How Was The Original Manuscript Discovered?
My name is Alan Hicken and I own and run Montacute TV Radio Toy Museum. Montacute is a charming quintessential English village deep in the heart of rural South Somerset. How on earth then should a manuscript of such historical interest land up here miles away from the gas lit murky alleyways of the East End of London of 1888 where a series of horrendous murders occurred?
Back in January 2008 I was contacted by a lady inquiring whether or not I would be interested in purchasing for the museum the memorabilia of her late uncle Sydney, known as S.G. Hulme-Beaman. He was born in 1887 and died in 1932. He became known in the 1920s as a versatile book illustrator; also for producing a daily cartoon strip called Philip & Phido in a national paper and for the creation of ‘Tales of Toytown’, broadcast regularly on the BBC staring his most notable creation Larry the Lamb. In these episodes, he played the part of Dennis the Dachshund, as he was also a talented actor. He wrote a number of children’s booklets about various endearing naughty animals.
The lady gave me a list of the items, it comprised some of her late uncles original work and other material. I told her that I would be most interested in purchasing them. After arriving at a price she duly packed them into a cardboard box and sent them to the museum. On the parcels arrival I eagerly opened up the cardboard box and examined the contents against the inventory. I was delighted with the contents that included original paintings of Larry the Lamb and The Tales of Toytown with hand carved bandsmen and soldiers, and various other items. Then right at the bottom of the box was an unpublished manuscript, This had remained hidden away since the 1920s.
Later that evening I began reading the manuscript and it immediately made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and goose bumps appeared on my body. For probably the first time in nearly 100 years this manuscript had seen the light of day, now it is here published for you to read.
Back in January 2008 I was contacted by a lady inquiring whether or not I would be interested in purchasing for the museum the memorabilia of her late uncle Sydney, known as S.G. Hulme-Beaman. He was born in 1887 and died in 1932. He became known in the 1920s as a versatile book illustrator; also for producing a daily cartoon strip called Philip & Phido in a national paper and for the creation of ‘Tales of Toytown’, broadcast regularly on the BBC staring his most notable creation Larry the Lamb. In these episodes, he played the part of Dennis the Dachshund, as he was also a talented actor. He wrote a number of children’s booklets about various endearing naughty animals.
The lady gave me a list of the items, it comprised some of her late uncles original work and other material. I told her that I would be most interested in purchasing them. After arriving at a price she duly packed them into a cardboard box and sent them to the museum. On the parcels arrival I eagerly opened up the cardboard box and examined the contents against the inventory. I was delighted with the contents that included original paintings of Larry the Lamb and The Tales of Toytown with hand carved bandsmen and soldiers, and various other items. Then right at the bottom of the box was an unpublished manuscript, This had remained hidden away since the 1920s.
Later that evening I began reading the manuscript and it immediately made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and goose bumps appeared on my body. For probably the first time in nearly 100 years this manuscript had seen the light of day, now it is here published for you to read.