This article was written by Harry Mottram for the Bridgwater Mercury newspaper in 2015. High up in the misty folds of the southern Quantocks lies the hamlet of Merridge with its farms, its farm cottages and its… well that’s it. Except for Pines Café and the Traveller’s Rest Inn of course. And it’s at the […]
From Yatton to Wells and down the line An article written in 2014 by Alex Duncan on the Strawberry Line Let me take you along the line from Yatton to Wells – for it’s still as vivid to me now as it was when I was a schoolboy after the war. From Yatton station the […]
Cycle paths across Britain are expanding as more people use their bikes to discover the countryside. Originally the Strawberry Line ran from coast to Cranmore. Only part of it is used a viable cycleway and path. Harry Mottram asks could it really run all the way from Wales to Wiltshire? This article was written in 2014. NOTE: the Government ditched the idea of a Severn Barrage due to costs – although it remains a possibility for the future. Imagine being able […]
The life and times of the dancer Gloria Sheaves The former dancer who was born on 28 April 1913 at Stour-Row near Shaftesbury in Dorset, the fifth child born into a family of cattle farmers. She was christened Gwendoline Marjorie Allard. One of her earliest memories was around the time of her sixth birthday seeing […]
The draft Axbridge Neighbourhood Plan is now available for you to have your say. December 24th, 2019, is the deadline for comments. The full draft plan is available to download at http://axbridgenp.co.uk/theplan Any comments or feedback should be sent to alan.wells9@btopenworld.com
What was it like to visit the Strawberry Line in 1899? Using an 1899 guidebook Harry Mottram took a trip from Clevedon to Wells in a tweed Norfolk suit in search of Victorian Somerset. Cyclists should dismount when descending Cheddar Gorge and Clevedon is not condusive to bathing but does have smart shops. These and other useful […]
A Christmas Carol. Bristol Old Vic Theatre, Bristol It’s a dark and dangerous world in Lee Lyford’s steam punk inspired musical version of Charles Dickens’ novella A Christmas Carol. A world where children die from preventable diseases, families go hungry and Scrooge’s deaf clerk Bob Cratchit could be summarily dismissed for signing the words ‘Happy […]
Theatre Review: Snow White, Tobacco Factory Theatre, Bristol Step into the alternative world of director Alex Byrne’s Snow White, where vegan woodland folk can’t count up to seven and mirrors sing the truth to you about your fading looks. A place where there are no dwarfs or glass coffins and the dark Bavarian forest is represented […]
An article in the Strawberry Line Times magazine by Harry Mottram a few years ago about the winter of 1962/63 triggered lots of memories from readers. Terry Watkins who now lives in Australia recalled how he used a jack hammer to break the ground when installing cables in trenches in the lawns of residents. He […]
Infrastructure required Back in 2015 Harry Mottram mused the possible return of a new age of the train. Michael Portillo said one thing of interest in his BBC TV programme on the Strawberry Line. Standing in Yatton and looking down the cycle path he remarked that is was sad so many branch lines were closed […]
As a freelance creative I can bring a number of skills to the table having worked in the media for many years. I began as a graphic designer, moved into
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Harry’s illustrations have appeared in numerous magazines and newspapers. If you would like more information contact him on harryfmottram@gmail.com. There are more illustrations, cartoons and articles by Harry at www.harrymottram.co.uk
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Stretchmark Theatre stages plays written by Harry Mottram. It effectively began in 1997 with the pantomime Humpty Dumpty staged in Axbridge First School in aid of the PTA. The following
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RAPSCALLION MAGAZINE Book Review: no sex scenes in Donna Tartt’s coming of age novel about a boy’s lies, deceit and art world crimes – but plenty on his teenage drug
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LOOKING BACK – VIDEO: My mother Mary Mottram on Television South West’s gardening program in the 1980s Mary Mottram appeared on a gardening programme presented by Terry Underhill Gardening For
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STRAWBERRY LINE TIMES Theatre Review: From monochrome to full colour and from ‘Bah Humbug’ to ‘Merry Christmas’, Bristol Old Vic’s A Christmas Carol combines music, movement and humour in a
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Harry Mottram regularly creates cartoons for a number of magazines and newspapers Sometimes they are one off for a particular feature, or as part of a feature he’s written, or
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