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BY CANDLELIGHT, Jeffrey Edel and Marko Warren sing 18th and 19th century sea shanties alongside Brad Taylor-Hicks in their group 'The Bilge Rats' at the Taberna del Gallo last Friday. The group performs every Friday and Saturday night.
By ANDREA S. BLUM, Staff Brad Taylor-Hicks leads a lifestyle that is anything but conventional. He has a voice with the power to stop people on the streets and knowledge of a trade many people may not even know still exists.
Taylor-Hicks moved to St. Augustine from London six years ago. On his mom's recommendation he volunteered at the Spanish Quarter Village Museum. There he became an apprentice to a blacksmith.
Now, his work as a blacksmith is displayed all over St. Augustine. It even won him a trip to spend a week in North Carolina studying under a highly respected blacksmith.
"He took to it like a duck to water," said his mother, Irene Taylor-Hicks. "It was just one of those things. He loved it."
Irene never thought that would be the route her son's career path would take. However, his love of history has been apparent since he was a child.
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IN THE BLACKSMITH SHOP at the Spanish Quarter Village Museum where iron is transformed through the process of heating and then bending it to the desired shape, Brad Taylor-Hicks and Marco Difruscio collaborate to make a candlestick.
By ANDREA S. BLUM, Staff
She recollects her son on a beach in France, not building sand castles but looking for flint to make a caveman ax. By the age of 7 Taylor-Hicks knew the names of all the dinosaurs and by 10 every World War II plane.
The family vacationed in St. Augustine for 18 years. Searching for sun, the city was simply chosen to get away from the dizzily days in London.
"When we reached here and saw the history, I said 'OK, I'd like to live here'," Irene said.
Interestingly enough, a photograph was taken when Taylor-Hicks was 3-years-old in front of the same door he now works. Irene jokes that if she'd known, she would have taken the picture in front of a doctor or lawyer's office.
Taylor-Hicks' craft comes with some prestige. He has done demonstrations for the king and queen of Spain, been on television shows in England and made pieces for Bob Vila's project "Restore America." His most recent work has been making pieces for public restrooms.
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BRAD TAYLOR-HICKS uses the same methods and tools that were used in the 18th century to transform iron into a candlestick while working in the blacksmith shop at the Spanish Quarter Village Museum.
By ANDREA S. BLUM, Staff
Taylor-Hicks said, "It's nice because it means the city is willing to wait to for a handmade piece rather than just going to Home Depot."
Since Taylor-Hicks began working as a blacksmith many other doors opened to learn about 18th century life. This passionate hobby-turned-career, has worked its way into Taylor-Hicks lifestyle as well.
He has many hand-made pieces in his home. Everything he cooks with is made of cast-iron, and the only mugs you will find in his kitchen are stoneware. The tradesmen all use the barter system for hand-made items.
"There's kind of an 18th century mind set that you get into, and the more you get into it, the more disenchanted you get with the modern world," Taylor-Hicks said.
He takes pride in his work, and has come to realize that what he first thought was a dying trade, actually provides for a community of workers.
Friday and Saturday nights Taylor-Hicks and three other re-enactors get together for a night of laughter, friends and fun. They sing 18th and 19th century sea shanties at the Taberna del Gallo in the Spanish Quarter off St. George Street.
The mixture of the look and feeling inside the candlelit recreation of a 18th century pub make the night unforgettable.
The group called "The Bilge Rats" sing songs of the sea that were used to kill time while working.
The songs were led by the shanty-man, whose only job was lead the crew in these songs. Taylor-Hicks becomes a sort of shanty man at the tavern.
"You can go to any bar and have people play Jimmy Buffett and the Eagles, but not any place are you going to hear a West Indian sea shanty," Taylor-Hicks said.
The group has about 4 hours worth of material from shanties Taylor-Hicks learned as a child like "Drunken Sailor" or "Blow the Man Down" to ones they have learned from friends or other shanty groups.
The songs sung without musical accompaniment are mostly English, Irish, American or West Indian. They are currently working on a compact disc they hope to have out next year.
The volume and veracity of the group is consistent throughout the night. As audiences become animated and involved, the whole tavern fills with powerful song and contagious laughter. Even curious people passing by, stop in to take part.
The men are dressed in period clothing and truly ensure for an entertaining evening.
Taylor-Hicks' love and familiarity with history make him a font of knowledge; he eagerly shares with anyone who is curious.
"We dress strange and we wear stockings, but we're normal people and love talking to anyone," Taylor-Hicks said.
Also, Taylor-Hicks has participated in the British Night Watch for the past eight years. Every year his role as a re-enactor has changed. He does find a bit of humor in the fact that with his background, he has played every role but a British one.
"I enjoy getting to participate in the grand spectacle," said Taylor-Hicks. "It's nice for the public to come out and catch a glimpse of history."Taylor-Hicks hopes that he has been able to bring a bit of the past into the future to help people understand history and why people came to America. He says to be an re-enactor requires stamina and a love of history.
"I've never worked in a place before where my friends have become like family," Taylor-Hicks said. "There's a connection and we're all here for the same reason. It's the history."
TEXT:A re-enactment of St. Augustine's history during part of the 18th century will be held Saturday and Sunday.
The 28-year tradition called the British Night Watch, provides a entertaining and educational presentation. It is open to the public from 9 a.m. to dusk Saturday and for the first part of the day Sunday.
British troops will encamp on the North Green of Castillo de San Marcos.
They will demonstrate military skills including bayonet drills, marching and the firing muskets and cannons.
At 3:30 p.m. Saturday the camp will feature an authentic afternoon tea and dance.
At 8 p.m. the Grande Illumination will begin at the Government House in the Plaza de la Constitucion.
The parade will march by torchlight throughout the historic district for about one hour. The Governor, portrayed by St. Augustine Mayor George Garner, will then give his holiday proclamation.
The public is invited to light a candle and join in the parade through town.
Admission to the Spanish Quarter Village Museum will be free to the public.