Rhythm & Railway Singers Kick-Off 

Rehearsals for our railway singers got off to a flying start seeing around 50 people in attendance. There was a wide range of singers from different backgrounds coming together to sing songs about their community.

We made a good start introducing the topic of the railways and sang songs including our new song about the only train that was fabricated on Mill Road soon after the railway opened in 1845, the Eagle Engine Song, memorializing the Engine made at the Eagle Foundry in 1849.   We also sang the adaptation of Michael Rosen's Hand on the Bridge and other pieces including making a start on our big Gospel Train Number by Rollo Dilloworth.

Helen took the time inbetween each song to introduce the subject and the background behind each piece.

Some partcipants also shared or even explained certain terms that were the subject of the songs including the meaning of a navvie, which came up in the new piece composed by Patrick Olssen about the men who built the canals and then the railways, the Navvies! 

Here is a taster of a couple of the songs we covered in our 1st session

Social gathering at the studio of the Sculptor, Harry 

Following the rehearsal many people came along to the gathering organized by Historyworks for some refreshments after the singing.  This was kindly hosted at the workshop of local sculptor, Harry Gray, where people were abe to meet Harry and Will Hill to see a model of the Romesey R sculpture which has been similarly inspired by the history of the railway coming to Romsey, and have a chance to get to know each other and ask members of the Historyworks team and the Artist team any questions they may have.

It was certainly well recieved as people enjoyed a seletion of snacks and juices, as well as some tasty drinks provided by local brewery Calverley's of Hooper Street, just off Mill Road.