This is one dog who is famous
throughout the world. Even those too
young to remember the old wind-up gramophones will have seen the image of
this little dog trademarked by HMV.
The puppy was born in Bristol in
1884 and adopted by Mark Henry Barraud, a scenery designer employed at the Princes
Theatre in Park Row. He was named Nipper
because of his tendency to nip at the heels of those passing by. In 1887 his owner died but he had the good
fortune to be taken to Liverpool to live with Mark’s brother, Francis, who was
an artist. Francis would play music on
the phonograph which fascinated Nipper.
He would sit with his head cocked to one side listening intentively as
the notes floated out.
Nipper died in 1895 by which time
his owner had moved south to Kingston-upon-Thames. It is said that Nipper was buried in a park surrounded
by magnolia trees. It was a few years
after Nipper’s death that Francis painted the picture “Dog looking at and
listening to Phonograph”. The Royal
Academy turned it down and it seemed no-one else was interested in the painting
either. Then a friend suggested that
Francis change the black horn on the painting for a nice shiny brass one –
perhaps this would grab peoples attention.
So Francis went along to a small phonograph manufacturer, The Gramophone
Company, and asked if he could borrow a nice shiny horn. The manager liked the painting and offered to
buy it IF Francis would change the phonograph in the picture for one of the new
Berliner gramophones. Francis did just
that and later the modified picture became the trademark of Victor & RCA Records
and later HMV Records.
Many years later a branch of
Lloyds TSB was built on the site of the park where Nipper had been buried and a
brass plaque was added commemorating the famous terrier who lies beneath the
building. In 2010 a small road in
Kingston upon Thames was named Nipper Alley in commemoration of the dog.
But back to Bristol where in the
year 2000 Nipper was honoured with his very own Blue Plaque on Merchant
Venturers Building.
His statue looks
down from the plinth above the doorway – but did you know he was there?
A little further down the road I
found Nipper in yet another incarnation – in the window of a Violin shop.
After the search for Nipper I
wandered down to one of my favourite rest stops in Bristol – the Cathedral
Coffee Shop. To my surprise at the main
entrance I was stopped by two burly security guys. They were both wearing ear pieces and looked
quite menacing. What had I stumbled in
on? Was some head of state
visiting? Did I look like an
assassin? Nothing so exciting –
apparently the Cathedral was closed for graduation ceremonies. “But I was hoping to visit the coffee shop”
says I looking down at the sign which clearly stated that the Coffee Shop was open
! I was courteously directed to the back
entrance where I was able to walk through the cloisters to the watering hole.
The café also provides a very
good loo stop if you are in the area – but better still is the enchanting
garden in the churchyard. The headstones
hide beneath luxuriant shrubs and flowers
and the seagull I met TODAY was
much better behaved and just wanted to pose for my camera.
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