Tales from the Black Meadow - The Audiobook

The audiobook is here...

2 hours and 34 minutes of misty goodness... 

Enjoy!

About this listen

When Professor R. Mullins of the University of York went missing in 1972 on the site of the area known as Black Meadow atop of the North Yorkshire Moors, he left behind him an extensive body of work that provided a great insight into the folklore of this mysterious place.

Writer Chris Lambert has been rooting through Mullins' files for over ten years and now presents this collection of weird and macabre tales.

Marvel at tales such as The Rag and Bone Man, The Meadow Hag, The Fog House, The Land Spheres and The Children of the Black Meadow.

What is the mystery surrounding The Coalman and the Creature? Who or what is The Watcher in the Village? What is the significance of the Shining Apples? Why is it dangerous to watch the Horsemen dance?

These tales will haunt you for a long time to come.

"Can you tell me, maiden fair
Can you tell me if or where
I shall see my child again
Walk upon the fields of men?
Will she ever stumble back
From the meadow all a’black?""

To listen to the opening/buy the audiobook click here!

https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Tales-from-the-Black-Meadow-Audiobook/B0FNS4Y26S

Tales from the Black Meadow - The Play

 Back in 2013 - 10 Years Ago on 19th September, Kev KThomas Oyston and I met in the flesh for the first time to launch "Tales from the Black Meadow" at Reading Library. It was a packed event and one that I look back on with real fondness. I have been enmeshed in the world of Black Meadow since then with 4 books, 4 albums and a host of events that explore this strange place and its phenomena.

To celebrate this I am publishing "Tales from the Black Meadow - The Play" on Tuesday 19th September. Back in 2017 I conducted a daft experiment, taking a coach load of students from Reading to Caedmon College in Whitby to perform the play for the first time in one day. We travelled across the Black Meadow through the mist to get there. It was subsequently performed at South Street Arts Centre, Reading and the Bradfield Greeker. It is like a fever dream now but hopefully this little book captures some of it.

I am really chuffed that Bob Fischer, who also attended the premiere, has kindly written a foreword.

Celebrate with us and get lost in the mist.

Tales from the Black Meadow - The Play - Montage

This montage was created by Nigel Wilson of images from the production.

Lost on the Black Meadow - An evening with Chris Lambert at the Whitby Bookshop - Coming Soon

Tales from the Black Meadow - The Play - A Look Back - Whitby

The idea of performing the play in Whitby occurred at the very start.
It sounded like a great idea.
Some were dubious...
After a while, once it was all set up and too late to pull out... I too was dubious!
However Kit Wright at Caedmon College was fantastic to work with and made it so much easier!

We left Theale (Berkshire) at 5.15am.
Some of the students slept on the coach.
They were very well behaved (I did make travel bingo for them)
We arrived at just after 12pm in Whitby so we did have time to do a speed run.

The performance was the premiere.
The students were splendid but we did have teething problems...
The little model train fell off the stage and the Black Meadow mist from the smoke machine did set of the alarms so we had to evacuate in the first ten minutes.
After that it went swimingly.
The feedback from the school was lovely.

Drama@CCW‏ @Dramathesps  Jul 6

@hambert hope you all get home safe. Black Meadow weather over the Moors today. Thank you for your hard work, what lovely students

Jo Parlby‏ @JoCrow70  Jul 6

Thank you Kit Wright @Dramathesps for inviting Eskdale to Tales of the Black Meadow. We all loved the production.

The audience were very kind too:

Well done! To you all. It was a fascinating, and very creepy, production... and it seemed entirely fitting that, afterwards, I walked up to the Abbey churchyard for the first time in decades and watched spectacular thunder and lightning rolling across the town!  - Bob Fischer - BBC Tees

I was lucky enough to be invited to the first performance of "Tales from the Black Meadow" yesterday. It was performed in Whitby only a few miles away from the Meadow itself. So it was nice to see it in its native setting . I am by no means a theatre critic. But, the performance was a tour de force directed by Chris Lambert and a company from Theale Green school. The work was superbly choreographed and the performance was quite spare making good use of wooden staves to create a bewildering number of sets. It did contain some superbly disturbing moments. I have to say that once the mist rose it set off the fire smoke detectors which interrupted the performance. The cast were professional enough to shake this off and carry on with the show. If anyone is planning to see the coming performances or is thinking about it I would highly recommend seeing it. Well done to everyone. - Peter Lagan -Leasungspel

What was particularly heartening was to see how the show inspired students from Caedmon College in their work.

Drama@CCW‏ @Dramathesps  Jul 12

Last week yr9 now 10 experimenting after watching Tales from the Black Meadow

Tales from the Black Meadow - The Play - A Look Back - Rehearsals

There is a great deal of interest in the Black Meadow play at the Theale Green clubs fair at the start of the year. The idea of taking it to Whitby seems to encourage rather than discourage participation.

Rehearsals start in March. The May Pole has a test drive in the "Shining Apples" Scene
Now and again we were lucky enough to hold our rehearsals outside. This as important as one version of the show was in the open air...

Lots of sticks were used in this production...

In this image as well as the broomsticks you can also see, bowler hats, the lectern and the little train (which never behaved in perfromance!)

The marvelous costumes of Nigel Wilson. The Ticking Policeman and one of the horsemen heads can be seen here...

About half the cast...

The other half...

To prepare for Caedmon College Whitby we rehearsed on the Hall stage.

BBC Radio Berkshire - Interview about Tales from the Black Meadow the Play - 10th July 2017

Sue Kinnear interviewed Chris Lambert on 10th July 2017 about Tales from the Black Meadow - The Play on BBC Radio Berkshire. You can hear the full interview above...

BBC Tees interview about Tales from the Black Meadow - The Play

Bob Fischer interviewed Chris Lambert on 30th July 2017 about "Tales from the Black Meadow - the Play". As well as this he also played The Main Theme, extracts from the documentary "Curse of the Black Meadow" and a rehearsal and Song of the Horseboy by Kid Moxie.

Tales from the Black Meadow - The Play - The Shining Apples

Rehearsals are in full swing for "Tales from the Black Meadow - The Play".

This adaptation will preview at a private performance at Caedmon College in Whitby on July 6th before premiering at South Street Arts Centre in Reading on Wednesday July 12th at 7pm.

Tickets are available here.

TICKETS NOW ON SALE for Tales from the Black Meadow at South Street Arts Centre Reading

You can get your tickets now for "Tales from the Black Meadow" - Wednesday 12th July at South Street Arts Centre.

Book early to avoid disappointment. Get your tickets HERE.


Don’t go into the mist…

Everybody knows about the disappearances on the North York Moors. Everybody knows how, when the mist is high, a village appears, meadow hags stalk and bramble children play in the furrows.

In the 1930s Lord Brightwater and a team of scientists journeyed into the heart of the mist to find the answers to this most perplexing of modern day mysteries. Find out the secrets of this strange place,  explore the mazes  of bramble and heather  and discover what lies within the creeping fog…

Based on the critically acclaimed book of short stories by Chris Lambert and featuring music by The Soulless Party.


Ticket information

£7, £5 concessions

South Street

21 South Street, Reading, RG1 4QU

Contact: Box Office: 0118 960 6060; Administration: 0118 937 3456

Box office is open at South Street Arts Centre on performance days one hour before the show (subject to availability)

Phone lines open Mon-Fri 10am-5pm

Tales from the Black Meadow - The Play - Coming Very Soon

Tickets will shortly be on sale for Tales from the Black Meadow at South Street Arts Centre in Reading.

The premiere on Wednesday July 12th (following a free preview for students at Caedmon College, Whitby on July 6th) will be the first opportunity to see this adaptation of Chris Lambert's critically acclaimed book.

Watch this space for further details...

"A Psychogeographic Essential" - Electronic Sound Review

We are very pleased with the recent review by Electronic Sound.

In Issue 25 of this excellent magazine the Special Edition of "Tales from the Black Meadow" is described by the reviewer as "a gratifying atmospheric listen, filled with processed choral eeriness and murky radiophonic unease - a psychogeographic essential."

If you don't own the album you can buy it here. The album is made up of two beautifully presented discs. The first disc contains 20 tracks that link to the stories in the book of the same name (that you can buy here and read alongside). The second disc contains the lost Radio 4 documentary "Curse of the Black Meadow", four stories and 8 previously unreleased musical tracks.

Melmoth the Wanderer - Christmas on the Black Meadow (A Yuletide Mix)

"The fourth seasonal mix from Melmoth_the_Wanderer recalls his visit to The Black Meadow - a place steeped in wyrd folklore and mysterious happenings." - Melmoth the Wanderer - Mixcloud

Includes readings from the book, strange soundscapes and music from Tales from the Black Meadow and Songs from the Black Meadow...

Discover more by buying the book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Christmas-Black-Meadow-Chris-Lambert/dp/1539767248 - All profits go to Worldwide Cancer Research.

Also coming this December....

Folk Horror Revival: Field Studies

The Black Meadow is discussed in Chris Lambert's paper Folk Horror and the Virtual Demiurge – Making False Trails – How Lies Can Be Used to Create New Folklore which appears in this awesome new tome this month.

The paper was first presented as part of  the "Fiend in the Furrows" Folk Horror symposium at Queens University in Belfast. It explores the phenomena of the Black Meadow inviting the reader to join us in the mist, to make mischief, to make new folklore, to lie and to revel in lies.

The brainchild of Andy Paciorek, Field Studies  is a folk horror enthusiast's treasure trove, with contributions and interviews from incredibly exciting artists such as Kim Newman, Philip Pullman, Alan Lee and Sharon Krauss.

As well as this other Black Meadow travellers such as Grey Malkin (of The Hare and the Moon) and Jim Peters (Melmoth the Wanderer/Septimus Keen) make several scinitllating contributions of their own.  It is well worth checking out. A lovely and comforting read on these cold winter nights.

There are some lovely reviews in The Spectral Times (p.97) and in Heathen Harvest.

A full list of contributions follows:
• Foreword, Disclaimer & Acknowledgements
• Folk Horror: From the Forests, Fields and Furrows; An Introduction by Andy Paciorek
• Subtle Magic and the Thrill of The Wicker Man by Sharron Kraus
• An Interview with Kim Newman
• Public Information Films: Play Safe by Grey Malkin
• An Interview with Philip Pullman
• Hysteria and Curses in Nigel Kneale’s Baby (Beasts) by Adam Scovell
• An Interview with Paul Rumsey
• The Green Children of the Woolpits by Karl Shuker
• Sacred Demons: The Dramatic Art of David Rudkin by John Coulthart
• The Last Broadcast by Rich Blackett
• Folklore and the River: A Reflection on Davis Grubb’s The Night of the Hunter byStephen Canner
• Quatermass II (Nigel Kneale): The Fears of the Outsider Within the Landscape byAdam Scovell
• An Interview with Gary Lachman
• Weird Americana by Andy Paciorek
• An Interview with Julia Jeffrey
• The Wanderings of Melmoth by Jim Peters
• The Traditional Jack in the Green by Chris Walton
• Ghosts, Landscape and Science by Nick Brown
• An Interview with Dr Bob Curran
• The Music of The Cremator and Morgiana by Grey Malkin
• One Small Step for Man: Hunting the Nephilim by Cobweb Mehers
• A Paean to Peter Vaughan by Andy Paciorek
• Other Thoughts, Other Voices: Cults, Hive Minds and a New Philosophy of Horror in the Work of John Wyndham by Dan Hunt
• The Haunted Landscape of Brian Eno: Ambient 4: On Land by Adam Scovell
• Srpski Vampir by Lauri Löytökoski
• The Primrose Sloop of War by Chris Bond
• Phantasms of the Floating World: Tales of Ghostly Japan by Andy Paciorek
• The Folk Horror of Doctor Who by Adam Scovell
• Colin Wilson: Reflections on an Outsider by Gary Lachman
• Morgaine Art by Karen Hilder
• An Interview with Andrew McGuigan: Cumbrian Cthulhu
• Paul Ferris: Witchfinder General Soundtrack Review by Grey Malkin
• An Interview with Thomas Ligotti by Neddal Ayad
• “Just That Little Bit Dark, Haunting and Dramatic”: An Introduction to The Hare and the Moon by Jim Peters & Grey Malkin
• An Interview with Dr Simon Young – The Fairy Investigation Society
• Nordic Twilight: Scandinavian Horror by Andy Paciorek
• “See Ye Not That Bonny Road?”: Places, Haunts and Haunted Places in British Traditional Song by Clare Button
• Kill Lists: The occult, paganism and sacrifice in cinema as an analogy for political upheaval in the 1970s and the 2010s by Aaron Jolly
• MR James: The Presence of More Formidable Visitants by Jim Moon
• An Interview With Drew Mulholland
• Albion’s Children: The Golden Age of British Supernatural Youth Drama by Andy Paciorek
• The Sacred Theatre of Summerisle by John Harrigan
• All you Ever Knew About Vampires Is Wrong: A Transcript of a Fortean Meeting Talk by Tina Rath
• An Interview with Robin Hardy
• The Haunted Fields of England: Diabolical Landscapes and the Genii Locorum byPhil Legard
• Sauna: Abjection and Redemption in the Liminal Spaces by Madeleine Ledespencer
• Hell’s Angel Blake – An Annotated Guide to a Coven at Bix by Andy Sharp
• The Old Hag Phenomenon by Jasmine Gould
• The Olde World Mythology Behind Saurimonde by Scarlett Amaris & Melissa St Hilaire
• Unearthing Forgotten Horrors by Darren Charles
• An Arthurian Antichrist: Alternate Readings of Kill List by Andy Paciorek
• Darkness, Beauty, Fear and Wonder: Exploring the Grotesque and Fantastical World of Czech Folk Horror by Kat Ellinger
• Folk Horror and the Virtual Demiurge – Making False Trails – How Lies Can Be Used to Create New Folklore by Chris Lambert
• Women of Power and Justice: Witches in Folk Horror Movies by Judika Illes
• An Interview With Alan Lee

The Black Meadow - A new piece of art inspired by "Tales from the Black Meadow"

This new piece of work by artist and photographer Mark David Brindley is inspired by "Tales from the Black Meadow". It is a rich piece that seems seeped in mist and heather. We are honoured to share it here. The more you stare, the more it draws you in...

1888 - Kid Moxie and the Fields of Blackberry

We are very proud and excited to announce that the Black Meadow has crept its way onto US singer Kid Moxie's new album "1888". Her version of Fields of Blackberry which was produced by "The Soulless Party" also features the voice of Chris Lambert the author of "Tales from the Black Meadow".

Fields of Blackberry was collected by Roger Mullins in the late 60's. The original version, sung by an unknown performer in 1967 in a pub in Hampshire, features on the original "Tales from the Black Meadow" album.

This is a fantastic album that also features collaborations with Angelo Badalamenti (Twin Peaks) and the Gaslamp Killer.It is available as a digital download on itunes and as a vinyl record from UNDO records.

Reading Chronicle features the launch of Songs from the Black Meadow - with pictures!

Lovely write-up in the Reading Chronicle. Great to see all the artists from Reading featured here.

Black Meadow in Shindig! (Issue 43)

This month in groovetastic magazine Shindig you will find an interview with Black Meadow curator Chris Lambert about the ongoing Black Meadow project. It includes info about its inception, its evolution and its most recent iteration...

Get your copy now!

Superb review of Black Meadow Project by "Fascination with Fear"

Excellent horror blog "Fascination with Fear" has written a fantastic review of the Black Meadow project encompassing the album, book and virtual adventures.

The Album provoked this response:
"I can see the title card and the credits appearing over gently revolving images—a moonlit meadow here, an old tree, the silhouettes of children playing. I’m certain that at the start of the show we would find a gentleman in front of a blazing fire in some English parlor, closing the dusty tome he was holding to welcome us to the show."

 The Book this reaction:
"The book reads like a book of scary stories to tell children before bedtime. The writing is simple and purposefully repetitive, but Lambert goes to great lengths to create the eerie world of the Black Meadow." 

The summing up is quite frankly, lovely:
"After reading the book, listening to the CD and the Radio 4 Documentary I am so impressed and inspired by the lengths Lambert went to to bring his mythos to life and spread it out through so many mediums. It is always inspirational to see originality and another’s appreciation for folklore."

 You can read the whole article by Marie Robinson here.