Hungerford Arcade is a great place to come to find links to local history.  Some of the most interesting things seem to have originated just around the corner from us and somehow they seem to find their way home again.  This very thing happened today when we met Anne and Dave Herbert from the Swindon and Cricklade Railway.  Dave found this fantastic cast iron sign in the shop and thought it would be a great idea to take it back to where it belongs. It will be mounted somewhere along the railway, most likely near a station, for visitors to look at.  

The Swindon and Cricklade Railway is a heritage railway rather than a commercial public transport link.  They run steam and dielel locomotives along a private 5 mile long track between Swindon in the south and Cricklade in the north.  They are always looking for things to make the experience more authentic and hoping to extend the railway both north and south as soon as they can.

Dave is a consultant for the railway museum and whenever he finds something relevant he tries to source it for them.  He also has a personal collection of 744 items of railway memorabilia! 744!  Anne is the manager of the Whistle Stop Cafe at Blunsden Station at the southerly end of the railway.

There is so much history to discover without having to travel far away from Hungerford.  The Swindon and Cricklade Railway is well worth a visit if you are even mildly interested in steam and early diesel locomotion. Dave told me that the sign would be being put up at the railway within a couple of weeks so keep your eyes open for it!

Hungerford Arcade owners, managers, staff and stallholders wish all our Irish friends a very happy St. Patrick’s Day.

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Saint Patrick was a fifth-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. Known as the “Apostle of Ireland”, he is the primary patron saint of Ireland, along with saints Brigit of Kildare and Columba.

Mary Hare School for the Deaf is our chosen charity and we do whatever we can to support them.  The school is currently fundraising for a new school building for primary aged, profoundly deaf and severely deaf children.  The current building is old and inadequate for the very specific needs of the children. 

So as part of the fundraising drive for this much needed new building, the school has put together a video to showcase some of the things they do and some of the things they have already done to raise money for the appeal.  The appeal video has been shortlisted for the Charity Film Awards.  The school has been invited to the awards ceremony in May when they will hear if the judges have given them an award in their category. 

In the meantime, there is a public vote for all the finalists and an additional award will be given to the film that attracts the most public votes.  Please vote for them on their page.  Thank you for your support!

Arts For Hungerford is a volunteer-run community project which brings films, music, comedy, literature and a lot more to Hungerford and surrounding areas.  This month two films will be showing at the Croft Hall.

On Friday it’s the 2017 Oscar-winning Iranian film, The Salesman. The future looks bright for amateur actors preparing for Death of a Salesman, until a case of mistaken identity sees a shocking and violent incident throw their lives into turmoil. It has a Rotten Tomatoes Score of 96% and Critics Consensus of ‘The Salesman takes an ambitiously complex look at thought-provoking themes, and the well-acted results prove another consistently absorbing entry in writer-director Asghar Farhadi’s distinguished filmography.’

Then on Saturday, if you enjoy drama you won’t want to miss ‘The Time Machine’ – a new and radical interpretation of the HG Wells classic, with 5-star reviews at the Edinburgh Festival and beyond. ★★★★★ ‘Outstanding… Amazing… Magic’ (Edinburgh Southside Advertiser). Brought to us by Dyad Productions, they’ve been no strangers to the Croft Hall in recent years – Jane Eyre and The Unremarkable Death of Marilyn were both absolutely wonderful. Free tickets for under-18’s accompanied by an adult.

There is so much more to discover in the coming months thanks to Arts For Hungerford.  Check out their website for more details on all upcoming events.

Hungerford Arcade, owners, managers, staff and stallholders wish all our great friends in The Commonwealth a very happy day.

The Commonwealth consists of 53 Members and spans the globe.

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The Prosecco Tea Set!

We love making friends in other local, family run businesses – especially when those local businesses make scrumptious cakes! 

This lovely couple came to visit us to find interesting things to use in their cafe, The Tea Cosy in nearby Hurstbourne Tarrant. 

They bought all sorts of things, from garden ornaments, to china tea sets. 

It’s not unusual to find a teapot and tea cups in a cafe – but this particular set is to be used for serving prosecco! I know, it sounds strange, but I would definitely give it a go!  

They also serve more traditional tea and cakes at the Cafe with an emphasis on indulgence! I have seen some of their Facebook posts and the cakes really do look amazing!  I hope we see them again soon as they were a pleasure to serve – and I might get a free cake if I’m really nice to them! Find them on Facebook here!

Hungerford Arcade has many visitors from China.  The co-owners, managers and stallholders wish everyone where ever they may be Xīn Nián Kuài Lè !

Free Vectors via Vecteezy.com