Freight, 1893. This is a one hour long sound work with voices reading the list of the 1893 Liverpool to Leeds Canal Rates Tolls and Charges.
I recorded volunteers from Leeds, Hull, and Goole, listed below, who beautifully animate what could be a dry historic document, from a time when Leeds was a major industrial hub for manufacturing and distribution of goods. 
The canals were the main arterial routes for this part of Britain and are an important part of our heritage and sense of place. The classification of goods, the names of raw materials and types of Freight carried on the barges open a window onto a different age, to hear the words spoken by regional voices has a rhythmic hypnotic quality that is immersive listening. 
The underlying soundscape is composed from recordings that I made on a trip from Goole to Leeds and back, on a converted industrial barge which myself and Elise Liversdge took as part of our research for "Last Station"; a touring arts project investigating 'sense of place' 2013- 2018. This project was funded by the National Lottery Grants for the Arts. 

I hope that listeners enjoy the poetic interpretation and that preserves and interprets our collective heritage.

VOICES:
Elise Liversedge, Mary Hooper, Charlotte Self, Helen Sawyer, Karen Sayer, Lisa Faulks, Lorraine Hunter, Matthew Hoskins, Mike Fuller, Patch
Sean Stewart

Thanks to Leeds Library for helping us with our research and to the readers.

FREIGHT canal soundwalk

Last Station soundscape created for Harwich installation with clips from interviews with former crew and soundscapes from Harwich and Bridport.

Last Station.located&dislocated

A recording of a Trinity House Chinese Gong made at the National Maritime Museum by Mary & Elise with help of NMM staff. 
The gong dates from 1832 replacing the bell, and was used as one of the earliest Fog warning signals used aboard Light Vessels. It was replaced by power driven fog signals.

Trinity House Gong

Short interviews from participants of Last Station in Harwich 2013. Project writer Kay Syrad led a series of writing workshops with U3A students aboard the LV18. They talk about this experience and read some of their work. More can be seen on the Last Station website: 

Mike U3A

This is a mix of soundscapes and recorded memories of being lost on fog for the installation at the De La Warr Pavilion in February 2015

Fog Stories for installation at the DLWP

This is a mix of excerpts of interviews with former light vessel crew and soundscapes for the navigation room for Last Station Installation

Light Vessel Crew memories with Soundscapes

Interview with Adrian on the Art of Navigation 2013.

Navigation 1a

Interview with Mike Burgoyne on duty at Portland Coastguard station 2013

Mike Burgoyne Portland Coastguard

Interview with Catchpole, memories of life on board Light Vessels  2013.

Life on board Light Vessels Catchpole

Soundscape created for Dear Serge at the De La Warr Pavilion February 2015 from original recordings for Last Station located&dislocated

Fog stories

A soundscape created for the Last Station installation for Dear Serge at the De La Warr Pavilion February 2015 

Conversations with Crew from the Light Vessels

‘The Light Vessel’ is a newly commissioned choral work by international composer and musician Trevor Watts, the libretto is by poet and novelist Kay Syrad. The Thames Chamber Choir performed the 1st movement of the work at Saint Mark's Church Regents Park, and made a studio recording in March 2017 led by Andrew Campling and Christian Spielmann. This work has been commissioned by artists Elise & Mary as part of Last Station Touring.
For more information go to: 
www.eliseandmary.co.uk
@laststation121
facebook - Last Station located&dislocated
Trevor on Soundcloud - https://soundcloud.com/search?q=trevorwatts
Thames Chamber Choir - www.thameschamberchoir.eu

TrevorWatts TheLightVessel, Thames Chamber Choir Recording.

first sketches for human foghorn - workshops Bridport May 2013 


Small sketch - human foghorn bridport may no 1

Base foghorn clip

Foghorn 2 with wind

Foghorn alto to base

a multi disciplinary art work inspired by the manned light vessels that manned the coast of the Uk 1829-1980's 

Popular tracks by Last Station