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The Housman Society Visit
The Street Society was very privileged to host a two-day visit to Street of the Housman Society. It began with a meeting at the Friends Meeting House where Richard Clark welcomed everyone, gave a very interesting, amusing and illustrated account of his family and their connection with Laurence Housman and showed us all where LH sat in the Meeting House and where he was buried outside.
After coffee in the Bear Hotel the visitors walked up to Overleigh to the home of Mr and Mrs Millener who live at Longmeadow — the previous home of Laurence Housman. An excellent cold-buffet lunch was presented by Mrs Mary Hecks on the lawn and much time was spent in LH's garden house where he did his writing. This was affectionately known as the Elbow Room. The afternoon was spent in Street Library where David Parsons gave a talk about the Illustrations of Laurence Housman and this was followed by a video about the author, an exhibition of photographs and relevant papers and letters he had written to Roger and Sarah Clark.
In the evening a hot buffet dinner was served in the Gaskell Room at Millfield School and later Gerald Symons, great-nephew of LH, gave his reminiscences.
The following morning everyone gathered in the Assembly Rooms, Glastonbury, as Laurence Housman had been involved in the early Glastonbury Festivals, and there was an acted reading of an extract from Housman's playThe Queen,God Bless Her. Jean Pike played Queen Victoria, David Parsons portrayed Disraeli and Charlie Parsons obliged as the man-servant. The chosen passage was most appropriate and the acting was first-class.
Other readings by David Parsons ensued and then a Presentation, entitled, After the Dissolution was given by Kay Wych in the ruins of Glastonbury Abbey.
The visit ended in a most convivial way as the Mr. Robert Boscawen most generously agreed to show us something of his house — Ivythom Manor. In fact, he and Mrs Boscawen gave us the freedom of the whole house and the grounds and then served us tea and cakes. There were two coincidences here. Firstly, the Chairman of the Housman Society, Jim Page, used to live at Ivythorn Manor and secondly, Mr Boscawen's aunt actually took part in the London production of Victoria Regina by Laurence Housman.
The weather was very kind throughout the two days and the visit was hailed a great success.
Mary Oliver
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