The Seething Talcum Colliery Band

On Saturday 11th September 2010 something wonderful happened.

The people of Seething heard again the sounds of The Seething Talcum Colliery Band, a sound not heard since 1921 and the last Seething Festival of the 20th Century.

A wonderful crowd listened to the unique sound that is Seething Brass music and heard the first rendition of the ‘Seething Talcum Dance’ or ‘Floral Talcum Dance

for over 109 years

And they are playing again on

Saturday 3rd September at 3pm

A march from The Lamb down to the old Seething mines and back

Followed by a short musical presentation

The Quarrying of Talcum in Seething - a History.    by Professor Anna Ardplace.

There are a number of references to the white stone of Seething that lay ‘undere the surface of the soil’ by the banks of the River Thames. Indeed the carving of the famous ‘White Horse of Seething’ is in part made possible by the underlying hydrated magnesium silicate  or talc. The seams of talcum were made visible in part by the removal of Mount Seething and by river erosion.

It was with the influx of Welsh people escaping the Leek famine of 1753 that the potential of the ‘white seams’ is first noted. Whilst most of the then immigrants from Wales settled around the City, becoming known as the London Welsh, some families moved into villages surrounding the Capital.

Seething had a long established reputation for welcoming those in need into their community. The Tablet Records of the time note the arrival of the Nog family who were taken in ‘by the Seething Folk as Lefi would have so desired.’

Of the five Nog children it appears that it was the youngest Lily, aged 11, who first began to scrape at the soft mineral and noted its property for soaking up moisture. Shortly afterwards the records mention talc being used in Seething for rudimentary personal hygiene.

By placing herbs amongst the talc it was possible to create a scented powder. The villagers of Seething in a tribute to the little Welsh girl referred to this sweeter smelling talc as ‘Lily of the Valley’.

As the properties of Talcum became known there was much demand from the City and from the Royal Palace. As a result the Seething Talcum Colliery Co-operative was established. The mining of talc became a full time occupation for many in the village. The result of this industry and the wealth it offered brought a new influx of people to the area.

The strain on housing meant the creation of new ‘miners’ homes. Because of the co-operative nature of the Seething Talcum Colliery is was felt the workers should have suitable accommodation. A programme of Social Housing was established and the Seething miners homes were the first in the country to be built with the water closet inside the home. They used the Joseph Bramah hinged valve or 'crank valve' that sealed the bottom of the bowl with a float valve system for the flush tank. A design that was used mainly on boats. They earned the knickname ‘Lav in Doors’, a term later to be used for another perfumed talcum powder used at bath time and for ablutions.

With new housing came the need for new social resources and a new family centre ‘The Lamb’ was created. Here the whole community could meet and talk together. It was from here the first Colliery Band in the land was founded and subsequently the first ‘Ale Voice Choir’.

Unfortunately new-found wealth put a strain on community relations. Certain families broke away from the co-operative and founded their own mines. Their approach tended to show less care for the workers and resulted in the introduction of shift work and longer hours. In addition there are some references to the introduction of children into the mines and some ‘shoddy’ work practices in the chase for greater profits.

Records from that time show that soon only the Annual Seething Festival, where everyone took the day away from their works, offered the community the chance to gather together as one. During this period one of the highlights of the Seething Festival procession was the playing by the Seething Talcum Colliery Band. With their own unique sound and Seething folk tunes the long tradition of colliery bands was started. One of the favorite tunes of the time was the classic ‘Floral Talcum Dance’ now known by its shortened name.

However tensions between those who wished to live under the co-operative approach, known locally as ‘Lefi Law’, and those that wished to encourage private enterprise led to a major rift in the community. The traditionalists wished to quarry at a pace that would sustain the mines and keep their farms and other ventures going. An influx of people from the City starting private mining companies saw the speedy exhaustion of the seams and also led to near tragic Talcum Mining Disaster of 1792. Here over fifty miners of the Lovelace Talcum Colliery were only saved by finding a tunnel that led to the source of the Seething Well and their escape.

By now Seething Talc was famous across the known world and its price had risen enormously. Its association with health giving properties encouraged some of the wealthiest of the land to sprinkle it across their food. Indeed there are some scientists who suggest that George the lll subsequent ill health and associated ‘purple urine’ could be as a result of an over indulgence with Lavendar Talc.

After fifty years the talcum seams were exhausted and lay barren for decades. A local Victorian historian described the riverside land at Seething Wells as "wastelands", the inference being that it was uninhabited. In fact the tithe maps of the mid nineteenth century show a considerable amount of occupation along the river side of Portsmouth Road, the old miners houses. Between the road and the river lay the riverbank, redundant quarries, fields, osier beds and at least one wharf. The riverside land was largely divided into small parcels, or quarettes, with various owners and tenants.  Most of the land to the south was owned by the Earl of Bowden, one of the principal landowners in the area at that time.

After some lengthy negotiations a parcel of land, where the now listed pump house stands, was bought from the Earl at the very end of 1849. From January 1st 1850 notices of eviction were issued to those living along the Thames at the Seething and Long Ditton border. It is not known if the adjoining Seething Quarry land was acquired in the same way, but as both the Lambeth and Chelsea water companies acquired Acts of Parliament to obtain land for water treatment purposes, it is highly probable. Owners of the land here may have received compensation - they certainly claimed it - but the fate of the tenants is unknown. In all over 200 people were cleared to make way for the water works including the Nog family. Only a few can be traced as remaining in the local area. The severe poor laws of the day would have ensured that they were not left "on the parish", and it is possible that many may have been forced into emigration overseas or back to Wales.

In the early 21st Century the current The Lord Bowden bequeathed back to the ‘People of Seething those lands and properties improperly taken by my forefathers to be held in perpetuity for the good of Lefi - I declare this to be The Truth and without Strings’ .