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.