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The Trentishoe Whole Earth Fayre. Pinkery
Field, Simonsbath.Devon .
June
9th-13th 1976.
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Panoramic view of Trentishoe 1976 © Alan & Pauline Clarke
It is customary for British rural communities to greet the news that a rock festival is to be held near their village with the same degree of enthusiasm that they would show if they were to be told that they were infected with the Black Death . Strangely, with the 1976 Trentishoe festival, this was NOT the case. Both locals and authorities displayed an unusual degree of tolerance, perhaps because the other free festivals held in the area in previous years had only limited detrimental affects on the community.
| In addition to press coverage of the event we also have Hutchinson's and Clarke's photogallery of |
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images shot during the 1976 festival , which are a fascinating document of the festival environment of experimental dwellings and give an good idea of the scale of the proceedings.
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The articles below were featured in the local paper in June 1976.
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Exmoor welcomes the pop festival 'Wallies' Give the visitors a fair chance is local viewpoint |
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Tolerance
and understanding of the feelings of young people and a willingness to help
where possible is the official West Somerset decision as surprise legions of
the former Trentishoe Earth Fayre make themselves at home in Pinkery Field,
Simonsbath, this week and weekend. With the invasion of our green and pleasant
land by scantily clad youngsters from all parts of Britain some surprisingly
benign views were being expressed at a meeting of Exmoor National Park committee
at Dulverton on Tuesday.
Captain R. E Lloyd, who had attended
a site meeting with officials at Pinkery, said the committee would do well to
share the pop fans "blind faith" that everything would be all right
providing they were left alone . They said they could only hope that the festival
goes through without a major calamity.
Mr M. H Waley - Cohen, whose home is very near the site, gave the tolerant view
that the festival be given a chance. He hoped the organisers had learned a lesson
from Trentishoe.
STONEHENGE
At
the site yesterday an official spokesman for the organisers, Mr Mick Tanner,
said that the event was originally planned by the 'Wallies of Stonehenge' (
an ethnic group of uncertain origin ). They tried to use the site of the previous
earth Fayre at Trentishoe, but this site was no longer available, so he stepped
in to help at the last minute.
"When I realised that nothing was coming together
and people had started arriving in North Devon I contacted a few farmers and
arranged to get hold of this site here at Pinkery . Otherwise I was faced with
the prospect of crowds arriving at my doorstep at Coombe Martin"
The advance party at Pinkery were from Lampeter in Wales , where a commune of
some 25 young people live in a farmhouse and tepees. They brought several of
these with them .
POLYTHENE.
Another
kind of accommodation is a clear polythene dome made up of a framework of steel
hexagons bolted together . Inside on our visit , 30 assorted "freaks"
drank tea at two pence a cup from the back a converted railway lorry. Background
music was provided by acoustic guitars, Indian drums and congas.
In the largest tent we saw more than 50 crowded round a cooking fire
with the smoke curling up through a hole in the roof. Enormous iron pots of
stew made from chick peas and red beans bubbled over the fires and other chefs
toasted fat cakes of unleavened bread.
photo ©Alan and Pauline Clarke |
ELECTRIC Electric
music had not been organised by the end of the first day , although
two rock and roll bands. Lightning and Here and Now , had set up camp
on higher grounds. They brought their own scaffolding . On Wednesday
afternoon West Somerset health official , led by Mr John Organ . were
shown over the site by organisers representative Dave Page. Officials
stressed that they were not interfering but were making sure that nobody
made themselves ill or got into difficulties.
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Reactions
from Simonsbath and Challacoombe seem sympathetic. Mr John Hall , proprietor
of the Exmoor Forest Hotel , Simonsbath told the free press he had no objection
to the festival or its patrons. "I don’t expect
any trouble judging by the ones I have seen , he said. ‘ and providing
they don’t come down and smash up the village they are quite welcome to
come. After all there is plenty of room for them up at Pinkery. "
PLEASANT.
Mrs Gladys Gabriel, postmistress
at Challacombe , said the young people she had encountered since Friday had
all been very quiet and pleasant "You must speak
as you find ". she said "and they have
all been very good. "
On Sunday and Monday more festival fans are expected to leave for another freak
out taking place at Stonehenge over the summer solstice.
The wigwams of Pinkery.
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Photo © Alan & Pauline Clarke |
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It
is an unfamiliar world , harking back to past culture s, offending middle class
conventions. Manners. dress, work, sex, the taboo becomes the norm , the norm
becomes the natural. Much of the fear that people have of hippies, Wallies or
whatever they call themselves , springs from an idea of drug crazed squalor
that will reach over and attack you if you do not protect yourself.
There may well be Marijuana at Pinkery Field and there is squalor in the conventional
sense , but those present have contrived to , in the face of middle class pressure
,to maybe create a culture of their own .
(This is probably the most perceptive and sympathetic account of the festival culture I've read in the conventional media in the 70s and to find it coming from the rural press is most edifying , lets hope this writer went on to bigger things and was allowed to continue such opinions by his or her editor )
More Time Gentlemen please.
About the
Earth Pop festival, the viewpoint of authority in West Somerset would seem to
be roughly speaking 'all very fine no doubt, but why so
little notice. ?'
Mr John Organ, West Somerset District Council’s environmental health officer
, claimed local authorities had not been given adequate warning.
"We didn't think these festivals would find Exmoor
- we thought it was too far off the beaten track, but we were presented by a
Fait accompli . We are not against festivals of
this kind as such - but we should have have had the benefit of prior liaison
"
Mr Gary Belton, , chief information officer of Exmoor National Park , said "
The notice we had was was simply ridiculous . It has given
us no opportunity to look at the matter and to take full consideration of it
"
SPACED OUT ON EXMOOR
| Lord
Melchet , 28 year old Under-Secretary of State for the Environment, called
them "a reasonable
form of recreation " but the hippies, hairies and painted people
who have gathered this weekend at Challacombe on Exmoor , for Earth Fair-
a free pop festival. have other words.'Just beautiful
man' said a girl called Muschi O'Connor. The festival sprang up on the West Country hillside last week to the amazement of the locals. One minute it wasn't there, the next it was: -tepees from Wales, a Geodesic dome covered in polythene. Kites in the sky ,music, the discreet police presence and a certain amount of heavy breathing from the local law and order supporters. |
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The organisers talk of 5000 people but there are only a few hundred. They are so so far from the nearest human habitation that their noise is unlikely to disturb anyone- writes Nigel Hawkes.
The
organisation of the festival represents something of a triumph for the urban
underground, which has come for a week in the country . No advertisements were
placed or public announcements made that would alert the authorities , but the
the site and time were passed on by word of mouth. Harold Thornton , an Australian
artist and bicycle Freak who calls himself Harold the Kangaroo is here with
his dog -Captain Beefheart. He heard about the festival at the Roundhouse in
London and came. Others have turned up from Dublin from Scotland and from abroad.
The facilities would hardly be adequate
for the vaunted 5000 but will probably keep the actual numbers who are here
alive and free from disease. Just in case. Release, the organisation that advises
drug addicts has sent ~ doctor and the local branch of the St John Ambulance
Brigade are in attendance.
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The
festivals claim to be free appears justified. The food is free—home-made
bread chapati’s, stew and . ratatouille—The site was leant free
by the landholder , the music is free and a Kentucky Fried Chicken van
which ventured into the festival last week was sent smartly on its way
. What did the festival participants think of last weeks Melchett report on pop festivals. ‘ Just spaced out, ‘ said one man with wild hair and glittering eyes. Muschi gazes fondly at the tents, the stream , the children playing , the camp fires and the musicians tuning up on the top of the hill." Its all diddlydum "she says with the air of one imparting a great truth . The Observer. |
Articles kindly provided by Roger Hutchinson and Roger Duncan.
Here and Now Photos and Text Trentishoe 1976
Any info to add- well don't just sit there ! Contact us
Free festivals and small fayres held in the United Kingdom between 1967-90.
1967-69.
1970-79 |
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Main list of Free festivals 1970-1985
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We are proud of the contribution we have made to Andy Worthington's sociological history of Stonehenge and the free festival scene in the UK .This new book gives a fascinating insight into the various counter cultural obsessions with the Stones and provides a variety of new perspectives to many of the key events surrounding the Henge such as the Battle Of The Beanfield and the more recent attempts hold a celebration at the Stones during the Solstice.
Find out more about this great book by clicking on the image on the left and visit the Heart of Albion Press web site . |
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Sending details of a small book I've just self-published which might be of interest to some readers of your admirable site.
I have featured the book and its contents on one of my blogs too:
With many thanks in advance John Kruse
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Many, many thanks go to Roger Hutchinson , Big Steve , Roger Duncan, Celia, Will , Chazz, Jeza ,Chris Hewitt ,The Fabulous Time Tortoise , Peter Piwowarski - ( 70s music site/photos ) Martin S, Steve Austin ,Traveller Dave, Herb, Tim Brighton, Vin Miles, Haze Evans , Noddy Guevara, Chris Brown, Janet Thompson, David Stooke, Gary Gibbons , Nigel Ayers, Rich Deakin ,Glenda Pescardo,Justin Warman,Brian F, Steve Bayfield, Kev Ellis, Paul Seaton and many other minor contributors for their help in providing the archival material related to these free festivals which has at enabled us to construct the site .
Any info to add ?-well don't just sit there , Contact us
