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The Riddle of the Rhymes - The Stories Behind Havant's Nursery Rhyme Tiles
| Published: 3rd June 2014 14:28 |
The many people from Havant and beyond who came to view the War Memorial Hospital nursery rhyme tiles when they were on display at The Spring Arts and Heritage Centre last autumn will be glad to hear about a fascinating follow-up event.
Local expert Tessa Daines will be using a range of nursery rhyme figurines she has made herself to explain the remarkable background stories behind the rhymes we knew as children. For example, who was Old King Cole? What is the reference to child labour in See Saw Margery Daw? And you may be amazed at the bloodthirsty allusions to instruments of torture that lie behind the innocent-sounding lyrics of Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary.
There was of course nothing threatening about the tiles that comforted patients in Havant's War Memorial Hospital. Even adults who were nursed in the former children's ward would derive pleasure from looking at them. The tile panels were designed by Royal Doulton artist William Rowe in 1935; each panel was made up of 24 tiles, with one signed ‘WR Doulton Lambeth'. The Spring is privileged to have three of the panels on display, after having played host to the entire collection in 2013.
Nursery rhymes are known from medieval times, and feature in Shakespeare's plays. To learn more about the stories behind the pictures, why not come along to The Spring on Saturday 7 June at 7.45pm? Tickets are £5, and the talk will take place in the Langstone Room.
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