Updated 10/11/07
N E W S A N D V I E W S
Hi. This space is for us to give you our news and views on what's up and coming and, hopefully for you to tell us what you like (and dislike).
The smoking ban is here! We have a sociable, heated, covered space outside. It's the meeting place for reprobates!
The next Woolley Festival is the 10th we have hosted! So watch out for sparks.
Our next Pub trip is to Krakow in March, get in touch if you are interested in coming.
We are getting interest in Monday nights as an Open Mic night. Any views?
So: over to you! Please either us with your comments or fill out the form below and we will post your comments and reviews (subject to propiety) on our site.
Love, Jim 'n' Julie.
Results of your feedback for the Music Pub of the Year 2006
| Brilliant | Good | So-So | |
| 1) Variety | 88% | 10% | 2% |
| 2) Value | 91% | 8% | 1% |
| 3) Atmosphere | 91% | 8% | 1% |
| 4) Service | 85% | 14% | 1% |
.... and some of your comments
| D Matthews | 1) Remove pillar 2) Better mix of bands (same bands constantly reappear) |
| Ben Lews | A brilliant venue keep it going |
| Lesley Gillion | A fantastic atmosphere - always welcoming, friendly warm service |
| Pat Chapman | A great music night as usual!! |
| Ken Fasters | A great scene |
| Steph Nickle | A lot of good communication around music (and people generally) |
| Mike Warman | A pub just how it ought to be |
| Mike Scott | A real 'local' with a blistering atmosphere every night. |
| Ben Darling | A real pub for real people, as for value doesn't get better than free |
| M Ghery | A wonderful friendly pub full of character |
| K Gibbons | After several visits, all thoroughly enjoyable, will definitely be back |
| Chris Moffatt | Always a good night out |
| Forbes Robinson | Always a warm welcome |
| P Ward | Always are made to feel welcome and never know what is install so the musical adventure continues |
| P Hayes | Always brilliant |
| Leah Keenan | Always something good going on. Good atmosphere` |
| Charles O'Neill | Always welcome |
| F Jason | Always welcoming, often surprising, never a let down |
| S Cotter | Atmosphere, music and beer all first class and delivered with a smile. |
| Jeff Brown | Best I know of in the whole area outside Bristol and then probably as good!! |
| Duncan | Best music in the west |
| Mags Gunning | Brilliant pub, has convinced me to live in England! |
| Mark Aaronson | Brilliant, great pub, fantastic live music, friendly staff, A atmosphere that is all to rare. |
| Rebecca Brackstone | Come over every week Fridays and Tuesdays. Brilliant atmosphere. Love it!! |
| Mark Elliot | Cool and the gang |
| Eileen Lynch | Fantastic pub, come over every year from Ireland for a bit of a music break |
| Jenni Hinds | Fantastic support to all events |
| J Abbott | Fantastic venue, we need small places, so we can stagger home after! |
| Teresa White | fantastic worderful great evening |
| Mary Shadbolt | Frequent visitor - I only remember the good bits |
| R Symgs | Good entertainment, staff lovely, will definitely revisit |
| C Croll | Good music and welcoming atmosphere |
| Chris Cole | Good place to hang out and chill |
| Julie Taylor | Great evening - good atmosphere |
| Rogers Paul | Great pub that gives opportunities to newcomers |
| Katie Harris | Great pub, good selection of music, great pub quiz |
| Carolline Street | Great pub, great hosts, great music - what else do you need?! |
| Blaire Palmer | Great pub, really part of the community and a perfect place for making music. |
| Anni Tuffnell | Great venue - friendly and quality musicians |
| Peter Watts | Great venue, very friendly , lots of room and good beer |
| Clive Fowler | Home from home |
| Judi Berwley | I go to music events in pubs throughout the county and without a doubt this is my favorite venue! So much music, such varied music, always a warm welcome and wonderful atmosphere. Thank you both so much |
| Karen Knox | I have been made very welcome by the landlord, staff and every member of the club from my very first visit |
| Brian Cole | John Smiths ify will change. Music magic, can't fault it. Left pissed but not pissed off!! |
| Alan Hinds | Just brilliant describes The George so well!! |
| Trish Doel | Lovely pub, lovely landlord and landlady, very good music venue. Long may it last |
| Paul Whittock | Never before been made to feel more welcome. |
| David McLea | Nice garden, good variety of live music, friendly atmosphere |
| R Maslall | Nice pleasant atmosphere, good beer |
| Glenda Manners | One of the best music pubs around |
| Jim Stembridge | Pub landlord makes 10x effort than a typical landlord |
| R Clark | Rarely encounterd a pub with such a variety of music. Excellent |
| Sandra Richards | Really appriciate how lovely and welcoming the landlords are at welcoming the customers |
| Hayley Chapman | Remove the pillar, good music though |
| Tracy Bollans | the best in the west! |
| Alan Pearce | The best music pub in the area |
| Celia Feane | The George has all kinds of music and encourages new and established performers. The management is brilliant at making people welcome whatever their musical tastes. It is the best music pub for the whole region. |
| Kurt Paulus | The only place in Bradford on Avon to experience a great variety of music, with thoughtful service and lots of opportunities to meet new people |
| Michael Collins | This is a real pub, that supports the local community and music in a big way |
| Chris Haw | This is the best night I've ever had |
| Chrissie Burdett | This must be the friendliest and most supportive pub (and publicans) for many a mile. The beer is well kept too! Jim and Julie have helped many musicians raise their profile and always provide a warm and welcoming ambience. |
| Sheldon Gould | This pub rocks |
| Adrian Orchard | very friendly and inviting to new players and performers |
| Vince Newman | Very warm and friendly atmosphere. Extremly electic choice of music. Good friends, good music, good beer, who could want more!!! |
| Richard Gillion | Very welcoming. Music lovers travel for miles to attend. Great professional and home grown musicians as well as participating customers |
| P Franks | We often have short holidays in the area and always make for The George |
| Chris Timson | When we needed a new home for our English Trad music session, Jim and Julie were very supportive. Great people. |
Top
Wiltshire Times - 8 September 2006
There has been a double celebration at a pub in Bradford-on-Avon, with a twentieth anniversary and entry into a national competition.
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The George at Woolley plays host to the Bradford-on-Avon Folk Club, which marked two decades since its formation this week, and the pub is also entering the Music Pub of the Year competition.
Julie Lynch, 49, and her husband Jim, 56, have been running the George for over four years, and have established their pub as a popular venue for free live music.
Mrs Lynch said: "What makes the pub special is the variety of music. Each week we have folk on Tuesdays, rock on Fridays and blues on Sunday afternoons.
We host English traditional every second Monday, plus Irish traditional and jazz each month.
We also run a monthly open mic (where anybody can get up and sing) for our in-house charity Mencap.
Although the George does not serve food, it does stock a range of local beers, including the Bath Ale, Gem, and Butcombe from Bristol.
The Czech lager Budvar can also be found, and so can a number of standard lagers that are on sale in most pubs.
Every July the pub hosts the popular Woolley Festival that attracts many people interested in the local music scene, to raise money for charity. As well as their regular music offerings, Mr and Mrs Lynch host a variety of one-off events, and this week people gathered from near and far for the anniversary celebrations for the Bradford-on-Avon Folk Club.
Sport is also on the pub's timetable as locals at the George take part in the darts league and there are both men's and women's teams looking for new players.
The deadline for entries into the Music Pub of the Year competition is October 6, and the six finalists will be profiled in the Publican magazine and invited to attend the awards ceremony in March next year.
Bath Chronicle - Folk & World
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The George Inn at Woolley is to Bradford-on-Avon what The Bell in Walcot is to Bath. They already hold an annual festival and close the street, though as yet there is no passport control, but they'll be declaring independence next just like Walcot Nation Day. This year they raised £1,500 for charity with £1,000 set aside to support young musicians.
The pub is central to the thriving community in Woolley and Jim Lynch, the landlord, and his wife, Julie are very much at the centre of things. Jim described the pub to me as "the home of live free music in an area".
It is the kind of pub that is without any airs or graces, not dependant on changing tastes in drinking habits or décor. It is perhaps best described by one of the regulars as "unreconstructed and comfortable in a homely kind of way, where I can relax without any pressure and enjoy the conversation or listen to the music, whatever takes my fancy".
A new locally-based band, Billy in the lowground, was playing there last week, and it was a great night.
Jim the landlord, a typically genial Irishman, is no slouch himself at song writing and performing his own songs to guitar accompaniment, or in his own nine-piece Irish band Beyond the Pale, and this is perhaps one of the reasons why music has become central to the pub's character.
The local folk club meets here every Tuesday evening for an informal singaround where even the most reticent performers have been persuaded to sing.
A group of local English folk musicians meet here to play English folk tunes every two weeks on a Monday.
There is a session of traditioanl Irish music once a month on a Wednesday evening, as well as regular songwriters' nights and open mic nights. Local bands ranging from rhythm and blues to folk rock play here every Friday. Jim is particularly excited about an Irish themed week in October (2005) that will feature Irish traditional music, bands, poetry, film, quizzes and anything else that comes to mind.
Anyone who wants to play, sing or participate should call 01225 865650.
The Importance of Playing Irish - Mike Mandolin
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My local session pub (the George in Bradford-on-Avon) hosts an Irish session once a month so just before Christmas I went along.
This was a decidedly more serious matter (than the Twa Dogs), with some distinctly good Irish players, of whom I'd mention Steve on melodeon, Jim on pipes and Mike on banjo. There were about 5-6 other musical participants gathered in the front bar, and what was also nice to see some other customers who had come attracted by the music.
At first I just listened, and quickly found some of my preconceptions dissolving. The sets weren't overlong and although some of the tunes were played on the fast side it always matched the mood of the tune. The players had a happy way of mixing slow with fast so the pace was pleasantly varied. In fact, the temptation was very great just to listen, but reminding myself that I'd come to try to play I started to push in with a tune or two from my limited set.
And in my limited way I'm happy to say that I think I succeeded because they joined in! In fact everything I started they picked up, carried me along and then put me down at the end with a rosy glow that comes from a tune played with at least its spirit more or less intact, even if some of the notes went astray.
When I left soon after 11:00 they were still going strong, with Jim the landlord just warming up his voice.
Bradford-on-Avon - Mike Mandolin
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This is the scene - a local pub (The George) in a back street on the fringe of a small Wiltshre country town (Bradford-on-Avon). You've heard from a neighbour involved in the Morris scene of a group of players who meet regularly on alternate Monday evenings with their instruments to pass a few hours amusing themselves and a few of the loacls, with an array of tunes drawn from the English tradition. Could I join in, you might ask yourself? Would I be out of place? Park the car, pick up instrument, and head for the door with some trepidation.
Before even halfway across the car park a pleasant sound is heard stealing out of the pub. It's Harpers Frolick. That's a good start - I know that piece! Negotiating the door and an Alsatian dog the size of a small horse (friendly) I equip myself with a pint of Wadworths 6X and head for the side room from where the music is coming. By now it has morphed into Bonny Kate, which I don't know so well so find a seat, unpack the instrument, take a swig of the beer, and look around.
The first thing you notice is the lighting, or rather lack of it. This is no harsh industrial techno-pub with strobe and spotlights glaring down. To be frank at first you wonder whether the landlady has simply forgotten to put any light bulbs in the sockets, but then you realise that most of the light comes from candles artfully stuck in bottles, though with one proper light bulb near the door - the better to ease the way to the main bar for a refill, I suppose. When the eyes have adapted to the gloom you can make out that the music is emanating from instruments being blown, squeezed, scraped and plucked by people, about twelve of them, and on the whole they look normal and friendly. Things are looking up!
When Bonny Kate has finished I find myself being greeted by the session organiser, Chris Timson, who quickly introduces most of the other players. Quite correctly, they're not particularly interested in me, just in whether I can play. Not being in a mood to dazzle them with my one-handed version of Worcestershire Hornpipe (that's harder on a mandolin than it might at first seem) I sit back and listen. The pattern quickly emerges: someone starts a tune and if others know it they join in, three times through, two A's and two B's. If no one knows it there's no backing out - you have to finish, solo! Actually by the end, a few of the better players (those blessed with the talent of "ear") might be joining in. At the end of one tune, there may be a brief pause before a second tune is launched into: Galopede is followed by Tannerman, Spirit Of The Dance follows Seven Stars. At the end of a set there are usually cries of appreciation, followed by, "What was that then?" or "Too fast!" or "Wrong key!"
An hour or so passes and I have recognised and even joined in quite a few tunes. Some such as Michael Turner's Waltz are obviously well liked that they get played twice. There's quite a preponderance of Morris tunes, which is partly explained by the fact that a number of the players also moonlight for the local ladies' Morris side so they come to the sessions for a bit of extra practice. Another common source of tunes appears to be Nick Barber's excellent collection. I notice a few well-worn copies around the tables, though in practice books and notes are hardly referred to. I am led to believe this is to do with session etiquette, though personally I think it's more to do with the gloom in the room inhibiting anyone not equipped with night-vision goggles from reading dots.
Chris Timson tells me how it got started. He and his partner Anne have been enthusiastic concertina players and singers for years, and regular habitués of the Sidmouth and other festivals (I notice that the Radway pub seems to hold a special place in the affection of these two). Last year Chris decided to see if he could flush out some local interest by establishing a session in a local pub. "The first pub we tried was OK, but we always felt we were there on sufferance. If there was a special occasion like Valentine's Day we had to move out. So at Easter we came here, The George, Julie and Jim (the landlords) are very sympathetic and Jim is a musician himself. The side room is perfect for our purposes, - and the beer is cheaper!" Having established priorities in this way, we settle down to play a few more tunes. Chris leads off with Redowa Polka - "My favorite weird tune", he says by way of introduction....
As the evening wears on to a happy conclusion I get to know a few more of the players. On my right is Hilary, a lady melodeon player who calls herself a beginner but can actually work up quite a steam on favourite tunes, such as Winster Gallop and Lilli Bullero. Stephanie and Denis are a couple who combine concertina, melodeon, Northumbrian pipes, whistles and fiddle. Stephanie likes Enrico, while Denis seems able to play anything. Dave Field is another notable player, probably the most experienced in the room. Apart from having an enormous repertoire of his own, his great strength is being able to step in whenever a weaker player is faltering. This can be most reassuring.
Why do they come? "We love the tunes, the atmosphere, and the chance to meet other people 'like us'. It's one thing to go to the big events in the summer, but what we like is the chance to keep playing all through the year." While these sentiments prevail, and while wise characters like Chris and Anne are happy to provide the minimal organisation needed to keep these things going, there's every reason to be optimistic about English traditional music staying alive and developing.
