The Ham Nomads

21 Sep 2014. <GB-ENG> Northleach, Glos; Uffington, Oxon —

Woke up with a wonderful view out over 'The Paddocks', Cotswolds farmland. The sun was shining and all was well with the world. We didn't have far to go to get into Northleach, a lovely little old village, and to the Mechanical Music Museum. This place runs mainly on guided tours, where they demonstrate the various self-playing musical instruments.

We started with a George II chamber barrel organ built in the 1740s, passed through a number of barrel-driven music boxes which still produce exquisite sound, then went on to some disc-driven music boxes which allowed you to change the music in much the same way as changing a recording or a CD today — but still pin-driven. Some had superb sound, like a huge Polyphon 'jukebox' — although they were very hard to keep running — this museum has just the staff on hand to do this, however! Then we went on to early Edison cylinder machines, gramophones and phonographs. One, from the 1940s, had a huge papier-maché horn (for ideal, albeit highly directional, sound reproduction) and with bamboo 'needles' cut for each individual playing — they wore out within 5 minutes! — but the sound from a 1940s recording rivalled the best hi-fi reproduction from later years! Then on to reproducing pianos and player pianos of(not the same thing, but similar results), and we listened to a piano roll of Ernesto Leocuona playing his own Malagueña, form the 1920s. Altogether, a lesson in sound quality — the hi-fi buffs of today haven't made such huge strides as they would sometimes like to think!

We then took off for Uffington, on the northern edge of the Berkshire Downs, the site of the oldest and most famous white horse chalk hill carving. This one has been dated to about 3,000 years ago, and has been kept in pristine shape by constant 'scouring' by the locals. This one is most impressive, as it looks somewhat stylised by today's standards. It was mentioned in the annals of Abingdon Abbey, and Daniel Defoe documented it in his 1725 A tour thro' the whole island of Great Britain. An earlier literary reference, in Latin, was in Camden's 1607 work Britannia. This horse is cut into a hillside that, once again, is a magnet for hang-gliders because of its constant updrafts. It sits below Uffington Castle, an 8-acre hill fort dating back to about 700BC, whose earthen banks at one time sported a timber palisade, and the chalk upslopes to it were scoured to make a blinding white underlining for the whole thing — quite an impressive structure. Below it is Dragon Hill, a flat-topped chalk hill where St George is reputed to have slain the dragon. The blood of the dragon flowed onto a patch on the hill which is forever poisoned, leaving a white patch where no grass will ever grow!

View from White Horse across Dragon Hill

The Ridgeway

Running past this site is the Ridgeway, a VERY old road. Apparently it was being used as a footpath when there was still a land link between England and the Continent. There is It was in use when Avesbury and Stonehenge were being built, and there is still an 85-mile length of it from Avebury in Wiltshire across to the Thames at the Goring Gap. About a mile along this path from Uffington Castle is Wayland's Smithy, actually a neolithic chambered long barrow dating back to 2700-3400BC. We walked along this path to the barrow, on the way meeting many ramblers, cyclists and even horsemen. A good long walk, with an impressive old tomb at the end!

We left here, well exercised, and set off towards Lacock, a rural country town in Wiltshire, and the home of William Henry Fox Talbot — but more of that tomorrow!

Distance driven — today, 44 miles ( 71 km ); to date, 7,905 miles ( 12,722 km )