Calverton


		New for 2012!

Calverton- a Century of Memories’

	‘The first new work by the band and the Living Archive itself since 2002’s ‘Milton Keynes-The Musical’

What is it?
A collaboration between the band and writer Roger Kitchen, the new project is based on the oral history collected in the Living Archive publication ‘Calverton Manor Farm – a Century of Memories’. This was based on interviews recorded by Roger, and edited by band member Marion Hill. It covered the century of experiences of the previous owners of Calverton Manor, and of the families of former farm workers on the Manor Farm.

What will result?
The project was originally conceived as a documentary drama in the style of many of the great Stantonbury productions of the eighties and nineties. Some months into writing the goal posts have shifted. The material consists of a series of memories about life in the Manor House and the farm cottages, and of work on the farm. As such it does not have a natural ‘narrative arch’ and it is felt that it may be best communicated via something like a CD or DVD blending the new songs with short spoken episodes of monologues and dialogues.


	What inspired the project? Four entirely separate elements combined to make the ‘big bang’ which kick started the project ~


	The purchase by Mr David Lock of Calverton Manor House. David wished both to restore the building and to discover as much as he could about it and the community in which it stood. Excitingly, he was invited to participate in the BBC TV programme ‘Restoration Home’, presented by Caroline Quentin. The relevant episode was broadcast on August 2nd 2011.

		More crucially for us, David had asked Living Archive to do a corporate history of David Lock Associates, which involved interviewing all 54 staff, from which Roger and Marion created the book ‘Make No Little Plans’ – soon to be published. He also asked Roger if he could capture the memories of those who knew and worked on Calverton Manor Farm in the recent past, so that their experiences would be preserved. Roger then interviewed Richard Fountaine, the farmer and former owner and Dick Webb and Eric West who lived and worked at the farm, and the book ‘Calverton Manor Farm…’ was published (see www.livingarchive.org for details)...




	Watch a clip from Restoration Home episode 5 on theBBC i-Player.

Coincidentally some years earlier, Sheila Webb had been to Living Archive to learn IT and multi media skills, and consequently decided to make a website. She had grown up in Calverton but had since moved to USA. Her father, grandfather and uncles had all been farmhands on the Manor Farm, and the family history made a natural subject for a small website project. Mel Jeavons, her IT teacher and General Manager of Living Archive, remembered her website, and it became a further inspiration for the Band. You can visit Sheila’s site here…




Sheila Webb’s Granny, with Judy, Mick & Jane, at the door of their Calverton Farm farm cottage

Finally, a year or so ago Living Archive received a call from Rod Hall. Rod said he was bored and needed a project. He now lives in Yorkshire, but as one of the prime movers in the early days of Living Archive/Stantonbury Drama Group productions (and a founder of the ever popular Folk on the Green events in Stony Stratford), he knows where to come to find something he can sink his teeth into! Marion contacted him, sent him a copy of the book and further research notes, and Rod swiftly composed half a dozen songs. The Band met, discussed and played a bit…We were off!


	When will it be finished? We have already got songs in the tank, starting with those from Rod Hall, and more from Kevin Adams and Godfrey Yeomans. The script is well under way too. We don’t have deadline though, so ‘2012’ is the best we can do right now, folks!