A double treat with our Henry (From Bromsgrove Advertiser)

A double treat with our Henry

10:27am Wednesday 24th January 2007

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VISITORS to this year's Bromsgrove Society Lecture are set for a double treat.

Speaking about the Life of a Potaholic will be the star of the BBC's popular Antiques Roadshow programme - author and lecturer Henry Sandon.

Not only will the audience be entertained by Henry's vast and detailed knowledge of Worcester porcelain, but - if time permits - he is prepared to give his opinion on a small number of selected pieces of pottery taken along by the audience.

For many viewers who delight in Henry's easy, relaxed manner, it will come as a surprise to learn that he was born a Cockney into a musical and artistic family.

Henry came to Worcester, where he now lives, in 1953 to sing in the cathedral choir and teach music at the city's Royal Grammar School.

He sang many times in Bromsgrove parish church and lectured for Birmingham University in surrounding villages such as Burcot.

A growing interest in pottery led to an excavation in his garden and the finding of Roman and medieval pottery. This eventually led to his appointment as curator of Royal Worcester and the Dyson Perrins Museum.

Henry has been featured on This is Your Life and Desert Island Discs on which he chose as his book Alfred Housman's A Shropshire Lad.

Henry's friendship with Arthur Negus introduced him to early TV antique programmes like Going for a Song. This later developed into the Antiques Roadshow, which is seen in dozens of countries.

The lecture will be held at Bromsgrove School on Tuesday, April 17. Tickets are priced at £5. They are available from society chairman Jim Griffith on 01527 833252, Baylis's furniture store and Waterstones in Bromsgrove High Street and at Wilsons Pet Centre in Market Street.

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