Tag: edge of england

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The Singer and the Sea

Down by the lapping waves we talk folklore, legend and landscape with the singer and story collector Liz Pearson, who plays us some of the beautiful, mesmerising sounds she makes as Chalk Horse Music. The name comes from the figure of a horse carved into the side of a hill in the Cuckmere Valley,

A warm, hazy evening on the edge of England seems a million miles away from London and LA in the late Nineties when Liz and her partner Darren were turning out hits. Returning to her native coastline, they chose to engage with the magic, the memories and the history of the places all around them, giving very old stories a striking, contemporary musical setting.

As the last of the day trippers make the most of the high tide, Liz, Cole and Emily contemplate taking a dip and discuss how the stories embedded in the hills of Sussex are the inspiration behind Chalk Horse Music’s new releases, The songs featured in this episode are used with permission and can be found, along with many other beautiful tracks, at chalkhorsemusic.com.

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A Glass of Sussex

In this episode Cole and Emily take a wander inland, but not too far… the Channel is still in sight as they look back across the Cuckmere Valley to the edge of England through rows and rows of vines. The salty sea mist still reaches this impressive, enchanting but until recently rather secretive wedge of farmland between Alfriston and Seaford that was bought by Sarah and Mark Driver and has been transformed into the Rathfinny Vineyard.

As we explore, Sarah tells us how her own history on the other side of the world has helped her put down her own roots in the chalky soil, among the vines and fields of barley.

Anyone is welcome to wander the trails through the vineyard – a map can be picked up at the Winery. www.rathfinnyestate.com

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The Beachy Head Experience

Come with us on a walk back in time accompanied by kraken, sea snakes, bowler hats and bones. We start with an astonishing view and an enchanted moment outside the new visitor centre at Beachy Head. Emily and Cole’s guide through millions of years of history is Jo Seaman, heritage expert and story teller, who takes us deep under the sea and high over the cliffs. We dig down through layers of soil to uncover hidden treasures and strange tales connecting the past with the present. Find out why Jo has put down roots on the Edge of England, has his head in the stars, and has developed a special bond with a skeleton. The latest episode of the podcast exploring the fascinating people, places and stories of the South Coast. Let your ears bring you here. For more information on the centre visit The Beachy Head Story.

Mabel the podcast dog surveys the valley inland of Beachy Head, looking out towards Belle Tout and the sea

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Parson Darby’s Hole

On a lovely day, with far too many people about (according to Cole), we go in search of the truth about a local legend, Parson Darby. Just who was the vicar who spent hours sitting in a hole in a cliff shining a light? Where was that hole? Did he save lives? Help smugglers? Die of a broken heart? Another fascinating story from the Edge of England, uncovered and told by award-winning broadcasters Cole Moreton and Emily Jeffery.

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Winifred Barnes: The Unexpected Sequel!

Remember those days when you could meet in a friend’s house for a cuppa? Those days will come again. Pop on the kettle and plug your ears in to this this bonus episode where Cole surprises Emily with a special audio gift, further fuelling her obsession with Winifred Barnes, a beautiful young star of the West End stage during World War One. How wonderful to hear her voice, more than a century after she sang. Will we ever know why ‘Wonderful Winnie’ left her glittering career in London, to spend the final years of her too-short life surrounded by birds and animals in a cottage on the edge of the cliff at Holywell in Eastbourne? This episode features recordings from 1917 rescued and restored by Dominic Combe as part of his Palaeophonics project, so a huge thanks to Mr Combe.

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Winifred Barnes

Emily and Cole pull back the undergrowth and uncover the extraordinary life of Winifred Barnes, once a huge star but now almost completely forgotten – except among a few locals who remember being told stories of the curious inhabitant of a house perched precariously close to the edge of a cliff. Why did this Edwardian singer, actor and comedy performer, a West End leading lady and sensation of the age, retire mysteriously young and retreat to the seaside at Holywell, where she and her sister were considered “too racy” for the locals?

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Cuckmere

There’s a whiff of Spring in the air, and with it a whiff of hope. Change is coming. In this episode we’re taking you back down another meandering path to the sea, past an equally meandering river, the Cuckmere. A few cottages cling precariously close to the edge of the land at the mouth of the river, framing a world-famous view where the land meets the sea. You may have seen them in the movie Atonement or the television series Luther or on any number of postcards, posters and posts. It’s an ever-changing landscape, as the chalk cliffs are moulded and bashed by the elements. There are many who want to save both the view, and the precious habitats it contains, both natural and man-made. This is a story about one of the people who has fallen in love with this remarkable stretch of English coastline, and has felt compelled to use his skills as a musician to create a unique festival here. Cellist Anthony Albrecht plays a lovely bit of Bach and tells us more about why he’s drawn to this place and about his role in the campaign to protect the Cuckmere Coastguard cottages.  

If you want to find out about the latest developments and more about the campaign here are some links you might be interested in.  

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-56028282

https://www.cuckmerehavensos.org/

Lapwing Festival

Anthony Albrecht and Emily Jeffery of the Edge of England podcast at Cuckmere Haven talking about the campaign to save the cottages there
Anthony Albrecht tells Emily Jeffery why he was drawn to Cuckmere Haven
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Hope Gap

What’s even better than a good walk and talk in the glorious outdoors? Doing it with a new friend who takes us to a new place. When writer and podcaster Giles-Paley-Phillips joins us near his home in Seaford we wander past a row of unit vehicles on location for the film ‘Hope Gap’. It’s now been released on Netflix, so along with our audio ‘pictures’ of this amazing landscape, you can watch the film and see what we’re on about. Despite Emily’s best efforts she didn’t spot Bill Nighy – maybe he’ll agree to be a guest on a future episode. What we did encounter were dazzling white cliffs, a hidden cove, enticing rock pools and a Spitfire. (Watch out for that Spitfire in coming episodes: strangely, it becomes a recurring them). The latest shiny new edit of an episode of Edge of England with Cole Moreton and Emily Jeffery, released each week during lockdown.

Giles Paley-Phillips shows Emily Jeffery the view from Hope Gap

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Season Two, Episode Three: The Mystery of the Light

In which we are haunted by a Spitfire yet again, before we go in search of the truth about a local legend. Who was Parson Darby? Where was his famous hole? Why did he sit in a cave in the face of the cliff for hours, day and night in all weathers, shining a light? Did he save lives? Did he die of a broken heart? Was he a smuggler? We fall out over the possibilities, visit his grave then go in search of someone who knows. Another fascinating story from the Edge of England, uncovered and told by award-winning broadcasters Cole Moreton and Emily Jeffery.

Be sure to listen to the next episode for part two and a major twist in the story.

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Episode Six: First Impressions

IMG_0761.jpgIn which we end our first season of the Edge of England podcast by talking about our first impressions of this place and meeting Misgana, who came to the South Coast from Eritrea as a young girl, without really knowing why. It wasn’t easy. Hers is a remarkable, troubled, moving, ultimately inspiring story of what it’s like to find yourself in a strange new place, somehow make your way and ultimately arrive at an unexpected sense of home. Thanks for listening. Edge of England will be back with a new weekly season in the Spring.

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