For the creation of ‘The River Song’, Mike Dolby studied the format of folk songs and sea shanties. The song was produced in Apple Garage Band and the only instrument used was the piano, the rest being digital instruments within the application. The song charts the history of the hall from the time of its founding and follows its story to the modern day.
Mike’s initial inspiration came from the content of the Dragon Hall Heritage Volunteers little red book on the history of the site, which features passages about the journey that medieval goods would take when moving up the river. It described how the cargo would be moved at Gt. Yarmouth from seafaring vessels to smaller boats called ‘keels’, which could traverse the river ways. It also describes how when entering the city during this period via the river, the sailors would move between two large boom towers flanking the river’s edge. Mike found this to be an arresting image that he wanted to incorporate into his final piece of writing.
Performed by Mike Dolby.
Performed by Mike Dolby.
The River Song
We moor up at Yarmouth, and move on to keels,
And we carry and carry and carry up river,
Barge ‘cross the Wensum as quick as we feels,
Yes we’ll tarry and tarry and tarry up river and roam,
Our vessel is weighed down with goods that’ll trade,
And we’ll carry and carry and carry up river,
With dyes for the cloth that in worsted is made,
Yes we’ll carry and carry and carry up river and roam,
We sail past the boom towers guarding the shore,
And we carry and carry and carry up river,
We’ll be there in just a few strokes of an oar,
So we Harry and Harry and Harry that river,
To old Robert’s hall,
Say hello to the dragons,
Be sure to knock back a few flagons,
Then down river we’ll go.
About Mike Dolby
Stories have been part of my life since before I can remember. I love to escape into the world of fiction and non-fiction alike. I am fascinated by all forms of writing and have written scripts, songs, novels, and articles. I live in Norwich and think that it is a city that ignites the imagination – I look forward to tales it will reveal whilst I’m here.
A Tapestry of Tales
Who lived at Dragon Hall? What have these old walls witnessed? Whose story hasn’t yet been told? These are the questions that formed the foundation of a project undertaken by the Story Makers, a group of a participants that generously gave their time and skills to discover, share and celebrate Dragon Hall’s heritage.
Combining historical research and creative practice, the Story Makers spent ten sessions engaging with Dragon Hall and the surrounding King Street area in a variety of ways, before using their creative skills to produce personal interpretations of the history they uncovered.
From poems to pamphlets, videos to pop-up books, we invite you to explore their work in our digital collection.
Stepping into Dragon Hall is made possible by Arts Council England, National Lottery Heritage Fund, Norwich Freemen’s Charity and Wolfson Foundation.
