LIVES – GWEN FARRAR
Researched and written by Jeremy Palmer.
This article provides an overview of the musician, revue artist and actor Gwen Farrar’s life and career in Surrey. We will look at how the theatrical colony in Effingham formed and how this might have influenced Gwen’s decision to lease a cottage in the village. We will examine how Gwen knew members of this group, both before and during her life in Effingham.
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Supplementary items
In 1923 Gwen and Norah appeared in “Rats!” at the Vaudeville Theatre; the Programme can be viewed here. pdf scan © Jeremy Palmer
We do not know yet whether Gwen was a member of the Ladies section of the Golf Club but we do know that friends of Gwen from the Stage Golfing Society had played matches at the Club as recently as 1931 and 1932. The Club did have a Ladies section; for example, these caricatures from The Tatler published on October 17th 1934 show a Mrs. Donovan as the “Lady Captain” and the author states that they have “120 members of the gentle sex”.
The original Tatler page can be viewed here:
under Licence from the Mary Evans Picture Library
© Illustrated London News Ltd. / Mary Evans
Gwen probably knew Grove Paddock’s owner, Anthony Diamantidi, through his involvement with the Ballets Russes. There is plenty of evidence that dancers from the Ballets Russes were coming down to Grove House for parties in the 1930s. Lena Bridger, the Effingham resident whose transcribed oral history is available here, mentions Gwen and the dancers in this snippet:
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(audio © ELHG)
A rare programme for the touring version of “Wonder Bar”, the last revue in which Gwen and Norah appeared
Images from “Wonder Bar” set to Gwen and Norah performing their song “What Angeline says, goes”
(click the full-screen option in the video frame’s tool bar to view the images at their best)
under Licence from the Mary Evans Picture Library
© Illustrated London News Ltd. / Mary Evans
Gwen’s first visit to the Effingham area was possibly in July 1924, when she and Norah performed at a private party held in the neighbouring village of Bookham at Polesden Lacey, the home of the wealthy socialite Dame Margaret (“Maggie”) Helen Greville. This engagement was reported in The Sketch (July 23rd 1924) but Norah also recorded her own memories of the event in the following conversation with the actor Derek Hunt in the 1970s:
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(audio by permission of Derek Hunt)
A short silent film of Gwen and Norah made in 1924 by www.britishpathe.com, accompanied here by their song “Percy’s Posh Plus-fours are priceless”
(click the full-screen option in the video frame’s tool bar for the best viewing)