Author: Geoff Davis

A Summer Evening with F.W. Harvey, The Yorkley Walk – Friday 6th July 7.00 p.m.

We enjoyed a pleasant walk around Yorkley and heard the poems and the inspiration behind them. This guided walk around Yorkley featured many of F.W. Harvey’s best loved poems. Participants were given a map and led over a two hour walk following mostly level ground. In addition to featuring High View, the poet’s home for thirty years, the walk featured landmarks such as the Cut and Fry Cricket Pitch that evoke the poem The Catch and F.W. Harvey’s love of the game. The walk started and finished at the Nag’s Head for the weary to refresh themselves afterwards. This event was held during the ‘Coleford Festival of Words’ which took place from 2-7th July 2012

Gifted Sons of the Severn – King’s School, Gloucester – 5th November 2011

This was a combined Society event.

F.W. Harvey Society
The Ivor Gurney Society
The Royal Forest of Dean Herbert Howells Society

Three men: a composer, a poet, and a rare genius dually gifted in both arts, shared a close friendship in the years before the First World War, and all three went on to make outstanding contributions to the cultural life of Britain in the twentieth century. These three, Herbert Howells, F.W. Harvey and Ivor Gurney walked and talked together in the beautiful Gloucestershire countryside surrounding the River Severn, drawing inspiration from the landscape and from each other—but the War was to change their lives forever. This event will focus on the known early influences on all three men, their relationship and collaborations.

Following a light lunch at 1.00 pm, the event was opened by Dame Janet Trotter, CBE, Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire. The new book The Selected Poems of F.W. Harvey was then launched in a presentation by authors Anthony Boden and Kelsey Thornton, who played excerpts from the new CD which is included free with the book.

Maurice Bent, President of the Forest of Dean Herbert Howells Society, gave a talk with slides, which included the BBC sound recording (1958) of Herbert Howells talking about his friendship with Ivor Gurney and F.W. Harvey.

There was a presentation on the friendship from the perspective of Will Harvey by Roger Deeks and Teresa Davis. Teresa had been responsible for much of the planning of the day and was delighted that the event was so well received.
Following afternoon tea Anthony Boden and Kelsey Thornton introduced a short film BBC/OU Film (2001): Long Remembered Hills, a documentary film about Ivor Gurney in which his life and music was considered by, amongst others, Michael Hurd, Paul Spicer and Anthony Boden. This included the recorded voice of Herbert Howells reminiscing about Ivor Gurney.

The event was attended by over 125 people, many members of the above societies, but also others from as far as the north of England and south Devon.

Saturday 17th September 2011, 12.00 pm

F.W. Harvey brought national attention to the apple and pear orchards of his native Minsterworth and the traditional cider makers in the Forest of Dean through his much loved poetry and BBC broadcasts. One of his poems was John Helps an ode to a local cider maker written in the local dialect, the first verse reads:

John Helps a wer an Honest mon;
The perry that a made
Wer crunched vrom purs as honest
As ever tree displayed

The F.W. Harvey Society, as part of their celebration of poems about cider and perry visited the cider press of Ray Tosh to learn about how cider is made today using some of the traditional skills and knowledge. Ray Tosh, renowned for his brew, Tosh’s Tipple, served up samples and answered many questions about his business.

David Price the landlord of the Railway Inn, Newnham Provided a ploughman’s lunch. This was followed by some poetry: Steve Cooper reciting John Helps and a very entertaining performance from Dave Harvey, retired local freeminer, who told a few stories and recited some of his own verse. Twenty-five members of the Society enjoyed the afternoon high on Pleasant Style, Littledean, looking across a glorious view of the Severn Valley that was so often the inspiration to F.W. Harvey, Ivor Gurney and Herbert Howells.

All who attended thoroughly enjoyed the visit.

The F.W. Harvey Society was invited to the Railway Inn, Newnham-on-Severn for an informal evening of ‘Cider with Harvey’. This delightful pub has been described as the ‘best cider pub in the world’ and the landlord, David Price, is renowned for his hospitality and enthusiasm for Forest books and literature. David, a lifelong Harvey fan, offered his premises to the Society for the evening and provided an intoxicating range of local cider and perry with bread and cheese. The star performers for the evening were Maggie Clutterbuck, Forest comedienne and poet, and Keith Morgan of Coleford.

F.W. Harvey said of Minsterworth: I love the men: the fishers and the cider-makers. He immortalised the perry maker John Helps in his widely loved poem of the same name. Cider and perry were a form of currency at the turn of the century; agricultural labourers at the Redlands and on local farms were frequently remunerated in cider made from apples grown in the ancient orchards that line the banks of the Severn. It was with these folk that Will Harvey felt most at home. In later life he would sing and recite his verses in local hostelries and enjoy the drink and company. In that tradition you are invited to a special evening at Newnham, touched by his blessing for all such places in Gloucestershire:

God bless this place of homely inns
And honest workmen supping ale;
Let even farmers’ grumblings fail,
And pardon its few sins!
Send, when the great soft curfew bell
Shall dout the light of eyes and houses,
A dream of innocent carouses
And laughter beautiful.

F.W. Harvey, Blessing Upon a Gloucestershire Village, from September

Saturday, September 3rd 2011

This guided walk around Yorkley featured many of F.W. Harvey’s best loved poems. Starting at 10.30am from the Village Hall, each participant was given a map and led over a two hour walk following mostly level ground. In addition to featuring High View, the poet’s home for thirty years, the walk will feature landmarks such as the Cut and Fry Cricket Pitch that evoke the poem The Catch and F.W. Harvey’s love of the game. Refreshments were provided afterwards at the Village Hall.

10th August 2011.

The Society has been commissioned to produce 20 pictures illustrating the life and work of the great Gloucestershire poet, F. W. Harvey for the Apple Tree Inn at Minsterworth. These historic pictures have now been hung in the main dining room in the popular restaurant and are there for the enjoyment and information of diners. Will Harvey spent his formative years in Minsterworth and lived across the road from the Apple Tree Inn at the Redlands, a house familiar to many Foresters passing along the A48 to Gloucester. Here in the years before the First World War the Harvey family entertained Ivor Gurney and Herbert Howells, two other great talents to emerge from this era. The building now known as the Apple Tree Inn then formed part of the estate of the Harvey household and only became a public house many years later. The Society is very appreciative of the interest shown by proprietor Marion Jayne who is keen to inform her guests about the historic connection between the Apple Tree and the Gloucestershire Laureate.

Steve Cooper, archivist and photographer who produced the pictures said:

“The Harveys were a prominent Gloucestershire family and owned a lot of property around Minsterworth and Churcham. The house at Redlands and what is now the Apple Tree Inn were part of a rural idyll where young Will Harvey grew up. Many of his poems celebrate the orchards, river and natural history of Minsterworth. I hope visitors to the Apple Tree Inn will enjoy the pictures and poems, and be inspired to find out more about will Harvey and his work.”