Liverpool has The Beatles and Teignmouth has Muse, but Newton Abbot’s musical heritage dates right back to the start of the last century when a world-famous musician visited the town.

Last week, researchers from The Mixed Museum, a digital archive focused on Britain’s multi-racial history, visited Newton Abbot to find out more about how the town became the only west country venue visited by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.

Coleridge-Taylor appeared at the Alexandra Hall (now the cinema) in Newton Abbot in April 1902 to conduct a performance of his famous work, Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast. The performance celebrated the silver jubilee of the Newton Abbot Choral Society.

‘It was a real coup for Newton Abbot Choral Society to get him,’ commented The Mixed Museum director Dr Chamion Caballero. ‘Having Samuel Coleridge-Taylor come would have been a real boost for the Choral Society’s reputation and finances,’ she added.

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor was born in August 1875 to a Sierra Leonean father and an English mother. He was a critically acclaimed musician and composer whose works were often influenced by his African roots. His career saw him tour the United States of America three times, including a visit to the White House.

Researchers from The Mixed Museum, joined Tess Walker, a volunteer researcher at Newton Abbot Town and GWR museum, and Richard Ward, chair of the Newton Abbot and District Musical Comedy Society, last Thursday (January 30) to visit the Alexandra Theatre and find out more about the town at the time Coleridge-Taylor visited.

The results of their research will be shared as part of an audio series called Tracks of a Trailblazer, exploring the life, music and journeys of Coleridge-Taylor as he used the railway network to tour the country.

As well as focusing on Coleridge-Taylor’s work as a composer and conductor, the audio exhibition will explore what life in Britain was like for a mixed-race, middle-class man at the turn of the 20th century. The exhibition has been funded by the Great Western Railways’ Customer and Community Improvement Fund.

Newton Abbot Museum also plans to add the story of Coleridge-Taylor’s visit to the town to its collection.

‘It was important to include Newton Abbot to show that black history can often be found in places you wouldn’t expect to find it,’ explained Chamion.

The Mixed Museum is keen to hear from anyone who might have any stories or images relating to Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s trip to Newton Abbot. Perhaps you may have a programme or tickets from the performance in your family archive. Or maybe a relative attended or performed when he conducted at the Alexandra Theatre. ‘There would have been a lot of people in the choir,’ noted Chamion, who recalled that when the team visited Brighton, a resident was able to share an original score of music from when Coleridge-Taylor conducted.

Anyone with information to share can contact The Mixed Museum by email: [email protected]