Sandy family makes Christmas history

Layla and Zac Jordan, aged 13 and nine, travelled back in time to their great-great grandfather’s Christmas after their Sandy family discovered festive audio recordings from 1902.

Created with a phonograph recorder and wax cylinders, it is believed they are the oldest recordings of a family Christmas in existence. They are at National Museum of London as the family lived in the capital at the turn of the century. It was only earlier this year that the museum managed to play them.

They were created by Henry Cromwell Wall, great-great grandfather of Sandy Upper School student Layla and John Donne Lower School pupil Zac. They feature him speaking and playing the piano while their great-great uncles and aunts sing songs and carols.

Layla and Zac’s mum Marina Jordan-Rugg said: “We heard them for the first time when we went to the Museum of London. Dad had never heard his grandfather so it was the first time he heard him speak.”

She believes her great grandfather took the machine home from work to record the festivities. The family continued recording their Christmases for many years as they have always been musical. Museum staff were amazed by the recordings’ quality.

Marina added: “We’ve been reminded that perhaps we ought to do some. This year we will record it on a camcorder, now using more modern technology. If they bothered to do it 110 years ago with a phonograph then we can!”

Marina, her father David Brown and the siblings’ great aunt Daphne were interviewed by the BBC at the National Museum of London this month.

One of the cylinders contains a recording of Layla and Zac’s great-great uncle, Leslie, singing The Minstrel Boy at the age of seven. The BBC film crew travelled to their Church Path home to film Zac recreating the song and to record David and his wife Joyce, Marina, Layla and Zac singing and playing carols around the Christmas tree.

They were featured on the BBC Six O’Clock News on Wednesday.

Click here to listen to Wall Family Audio