Miss Dorothy Blake was born in Barton Manor on the Osborne estate on the Isle of Wight in November 1886. Her father had recently been appointed agent to the estate and, in this capacity, was responsible for arranging Queen Victoria’s daily tours of the grounds when she was in residence. These recordings were made in 1965 when Miss Blake was nearly 80 and tell of the ageing Queen’s life at Osborne. Regular Royal visitors at this time were the Duke and Duchess of Connaught and their children, Prince Henry of Battenburg and his wife Princess Beatrice (who was Queen Victoria's youngest daughter) with their children Prince Alexander — who was born within a fortnight of Miss Blake — Princess Ena (Victoria Eugenie 1887 - 1969), Prince Leopold and baby Prince Morris. The interview is full of domestic detail and an insight into the life of the Victorian royal family from a perspective not recorded in the history books.

Category: Victorian For more information please click on the disc cover or catalogue number

	CD-SDL 232 Mechanical Music Hall Instrumental versions of music hall favourites played on musical boxes, 'barrel organs', penny pianos and other Edwardian and Victorian automata
	CD-SDL 234 Parry's Barrel Organ The music of "John Longman’s New Invented Patent Barrel Organ" with bells, drum and triangle built around 1810 and which accompanied Sir William Edward Parry on his Arctic expeditions in the early 19th Century. Not only did it entertain the sailors but intrigued eskimos en route.
	CD-SDL 271 Pipes, Barrels and Pins An extensive collection of mechanical musical instruments from small musical box to enormous fair ground organ. These were once the pride of the West Cornwall Museum of Mechanical Music that entertained holiday makers for many years
	CD-SDL 285 Memories Of Osborne Miss Dorothy Blake was born in Barton Manor on the Osborne estate on the Isle of Wight in November 1886. Her father had recently been appointed agent to the estate and, in this capacity, was responsible for arranging Queen Victoria’s daily tours of the grounds when she was in residence. These recordings were made in 1965 when Miss Blake was nearly 80 and tell of the ageing Queen’s life at Osborne. Regular Royal visitors at this time were the Duke and Duchess of Connaught and their children, Prince Henry of Battenburg and his wife Princess Beatrice (who was Queen Victoria's youngest daughter) with their children Prince Alexander — who was born within a fortnight of Miss Blake — Princess Ena (Victoria Eugenie 1887 - 1969), Prince Leopold and baby Prince Morris. The interview is full of domestic detail and an insight into the life of the Victorian royal family from a perspective not recorded in the history books.
	CD-SDL 294 Parlour Poetry Kenneth Williams Comic, Patriotic and Improving Verse from the Victorian Age
	CD-SDL 303 Sublime Harmonie of Victorian Musical Boxes Favourite opera arias and popular tunes from the classics played on rare Victorian cylinder and disc musical boxes by Polyphon, Nicole Freres and other top quality makers.
	CD-SDL 312 The Gay 90s Popular music from Victorian musical shows and other favourites of the 1890s played on dozens of Victorian disc musical boxes (with discs from 4" to 27") and a pianola. Favourite tunes from 'A Runaway Girl', 'Florodora', 'Belle of New York' , 'The Geisha', 'A Greek Slave' and 'San Toy'. Plus popular songs of the 1890s.
	CD-SDL 327 Enchanted Carols "One of the most delightful & imaginative Christmas records I have ever come across" commented the record reviewer in the Oxford Times and we think this is a fair assessment of our biggest selling album. It is a veritable feast of Christmas music with Victorian musical boxes, handbells, church bells, barrel organs, street pianos, handbell choir and brass band. A kaleidoscope of sounds of the best known carol tunes intermingled with a few lesser known delights, plus the joyous pealing of the bells of St. Mary Redcliffe church in Bristol to start and end this celebration of Christmas.
	CD-SDL 331 A Victorian Sunday Favourite Victorian hymns as recorded on mechanical pipe barrel organs, musical boxes and organettes
	CD-SDL 340 Music Of The Streets Three centuries of mechanical street music from a wealth of "barrel organs" (street pianos), organettes & other popular street instruments of yesteryear.
	CD-SDL 346 The Three Disc Symphonion A wide variety of rare Victorian musical boxes and especially featuring the amazing Three Disc Symphonion which played a complex musical arrangement spread over three musical box discs playing simultaneously. Includes such titles as Tuxedo Polka, Old Folks At Home, After the Ball, Monastery Bells, Cuckoo's Couplet, Carnival Of Venice, Bedouin Love Song, The Empire and the Tivoli, Vienna Hearts March, Gavotte D'Amour, Hail Smiling Morn, The Last Rose Of Summer and many more.
	CD-SDL 354 Mechanical Opera Opera favourites played on rare and historic musical boxes
	CD-SDL 359 Musical Box Dances Victorian dances played on nine antique disc musical boxes, eight cylinder musical boxes, two pipe barrel organs and a disc piano. A selection of 46 historic renditions of waltzes, polkas, gavottes, galops with the occasional couplet, scottische, minuet, quadrille & hornpipe.
	CD-SDL 360 Under The Greenwood Tree The Mellstock Band and Choir The Mellstock Band and Choir perform the dance music and carols associated with Thomas Hardy , his family and his novels from Hardy family and Puddletown manuscripts. A rare chance to hear the serpent and the high C clarinet both so typical and evocative of 19th C English village 'quires' and now totally obsolete except in recreations such as these.
	CD-SDL 361 Fill Your Glasses The Canterbury Clerkes with The London Serpent Trio Convivial English Glees from the Singing Club tradition of the 18th and 19th centuries from The Canterbury Clerkes with The London Serpent Trio.
	CD-SDL 366 A Tapestry Of Carols Maddy Prior with The Carnival Band Maddy Prior is one of the top names on the British folk scene and her album of favourite carols sung in a folk style has become something of a classic. The Carnival Band play a variety of historic instruments including lute, cittern, tabor, violin, recorders, bagpipes, shawm and bassoon. They add a vitally interesting backdrop for Maddy's distinctive vocal qualities.
	CD-SDL 371 Christmas Now Is Drawing Near Sneak's Noyse / The City Waits 30 of the most beautiful traditional English folk carols performed in an authentic rural style with original instrument accompaniment.
	CD-SDL 383 Sing Lustily & With Good Courage Maddy Prior with The Carnival Band Maddy Prior and The Carnival Band, breathe new life into favourite hymns in the 19th Century West Gallery tradition. This is one of our most popular recordings.
	CD-SDL 398 Old Christmas Return'd The York Waits with Richard Wistreich (bass) The music and song of Christmas past from renowned early music bass singer, Richard Wistreich with the ancient shawms, sackbuts, cornetts, hurdy-gurdies, recorders and bagpipes of The York Waits.
	CD-SDL 400 English National Songs The Broadside Band, with John Potter and Lucie Skeaping The Broadside Band with John Potter & Lucie Skeaping. 21 songs encapsulating the most typical and popular songs from the late renaissance of Greensleeves to the Victorian nostalgia of Home sweet home.
	CD-SDL 408 Victorian Musical Boxes Musical boxes, musical Victorian toys & snuff boxes play dozens of charming Victorian favourites.
	CD-SDL 410 Songs of Thomas Hardy’s Wessex The Mellstock Band and Singers What were the songs so often mentioned in Hardy's novels? The Mellstock Band and Singers reveal all with these evocative songs.
	CD-SDL 419 Old English Nursery Rhymes The Broadside Band A real delight to young and old. Vivien Ellis and Tim Laycock sing 52 favourites in traditional style with The Broadside Band.
	CD-SDL 425 English Customs and Traditions Many of these customs go back to the dawn of time and their meaning is often mysterious but somehow are as relevant today and attract a great deal of interest