During the summer weeks, in our build up to Traditional Music Day 2024, we took the Jig Dolls on tour around the town of Stowmarket featuring venues and mostly, a selection of independent retailers.

In this ever increasing digital world, it made a lovely change to be out and about meeting new people and visiting a wide array shops – some that had fallen off our radar as a result of our busy, ordering online way of life. As well as the usual retailers found in High Streets up and down the country, Stowmarket has a rather wonderful collection of Independent shops – we didn’t manage to get to all of them but we’ll add more to our list next year.

For a look at that 8 week tour, do visit the TMD 24 News Page which we introduced this year as part of our build up to the event.

When we moved the Mr Jollyboy characters (made by Stowmarket Meadlands Mens’ Shed) to Station Road West in August, Stow Framing was one of the local businesses that very kindly allowed us to use their shop window to promote Traditional Music Day. In return we promised a feature on our weekly social media promotion – expertly created by local young businesswoman Bethany Last as part of our Stowmarket on Show project which we ran alongside Traditional Music Day 2024.

Greeting us on “drop off” day was proprietor Carol Kirkup. Her face lit up as soon as she saw Mr Jollyboy and she announced “I haven’t seen a jig doll in a long time! That brings back some memories”.

With a second home in Wingfield (the first being in London where both of Carol’s parents worked), this mid Suffolk, rural village was a regular holiday haunt growing up for Carol. They lived next door to the King’s Head (now the De La Pole Arms).

Stepdancing and Pony & Traps, at Wingfield

Here are Carol’s memories – a lovely contribution to this article:

My parents, June & Gordon Machen, purchased the then King’s Head at Wingfield, from the brewery, after it had been closed for sometime – I think in 1973/4. [This in itself is an interesting turn in their life as Mum was a teetotaller!] They renovated and expanded the building, and reopened it in 1975 under the name De La Pole Arms.  The pub soon became the centre of village life in Wingfield, hosting Parish council meetings, WI meetings, darts matches, and became a hub for socialising, eating, drinking and generally having fun!

There were two traditional bars.  The Public Bar where there was a piano, dart board, pool table, dominoes and a warm welcome.  We hosted folk/local music evenings there with fiddlers, drummers, accordions etc.  And then there was the Lounge Bar…the ‘posher’ one, with thick carpet, comfy sofas and chairs, a big open fire and tables to eat a leisurely meal, plus a unlicensed family room.  With two different feels to the bars, many would pop in for an ‘after work’ drink in their overalls or work clothes, and then return later in the evening spruced up and with their wives for a meal in the comfy lounge bar.  My Mum was a legendary cook and soon became well known for offering really tasty home made food.  It was the beginning of pubs becoming places to eat as well as drink.  It all seems such different times now!  My Dad took a back seat as he had his own career, but he became well known as ‘the car park attendant’ and was nicknamed ‘Gordon the goffer’!!!  He was very happy playing this role and many of our regulars would have a good laugh and a joke with him when he shared the occasional drink with them.

We [Alex and Carol] talked about Dusty Smith, his wife Val and her sister Gloria.  Gloria & Val’s Dad, Joe Keeley – known to many as Long Joe (I think that’s right) – were frequent visitors and I got to know them well.  Gloria’s husband, Brian Elsden too – a lovely gentle softly spoken man, sadly taken far too early ☹️.  

For several years we had a darts team and would have matches against other pubs, both at home and away.  I do recall one time ending up being paired with Dusty – I think they were short of a team member so I stepped in – I was about 16/17 years old.  The funny thing was Dusty being 6ft 6in and me being 5ft 2in were an odd looking pair.  I’m pretty sure Dusty offered to pick me up to help me get a treble 20 at the top of the board…I might have made that bit up, but we definitely all laughed a lot together about our differing heights.  

Every year the ‘travellers’ would meet in the field at the back of the pub with their ponies, traps etc on a summer’s Sunday afternoon.  And I think it was these events when the step dancing would take place.  I have a vivid memory of everyone crowding around in the lounge bar cheering and clapping as a series of ‘contenders’ took their turn.  It was an incredible atmosphere of shared enjoyment, friendship, community and sheer fun and joy. How I miss those days.

All this took place between 1975-1985 at which time for various reasons my Mum decided to retire and they sold the pub.  Those ten years were incredible and whenever I bump into anyone who remembers them and participated in the community spirit and friendship, we all agree how much it is missed, and how lucky we were to have experienced it.  So much has changed since then, and pubs in the middle of nowhere struggle today – the De la Pole is up for sale yet again.

My parents continued to live at The Old Forge next door until 2004, before moving to Diss to live with me, and they passed away in 2007 & 2008.  They are now in the church yard opposite their home and the De La Pole, and are surrounded by many of those they knew from those happy days.  

Not long after my Mum passed in 2008 I was able to buy Stow Framing.  I had been a photographer and had a small studio behind Babytime on Station Road West.  I got to know Andrew Mills who owned the picture framing shop a few doors down, and I worked with him for a while.  When he decided to retire I bought the business from him in 2009, at that time operating from the small premises behind the current wool shop Wool St on the car park.  I then moved the business to 25 Station Road in 2013.  I am the third owner of the business which I believe was started in around 1986 by Brian & Sylvia who originally had a DIY shop in the current empty premises between the Queen’s Head and the Chinese Takeaway.

Back to Wingfield days…here are a few names I remember from the ‘pony & trap’ community.  No doubt very many more escape me!

Dusty & Val Smith
Gloria & Brian Elsden
Joe Keeley
Harry & Josie Rumsby
Brian & Cathy (Smith?)
Roy & Margaret Barber*

And you [Alex] and I mentioned Tony Harvey of Tannington Hall, and Lenny.  There was the Jolly family too – Chabby & Di in Wingfield, and other members of the Jolly family in Hoxne. Guy Jolly was a thatcher and rethatched The Old Forge for my parents.                                              

Carol Kirkup, Proprietor – Stow Framing
www.stowframing.com
01449 257302 

*The Barber Family (Cyril, Royal, Rip, Sonny etc) also hailed from Wingfield and were regulars in the King’s Head. Here is John Howson’s article on the family from Wingfield for Mustrad: https://www.mustrad.org.uk/articles/barber.htm

Morris connections

Later in the week, our travels took us opposite Stow Framing to the main Parish Church of St Peter’s and St Mary’s in Stowmarket to organise key collection for the day’s events on Saturday 21st September. Pat is one of the Parish administrators at the church and is often in the office when we pop in to amend or add to the details of our bookings at the Church and the Church Hall for the day. She’s a quiet but a very kind and helpful lady and on that particular day leading up to the event, she let slip she was likely to be drawn to the town on the day to see the Morris Dancing.

Pat went on to explain she was the grand daughter of William Nathan Wells, better known as Jinky Wells, acclaimed fiddler for Bampton Morris – the only Morris side in the country with an unbroken tradition stretching back over 400 years. It was with Jinky joining Bampton Morris in 1887 as the Fool that Bampton’s contemporary history is thought to have begun. Jinky was from a family line of Bampton Morris Dancers. He became their fiddler in 1899 and continued to play with them steering the side through the First World War. He was considered a key figure in Traditional Fiddle playing and an influential musician at the start of the English Folk Dance Revival. He was visited and recorded by several collectors including Ralph Vaughan Williams and Cecil Sharp.

Two lovely connections – one local and one national – to traditional music and dance, which had we not left the office, would never have learned about from our neighbours.

Alex Bartholomew, October 2024