December 2009

A recent visitor to the Museum of Cannock Chase in Staffordshire, saw the Harry Wilding marionettes on display there and realising that a relative of hers had a similar figure, encouraged the owner of the above figure to get in touch with the Museum.  As a result, on a Sunday afternoon in late November, this newly-discovered Harry Wilding figure (pictured above) made a brief reunion with some of her former puppet family and is now having some minor repairs and a re-string.

THE BARBERSHOP QUARTET

This Quartet of figures were the latest Hand & Rod Puppets to be completed.  A selection of these figures made up a small display at the AGM of the British Puppet & Model Theatre Guild on 25th April.

THE RONNIE CRYER MARIONETTES GO ON DISPLAY

Joining the Douglas Hayward Puppet Collection at Staffordshire County Museum, Shugborough, from 20th March for the 2009 season, is a selection of figures from the Ronnie Cryer Variety Marionettes.

The Museum's Winter closure period provided the perfect opportunity to re-arrange the existing display to make room for the new figures and carry out some minor repairs and re-stringing.

Ronnie Cryer’s puppetry career spanned the final years of Variety Theatre and the early years of Clubland – from the mid 1950s to the mid 1980s.  He appeared in all the Number One Variety Theatres, sharing the bill with such legendary entertainers as Max Miller, Laurel & Hardy, Jimmy James and Tommy Trinder.

FIRST PUPPET OF 2009

Just in time for Pantomime Season, the first puppet to be completed in 2009 was the above Robin Hood Hand & Rod Puppet.

WILDING'S BELLHOP NOW ON DISPLAY

Following repair and re-costuming, Harry Wilding's Bellhop Marionette is now on display at the Museum of Cannock Chase, Staffordshire.  Other Wilding figures on display include Billy Big Boots and a disjointing skeleton.  Opening hours at the Museum are Monday to Friday, 11am to 4pm during the Winter months, then 7 days a week from Easter to September.

WILDING'S BELLHOP RESTORATION

We are currently restoring another Harry Wilding Figure - Wilding's Bellhop - which is due to be displayed at the Museum of Cannock Chase later in the year.  The Museum recently formed the backdrop to a reunion of the Wilding and Fanning Families. 

Early in June, an e:mail arrived from the Granddaughter of Mary Fanning, who was a puppeteer in the latter years of the Harry Wilding Troupe.  Mary’s twin sister Tottie (also a puppeteer with Wildings), married Harry Wilding’s son, Bert.  The two Fanning Brothers, Harry and Daniel also each ran their own Marionette Company and all had previously been manipulators with Bullocks and D’Arc’s before that.

Two Generations of the Wilding & Fanning Families

A date was set for some of the Fanning Family to visit the newly-extended Museum of Cannock Chase, where Harry Wilding’s marionette ‘Billy Big Boots’ is currently displayed in the Museum’s new Local History Gallery.  As many of the Wilding Family still live in the Cannock Chase area, news of a visit by the Fanning Family spread among the Wildings, who were keen to attend too, such that the Museum’s Conference Room had to be secured at the last minute to house what became a gathering of several generations of the two families.

MORE HAND & ROD PUPPETS COMPLETED

July saw the completion of another set of Hand & Rod Puppets for a Midlands Arts Organisation.

RESTORED MARIONETTES FROM THE
CANNON HILL PUPPET AUCTION

These two 24 inch marionettes from the Cannon Hill Puppet Auction in March 2008, are from Cannon Hill Puppet Theatre's 1972 Production, "The Enchanted Well."  The costumes had suffered particularly badly in storage over the years and required complete refurbishment.  Plain white fabrics and braid were matched to the original colours with dye.

After some repairs to the controls, they were re-strung on thread also dyed to match the original green colour.

RESTORED EMPEROR & EMPRESS FROM THE
CANNON HILL PUPPET AUCTION

Above are two more figures from the Cannon Hill Puppet Auction which needed fairly extensive renovation work, particularly to their costumes.  The Emperor & Empress appeared in "The Emperor's New Clothes" produced by Cannon Hill Puppet Theatre in 1970.

RESTORED PRINCE FROM THE
CANNON HILL PUPPET AUCTION

The Rod Puppet above was purchased at the Cannon Hill Puppet Auction in March 2008.  We have just finished carrying out some renovation and repairs, which involved carving a replacement for the missing left hand and arm, re-covering the wings, cleaning the costume, replacing the crown and a repair to the neck joint and control.  It is now back in excellent working order.

RESTORED ROD PUPPET FROM THE
CANNON HILL PUPPET AUCTION

This is another figure from the Cannon Hill Puppet Auction which required very little refurbishment other than cleaning up.  The puppet is from Cannon Hill Puppet Theatre's production of "The Nutcracker."

A RECENT COMMISSION

The above is a recently commissioned life-size head of a snake-charmer in latex for a puppet pantomime.  The snake-charmer and his snake appeared in short comic interludes between scenes of "Ali Baba."