Introducing our latest project showcasing the role of our pubs in the local community with stories told by ‘local legends’. It may be that they hold interesting anecdotes about the pubs past, or are a character rooted in the community, or they may hold knowledge about the history of the town or village.
This month we introduce our first, rock ‘n’ roller, ‘local legend’ Kevin. Or Kev for short.
“I like rock and roll, man, I don’t like much else”
Sitting opposite me in dark shades that he wears all-year-round, “other than at night as that would be stupid”, and a Joe Brown’s leather jacket, I can sense that our Local Legend is from the era of Mods, Punk and Rock & Roll. In fact, I’m almost certain, when he tells me that his choice of famous faces at a dinner party would include John Lennon, Paul Newman and… Baloo (The Jungle Book, of course).
Kevin’s biker-gang look is surprisingly warm and blends comfortably with The Feathers mahogany carpentry, dark, plush velvets, and mood-lighting; he really is part of the furniture.
“Art is the only way of expressing pain”
Kevin is a creative man. From his days as a Visual and Audio Technician at Portsmouth University to the story he tells me of building his own guitar, one infers that art and music have stuck with him through thick and thin.
After a short time travelling in America, Kev returned to Portsmouth where friends suggested he move to Lincoln with them to help at their pubs. He soon met his partner and they had a son. Unfortunately, at just twenty-three months old, Cystic Fibrosis overcame the toddler. Kevin tells of the emotional moment when the Red Arrows, often seen in the skies of Lincoln, flew over the memorial and made a red, white and blue heart in the sky. Not a dry eye in sight; It's no surprise that one of his favourite songs is While My Guitar Gently Weeps, The Beetles.
“Life is what happens to you, while you're busy making other plans.”
After the tragic death of their son, Kevin’s partner “wanted to see the sea”, so they moved to North Norfolk and he started working for Cromer Crabs. That’s when his new life began.
Kevin has now lived in Holt for over eleven years and remembers meeting bartender, Steve, when he had just started working at The Feathers. Kev has since spent many-a-day frequenting the bar, when he’s not looking after Mali, his Rottweiler. He comes for the beer selection, welcoming team who greet him like an old friend and the music, which he says has improved terrifically since Chestnut has taken on the pub.