A new year-long musical heritage project set to explore the history of the London area of St Giles – once notorious for having the worst living conditions in the country – has launched at Bloomsbury Festival thanks to a £39,750 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Strange Doings in London – The Songs and Ballads of St Giles will bring together local communities and choirs through the history of ballad, song, news-sheets and illustrations. The project, which will be unveiled at the Sing Ballads of Bloomsbury event at the Bloomsbury Festival on 25 October, explores the 1000-year history of the St-Giles-in-the-Fields parish from Drury Lane to Tottenham Court Road and reveals a dark and dramatic past far removed from the glittering lights of the West End we see today.
Prompted by the launch of a new history book (St Giles-in-the-Fields, The History of a London Parish by Rebecca Preston and Andrew Saint – Browndog Books) and other recently published histories, Strange Doings will be led by Bloomsbury Festival and musician Vivien Ellis in partnership with St Giles-in-the-Fields Church, the Dragon Café Singers, the Charles Dickens Museum, the British Library, UCL, Camden Tour Guides and Camden Archives.
The project aims to bring together local communities and volunteers to unearth the stories of the streets we walk every day through song – streets which once saw leprosy, plague, beheadings, social deprivation, slums, and the first social housing – and research, record and share new versions of found songs and stories for today’s audiences, to be presented as part of the Bloomsbury Festival 2025 programme.
From the country’s first leprosy hospital, founded by Queen Mathilda in c.1120 in fields outside the city where the Church now stands; to a notorious site of public execution in the 1400s; to the origins of the Great Plague in1665 and the Victorian ‘Rookeries’ described as having “the worst living conditions in all of London’s history” (Peter Ackroyd), all these tales, and more, will be researched and brought to life through the history of ballad and song.
By delving into the archives using news-sheets, literature and illustrations, Strange Doings will offer new skills and opportunities to volunteers and participants including singers from all backgrounds as they explore the long-forgotten histories of London streets now buzzing with visitors and tourists. They will research historical ballads and sung histories, rewrite lost melodies, hold oral singing workshops, develop new songs, curate exhibitions in the St Giles area, deliver workshops exploring the Charles Dickens era and host talks and walks – including an audio ballad walk recreating the unique sounds and atmosphere of Victorian England. The project will also involve local communities of global heritage to research and record their own traditions of sharing news through song.
Rosemary Richards, Director of Bloomsbury Festival said:
“Peeling back layers of history, over one thousand years, this wonderful musical heritage project reveals intriguing stories largely lost to the current residents and visitors of this area. Prompted by new written histories revealing the details of centuries past in St Giles, Strange Doings in London offers a programme of events and activities which involve the community and numerous partners in helping us lift these stories off the page, share them and bring the heritage of these London streets to a wider public audience.”
Vivien Ellis, Musical Director, Dragon Café Singers, said:
“This is a great opportunity for singers, local historians and researchers of all backgrounds to take part in a fascinating heritage project which will showcases some of the St Giles stories in a ballad walk next year. We’re looking forward to including new volunteers and above all, it will be great fun!”
Stuart McLeod, Director of England – London & South at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said:
“We are delighted to support this project, which thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, will mean that more people will be able to get involved with, protect, and learn about the exciting heritage right on their doorstep. Heritage has a huge role to play in instilling pride in communities and boosting local economies, and this project is a fantastic example of achieving those aims.”
RELATED 2024 FESTIVAL EVENTS:
Open Singing Workshop
Saturday 19 October, 2pm, Holy Cross Church
FREE – Just turn up
Sing Ballads of Bloomsbury
Friday 25 October 6.30pm, St-Giles-in-the-Fields
FREE – Just turn up (donations welcome)
Dickens and St Giles – A Lifelong Fascination (talk)
Saturday 26 October, 11.30am, St-Giles-in-the-Fields
FREE – Just turn up
St Giles: The Hidden Heart of London (talk)
Saturday 26 October, 1.30pm, St-Giles-in-the-Fields
FREE – Just turn up
Creators of St Giles (walk)
Saturday 26 October, 2.45pm, St-Giles-in-the-Fields
FREE – Just turn up
