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A Shepherd in London

Bill Paterson

David Blount

Sarah Salway

A Shepherd in London: Episode 2: Looking for Angels

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Looking for Angels

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Episode 2: Looking for Angels

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By Sarah Salway. George Donald is invited to visit the sick children at an open air school

By Sarah Salway. It's 1927, and George has brought his sheep from Aberdeenshire to keep the grass short on Clapham Common. He's invited to visit sick children at an open air school.

Episode 2: Looking for Angels by Sarah Salway

In the 1920s and 30s, sheep were used in London parks to keep the grass down. Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, Clapham Common and Hampstead Heath all had sheep grazing on them, and there was much competition between shepherds to get their flocks chosen for the privilege. There was considerable profit to be made too - for when they were good and fat, the sheep were herded to Smithfield Meat Market to be prepared for the table.

In Looking for Angels, writer Sarah Salway has George Donald, a shepherd from Aberdeenshire, visit an Open Air School for children with TB, which existed on Clapham Common in the 1920s. Accompanied by his flock (and his faithful dog Birk), George befriends both staff and pupils, including a young schoolmaster suffering from shell shock, and a Cockney girl who proves herself an able shepherdess.


Reader: Bill Paterson
Producer: David Blount
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.

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Two short stories about Scottish shepherd George Donald and his sheep in 1920s London

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