Steyning Museum ARCHIVES: Christmas Eve in Steyning – a story from the Past

Some years ago George Cockman was kind enough to share with the Museum a tale he was writing about Steyning in the past. Set in the year 1861 when the railway line to Steyning had only very recently been completed, it centered on a boy called Tommy Holden and how the events of that Christmas Eve unfolded for him. Sadly for us, other things intervened for George and he did not get to the point of publishing it.

But some of the characters he created help to give life to Steyning’s story and its traditions, which George himself was so familiar with. He describes how Tommy, on his way to the High Street from his home near the railway, passed by the Church lychgate where the tall bearded sexton was instructing a group of lads to put wreaths on particular graves. One of Tommy’s young friends explained 'The lads put them on the graves, but the families pay for them. It’s an old custom, a way of keeping families together over Christmas'. His friend went on to say that the Sexton would, later that day, be ringing the Church bells in 'the special Christmas Eve peal with all them funny names – Reverse Canterbury, Oxford Bob and Double Court'.

When the two boys got to the White Horse the fun for them really started. The Arundel and Chichester coach had just drawn to a halt. Sitting high above them 'With the reins of four horses in his hands, a long whip beside him, an angled rest for his feet and with his legs covered with a blanket sat, enthroned, the coach driver they all knew as Gabriel – named, not as some might imagine, because he floated majestically between heaven and earth, but because of his smile. He had been a prize fighter in his youth . . . and his teeth had become chipped and broken.'

So, when he read an advertisement for 'Gabriel’s artificial mineral teeth with flexible cordite gums, rendered indestructible and everlasting . . . fitted without springs or wires, while an amount of self adhesion perfectly astonishing is maintained' he acted in haste and immediately bought the teeth. They 'were monstrous and brilliantly white . . . and his smile was devastating. The indestructible and everlasting teeth had lived up to the advertiser’s promise'. So, when he first went to work for the London and Brighton Coach Company, a driver took one look at his smile and said 'God bless us all; the archangel has come to visit us in person. Grab ‘old of them reins and ‘old the ‘orse’s ‘ead, Gabriel' – and the name stuck.
The people of Steyning loved to hear him speak – and to see his smile. 'The magnitude of the teeth affected his speech forcing him to exaggerate each sound and pause at each syllable.' They would prompt him to recount one of his favourite tales – without necessarily knowing what events he was referring to. One could be triggered by the question 'How’s the cathedral, Gabriel?' To which he would reply, keeping to the script both he and his audience knew so well and punctuated by shining smiles, ‘Still in ruins, still in ruins. The few of us who witnessed it will remember it to our dying day; come down like a telescope she did, that lady spire, and curtseyed into the nave without even so much as a nod of ‘er ‘ead to north, to south, to heast or west. Why, I don’t doubt there’s still some dust from that day deep in the folds of me coat’'.
The crowd loved it and to the cry of 'God bless you, Gabriel, God bless us all this Christmas and every day of the new year' the coach went on its way.

Steyning Museum: Opening Times:
Tues, Wed & Friday: 10.30 - 12.30; 14.30 - 16.30
Saturday: 10.30 - 16.30 - Sunday: 14.30 - 16.30
T: 01903 813333 E: contact@steyningmuseum.org.uk - W: www.steyningmuseum.org.uk