Oyez, Martin’s still the talk of the town after 35 years as Shrewsbury's town crier

Being town crier might seem like an odd career choice, especially for a 27-year-old. But Martin had just found himself out of work and decided that he’d give it a go.

“I certainly didn’t expect to be doing it for 35 years,” he laughed.

“I first decided to become the town crier after I got made redundant in my job as a fire extinguisher sales rep, and at that time saw an advert for the job.

“Initially it was supposed to be an 18-hour-a-week job, essentially an hour most Saturdays, where you would stand at the top of Pride Hill in Shrewsbury, ring the bell and explain where things are in the town and what was happening on that day.

Help

“I thought it was a bit of a stupid job to begin with, but I got it – and for the first year that was how being town crier was.”

‘Crying’ didn’t come naturally to Martin at first and he sought help from one of his friends, actor Edward Woodward.

“My voice was actually coached over a weekend with a friend of mine, the actor Edward Woodward, who I had doubled for during the filming in the town of A Christmas Carol. I asked him about voice projection and he invited me down to his house to learn,” says Martin.

But he still needs to practice without disturbing the neighbours.

“You do have to have a degree of insanity to be the town crier,” says the 62-year-old.

“You need to have a good voice, a lot of lung power and know the local area and its history, which I have picked up in my years as a tour guide in Shrewsbury. I practise my proclamations in a field at a friend’s farmhouse in Wem so as not to annoy the neighbours, though maybe a few cows.”

The Shrewsbury town crier is now known not only around Shropshire, but he’s hit the headlines nationally and is one of the best known criers in the world – and standing at 7ft 2ins tall it’s not hard to see why he stands out from the crowd.

“It was an interview with BBC Midlands Today that changed everything,” says Martin, who lives with his wife and consort of 35 years Sue in the Harlescott area.

“They believed I was the world’s tallest town crier and after that aired everything changed – the phone calls just started coming in.

“I have competed as a town crier all over the world and have never finished outside the top 10 in any competition. I finished fifth at the world championships in Canada and have been the Welsh town crying champion for seven years in a row.”

Unique

Martin says it’s a job like no other. In what other line of work would you be able to rub shoulder with royalty, famous actors and musicians.

“It’s a very unique job and you get to meet all sorts of people, from royalty and film stars, to school children and the WI,” he said. “My greatest memory was the Queen Mother’s 100th birthday celebrations in London. By chance I ended up standing by the gate at Clarence House where she came out from with the family and boarded into a carriage.

“As she boarded, the soldiers all turned and I, out the blue, stepped forward, rang my bell and wished her a happy birthday. I then started a rendition of happy birthday and the royal family all started to join in as did all the people lining the streets. She looked at me and said “thank you very much” as the carriage pulled away down the Mall. That will live long in the memory.”

He may well have been town crying for 35 years, but Martin says there’s no way the town of Shrewsbury has seen the last of him, despite some health problems last year.

“I love this job, no two days are the same and it’s completely different to anything else you will ever do,” he said.

“I get a buzz when I see the smiles on people’s faces and when strangers come up to me and say how pleased they are with the work I do in the town.

“Despite the rumours on Facebook last year, I have no intention of hanging up my regalia and bell. The day I retire will be the day they put the lid on the coffin, and even then I hope to come back and haunt the town.”