with archive material relating to the school’s history on display;
  • 24th-25th May: three performances each day of ‘Carvings, Corridors and Timbres’, a musical about the school, at the Church Street site;
  • 26th–28th May: a heritage quilt will be on display in the Church of St Andrew and St Cuthman;
  • 29th May: Janet Pennington will give a talk on ‘Steyning Grammar School, 400 Years of Education’ at 2:00pm in Bolton House;
  • 7th March–31st August 2014: an exhibition titled ‘The Scholar’s Tale — 400 Years of Schooling in Steyning’ at Steyning Museum.

Further details about these and other events can be found here.