Saturday 22 January 2022

A flambard


We watched the final episode of 'Flambards' last night. It is a strange and very English little series, but since I like 'A Canterbury Tale' so much, I do not bother to analyse why I like this one. I just do, plus it seems to perfectly encapsulate life in pre-WW1 England to me, and the actors fit the characters so well - they can really ride horses, drive vintage cars, fly vintage aeroplanes (maybe) and even knead bread like experts.

The actor who plays the admirable 'Dick' (Sebastian Abineri) in it would have been the perfect match for the portrayal of a young Boris Johnson if only he had been born 35 years later. What a waste.

There is a theme-park in Cornwall called Flambards and I knew the man who created it. I made some stone things for him when he lived in Bath, and he used to buy props for his creation from the yard where my workshop was.

I never understood why he called his place 'Flambards', but it must have been a tribute to the book of the same name or even this 1980s TV series.

Up until a few nights ago, I did not know the meaning of the word, 'flambard' either. Then it dawned on me that the entrance to the large house (Flambards) has a pair of 18th century stone urn finals either side of the front door.

These urns have a carved stone motif of flames at their very top. I have carved them before and let me tell you, representing a flame in stone would be quite tricky were it not for somebody having done it a few hundred years before you were born.

A 'flambard' must be the the topping of flame on these urn finials. There. I have learned something I should have known years ago.



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32 comments:

  1. gz22 January 2022 at 09:20

    Learn something new every day!

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  2. Rachel Phillips22 January 2022 at 10:59

    It sounds like a flaming bloody poet to me.

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  3. Angela Lambert22 January 2022 at 13:44

    What channel are Canterbury and Flambards on ?

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  4. Joanne Noragon22 January 2022 at 17:16

    And I thought a finial was the absolute end!

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  5. Britta22 January 2022 at 22:40

    First I mis-read the headline as "Flamboyant" - but that has nothing to do with Flambard? In Chestertons stories there is the converted Flambeau -- but I digress.
    I am thankful for your tip - "Flambards" seems to be just the sort of series I love - very British.

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    1. Tom Stephenson23 January 2022 at 04:02

      Yes, I suppose that flamboyant is related. My other German friend loves all things British too - especially The Avengers.

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  6. Rachel Phillips23 January 2022 at 02:17

    How did you come to watch Flambards in the first place? Were you searching for a period drama on your laptop YouTube or did someone give you a tip to watch it or did you stumble upon it while fiddling on your laptop? It is not the sort of this to pluck from the air and say "ah, I will watch Flambard, something from the 1970s with horses and ponies". Also how do two people watch a laptop screen? Do you have to sit huddled together squinting to see it?

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    1. Tom Stephenson23 January 2022 at 04:06

      H. I. is really good at finding this stuff just by trawling. We have a big iMac which serves as a TV. I don’t have a laptop, so it’s either phone or large screen, though not as large as most people’s.

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    2. Rachel Phillips23 January 2022 at 04:13

      IMacs look like laptops and my point was that how do two people watch a film on a laptop, alright then, lookalike? It must be very cosy or one of you uses binoculars.

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    3. Tom Stephenson23 January 2022 at 04:57

      And my point is that iMacs don't look like laptops. When was the last time you saw a laptop with a 20 inch screen?

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    4. Tom Stephenson23 January 2022 at 04:59

      And when was the last time you saw an iMac?

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    5. Rachel Phillips23 January 2022 at 05:29

      Maybe I've never seen one but think I have.

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    6. Tom Stephenson23 January 2022 at 10:40

      Maybe you’re thinking of an iPad?

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    7. Rachel Phillips23 January 2022 at 10:44

      I think a MacBook.

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    8. Tom Stephenson23 January 2022 at 11:41

      Ah yes. iMacs don’t have lids. They have bloody heavy metal stands.

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    9. Rachel Phillips23 January 2022 at 14:53

      With bloody flaming flambards on top I s'pose.

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  7. thelma23 January 2022 at 05:50

    Definitely of its time but sweet. Watched two episodes, might just watch the end cos I reckon she goes off with Dick. Also wasn't sure I wanted to see her pony sent off to the hunt stables for meat for the dogs.

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    1. Tom Stephenson23 January 2022 at 06:50

      Without spoilers, it all works out ok - sort of.

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  8. Susan23 January 2022 at 09:13

    The old adage: Live and learn. What's the alternative?

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  9. Shadowmoss24 January 2022 at 11:25

    Dr. Google told me is French for fun loving.

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    1. Tom Stephenson25 January 2022 at 07:09

      Really? Then I have been talking bollocks as usual.

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  10. MrsC (Maryanne)25 January 2022 at 02:02

    That's uncanny! An old friend messaged me today about the new Flambards book that is a continuation of the originals, and was off to watch this series. The theme music I LOVE.

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