Kay Rouse
Storyteller, Merchant, Chandlery demonstrations
Periods covered: Late medieval, pre-reformation Tudor, Stuart, Georgian, Dickensian, WW2 Homefront
Contact: Kay Rouse
0208 856 8287
As well as telling fictional and traditional stories in Dickensian guise I also use the interviews undertaken by Henry Mayhew and his wife to relate the real experiences and trials of the mid nineteenth century London poor (Children especially enjoy the purefinder's tale...) I also give linked readings from Dicken's works.
We now show wax chandlery and candle dipping and moulding as an Arts and Crafts presentation and for small scale production. Traditional skills, methods and standards - and the creation of articles that are both useful and beautiful - are emphasised as an alternative to rampant industrialisation.
As well as those enduring games that adapt and survive, genteel Victorian parlour games still engage both young and old. Our board games both commemorate major events such as the 1851 Great Exhibition and celebrate the new moral tone with 'Right Roads & Wrong Ways'. (Don't worry - we do still offer gambling,
puzzles and games of skill with the opportunity for hands–on
participation by both children and adults)
