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A Love Letter to the Waterways

As memories of the dog days of summer fade and we welcome the chills of winter, my thoughts return to those most joyful of events, festivals.


In August I was immersed in the sensory experience of Folk East, where I connected with others with shared interests in a unique blend of music, food and books. Every year the Book Club and Librarium hosts authors from far and wide for ‘in conversation’ and Q & A sessions, in collaboration with Abbie Clements from the Halesworth Bookshop.


I was excited to hear Tom Kitching describe his six month journey, living in the London waterways community. He made the long journey from Manchester on a traditional narrowboat built in 1937. Ben Moorhouse, owner of The Vintage Mobile Cinema, introduced Tom, saying that ‘Tom is the most interesting person on site’, to which Tom replied, ‘I might be the most boring’.


Hence the scene was set for a lively discussion. Tom explained how at the start of lockdown, he was busking around England looking at the artistic response to Brexit and was surprised by the result. It encouraged him to discover more about the waterways and waterway folk. He described how his writing is ‘travel writing, psycho geography, about people and place’. He asked what his audience first thought when asked about art and the waterways and, as expected, thoughts turned to roses and castle paintings and lots of brass decoration. 


He found that what little had previously been written were ‘dry books about who, why, what, where, when, nothing about the increased numbers of people choosing to live an alternative life by moving to the water’. As a self-confessed Bohemian, ‘I get in trouble all the time’.  He also refers to himself as a fiddle player and author. He has worked with numerous singers and bands, tutored at Summer Schools and led many workshops around the country.


When asked about his journey and his latest book, Where There’s Brass, Tom explained he had spent six months planning his trip in a boat, which was primarily an old wooden tanker. His father, along with several others, had purchased it in 1971 and he grew up in and around it. He was 41 and had no commitments. He trusted that events would occur and as an itinerant musician he could carry on with some teaching online. On the waterways he could keep going, it didn’t matter where he was.


He was interested in how the different communications between traditional waterway folk and others did not always gel. ‘Traditions are passed down. As we polish and change them, we lose that knowledge. Some people look down on others living on boats, but there will be more due to the housing crisis and the attraction of that lifestyle. However, moving day is scary’.


Many in the audience lived the lifestyle Tom describes in his book, and hence made informed comments and posed knowing questions. I asked him about the process of recording and writing. He explained he made use of ‘a notepad for recording little details and the joys of the moment’.  


His book is full of such detail and moments. Tom explained that he also enjoys storytelling with music and hence has released the book and an album together, although they can be purchased separately. 


He finished his session by playing pieces from the album, and afterwards I joined the long queue to purchase his book.


His finale took place after the headliners had performed. Tom has always been involved in the dance scene and his web site suggests that ‘he stands at the leading edge of the English Folk scene’. At the close of Folk East he acted as the ‘caller’, explaining the sequences of dance moves to a large, slightly inebriated, group of people participating in a ceilidh. A man of many talents. 


Sue Blything-Smith


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