Honeywood

"From the Heart" - The poetry of Valerie Coleman
Compiled, edited and illustrated by Paul V. Williams (Order reference BK4)

A talk at Honeywood on Thursday 26th June - entitled Versatility - will feature the launch of a new illustrated book by Paul Williams, 'From the Heart', the poetry of Valerie Coleman. This 48 page paperback book is illustrated throughout, and is another exclusive Honeywood production. It will be launched together with this companion CD that contains all the poems in the book, read by Joan Davalle

Pre-ordering this book, and the CD below, is strongly advised - contact Honeywood to reserve
Book-signing Thursday June 26th at 7.30pm - click HERE for details

"From the Heart" - The poetry of Valerie Coleman
Read by Joan Davalle (Order reference CDA3)

Valerie Coleman is a retired nurse with a gift for appealing and evocative poetry. Over the years she has penned a small number of verses from places and events that inspired her. The Paris air crash of Concorde is one such event, as is her recollection of walks along the River Wandle. All of these poems, as she will readily tell you, are ‘From the Heart.’

Eighteen of Valerie’s poems are on this CD. Each is introduced by Peter Davalle and Read by Joan Davalle, who bring their own inimitable talents to this recording, once again for the benefit of The Friends of Honeywood Museum.

Joan and Peter were intent on taping Valerie’s poem, principally for her enjoyment. However we felt Val’s work would give much pleasure to a wider audience. Hence Paul Williams of ‘The Friends’ has produced this CD, and a companion illustrated book, available from The Friends of Honeywood Museum. We hope you enjoy Val’s poems as much as we do.

The CD (CDA3) costs £4.99, the book (BK4) £5.99 - purchase both together for the special price of £10.00

"Good Evening Mr. Dickens"
World Premier Recording! - CD exclusive to Honeywood

Honeywood is delighted to announce the availability of a World Premier recording of
Peter and Joan Davalle's renowned and entertaining anthology "Good Evening Mr. Dickens"
This complete recording has 16 tracks chosen by Peter and Joan, with a running time of 70 minutes
The CD costs just £8, and is only available from Honeywood's shop (address above)
Mail Order price on request - please phone for details

Peter was an interviewer and scriptwriter on many television and radio programmes before being appointed Broadcasting Editor of The Times. He occasionally writes the radio previews in that newspaper, as well as book reviews and feature articles. Joan Davalle, born In the Sirhowey Valley of South Wales, is a former art teacher and has a fine contralto voice.

Peter is a life-long Dickens devotee. He possesses one of the finest collections of Dickensiana in the country, including first editions and - his pride and joy - a letter written by Dickens himself. He was formerly chairman of the Dickens fellowship.

Before settling down to arrange the structure of Good Evening Mr. Dickens, now in its 26th year, Peter read through all the Dickens novels and many of his speeches to pick the items he needed. The inspiration for the programme came from the one-man performances of Emlyn Williams, whose readings from Dickens brought him international fame.

In 25 years, Good Evening Mr. Dickens has been performed in many places, from schools and colleges to venues such as the Royal Academy of Arts, the City of London Festival, Arts festivals at Tetbury and Litchfield, Hereford Town Hall, Wells Cathedral and the Rochester Dickens Festival. In that time the performances have raised over £200,000 for charities. Peter and Joan have performed shows for the Friends of the Heritage Centre for the last eleven years and have raised many thousands of pounds for the Friends. Their Christmas Shows have become the highlight of the Friend’s programme of events and are sold out long before November. Now, for the very first time, the Friends are delighted to present a unique CD recording of “Good Evening Mr Dickens”

The money the Friends raise benefits Honeywood Heritage Centre and has purchased many items for the House. If you would like to know more about becoming a Friend please click here. Text Copyright © Sue Horne.

The Friends have recently bought this watercolour for the museum collection. It shows The Oaks mansion house which formerly stood in Oaks Park. At one time the house belonged to the Earl of Derby and it gave its name to the famous horse race run at Epsom each year. The painting is dated 1840 and has the artists initials - possibly LLH - although they are faint and hard to read.

A note on the back shows that the picture belonged to a descendent of Sir Charles Edward Grey, once Chief Justice of Calcutta, who bought the house from the Earl of Derby in 1834. The picture will be on display in Honeywood as soon as it has been re-framed.

12" x 8" (very near actual size) borderless, glossy prints of this picture may be obtained from the Honeywood shop, and are ideal for framing behind glass.
£6.99 each, plus £1.50 if you wish the print to be posted to you in the UK - please email for overseas postal costs.