Tracks of a Trailblazer

The Mixed Museum

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, the renowned British Black mixed race composer of the early 20th century, travelled Britain’s railways for over a decade as a musician, composer and judge, often out of financial necessity. He died in 1912 after collapsing near West Croydon station, aged just 37. Tracks of a Trailblazer from The Mixed Museum retraces his journeys through immersive storytelling, interviews, and archival research, exploring race, music and travel in Victorian and Edwardian Britain. Visit https://trailblazer.mixedmuseum.org.uk/ to learn more.

Episodes

  1. A milestone visit: staying in Swansea in 1902 (Ep 3)

    07/28/2025

    A milestone visit: staying in Swansea in 1902 (Ep 3)

    Samuel Coleridge-Taylor loved Wales, considering the Welsh people “the least prejudiced among white peoples”. In December 1902, he travelled to Morriston in Swansea with his pregnant wife Jessie and their young son Hiawatha to judge the local eisteddfod, or Welsh arts festival, and conduct Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast. In this episode, Chamion and Laura retrace Coleridge-Taylor’s train journey from London Paddington to Swansea in south Wales. They find out how rail companies promoted the coastline as a new tourist destination, consider the multicultural communities forming in Wales as it powered the world with coal and discover the hospitality shown to Coleridge-Taylor’s family from the community around the Morriston Tabernacle, where he appeared. They also reflect on the Coleridge-Taylors’ experiences as an interracial family and their own family connections to Wales. Episode 3 was recorded on location at Paddington, on the train and in Swansea. Many thanks to the contributors to this episode: Oliver Betts, Chi-chi Nwanoku CBE, Rebecca Eversley-Dawes, Caroline Bressey, Huw Tregelles-Williams, David Gwyn, David Morgans, Marcus Caballero, Carole Morgans and Christopher Goddard. And thank you to Great Western Railways’ Customer and Community Improvement Fund for generously supporting this series. Tracks of a Trailblazer is an audio project from The Mixed Museum. It was researched, written, produced and presented by Dr Chamion Caballero and Laura Smith.  Audio production was by Front Ear Podcasts. Series artwork was by Kinga Markus. Series art design was by Jim McCormick. Original music was by Rob Manning. To access a full transcript of this episode and see archive imagery of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and the places he visited, head over to our interactive map at https://trailblazer.mixedmuseum.org.uk/

    1h 7m
  2. An enormous coup: visiting Newton Abbot in April 1902 (Ep 2)

    07/28/2025

    An enormous coup: visiting Newton Abbot in April 1902 (Ep 2)

    By 1902, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s The Song of Hiawatha cantata had become an international sensation. So it was a huge coup for the Newton Abbot Choral Society when the globally famous composer said yes to their invitation to conduct the choir in a performance of the first part, Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast. As far as we know, this was his only conducting appearance anywhere in Devon or Cornwall. In this episode, Laura and Chamion retrace Coleridge-Taylor’s train journey from London Paddington to the Devon market town of Newton Abbot. They find out about the smart new restaurant cars that were by now serving high-end meals to more affluent rail travellers, consider the challenges of quantifying Edwardian Britain’s Black and mixed race population, and learn of the “loud applause” that greeted Coleridge-Taylor’s appearance at Alexandra Hall.  Episode 2 was recorded on location at Paddington, on the train and in Newton Abbot. Many thanks to the contributors to this episode: Oliver Betts, Caroline Bressey, Chi-chi Nwanoku CBE, Tess Walker, Richard Ward, Nick Roberts, Jo Bowery and Christopher Goddard. And thank you to Great Western Railways’ Customer and Community Improvement Fund for generously supporting this series. Tracks of a Trailblazer is an audio project from The Mixed Museum. It was researched, written, produced and presented by Dr Chamion Caballero and Laura Smith.  Audio production was by ⁠Front Ear Podcasts⁠. Series artwork was by Kinga Markus. Series art design was by Jim McCormick. Original music was by ⁠Rob Manning⁠. To access a full transcript of this episode and see archive imagery of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and the places he visited, head over to our interactive map at https://trailblazer.mixedmuseum.org.uk/

    50 min
  3. A prestigious commission: visiting Gloucester in 1898 (Ep 1)

    07/28/2025

    A prestigious commission: visiting Gloucester in 1898 (Ep 1)

    In 1898, at the age of just 23, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor became the youngest composer ever to be commissioned by the Three Choirs Festival. The event’s ambitious new director Herbert Brewer, who approached him partly at the suggestion of Edward Elgar, would not regret it. The resulting Ballade in A Minor had audiences and newspapers buzzing and thrust a recently graduated Coleridge-Taylor to national attention. In this episode, Chamion and Laura retrace the young composer’s rail journey from London Paddington to Gloucester, where the town would have been festooned with bunting and bustling with thousands of visitors for the prestigious music festival. They find out about the composer’s studies at the Royal College of Music alongside Holst and Vaughan-Williams, learn about the wooden benches and draughty windows of a Victorian railway carriage and consider the ways audiences at Gloucester’s Shire Hall responded to Coleridge-Taylor’s mixed Black African and white background. Episode 1 was recorded on location at Paddington, on the Great Western Railway train and in Gloucester. Many thanks to the contributors to this episode: Oliver Betts, David Francis, Nick Roberts, Gareth Jones, Vicky Abbott, Simon Carpenter, Chi-Chi Nwanoku CBE, Caroline Bressey, Doug Delaney and Christopher Goddard. And thank you to Great Western Railways’ Customer and Community Improvement Fund for generously supporting this series.   Tracks of a Trailblazer is an audio project from The Mixed Museum. It was researched, written, produced and presented by Dr Chamion Caballero and Laura Smith.  Audio production was by ⁠⁠Front Ear Podcasts⁠⁠. Series artwork was by Kinga Markus. Series art design was by Jim McCormick. Original music was by ⁠⁠Rob Manning⁠⁠. To access a full transcript of this episode and see archive imagery of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and the places he visited, head over to our interactive map at https://trailblazer.mixedmuseum.org.uk/

    38 min
  • 3 Episodes

About

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, the renowned British Black mixed race composer of the early 20th century, travelled Britain’s railways for over a decade as a musician, composer and judge, often out of financial necessity. He died in 1912 after collapsing near West Croydon station, aged just 37. Tracks of a Trailblazer from The Mixed Museum retraces his journeys through immersive storytelling, interviews, and archival research, exploring race, music and travel in Victorian and Edwardian Britain. Visit https://trailblazer.mixedmuseum.org.uk/ to learn more.

Information

  • Creator
    The Mixed Museum
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    3
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © The Mixed Museum
  • Show Website
    Tracks of a Trailblazer