On our way to the BBC
Midlands Stoke studios, we stopped at the
Headless Woman
pub for lunch. While I munched on what I considered a curious item for
pub fare - a Mini Dim Sum - Robert Selby and my mother questioned the server
on the origins of the pub's unusual name. Legend has it that Cromwell's
troops, engaged in hunting down Royalists in the Chester area, visited
nearby Hockenhull Hall. The Hall was deserted with only the faithful housekeeper
in charge. When she wouldn't reveal the location of the family treasure,
the troops tortured and beheaded her. Down through the centuries since,
she has been seen carrying her head under her arm as she walks the bridle
path between Hockenhull Hall and the public house known as the Headless
Woman.
Upon reaching Stoke, we ran into a few problems: heavy traffic, one-way
streets all going the wrong-way, and an absence of parking space close
enough to the studio for my mother to walk the distance. Despite the resulting
late arrival for our scheduled live interview, the station personnel were
extremely courteous and whisked us up the lift to the main studio where
host Barbara
Adams was in progress. Barb put on a long musical selection, got
us settled and then led us into a 20 minute interview about the Lancaster
Memorial and memories of WWII. Barbara's show obviously has a huge listening
audience as, from then on, we were constantly approached by people who
had heard the show.
At the end of this full and rewarding day a surprise awaited us at the
Crown. Keith and Margaret Jones, long-time friends from Shildon,
County Durham, had driven down from the Northeast to join us for the
Dedication Ceremony. Keith's brother, Alan, had performed with us during
some of our musical tours of the Northeast and we had all shared many great
times together. We chatted till the wee hours, filling each other in on
what had transpired since our last visit.