Gramofun

16/08/2024

Such a shame we don't live closer, this looks fantastic. What a stunning backdrop

In the early 1900's music parties at Emo Court extended on to the lawn from the Rotunda. Join us on the lawn to recreate this atmosphere, where the distinctive crackle of a gramophone needle will transport you back in time. FREE EVENT. Bring your own picnic blanket or seating. No booking required. Laois Tourism OPW - Office of Public Works Heritage Ireland Laois Heritage Office Laois Chamber Alliance Laois People Heritage Week Martleys of Portlaoise CaToCa Fine Food & Giftware Dublin Castle Farmleigh Laois Garden Trail

10/08/2024

Bognor Regis Museum All set up and ready to play

06/08/2024

Christmas Nipper is getting very excited as Christmas bookings are starting to come in. If you would to take advantage of our festive offering for your care home or would like a nostalgic soundtrack to your event or venue, do get in touch.

25/07/2024

Almost time for our afternoon set Corn Exchange Newbury

21/07/2024

Yesterday we took a trip up to London, something we do less these days. The purpose of our visit to finally get to the Museum of Brands, and the very nearby Portobello Road antiques market. The museum is a must visit for the 20th century social historian and gramophonist. There are many gramophones and other pieces of vintage technology amongst the displays. One rare machine of note is the "New Melba" gramophone pictured. One of HMV's most expensive machines from 1907-1910, this is the first we have ever seen.

23/06/2024

For many years now we have championed a small local event in music history. On 25th July 1944, Glenn Miller played a public evening concert at the Corn Exchange Newbury after playing in the afternoon at the nearby Greenham Common airfield. In 2021 on the 25th July we shot the "ambitious but rubbish" attached video on the runway at Greenham Common. This year is the 80th anniversary of this performance, and we are pleased to announce that we will be the guests of the Corn Exchange Newbury on the 25th July to spin a few discs of Glenn Miller's Orchestra and a few homefront hits. Details nearer the day.......

18/05/2024

Paying our annual visit to Faversham for the festival of transport, and we were delighted to see that the excellent Faversham Fleur de Lis Museum was open. Amongst its fascinating and interesting displays is a gramophone.l

14/04/2024

All set up and ready to play. If you are at Shaw House today, do pop by and say hello.

21/03/2024

We've arrived.

08/03/2024

With THE SHELLAC COLLECTIVE – I just got recognised as one of their top fans! 🎉

07/03/2024

Just a quick post for world book day. What happens when you cross a children's book with a gramophone record? - You get a Bubble Book.
These little books were very popular in the early 1920s, each one containing three single sided discs of songs and rhymes.

01/03/2024

Dydd Gwyl Dewi Hapus. Happy St David's day everyone. Here is a little bit of welshness to brighten your afternoon. We are looking forward to tasting this excellent wine from Glyndwr Vineyard, kindly gifted to us by Marie Carter. We can't wait to give it a try this evening.

21/02/2024

In a months time we are honoured to be playing our 78s for a couple of hours at The HMV store, 363 Oxford Street. We will of course be using exclusively His Master's Voice wind-up gramophones. Our playlist will be from the 1920s and 1930s, concentrating on British dance bands.
So make a date for Thursday 21st March at 2pm at The HMV store, 363 Oxford Street, London.
Please share this far and wide, so that we might share the joy of gramophones to the widest audience.

12/02/2024

Happy 100th birthday to George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in blue".

Commissioned by the bandleader Paul Whiteman it was first performed on 12th February 1924, by Whiteman's Orchestra with Gershwin playing piano. There is an often found version on 78 where Gershwin plays piano with the Whiteman Orchestra.
A more novel version is pictured from our collection. Vogue R725 from 1947 by the Hour of Charm All Girl Orchestra (featuring Eleanor at the piano)

31/01/2024

Unfortunately our exciting London gig is being rescheduled. We will let you have the new date as soon as we can.

So happy that we are beginning to get some bookings for 2024. Our first big public outing will be on Saturday 2nd March at 4pm in a central London location. More details will be revealed soon. Suffice to say, Nipper is very excited!

21/01/2024

So happy that we are beginning to get some bookings for 2024. Our first big public outing will be on Saturday 2nd March at 4pm in a central London location. More details will be revealed soon. Suffice to say, Nipper is very excited!

11/01/2024

Having a little tidy round yesterday, and found a rare Nipper collectable we can't remember ever getting.
In 1911 the Gramophone Co. produced small medallions to commemorate the coronation of George V. These would usually be worn on waistcoat watch chains. Our one pictured is in bronze, but a silver version was also made.

24/12/2023

A very merry Christmas to all our followers. Many thanks for you support during the last year; looking forward to sharing the shellac in the coming year.

03/12/2023

It's today. Do pop by and say hello

Join us for the Shaw House Christmas Fair TODAY (Sunday 3 December)!

Come along to explore the House and visit over 65 stalls selling locally made gifts and craft; the perfect time to shop for unique gifts for friends and family – set to a soundtrack of vintage tunes from Gramofun and a local choir along with hot food, mulled wine and Newbury’s Living Advent Calendar. In a world where you can shop anywhere, shop local.

You can also take part in our photo competition! All you need to do is share your photos from the Fair on social media using for a chance to win a Photoshoot Experience Day with Imagine Photography. The winner will be announced by Friday 8th December.

Sunday 3 December | Shaw House | 11am – 3pm | £2 adults, £1 child (3yrs and under free), pay on the day

29/11/2023

This coming Sunday we are guests of Shaw House, where we will be serenading visitors to their Christmas Fair. We will be playing a good mix of festive tunes and carols all from original 78rpm discs.
Open from 11am to 3pm on Sunday 3rd December.
Come and say hello!

20/11/2023

Bought a small bundle of 78s this weekend at the Oxfam Music Shop Reading (always a few good discs to be had). This has to be the strangest record that we have seen for a while.
A British Rex pressing of a record originally recorded 1939 in Australia - "Billy Peach, The talking budgerigar"
Played on an Indian HMV101.

04/10/2023

And here's a few more pre-WW1 covers

04/10/2023

We are finally getting round to collating together our small collection of very early record sleeves. Prior to the first world war sleeves tended to be made from delicate tissue paper and very few have survived. The one pictured here is the first branded sleeve by the Gramophone Company issued in 1911, and the only example we have ever seen.

02/09/2023

02/09/2023

Spend a great day out at the wonderful Autojumble held at Beaulieu, National Motor Museum.Got side tracked from looking for Morris Minor truck parts and ending up coming home with another HMV101 gramophone at a price we couldn't pass up.
The photos show a selection of some of the machines available today. We also bought a pair of wooden cases originally made to house microscopes, which will be re-purposed to carry 78s. Some 78s may have also been bought.........

12/08/2023

Bognor Regis Museum All set up and ready to play.

31/07/2023

On Saturday last we made a trip to Derby to collect a fine collection of George Formby records. We love a bit of Formby and already have a small collection of our own, which will be much improved by the records of which we are the new custodians.
All together there are 117 78rpm discs with a handful of duplicates. They range from his very first record (Edison Bell 4409) to his very last Decca reissues in 1960. Also there is a copy of his first record accompanied by the ukulele - "In the Congo", much coveted amongst Formby collectors.
We don't think that we will be short of any George Formby to play at events for a long time now.

23/07/2023

On Saturday 12th August we will be heading to the south coast as guests of Bognor Regis Museum. From 1pm to 4pm we will be displaying and playing an eclectic mix of machines and records. The video is from a previous excursion.

23/07/2023

Had a wonderful time yesterday afternoon serenading Royal British Legion Hartley Wintney branch at their garden party. The rain didn't get us down, but did allow "Singing in the Rain" to be played a couple of times.

30/06/2023

An interesting find: in November 1931, the London & North Eastern Railway classified "portable wireless sets and small gramophones" as personal luggage.

They also allowed you to play them on the train, just as long as you were not annoying others around you (which would be in contravention of the bylaws).

As I have shown before (without knowledge of this context) complaints were made in the press about the noise, and the Chief General Manager wrote to the Passenger Managers' committee on the matter. It decided the complaints were of no consequence.