Ashbourne artist who painted a Shrovetide football for King Charles III
The Royal Shrovetide Football game in Ashbourne, Derbyshire, is traditionally played on Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday and has been held nearly every year since at least 1667.The game sees thousands of players - in teams called the Up'Ards and Down'Ards - compete to move the ball to opposite ends of the town.Normally, Mr Baker said he would meet up for a chat with the person due to "turn the ball up" - but this was not possible with a senior member of the Royal Family - so he submitted drawings that were given the go-ahead."The current King is an accomplished artist, and one thing he asked was how we painted on a sphere," Mr Baker explained.
To begin with, he starts by measuring the ball, which is bigger than a normal football and heavier because it is filled with cork chippings.Buildings are particularly tricky to paint on a round surface, and everything needs to line up because the balls are hung up on display.Royal Shrovetide is played over two days, and Mr Baker always paints the Wednesday ball - and this year it is for the farmer Brian Pegg and features a bull's head and a horse.He said that some of the fine detailing can cause a headache, and each ball involves at least 50 hours of work. Within two hours of play, all this paintwork is gone."It's awful," he added. "People will grab me by the collar or give me a nudge to say 'your paint has come off quick this year'."They'll tell you that, but there is nothing you can do."
Mr Baker said that he was not "player material" and had never played, but he was a fan who loved the history of game.He works at the Historical Centre in Ashbourne, where Royal Shrovetide Football features heavily. One of the repainted balls on display is one that was scored, or "goaled", in 1902, the year King Edward VII was crowned.It is particularly special to Mr Baker because it was goaled by Joseph Burton his great-great-great-uncle.He is much more relaxed about it all compared to when he was first asked to take on this role."I was extremely nervous to start with, because it is such an iconic item in Ashbourne," he added."I was not very old, and I had never done anything like this before. I also knew what I was up against because being a fan of Shrovetide, it was important to get it right."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
18 hours ago
- The Sun
I paid £80 for a birthday cake for my mum but was baffled when I collected it – it's the opposite of what I asked for
A WOMAN who spent £80 on a birthday cake for her mum was left sorely disappointed when she arrived to pick it up. She'd settled on a classy and elegant cake, with a plain base and tulips around the outside and a plain top. 2 2 But the cake she was given was cream in colour, with purple roses splattered on the side and huge reams of purple frosting on the top. It also appeared to have some pink flowers on the top of it - presumably the baker's attempt to include the requested tulips. "Is it rude that I am disappointed?" she wrote over pictures of the two cakes on her TikTok page. "I wanted this cake for my mum's birthday. I paid £80," she said, showing the design she had wanted. She then shared a picture of the cake she was given, as she said: "I didn't ask for one as big. "Nor is it anything like the photo!" She added in the caption: "Am I in the wrong? I don't want to be/sound rude!" The comments section was immediately flooded with people insisting the woman was entirely within her rights to complain. "Genuinely try everything to get your money back," one wrote. "It's not what you agreed on AT ALL!" Watch savvy mum turn shop cakes into two-tiered personalised birthday cake "Get that charge disputed first of all that's appalling," another added. To which the woman replied: "I don't want to seam rude as the woman seemed so nice. "But that is in no way shape or form is what I asked for." "They scammed you. They're the ones being rude to you!" someone else hit back. As another agreed: "It's not rude, what she delivered doesn't even resemble what you asked for and what I assume she agreed to make!" "The cake you wanted gave Laura Ashley vibes. The cake you got gives B&M vibes," someone else hilariously wrote. How much does a birthday cake cost? The cost of a birthday cake can vary massively depending on where you get it from and how elaborate it is. Basic sponge or character birthday cakes from supermarkets tend to cost between £10 and £20, while large or themed supermarket cakes often vary between £20 and £35. Meanwhile, a small, personalised custom cake from a bakery and/or professional cake decorator can set people back £40 to £60. Medium personalised cakes are often £70 to £100, while large, tiered cakes, can be anywhere from £100 to £300, depending on detail, flavours and toppers. "What the hell is that? That's awful. Please tell me you didn't pay?" another asked. While someone else questioned: "Did you not see it before you left or she left?" "It arrived in a box and at the time I was trying to put it somewhere our cats wouldn't get to," she replied. "By the time I opened it the woman was already gone!" "I'd definitely be complaining and asking for a refund. Could have got better in M&S!" another insisted. "THIS IS CRAZY not even one aspect is like the picture!" someone else pointed out.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Daily Mail
The 'lost' Vera Lynn tracks you've never heard: WWII Forces' Sweetheart's audition recordings to be released 90 years on
Dame Vera Lynn's early audition records are to be released for the first time, 90 years after they were first recorded. The late singer's first records were found when Dame Vera's daughter donated her mother's record collection to the British Library after she moved out of her home in East Sussex. Along with the three silver aluminium audition records, a copy of Dame Vera's first record, It's Home, recorded in 1935 with bandleader Howard Baker, was also found. Recorded after trumpeter Baker invited Dame Vera to join his band in 1933, the first record is one of just 100 copies pressed. Dame Vera's daughter, Virginia Lewis-Jones, said: 'It's so wonderful to hear ma's voice from those early days, right at the start of her career. 'I always had the feeling these would be worth exploring so I am absolutely thrilled that the audition tapes we've never heard can now be brought to life, and add significantly to what we already know about ma.' Dame Vera made her name during the Second World War, when her rousing songs such as We'll Meet Again, (There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs Of Dover and There'll Always Be An England, earned her the affectionate name Forces' Sweetheart. She gave outdoor concerts for the troops in Egypt, India and Burma as part of the Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA. Her final studio album, Unforgettable, was released in 2010. In May 2020, just weeks before her death aged 103, she became the oldest artist to have a top 40 album in the UK, with her greatest hits album 100. Dame Vera lived for 40 years with her husband Harry Lewis at the home her daughter inherited. A medley features on the records, including a section of the song I Hate Myself (For Being So Mean To You), and a piano-only version of debut single It's Home. On one of the tracks an unknown voice joins Dame Vera and the piano cuts off at the end, as all that needed to be heard for the audition was her voice. The records will now be available to listen to at the British Library's Sound Archive. Karoline Engelhardt, curator of popular music recordings at the British Library, said: 'We are honoured that Virginia Lewis-Jones has chosen to donate her mother's fascinating audio collection to the British Library, including Dame Vera Lynn's very first recordings. 'The Vera Lynn collection is a key addition to the British Library's Sound Archive and these previously unreleased early discs capture a special moment in music history, when Dame Vera Lynn was still in the early stages of her career and was yet to become the voice of a generation. 'Our role in preserving and digitising these recordings will enable them to be enjoyed for generations to come.' The audition discs will be released by Decca, with What A Difference A Day Makes released as a single on Friday to mark the 80th anniversary of VJ Day. Further previously unheard and rare tracks from them will feature on a new album called Hidden Treasures, which will be released on November 7.
BBC News
3 days ago
- BBC News
Dame Vera Lynn's audition records to be released 90 years on
Dame Vera Lynn's audition records are to be released for the first time, 90 years after they were first late singer's first records were discovered when her daughter, Virginia Lewis-Jones, donated her mother's record collection to the British Library's Sound donations were made when she moved out of her home in East Sussex, where Dame Vera had lived with her husband Harry Lewis for 40 with the three silver aluminium audition records, which are labelled by hand, a copy of Dame Vera's first record, It's Home, recorded in 1935 with bandleader Howard Baker, was also found. Recorded after trumpeter Baker invited Dame Vera to join his band in 1933, the first record is one of just 100 copies said: "It's so wonderful to hear Ma's voice from those early days, right at the start of her career."I always had the feeling these would be worth exploring so I am absolutely thrilled that the audition tapes we've never heard can now be brought to life, and add significantly to what we already know about Ma." The audition discs will be released by Decca, with What A Difference A Day Makes released as a single on Friday to mark the 80th anniversary of VJ previously unheard and rare tracks from them will feature on a new album called Hidden Treasures, which will be released on 7 Vera made her name during the Second World War, when her rousing songs such as We'll Meet Again, (There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs Of Dover and There'll Always Be An England, earned her the affectionate name Forces' final studio album, Unforgettable, was released in died in June 2020, aged 103, after she became the oldest artist to have a top 40 album in the UK, in May that year, with her greatest hits album 100.
