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Louis and Peggy Valentine Living in Melbourn in the ‘60’s and 70’s everyone would have known who the Valentines were. Louis and Peggy lived in Norgett’s Thatch – he was an artist and minor television celebrity, she was the local ballet mistress. Both fascinating characters. We were fortunate to know them well. Louis was born early in the last century and as his father was a Theatrical Impresario he grew up with greasepaint. He wanted to be an actor but his father, knowing how precarious the life could be, insisted that he should have something to fall back on so he trained as an artist at The Slade, concentrating on stage decor but being talented in all genres. His career as a young juvenile lead flourished – he was very goodlooking and dashing, but sadly never grew taller than about 5’4. Rather like Daniel Radcliffe the Harry Potter star. When the roles dried up, he still had many entrées into the theatre and was soon making a name for himself drawing caricatures and sketches in the Music Halls. He would sit at an easel with a flipboard and draw to order. He became a member of The Water Rats and toured with the Crazy Gang. I only wish I had room to tell you some of the stories he told us about the backstage mischief which they got up to! During WW2 he met and married Peggy. She was a ballerina and told the tale that it was by the sheerest fluke that Margot Fonteyn got the role which shot her to fame – it should have been Peggy! She was much taller than Louis (possibly a reason why she did not go further than the Corps de Ballet) and 25 years younger, but theirs was a long and happy marriage with one daughter, Susan. I am not sure when they came to live in Melbourn, they were established here when we came in 1963. Louis by this time was concentrating on painting and had a large studio at the rear of the cottage. Peggy ran ballet classes at MVC and in Brookmans’ Park. She looked and behaved like Ninette de Valois, always a prima ballerina! Her hair, her stance, her attitude all very theatrical. Both our daughters Inga and Sarah attended her classes and once a year she would have a grand ballet display. I was handy with the needle and got roped in on the costume side. Some of her pupils were adults, I remember Caroline Keatley and another woman from Meldreth were enthusiastic senior students. At one performance when the theme was Wind in the Willows Peggy insisted on having bulrushes all around the stage. George, who also acted as her treasurer and ‘gofer’, collected the bulrushes and all was fine on the Friday night performance. By Saturday matinee they were beginning to open under the stage lights and by the evening performance they were bursting forth and thistle down was flying all over the stage choking everyone! I had always drawn and painted and Louis kindly took me on as a student, later to be joined by George. We would go to his studio and out ‘on location’ and we both learned such a lot from him and all free – no payment involved! It was in his
studio that we heard all his fascinating Music Hall anecdotes. In the early days of TV after the war, some of my older readers might remember the Donald Peers Show. Remembering the music hall act Louis had, sketching to order, Donald invited Louis to join him and illustrate his songs. Anyone remember ‘In a shady nook, by a babbling brook...’? That was Donald Peers and the artist sketching alongside him was Louis – perhaps that was what gave Rolf Harris the idea! Anyway, it brought Louis’s name as an artist to the fore and his oils were commanding good money. He also painted for calendars and birthday cards. He very generously asked George and me if we would like to put one or two of our paintings into his next exhibition. I submitted a landscape but when Louis asked me where it was I couldn’t remember. “Oh, we shall call it Near Bridgewater.” But I have never been to Bridgewater I protested. “Don’t worry” said Louis, “someone will recognise it - they always do.” And he was right. We stood there on the preview night and heard someone say they knew the spot! Oh, how delighted I was when I sold that and a still life of lemons! There were many drawingrooms in Melbourn (and still are) which sported a Louis Valentine on the wall. In his later years Louis reinvented himself yet again – as a cruise ship lecturer! He would go on board with a pile of his canvases, doing one painting/sketching tutorial a day. At the end of the cruise there would be an exhibition of all the work done by his ‘students’ plus Louis’ own paintings which of course sold like hot cakes. A win -win situation, especially as Peggy accompanied him. ANYWAY, the purpose of these reminiscences is because someone has very generously given me two watercolours (illustrated) by Louis which once belonged to Daphne Black. One as you can see is of All Saints Church, and the other is a house which I cannot quite place, but bound to be local. (not Bridgewater!) As soon as this article is published I am going to start to sell raffle tickets at a pound a time in order to raise money for SOAS. The prizes will be drawn at Coffee Stop on 5th December 2015 and the first ticket drawn will have the choice of picture, the second ticket drawn will get the other one. If you would like to enter the raffle please contact me on 01763 260686, tickets will also be on sale at Coffee Stop and on the day of the Bazaar. Good Luck! Mavis Howard melbournmagazine
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