Whatever Happened to John & Francilla?

Many of our visitors enjoyed a lovely coffee & bit of home made cake at the Spinning Wheel cafe when John & Francilla owned it a couple of years ago. (You may remember them dangling from a rope underneath a helicopter during the flood in 2004) We have been asked on numerous occasions what has happened to them so I thought I'd let you know here. They are still in the village & Francilla has just taken over a lingerie store in Launceston called Sofia's Lingerie. They have moved to the Pillar House in Old Road & have recently converted the top part into a self catering holiday home. If anyone is coming to Boscastle & is interested in renting The Pillar House I'll attach some pics & details about the property:

Pillar House is a Grade II Listed, Georgian house set in the quiet, village street above the picturesque harbour of Boscastle. It is stylish, light and airy and combines period features with modern facilities. It has a roof terrace with views of the wooded Jordan Valley. The house is cosy enough for two people but spacious enough for five.

The accommodation consists of a well-fitted, modern kitchen, a comfortable lounge and a roof terrace on the lower floor and three bedrooms (2 double; 1 single), all with iron bedsteads, and a bathroom, with a bath and modern shower, upstairs. Non-smoking. No pets.

For further details, including availability, prices and discounts, email: thestillpoint@btinternet.com

Website Back on Track

Huge apologies to all as our website has been down for the last few days while we move it to a new host. We did not envisage it would take so long & I was unable to access the blog to give more info. The new host means we will be able to make some improvements to the site so watch this space for a new look web page in the near future. Graham and I will be designing a more user friendly & hopefully, a more attractive front page for your viewing pleasure.

Gweek Seal Sanctuary

Graham loved his photo of the seal so much he sent it down to the Seal Sanctuary in Gweek & they've now added it to their readers photo page click on the link to check it out. Gweek Seal Sanctuary is a great place to go if your in the area further down in the bowels of Cornwall.

Seals in the harbour

Graham was out on his kayak yesterday & had a wonderful experience. He'd caught a couple of pollock & in doing so had attracted the attentions of a young seal. I believe the seal's name is Jerry & he was very friendly, almost jumping into the kayak on occasions. Graham was lucky enough to snap a cool photo of the gregarious Jerry.

Articles, Events????

I've been doing some additions to The Occult Art Company website. As well as adding more museum products into the online museum shop I've set up a couple of pages for articles and events. If you have something you'd like published or an event coming up just email me at kg@theoccultartcompany.co.uk with the information & I'll put it on the site (as long as it's legal!!) I hope you like the new additions. Check it out at www.theoccultartcompany.co.uk . If there is a museum product that you'd like to get hold of from a distance but it's not there, send me an email & I'll try to get it for you.

Graham's photographic skills

I just wanted to pop a rather gorge photo on. Graham took this the other day - a cormorant sitting on the headland in Boscastle harbour.

It's been fairly quiet now that most of the diggers are gone & we are hoping that within a couple of weeks all the riverworks will be finished. I think South West Water still have some bits & pieces to complete around the harbour area & we're waiting for the grass to grow on the verges so that it looks attractive, but overall it looks like things are coming to completion. We had a pretty busy weekend but it is rather quiet compared to normal. The museum had a mention in The Observer yesterday as the co author of 'More Bollocks to Alton Towers, Joel Morris, mentioned it as his favourite museum. Fine praise indeed!

Antiques Roadshow

We're just back from Lanhydrock House near Bodmin where they have been filming Antiques Roadshow today. Graham was contacted by the show to see if there was anything of interest and they decided on a couple of Lenciewicz paintings. Luckily we were first to be filmed on the day (fabulous as the queues were getting longer & longer by the minute) & we were most amused that we had to go into 'makeup' before filming. Graham looks lovely with a bit of pancake around the edges of his beard! Anyway, I annoyingly forgot to take my camera but I've got some shots of Graham returning the paintings to the museum. There is no guarantee that the piece we did will actually end up being shown but we're hopeful as there is an increasing interest in the work of Lenkiewicz and of Boscastle itself. If it does make it to the screen we'll let you know the date (if they tell us) so you can check it out. And the value of the paintings will remain a secret until the show!

More accolades for New CD

Any Canadian readers out there?? In particular Canadian folk music aficionados? Well if you get hold of 'Canadian Folk Music' also known as 'Musique folklorique canadienne' Spring 2008 (a fine publication indeed) you will see a rather fab review of the CD 'Songs of Witchcraft & Magic'. "This is one of those recordings that in years to come is destined to become a folk classic.......Very highly recommended." It's great to get such positive feedback for a project we have undertaken with such enthusiasm and with so much work involved. Hoorah!

New T Shirts

The museum t shirts remain as popular as ever and we've added a couple of new colours to the range. How adventurous we are!! Dipping our toe into the world of 'fashionability', we've introduced a lime green v neck with either a white or purple pentagram and for chaps, a charcoal t with either white or black pentagram. They are available in medium or large at the moment but if they prove popular we will extend the sizes. If you are visiting the museum you can buy one there or if not they can be purchased online at the museum's official online retailer The Occult Art Company.

Comments

As those of you who have visited the museum know, we collect written comments from people on their way out to display on the board outside. We'll occasionally put some of these on the blog so our e-visitors can read them too. My favourite for the day, which I haven't included, was from Churton age 6 who says 'I liked the goat who had a beard'. Most amusing! The favourite artefacts from the latest selection of comments seem to be 'Harry' (our medieval tarred head), the stuffed cat, and the crystal balls. Many people are return visitors who have visited many times. We try to change something each year to keep things interesting fro our repeat customers. Our retail is becoming a bit more adventurous as well, with some new t shirt colours added to the range and some one off glass pieces by Frank Timmins, local glass artist. I'll put a detailed note about the new t shirts (with photos) in the next blog.

Missing Camera

We've been contacted by a lady who has lost her camera outside the museum. The date was May 3rd around one o'clock. She had photos of her holiday in Somerset, Devon & Cornwall & is very distressed by its disappearance. A reward has been offered. I have no details of what type of camera it is but if anyone has any knowledge of the lost item please contact us & we'll send your information to the lady in question. I know it's a long shot but if we can help in any way we will. Thanks for your assistance on this one dudes.

Back from Australia

Well, I arrived back from Australia yesterday after 7 weeks and I must say it's very pleasant to be back home despite the jetlag. I can now update the blog more regularly with the latest happenings! Whilst in Australia I went along to the Mind Body & Spirit Festival and met She D'Montford, editor of Spellcraft magazine. They have done an article on the Museum of Witchcraft and we're hoping to build the connection so we can enhance Aussie/UK relations even further. Cassandra Easson was also there on a speaking tour and she has just released yet another book, Pagan in the City. What a prolific writer she is! The book should be released in the UK in a week or two I believe, so Cassandra fans should keep an eye out. I'll pop a link on for her website.

Happy May Day

Graham was up not so bright but very early to witness sunrise from a stone circle on Bodmin Moor yesterday. He then went off to Padstow to see the children's Oss dance to the haunting May Day tune. All before opening the museum! What a dedicated chap he is. Here are some lovely pics to prove it.

Summer Is A Comin'

It's great to see the boats go back in the harbour at this time of year. The sky put on a rainbow show in happiness at the thought.

Forced Temporary Closure

The museum had to close for a morning this week as the construction gang re laid the tarmac outside the museum.
Whist having to close is obviously bad news - having tarmac out side is great news!! Mud and dust have been causing us huge problems since the flood so it will be fabulous to enjoy smooth underfoot action for a change.

Auction Disappointment

Yesterday the museum failed to secure a painting of Cecil Williamson which had come up for auction in Plymouth.
The painting was by the late Robert Lenkiewicz and was undertaken shortly before Cecil died.
Graham had particularly wanted the portrait for the museum as he had taken Lenkiewicz to meet Williamson in his nursing home and witnessed the artist at work on this particular portrait. The museum took the bidding up to £4000 but this was not enough to secure the picture which finally sold for £4200.
Whilst it is disappointing not to have secured this important portrait, the museum has limited funds and must spend its money carefully.
I wonder who the successful bidder was?

New Sign

The weather in Boscastle can be a little extreme to say the least so our signs take a real beating. The lovely Mike, sign writer to the stars (well - us anyway) has been busy replacing our old sign with a sparkly new one. Here he is proudly displaying his work.

Glass cane donation

Our friends Martin and Belinda have donated a beautiful, very long, glass walking stick.
These items were often placed between a bed and fireplace and were said to absorb the evil spirits that caused diseases, especially ague (malaria). They should carefully be wiped clean each morning. Breaking your glass stick will surely attract misfortune. (From information provided by the Glass Manufacturers Federation.)
Let's hope that Martin & Belinda don't go down with the ague now they have given their stick to the museum!

Bye Bye Bridge

And so last Tuesday (a grey & foggy day in keeping with the mood of the villagers) we bid farewell to a Boscastle landmark - the old bridge outside the museum. I'm not sure how long it's been there but I believe it's more than a couple of centuries. It has withstood many of the floods that have hit Boscastle and that is one of the reasons why it has had to be replaced. During the August 2004 flood, fourteen cars became lodged underneath it, causing a huge backlog of water & debris which exacerbated the destructive effect of the flood waters outside the museum.

As sad as it is to see it go it really had to be changed. Unfortunately the new bridge is a bit of a shocker. We hope it will look more attractive when it is finally tarmacked & the railings are in situ. Graham took these photos for your perusal.

Foiled Again

One of our winter jobs has been to try and solve the problem of high humidity in some of the old wooden cabinets. The humidity monitors in some of these cabinets have often displayed a humidity figure several percent higher than ambient. This could be caused by the wood of the cabinet releasing moisture. After taking advice, we have lined one of the worst offenders with metal foil, replaced the silica gel, and we are now monitoring the results.
If this works and we can reliably control the humidity within all of the cabinets, we may be able to switch off some of the dehumidifiers a save a fortune in electricity and reduce our carbon footprint as well.

Bappy Easter

We would like to give a warm welcome to 'Bappy' the cast metal Baphomet which previously belonged to a lovely woman called Patsy (pictured here). Bappy was once used as a door stop in a second hand shop but was rescued by Patsy and they lived together in her Devon home for many years. Patsy is now thinking of moving and feels it's best not to take Bappy with her as others are sometimes shocked and worried by his devilish appearance. He has kindly been donated to the museum and we hope 'Bappy will be Happy' (chuckle) with us in his future life here.

Dragon Shoots

Anyone interested in pagan related books for small children will be delighted to hear there is a new series out called 'Dragon Shoots'. There are twelve books in the series based around the yearly festivals. Anyone interested should contact author Nell on sales@dragonshoots.com or check the website www.dragonshoots.com .

Devon & Cornwall Pagan Federation Conference Yesterday

A great day was had by all at the Devon & Cornwall Pagan Federation conference at Kilkhampton near Bude yesterday. There were some excellent speakers in attendance. Philip Carr-Gomm kicked off proceedings with a talk on druidry & oracles; Val Thomas spoke on the art of the kitchen witch; Julian Vayne did a fab job speaking on Aleister Crowley (filling in at the last minute for Dr Roland Rotheram who was sadly unable to attend - we wish him a speedy recovery); and the grande finale was a Parkinson-esque interview of the wonderful Maxine Sanders undertaken by the effervescent Cassandra Latham.

The amazing Wolf's Head & Vixen Border Morris side had a fab fun time energising the room with their unique brand of hot Morris action. (Apparently they were seen later in the evening entertaining the manager & customers of Morrisons in Bude in full regalia.)

The Museum & The Occult Art Company had a stall which was well supported. The highlight of the evening was Damh the Bard entertaining the crowd with his music - I believe there was much boogeying going on (if anyone has any incriminating photos please send them in). You can find Damh on Youtube.

We've had a special opening today for everyone who attended the PF do. It's great to get some energy into the place before we officially open on March 21st. It's freezing outside & we're battening down the hatches for what may be a very elemental night.

Opening 2008

Please excuse the lack of input on this blog recently. We have just returned from a fabulous trip to the temples of Angkor Wat in Cambodia and are now gearing up for the reopening of the museum. We will open on Friday 21st March. Opeing hours are the same as usual: 1030 am till 6 pm Monday to Saturday and 1130 am till 6 pm Sundays.

Hello Again

Well, it's been a while since my last post. I've been away from computer world for a while. There's not been a huge amount to report - just a continuation of the works down in the harbour (yes it's still going on!) and me having my bathroom modernised by Hannah's husband Lee (how thrilling you say). After much lobbying we now have a telephone box in the harbour. If you don't have an Orange network phone your mobile won't work so it's a bit of an asset to visitors to say the least. The next thing we need is a cash machine that doesn't charge you to take your own money out - don't get me started.....

The Gateway building (aka toilet block) is nearing completion in the car park but the shop next to the museum has come to a standstill & I've been told may not be open until June. Great! Keep Calm!!

On a more pleasant note - Hi to September & Karl who popped over from Atlanta Georgia for a visit today. The museum was closed but I happened to be dropping something off so let them in for a quick visit. They'd driven all the way from Scotland to see the musuem so it was fortuitous that I was around. Hi to September's coven back in Atlanta! Come & visit soon - during summer preferably. I suggested a trip to Avebury stone circle on their way back to London - a truly special place.

Happy New Year

We at The Museum of Witchcraft would like to wish all our visitors & supporters a very happy New Year. May 2008 be as magical as you wish it to be!

Please note the photo has nothing to do with New Year, I just like it!!

New Bridge

Well, after all the controversy regarding the replacement of the bridge outside the museum, the new bridge was finally lowered in to place yesterday Dec 18th. During the flood we had 14 cars wedged underneath the old bridge. The blockage contributed to quite a bit of the damage done to properties and increased risk to life so it was decided to replace it with a wider variety which will be less likely to be blocked by debris in case of another flood. Hannah took some photos of the momentous event.

Harbour Works photos

As promised here are a few photos of the ongoing works int he Harbour. The largest crane in the world (slight exaggeration) is readying itself for the bridge replacement on Tuesday. The Gateway building (read toilet block) at the entrance to the car park is on track to be finished around mid January I believe. The river itself is being widened & lowered outside the Things store & Valency lawn. All may look a little different next time you come along to Boscastle.

Boscastle Diggings

Having returned from a 3 week stint in Australia, I have found Boscastle to be awash with even more diggers, cranes & builders than before I left. The main road through the village was closed but thankfully (as of yesterday) it has reopended & traffic can make its way through, sometimes wth the help of traffic lights. Huge pipes are being laid along the museum side of the river & I believe the bridge outside the museum will be replaced on Tuesday. A massive crane is insitu readying itself for the task. I have taken some photos & will put them on shortly. The weather has been freezing but sunny, a far cry from last weekend which apparently saw some of the worst winds & storms Boscastle residents had seen for years. Some say there were 30 foot waves breaking in the harbour. Happily I flew in the day after all this happened & have had fab sunshine since my return. As I mentioned, I will pop a few photos of the works on so you can see what a tad of a mess Boscastle looks at the moment. Hopefullly it will all be worthwhile!!

Mavis

Here is a photo of Mavis who sadly died on Nov 28 2007. Mavis loved nothing more than sitting on Graham's lap while he brushed her fur. She was, perhaps, the fussiest eater in the world but was extremely friendly & purred at the drop of a hat. She was much too glamorous to chase birds or mice & to our amusement, the resident robin would often strut its stuff inches from Mavis' disinterested glare. She definitely made the most of all of her nine lives, bouncing back from several operations & illnesses with kittenesque fervour. Bye Mavis - thanks for being a good friend.

Mavis

It is with great sadness that I must announce the passing of Mavis, our black & white cat. You would have seen photos of Mavis adorning these pages from when she cheered us up during the flood to her wearing a very attractve plastic neckpiece after one of her operations or sitting on Graham's lap - her favourite location. Unfortunately I don't have a photo to upload at this time as I am away from my own computer. Mavis will be sorely missed & was the best cat in Boscastle!!

Friends' Weekend

For information regarding the Friends' weekend please email Adrian on thecrowman@thehouseoftheoldways.fsworld.co.uk.

Museum Closes For Winter

It's time to hang our broomsticks up, put our pointy hats in storage & get ready for a rather fab holiday. As of today, November 4th, the museum is closed for the winter. We will reopen at Easter 2008. I will put occasional updates on the blog during this time. Have a cool Yule everyone.

Website Down

Unfortunately our website is down this weekend so apologies to all who have been trying to access it. We hope to have it up & running on Monday 5th. I thought we were over all those technical blips with Mercury being direct again but no such luck.

WEBCAM goes weird - again!

Unfortunately we are experiencing WEBCAM problems again!
The webcam host site has let us down and we have had to move it to
http://museum.000webhost.info/
So if you have it saved as a favourite or like to visit the site, please change the address.
The image is still only Black and White but we hope to have our replacement camera very soon and give you full colour so that you can appreciate the oranges and yellows of the diggers! Mercury is now direct so we are expecting normality to occur soon.

It's Pumpkin Time!

The Museum wishes everyone a Happy Halloween!! Graham has done a stirling carving job on the museum pumpkin, kindly donated by our local pumpkin supplier Sheree.

Pleasant Sunset Pic

As promised - Graham kayaking into the sunset at Boscastle Harbour. Not a bad shot if I do say so myself. He's making all the fishermen jealous by catching quite a number of seabass on his daily outings.

Diggers

There's a fair amount of action taking place down in the harbour these days. Here are a couple of pics of the diggers in action by the museum.The hole is getting deeper & wider by the minute! We'll be closing Nov 4th so we'll get a bit of respite from the works. Very loud & smelly!! Graham is really getting in to his kayaking as a bit of a stress reliever - pleasant sunset pic follows.

Webcam links now all working

We're still in the good old days of black & white but the camera is now working from all links on the website. You can keep an eye on all the massive roadworks going on in the harbour. Unfortunately we don't have smellavision for you to get a whiff of the diesel fumes but take it from me - they're quite overpowering at times. We've just had another kind donation of books for the library from Mike Howard so that should keep Joyce busy cataloguing in the booth while she's enjoying aforementioned fumes. Hopefully she won't pass out.

Webcam up & running

The Webcam is now up & running after some tedious work - mercury is retrtograde after all. Please click here for the time being until we can amend the other link on the side bar. It is currently in black & white (thought we'd hearken back to another era) but we're working on the colour version. I'm off to my reiki class so have to write this in a hurry.

Museum Cards available online

The popular seasonal cards, originally painted for the museum by Vivienne Shanley, are now available online at The Occult Art Company website. Here's a pic of the most popular Samhain witch card. The CD 'Songs of Witchcraft & Magic' continues going from strength to strength with several plays on both Radio 2's Folk programme & Radio 3's late Junction. Yesterday we had a fab visit from one of the Wildgoose labels other exciting recording artists, Jim Causley. He's a young Devon folk singer & definitely worth a listen. We sold a lot of his CDs in The Boscastle Trading Co. By the way, Graham is working on the webcam & seems to have found a solution. Should be back on track shortly.

Web Cam down

We are currently experiencing problems with our webcam. We have had our cam-meister in to look it over & we hope to have it sorted shortly. Apparently it is a problem with AOL. There's a lot happening outside the museum with the diggers moving back in to continue the flood defense & sewerage works. The road on our side of the river is being dug up to lay pipes. They've started up by the old National Trust shop & will work their way down. Nice to have weekends off now that the Boscastle Trading Co is shut. I can finally tidy my house! We had a drinks evening last Monday to thank the artists who supported the project. The National Trust workers are now in the shop ready to convert it to a tea room.

Facebook

Recently, I've followed the pack & joined up with Facebook. I've started a 'Museum of Witchcraft' fanclub for people to send photos & add comments. If any of you are Facebook addicts & are interested in joining up please do. Check it out on Museum of Witchcraft Fans .

Plugs across the Atlantic

Songs of Witchcraft & Magic keeps turning up on the radio! Following several plays on BBC Radio 2 and 3, and most of the local folk stations in Britain, it is now getting airplay in the USA. The latest was on KUAR FM89 in Little Rock Arkansas ! Then we heard about another play on CKCU-FM 93.1 Ottawa, Canada !! If you hear us on any other faraway radio stations please let us know.

William

Graham is really getting into the kayaking. He's going out at every opportunity, not often on this frequently changeable Atlantic coastline. There is a rather friendly seal, William, who hangs out in the harbour eating fish thrown in by the fishing tourists. Here is a lovely pic of him taken by Graham when he was out on his kayak.

Wheel of the Year posters

The increasingly popular Wheel of the Year posters are currently out of stock on The Occult Art Company website but fear not as we are doing a new print run in a slightly larger A1 size. The Witch & Serpent posters will also be made larger. We do have a small number of these in stock until we make the changeover to the larger format. Thanks to John Hooper for supplying the image of the Wheel of the Year (painted by Vivienne Shanley). All other images are from the Richel Collection.

Boscastle Trading Co

It has been confirmed this week that The Boscastle Trading Co (the shop we've had this year next to the museum) will be closing at the end of Sept as The Environment Agency & South West Water will be digging up the roads outside to add to flood defences & put in sewerage pipes. We had intended to be open until end Oct but will be closing early. Next year the National Trust will be putting a tea room into the space. Hopefully the local artists who have been selling their work in the shop will find new outlets. This August has remained extremely quiet compared to other years. Thankfully the weather has improved & people can finally enjoy the fab outdoors around here. Graham is making the most of it as well & really loving his new toy - the kayak. A great destressser after a hectic day in the museum. He hasn't managed to catch any fish yet though!

Shop has Six Weeks Left - we think

It looks like we may be winding up the shop next to the museum at the end of September - a month earlier than initially thought. The road on our side of the river is due to be dug up from the beginning of October as part of the ongoing works in the harbour. The area outside the museum should also be affected but we hope to remain open as usual. The shop itself has been a rather pleasant success - we've had a bit more space to retail museum items and local artists have been reaping the benefits of an outlet for their work. It's nice to be able to keep the income in the village rather than it all going outside to a national pot somewhere else in the country. There is little opportunity in Cornwall for locals to make money. In the words of that folksong: 'Cornish men are fishermen & Cornish men are miners too, but when the fish & tin are gone, what are the Cornish lads to do.' We'll keep you posted on the closing date but if you're in the area do pop in & say hi.

Petrified Teddy

No not terrified - just stiff & crispy. I think I mentioned this in a previous blog & now here is the photo. A recent donation!(Museum number 1875)

New Richel Collection Drawing

The museum has recently purchased a new addition to the Richel Collection. The drawing was done by Bob Richel himself and is, dare I say, a cacophony of symbolism ranging from phallic to impish (museum number 1885). Detailed information can be found on the website by doing an advanced search of the museum number. If you'd like a copy of this image please contact the museum or The Occult Art Company as it is protected by copyright.

Some New Acquisitions

I thought I'd put a few pics on of some of the new items we've acquired recently. We have a rapidly expanding section on the use of 'witch' imagery in advertising & here we have a particularly glam witch advertising the merits of Ipswich Hosiery in 1925 (museum number 1881). Thornes Toffees did a fab Mother Goose tin which I find particularly attractive (museum number 1880). A rather different, but equally fascinating, acquisition is a pentacle made from matchsticks by Bill Thompson. Bill is a prisoner serving a life sentence who has been a Pagan for many years. He made this pentacle from matchsticks and glue and has used it in his cell for several years (museum number 1882). Thanks for making this donation Bill.

As a general point, if you know the museum number of any artefact you can make an advanced search on the website to find out more information.

Accommodation available

If you fancy popping down to Boscastle in the next few weeks but don't think there'll be any vacant B & Bs then think again! Jack, who works in the museum booth two days a week, has a B & B overlooking the harbour & has had a few cancellations (no doubt due to the horrendous flooding up north). Many museum regulars have stayed there time & again. It's a superb location & Jack & Fay are very friendly. For enquiries check out the Pencarmol website or phone 01840250435.

Harbour Scene

I know this isn't very witchy but I thought it was such a nice photo I'd pop it on the blog. Graham had an evening of de-stressing the other night when he borrowed a canoe & went for a paddle around the harbour. He looked particularly fetching in his new shorty wet suit!! I think he's discovered a new hobby.

He's hoping to catch a close up glimpse of William the seal who frequents the harbour this time of year.

Ritual to Combat Global Warming

We've been alerted to a ritual to combat Global Warming that is to take place on August 25th. I thought I'd let people know so you can participate if you are interested. It's being organised by the group 'Silver Owls' and full information can be found on their website, www.silverowls.co.uk.

Witches' Almanac Reviews 'Songs of Witchcraft & Magic'

For those who take The Witches' Almanac, look out in the next edition for a review of the museum's CD. It is a US publication but can be found in some bookstores in the UK.

Friends now a registered charity

Hoorah! After much work by the 'Friends of the Museum of Witchcraft' team, the 'Friends' is now a registered charity. This opens all sorts of new fundraising opportunities, not to mention recognition by official museum bodies and the world! The museum team congratulates the new charity trustees who have worked so hard to achieve this status. There should be tax advantages as well, and the 'Friends' can now take advantage of the Gift Aid scheme for membership fees and donations.

Radio 2 to play Songs of Witchcraft & Magic - again

Mike Harding is planning to play another track or two either this Wednesday or next on Folk on 2 so have a listen. Good reviews keep coming in & sales are going well. We are having to do a second run of CDs which is a great sign.

The museum is a tad quiet this weekend as so many people are stranded due to the floods, unable to get to their holiday destinations. We've been spared the bad weather down here (touch wood) but it's horrendous to see the images on the news.

Our 'Flood Aid from Boscastle' flood fund is going well. We've raised £2,570 for Catcliffe in Yorkshire in one week & as I write, we're packing the many comfort boxes which have been donated into a car to be delivered in the next week or so. The people of Boscastle & Cornwall have been extremely generous so far. We're hoping other villages will start a similar scheme, especially now that the flood situation has worsened.

CD reviews

greetings all
thought I'd put on a couple of reviews of the CD 'Songs of Witchcraft & Magic', for your reading pleasure. Mandrake Speaks & Folk Radio UK have both recently done some gorge reviews.

Mandrake Speaks says: 'Unlike the previous excellent CD emanating from Boscastle's amazing museum, this one is not locally produced but is in fact a compilation of many wonderful tracks from previously issued albums and artists. For example the ever famous Thomas the Rhymer is here included in the version of Both Shine As One by Ron Taylor & Jeff Gillett. Or the Song Alison Gross, made famous for me at least by 1970s folk rockers Steeleye Span is here included in the very fine version of Last Leaves by Malinky Greentrax. So this is a great compilation and you're gonna kick yourself if you don't buy it. Includes a lovely CD cover, lyrics and photographs from the museum whose work all profits will help support. '#

Click on the Folk Radio UK link to read what they have to say.

Latest on Flood Appeal

Graham is currently up in Catcliffe (the badly flood affected village in Yorkshire) to check out exactly where our help can be directed. There is widespread damage and many people are homeless, especially the elderly. He's liaising with the Parish Council & the local vicar to work out how best to utilise any money we raise. We're also putting together comfort boxes. We got the idea from a wonderful Devon coven who sent us a box of goodies after the flood here in 2004. It was much appreciated so we thought they might cheer up some people in Catcliffe. He'll be back tomorrow with an update so I'll have more info then.

On the museum front, all is well & visitor numbers remain quite good. The CD is still going well & The Boscastle Trading Co next door has been a popular addition to Boscastle (if only temporary). Remember we sell Museum t shirts and prints in there as well. We've also just got in some of John Hooper's cards featuring his amazing photographs (Alex Sanders' fans take note) and we have a small selection of Hedingham Fair t shirts & cards. Glass knitting needles (hand made replicas of a pair in the museum) are available here too. The other option to purchase museum items is on The Occult Art Company website.

Flood Aid from Boscastle

News re Flood Aid from Boscastle or 'FAB' for short. Apologies re the break in blogging but we've been beavering away here trying to get a local fundraising scheme going for the flood victims up north. After our flood in 2004 Boscastle benefited greatly from the generosity of the people of the UK and elsewhere so, with this recent hideous flooding in Yorkshire & surrounding areas, we were wondering how we could give something back. We came up with several ideas: local businesses clubbing together to put donation pots in the village shops, holding coffee mornings, concerts etc. We wanted to make it fairly formal so we've opened a bank account dedicated to the fund and formed a committee so it's as organised as possible. We've contacted the Lord Mayor of Sheffield & the vicars and Parish Councillors of some of the affected towns. As well as funds they have expressed an interest in people who were affected by the floods in Boscastle to come and speak to affected people up there. That may be something we'll look into down the track. At first we will try to focus on small specific areas so the funds are not diluted. I'd like to point out this is not just a museum initiative but involves many people in Boscastle, and the numbers are growing. We should be up & running with this in the next few days so if your visiting & see a donation pot, please consider helping out. We're not a very big village but we hope we can help in any way we can - just as a tiny way of saying thanks for those who helped us.

All Is Well

Just wanted to thank everyone for the emails of support & good wishes after the recent flood. Everything is back to normal & business is as usual. The media did tend to over hype the issue somewhat. It was rather scary at the time but things got under control very quickly thanks to the swift action of the Fire Brigade & local Coast Guards. The shops near the main bridge had about 3 feet of water in & spent yesterday cleaning up but are open today. A couple of private properties near the main bridge also had water damage but things were nowhere near as bad as the 2004 flood. So please don't let this stop you from visiting Boscastle as everything is up & running as normal. We had the quietest day of the year yesterday & it's still rather quiet today. On the reail side of things, Graham has some fab new dark mirrors for sale in the museum. The obsidian ones are available through The Occult Art Company website and the black glass ones will be going on next week. If you're visiting the museum, look out for back issues of Pentacle magazine which have been donated by the editor. The new Summer 2007 Merry Meet magazine is out & available next door at The Boscastle Trading Co. There is a great review of the museum's 'Songs of Witchcraft & Magic' in it as well.

Some Flood Pics

The flood seems to be abating at the moment -touch wood. Graham has been on Coastguard Duty throughout the incident & is just about to step down for some well earned warmth & food. Although not as bad as last time it's still a tad stressful. Here are a few pics. At least it looks like the ducks are having a good time. Remember you can check the Webcam for on the spot views outside the museum to see if the river is rising. Thanks to those who've sent good wishes already.

Flood News

Some of you may have heard on the news that Boscastle is experiencing another severe flood. Just to make people aware that as of this time the museum & staff are all safe. The flood is not nearly as bad as last time but several of the shops near the other bridge were under around 3 feet of water. I will put some pics on later but now must dash. Will keep updating the blog with any news.

Kerriann

Welcome Jack-Farewell Carole

A bit belated but I thought I'd mention that this year we have had a change of staff. Many of you will remember Carole who worked in the booth & did many of the displays in the museum. Well this year she has left to go travelling so we have Jack from local B & B Pencarmol doing a few days a week. So welcome to Jack & Good Luck to Carole. Woo oo!!

Dennis Wheatley rides into the museum

We've recently had the most wonderful donation of a complete set of hardback Dennis Wheatley books. Thanks to the donor!! Good fun for Joyce to catalogue. A petrified teddy from Mother Shipton's cave arrived a week or so ago as well. No, not terrified just calcified from hanging in the petrifying well. Very cute.

The Boscastle Trading Co

Many of you have asked for pics of the The Boscastle Trading Co which we've taken over for the season. It's located next door to the museum at the old Cornish Goodies site. for those who don't know the story, the National Trust bought the shop last year to turn it into a teashop. Unfortunately they didn't manage to get it up & running in time so were going to leave it empty for the year. Not a great look for the village & not great for business in the museum. So we've taken it over for the year, doing local crafts, Fairtrade items & some museum retail. Here's a composite piccy for those who can't get down to see us in person.

BBC 2's Mike Harding plays museum CD

Excitement reigned on Wednesday night this week when we heard a track from 'Songs of Witchcraft & Magic' played on Mike Harding's programme 'Folk on 2' on BBC Radio 2 along with a mention of the museum. He played Malinky's version of 'Alison Cross' which is one of my favourites. Remember you can get a copy at the online store associated with the museum www.theoccultartcompany.co.uk or at the museum itself.

Beltane Bash

Hi to everyone we met at the London 'Beltane Bash' last weekend. We had a great time and met some fab people who are strong supporters of the museum. One group is even hiring a coach to make a trip down here. It's a great idea as public transport is quite sporadic in these parts.

Our best sellers at the Bash were the ever popular museum t shirts and the new CD 'Songs of Witchcraft & Magic.' I shared the stand with Steve Patterson, our favorite woodcarver who had a fab selection of dark mirrors and athames. We hope to be there again next year.

Have a Listen to Radio Shropshire

We've been getting a lot of radio play for the new CD 'Songs of Witchcraft & magic'.The latest is Genevieve Tudor's show on Radio Shropshire. Here's a link so you can keep an eye on her programme: Radio Shropshire - Genevieve Tudor

Thanks Johnny

Thanks to Johnny Coppin who gave 'Songs of Witchcraft & Magic' and the museum a great plug on his excellent Folk Roots program on Radio Glousteshire. We are really happy with the response it's getting so far. We've sent copies to Australia, Canada, The USA and Hong Kong so far which is rather fab.

Review from 'Meyn Mavro' magazine

Another review of the 'Songs of Witchcraft & Magic' CD by Meyn Mavro magazine - "a beautifully produced CD with 15 songs....all of which have elements of strange witchcraft and magic in them...... highly recommended, both for its songs and its detailed sleeve notes." Thanks guys.

Latest News on 'Songs of Witchcraft & Magic'

For those interested in the progress of the CD, it is selling really well since its launch on May 1st.
We know it has been played on:
Radio Scotland
Radio Wales
Radio Derby
Radio Glastonbury
We have also been reliably informed that Mike Harding of BBC's Folk on 2 will be playing a track from the album in the near future.
If you've heard the CD played on any other station, please let us know.

Pete Jennings has given the CD a glowing review in Pentacle Magazine “I have long lectured on the delights of references to magic and witchcraft within British folksong, so this album comes as a treat” ... “Not since the issue of ‘Frost and Fire’ by the Watersons on vinyl has there been such a collection…..” “ The quality of the recordings are excellent, as is the packaging and accompanying booklet of lyrics and notes.”

Mike Howard, of ‘The Cauldron’ said "A fantastic collection of magical and witchy British folk songs...Very highly recommended."

The Hedge Wytch Magazine said “:….great presentation packaging….the songs and ballads are all traditional and are simply and beautifully sung…” “It is a very professional product ….A worthy addition to any witch’s music collection.”

We know that White Dragon have also reviewed the album – we would love it if someone could send us a copy of the review?

A further 30 or so magazines have promised to review the CD – lets hope they are all as good as those received so far!

T Shirts online

Just to let you know the Museum of Witchcraft t shirts are now available on The Occult Art Company website in an array of sizes including XXL in the ladies v neck.

We will also be at The Beltane Bash on May 27 & 28. I will be sharing a stand with Steve Patterson, woodcarver. Steve is responsible for the carvings on display outside the museum and bull roarers and dark mirrors on sale in the shop. Hopefully we will see some of you there. We will be taking along the new CDs so you can buy one there as well as online or at the museum.

Far From the Sodding Crowd

I sit here in our rather customer free shop with the rain pouring down outside, having just read a fabulous piece on the museum in the rather wonderful new book 'Far From The Sodding Crowd'. It's the latest outing from Robin Halstead, Jason Hazely, Alex Morris & Joel Morris who were responsible for 'Bollocks To Alton Towers' which was on The Sunday Times Top Ten list in 2006. This is their follow up with more amazing & unique places to visit in Britain. As well as featuring the museum it looks at The Shell Grotto in Margate (definitely worth a visit), the Bakelite Museum in Somerset, and The BubbleCar Museum in Cranwell. An extremely varied array of outings indeed. So if anyone is into spending time visiting interesting & unusual places this is the book for you. We met a couple of the authors when they came down last year & what pleasant chaps they were too-obviously very enthusiastic about their subject & rather keen on a pint (which always goes down well in Boscastle). So keep an eye out for the book. Always good to see the museum portrayed positively - hopefully it will improve visitor numbers too.

Quiet week

Things have definitely quietened down after the Easter rush. Traders in Boscastle are saying this is the quietest they have seen it for some years. I must say the car park does look hideous with a huge monstrosity sitting by the entrance. A new toilet block is being built but unfortunately they got the plans a little wrong & it looks more like a half built skyscraper than anything else. Needless to say work has stopped on it while they (NCDC) try to sort the problem out so it looks extremely ugly. Maybe that's putting people off coming, who knows.

Despite this, museum visitors have been fairly steady and the retail side is not too bad. The new fridge magnets are proving a popular addition and I do believe some fun witchy key rings could be making an appearance soon. We've had some fabulous new books donated to the library so we're making the most of this quiet period with a lot of cataloguing and covering. Joyce has also been busy cataloguing some Egyptian artifacts which we've found in the store room. They will be displayed shortly.

The Boscastle Trading Co. is selling the museum t shirts and, by popular demand, we'll be adding some XXL ladies v necks to the mix. The small red v necks with black hazel pentacle are also available again. We'll be up at the Beltane Bash with the new CDs and t shirts so we might see you there.

Cauldron Review

First official review:
"A fantastic collection of magical and witchy British folk songs...Very highly recommended."
The Cauldron magazine

CD Selling Well

The new 'Songs of Witchcraft & Magic CD is selling really well so far. Orders have been flooding in www.theoccultartcompany.co.uk website from both the UK & the USA. Great to see our American fans have picked up on the CD so quickly.

New CD

The eagerly awaited new Museum of Witchcraft CD "Songs of Witchcraft and Magic" ( a collection of traditional British folk songs relating to witchcraft and magic) has arrived. The official launch is the 1st May but you can get a copy now in the museum, The Boscastle Trading Co. Store next door, or online at www.theoccultartcompany.co.uk

The CD is already selling well with many pre orders going out in the post. Watch out for news on reviews coming up in relevant magazines. It's a classy production with the words of each song included, as well as carefully researched notes.

A Bit of Fun

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that our New Yorker friend, Roger Pratt, would be appearing on The Dave Letterman Show. Here is the link to the YouTube site so you can have a watch - Roger on Letterman. He's on near the end. Handy for Portuguese readers that it has Portuguese subtitles.

New Shop

Well apologies for the break in transmission over the past couple of weeks. We've been totally frantic with some sudden developments. Those of you who have visited may remember the Cornish Goodies store next door to the museum. The National Trust bought this store in October and had planned to turn it into a tea shop. Unfortunately they could not get it happening in time so the shop was going to remain an empty shell for the season. Never one to miss an opportunity, Graham has managed to persuade the NT to rent us the shop for the season so we have, in 12 days, turned an empty room into a gallery and shop displaying local artist's and craftspeople's work and Fairtrade goods.We also have some of the museum's retail items as the space in the museum is somewhat limited. Currently you can buy MOW t shirts and the Richel collection prints. More will be coming over time. The shop is called The Boscastle Trading Co. so pop in and visit if you're coming down. I'll try to pop a photo in soon.

Pre alert for new CD

It's time to announce the upcoming launch of the new CD which is being produced by The Museum of Witchcraft and Wildgoose Records. I have mentioned it in a previous post but now I can officially reveal the CD cover and list of tracks - shown here. May 1st is the official launch date - if you would like to be one of the first to buy a copy you can pre-order one by emailing The Museum of Witchcraft. When it hits the shelves they will let you know and you can either send a cheque or buy one by visiting The Occult Art Company. Graham has a great love of traditional folk music and, with his connection to the museum, it seems obvious that he should combine his two interests and produce this collection of fascinating witchcraft related folk songs.

Donation

We're expanding our collection of witch-related advertising signs and paraphernalia so we were extremely excited to receive this fantastic sign from local Cornish sculptor Rory. We also picked up a fab original Pears soap ad from the 1920s featuring fortune tellers. It was in a charity shop in Lyme Regis. We are looking to replace another Pears soap ad which was lost in the flood. It features a witch flying on a broomstick. If anyone knows where we could get a copy please let us know.

New Prices

Unlike most other museums the Museum of Witchcraft is privately owned and does not receive any grants whatsoever. Regular visitors will know that the entrance fee has always remained as low as possible but this year we need to slightly increase the entrance fee to cover increased costs. Adults entrance fee will now be £3.00 and children and elders £2.00. We feel these prices are still very reasonable. Here is a photo of Mike updating the door sign. You may also note a new 'DONATE' button on the front page of the website. We are also introducing new retail products to give this area a boost. The Occult Art Company has produced some fabulous posters which include the Witch from the Richel images and the ever-popular Wheel of the Year painted by Vivienne Shanley. They were launched at last weekend's Devon and Cornwall Pagan Federation Conference in Kilkhampton. The conference was a great success with record numbers of attendees. The museum opened on the Sunday especially for the conference goers and it was a fabulous day with friendly interested people coming to show their support. Our official opening day for this year is Saturday March 31st.

The Times

A question was recently sent in to The Times: ' Was anyone ever persecuted for witchcraft, and posthumously pardoned?' Our resident historian Joyce Froome answered the question which was printed in The Times on March 2nd. The only pre 20th century case apparently occurred after the Salem witchtrials. Joyce answers the question in slightly more detail. Fame at last for Joyce!!