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Camberwick Green, Trumpton and Chigley
Trumpton characters Click on the names for a pic
His "worship" is given a suitably grand tone of voice by Brian Cant.
"He's very fond of the Mayoral hat..." and always gets a red carnation buttonhole from Mrs.Cobbit ( except in the Ice Cream episode where he has to settle for a red rose ).
Clearly vain,and with an obvious love of high office,he's also surprisingly decisive for a local government official and quite brusque and purposeful.
All the problems brought to his attention,are successfully dealt with.And whilst a lot of the credit should go to his sidekick "Mr.Troop" and the firemen,if the art of delegation really is a skill then he's truely mastered it.
For someone so pivotal,it's a bit odd he doesn't get his own song.
And he might also have benefited from a Lady Mayoress to interact with,although he probably wouldn't have welcomed any competition in the hat department.
A good strong central character though. ( a rare hatless view here )
Philby - Mayor's chauffeur
As the driver of "The Mayoral Car" he gets a fair amount of screen time,but doesn't get to say a single word.
And his appearances are usually prefaced by the Mayor saying something like ....
"Where's Philby ? I don't want to be late for ...."
And he's simply too peripheral to merit a song.
Mr.Troop - Town Clerk
He's invariably just called "Troop" by the Mayor and his catchphrase is "Right away,your worship".
They're practically joined at the hip although,ironically,you still don't actually get the feeling that the Mayor would fall apart if he wasn't there.
And despite getting a lot of airtime,he never gets a storyline or any character development to go with it.
But at least he gets to trot out this little tune in the Miss Lovelace episode .... just so we know how hard he works !
" Fire Brigade,Library,road repairs,postage stamps,rubbish bins,swimming baths,broken window panes.
Park gates,waterworks,painting all the street lamps,dust cart,youth club,church bazaar,drains."
The Minton Family
The family unit consists of wife and house mum Dora .... husband Chippy .... who's a self-employed carpenter,and .... son Nibbs,who acts as his assistant.
The latter 2 are featured out and about quite a lot.
But Dora's appearances are usually confined to the kitchen of their semi-detached cottage ( next door to Mrs.Cobbit )
It's difficult to gauge just how old "young" Nibbs is supposed to be.Because he's given a slightly pre-pubescent voice and is never seen driving their "little van".But still seems to spend a lot of time working with his dad.
And the quickest way to distinguish them is that dad's always the one with the hat. ( important things hats ! )
He's also the only one of the three to get a song,which features in both the "Miss Lovelace & the Statue",and "the Plumber" episodes.
" I like my job as a carpenter,there's nothing I'd rather be.
I've had my tools for many long years,they're all good friends to me.
A mallet,a drill are in my bag,a file and gimlet too,
sandpaper sheets,a brace and bit,a bradawl and some glue.
I like my job as a carpenter,there's nothing I'd rather be.
I've had my tools for many long years,they're all good friends to me.
I've chisels & saws all keen & sharp,a jack & a smoothing plane.
I know that oak will plane up true while mahogany changes grain.
I like my job as a carpenter,there's nothing I'd rather be,
I've had my tools for many long years,they're all good friends to me."
Mrs.Cobbit - Flower Seller
Her pitch is always in front of the Queen Victoria statue in the Market Square.
"I've never missed a day there for 40 years -only Sundays".
She lives alone,next door to the Mintons.And,like Roger Varley,the Camberwick chimney sweep,looks like another stereotype plucked right out of that cinematic contemporary,Mary Poppins.
She's given a sort of "dear-ee" voice,and she's also quite softly-spoken which helps put across her age -which you'd struggle to gauge just by looking at her.
A salt-of-the-earth type,and a strangely comforting figure actually.
This song is from her own "Mrs.Cobbit & the Ice Cream Man" episode:-
"Roses,roses,buy my red roses,scented so sweetly and fresh as the dew.
Roses,roses,all you fine gentlemen buy a sweet-scented rosebud,a buttonhole 4u.
Violets,violets,sweet-smelling violets,purple and tiny and fresh as the dew.
Violets,violets,all you fine ladies,a bunch of sweet violets,a nosegay for you."
This variation is from the "Pigeons" episode :-
"Roses,roses,buy my red roses,scented so sweetly and fresh as the dew.
Roses,roses,come you fine gentlemen,buy a bunch of red roses,a nosegay for you.
Violets,violets,sweet-smelling violets,purple and tiny and fresh as the dew.
Violets,violets,come you fine ladies a bunch of sweet violets,a posy for you."
Miss Lovelace - Milliner
Owner of the town square hat shop.
A very brisk,well-spoken lady with no apparent family,who always flits about with a great sense of purpose.
In fact she provides that same sense of energy that Mrs.Honeyman gives to Camberwick.
But she's a bit more upmarket and Honeyman's baby and pram are replaced by 3 yapping "pekes"- "Mitzy","Daphne" and "Lulu",aka "my darlings".
And as with many a spoilt child,their unruley behaviour causes the odd hiatus and helps along a storyline or two in the process. Pictured here
This song is from "Miss Lovelace & the Statue":-
"A hat for a young girl so sweet and so slim,has long velvet ribbons and a wide shady brim.
With bright yellow daisies so fresh and so fair to echo the colour of her long golden hair.
A hat for a lady so fine and so grand must always be fashioned with a pure silken band
and one single hat pin of a silver so rare to set as a contrast to her glossy black hair"
There's a shortened ( otherwise unchanged ) version,starting from "A hat for a lady.....",in the Window Cleaner ep.
Mr.Munnings - Printer
Another town square shop owner.He's an old school Fleet Street-syle printer ( well,what else would he be I suppose ? )
And he's the owner of a truely mesmeric Heath Robinson press.
Which is just as well really.Because with no mention of family and next-to-no character development it's asking an awful lot of his additional role as "Secretary of the Garden Club" to etch him in the memory banks.
But with a great bit of mechanical kit like that,it was job done.
This is his song from the "Nick Fisher" episode:-
"I line up all the letters with spaces in between,and clamp them in the printing press,a wonderful machine.
Posters are in capitals,bold and fat and tall,but the printing in the Daily News is often rather small.
Now the inky roller comes down the type and back,and makes the letters ready to be printed clear and black.
I check the pile of paper,for every single sheet,will be printed by the inky type with letters clear and neat.
When they have a flag day I print the little flags,notices and labels and even paper bags.
I make the letters stand up straight and keep the paper clean,then the job will be as good as anyone has seen."
There's a shortened ( otherwise unchanged ) version starting from "I check the pile....",in the "Telephones" episode.
Mr.Platt - Clock Maker
Whilst he obviously owns the town square clock shop,he also has the far more important job of looking after "the Town Hall Clock".
And as a bit of light relief from such onerous responsibility,he keeps "homing pigeons" in a small backyard behind his shop - pictured here
He's similar to Mr.Munnings really,in that he appears a fair bit but never really does much to leave a lasting impression.
This song's featured in both the "Mr.Platt & the Painter",and "Cuthbert's Morning Off" eps.
"Clock's are like people,clocks are like you and me,each has its' own personality.
Big clocks,small clocks,grandfather tall clocks,cuckoo clocks,hall clocks,mantelpiece and wall clocks,
clocks for the small room,the kitchen and the nursery,alarm clocks to waken us urging punctuality.
All of them chiming or whirring or clicking,cuckoo-ing or ringing or tic toc ticking.
Clock's are like people,clock's are like you and me,each has its' own personality."
Mr.Clamp - Greengrocer
Another of the four town square shop owners.
Whilst it says "J.Clamp & Son" on his shop sign,there's no mention of any offspring and we never get to find out what the "J" stands for.
There is a "Mrs.Clamp" mentioned in the Telephones episode but she's never seen.
And he also owns a cat called "Agee",which doesn't actually appear in Trumpton,but only turns up when he features in Chigley for some reason.
He's a retailer and wholesaler and owns a suitably large lorry.And it's clearly his good fortune that it's a Tesco-free zone.
But all-in-all,he's a pretty forgettable character.Much like the 2 other male shopkeepers in the Town Square actually -Mr.Munnings & Mr.Platt,and in stark contrast to the fourth -the redoubtable Miss Lovelace.
Anyhow,this epic piece of verbal salesmanship appears in both "the Mayor's Birthday" and "the Greenhouse" episodes:-
"Come buy my vegetables,fruit ripe and beautiful,fine,fresh and fancy,come buy them from me.
Come buy,come buy,come buy them from me.
Cabbages,carrots and tender spring greens,broccoli,brussel tops,fresh runner beans.
Peaches and plums and pears by the pound,parsnips and beetroot straight from the ground.
Apples and oranges,strawberries too,mushrooms gathered in this morning's dew.
Radishes,lettuces,onions,shallots,tomatoes, potatoes and lots and lots of spinach.
Come buy my vegetables,fruit ripe and beautiful,fine,fresh and fancy,come buy them from me.
Come buy,come buy,come buy them from me."
Mr.Craddock - Park Keeper
A character whose main task is picking up litter in Trumpton Park with his trusty sharp stick and shoulder bag,whilst moaning constantly about the people responsible.
You'd imagine he could easily be like the sort of character that used to appear in old kids' comics of the period,shaking his fist and saying "bloomin' kids !!".
But as this is Trumptonshire we obviously never get to see anything approaching that.
No mention of a long-suffering Mrs.Craddock either.
The following heartfelt plea features in both the "Miss Lovelace & the Mayor's Hat" and "The Greenhouse" episodes.
Great message .... just a rather lugubrious messenger.
"Silver paper,toffee paper,dirty bit of cardboard,chair ticket,bus ticket,buttons from a dress.
Chocolate wrapper,envelope,another bit of cardboard.Can't they use the litter bin to not make such a mess ?!
Leave litter in the litter bins and never leave a mess !"
Trumpton Fire Brigade
Undeniably the most famous Trumpton characters by quite a long way.
And even when you take Trumptonshire as a whole,only Windy Miller comes close.
Destined never to put out a fire because of the difficulties of animating both fire and water in 3D.
But they're put to good civic use doing practically everything else in all 13 episodes.
They're also the sole members of a traditional brass band that ends each episode with a concert in Trumpton Park.
So their fame does at least have some correlation with the amount of time they spend on-screen.
Their signature tune always accompanies them on every call-out.
But,as with all the Trumpton transit songs,it's just an instrumental.Which has probably helped to make the famous roll even more memorable.
In fact the only fireman song with lyrics comes courtesy of Fireman Cuthbert in his own episode- "Cuthbert's Morning Off." Although it's scene-specific rather than a signature tune,sung when he's feeding the ducks in Trumpton Park.
And there's plenty more about the firemen on the "Pugh,Pugh" page
"I like the robin's merry song,the thrushes and the lark.
But,best of all,I like the ducks who swim in Trumpton Park.
For ducks will never fly away as soon as I appear.
They swim up in their search for food without a sign of fear.
Their heads are dark & shiny green,their feathers brown & white.
Their yellow beaks are broad & flat,their eyes are round & bright.
I like the robin's merry song,the thrushes and the lark.
But,best of all,I like the ducks who swim in Trumpton Park."
A sort of "You hum it son,I'll play it" double act.
Mr.Wantage is in charge and knows what he's doing.And the younger Fred,an "engineer's mate",clearly doesn't !
Mr.Wantage isn't given a christian name,and Fred doesn't get a surname.But their transport is this van
Unsurprisingly,their song is from the "Telephones" episode,but they also pop-up in the "Clay for Mr.Farthing" Chigley episode too.
"Ring,ring,I work for Post Office Telephones.I'm the man you send for if a fault appears.
I check the cable wire and chord connected to the telephone,and then discuss the remedy with other engineers.
'Hello,hello,we're working on the line'.
Ring ring,ring ring,replace your receiver please,Post Office Telephones will send an engineer.
Your phone was disconnected by a fault we've now corrected.We are sorry to have troubled you but now your line is clear.
"Hello,hello,your line has now been cleared".
Ring ring,ring ring I test all the telephones,making certain all the lines are loud and clear,
investigating each complaint of noises loud or voices faint,a daily occupation of a P.O engineer.
The occupation of an engineer"
Nick Fisher - Bill Poster
You can tell it's Trumptonshire because,unlike the real world,Nick's a bill poster who restricts himself to designated sites.
No aesthetic terrorist is our Nick.Although he hasn't got any competition,so he can afford to exercise restraint.
He doesn't get so much as a hand cart,even though he's obviously got a fair bit to carry.But as no-one ever got poor operating a monopoly I can only presume his off-screen transport was a Rolls.
The following song crops up in both the "Nick Fisher" and "Greenhouse" episodes:-
"Pasting up the posters,sticking up the bills.Putting up advertisements for sausages and pills.
Flower shows and concerts,you can take your pick,all neatly stuck by bill sticker Nick."
Mr.Robinson - Window Cleaner
A very peripheral character.
Although he does have the rather dubious distinction of being the strangest looking person in Trumpton !
And slightly unfair of the modellers to inflict that on him when his job requires him to stare at his own reflection all day.
He's actually not that dissimilar to Nick Fisher in appearance but,unlike Nick,he gets both a hand cart and a considerably longer song -even if it's far less memorable because of it.
It's featured in "The Window Cleaner",the only episode in which he appears:-
"It is hard to see out or for light to come in,through window panes coated in a thin layer of grime.
Mullioned or lattice-work,frosted or plain,your windows will let in the sunshine again,
if you send for the man who cleans windows in time.
Send for the window cleaner,don't delay send today.
He will come with his ladder,his leather and pail and wash all the grime away.
He will put up his ladder and fill up his pail,bring out his leather and give it a shake.
The panes that he cleans he will clean without fail because of the pains he will take,because of the pains he will take.
Send for the window cleaner,don't delay send today.
He will come with his ladder,his leather and pail and wash all the grime away."
Walter Harkin - Painter and Decorator
As with quite a few of the characters,he only appears in one episode.
Which probably explains why they didn't think it was worth showing how he transports the cradle he uses to paint the Town Hall Clock Tower.
And you'd also have to question how skilled he was too ... if you check out the slightly amateurish painting on the 2 doors !
"People will ask me what colour to use.There's pink and there's purple it's so hard to choose.
Some ask for yellow and some ask for green,and some ask for grey so the dirt won't be seen.
Red is exciting and orange is bright,and purple is rich as the sky at midnight.
Crimson is splendid for one kitchen wall,and pink is quite pretty,perhaps in the hall.
Black paint and brown paint just simply won't do,for an old-fashioned house where the windows are few.
For I think an old house is nicer than new .... Paint it white !"
Mr.Antonio - Ice Cream Man
Despite the name and continental-style vehicle he's very much a Brit selling 99's !
Unsurprisingly,he appears in "Mrs.Cobbit & the Ice Cream Man" where he demonstrates a 2nd talent as a plasterer (!) ,which presumably helps during the off-season.
And he also features heavily in a Chigley episode -"A Present for Lord Belborough"
But he's largely remembered for having one of the best songs ( and a personal favourite of Brian Cant too btw )
"Ding-a-ling-a-ling-a-ling hear the ice cream man.If you want to buy a lolly come as quickly as you can.
If you'd rather have an ice you will find them very nice.Just hurry up and buy one from the ice cream man.
Would you rather have a choc ice or a cornet or a brick ? Or if you buy a lolly please don't throw away the stick.
Find the nearest little bin,put the stick and paper in,and buy another lolly from the ice cream man."
Raggy Dan - Rag and Bone Man
He's given a rather down-at-heel demeanour and a voice to match.And you half expect him to say "guv" at any minute -but he doesn't.
No Steptoe and Son laughs here.And no horse either,as he gets the unpainted,economy version of the hand cart used by the window cleaner,Mr.Robinson hand cart.
But everyone is respected for the role they play in Trumptonshire life,irrespctive of status.And he's duely rewarded for his efforts in "Tidy Trumpton Week" when the Mayor presents him with a silver cup.
He's also got some notoriety as the character responsible for the only depiction of fire in all 3 series.
And for more on that see the bottom of the water & fire page
His song is from "The Rag and Bone Man",the only episode in which he appears:-
"Rags,bottles and bones I cry,rags and bones I buy,I buy.
Listen for me as I'm passing by,rags,bottles and bones I cry,rags,bottles and bones.
Bric-a-brac,bicycles,books or brass,rags and bones I buy,I buy.
Pottery,pewter,or china and glass,rags,bottles and bones I cry,rags,bottles and bones.
Turn out the attic and under the stairs,rags and bones I buy,I buy.
Old-fashioned furniture,sofas or chairs,rags,bottles and bones I cry,rags,bottles and bones
Constable Potter - Policeman
The only episodes where he has an active role,other than as a bystander,are "The Window Cleaner" and,to a lesser degree,the Nick Fisher one.And even then it's minimal,so it's hardly surprising he doesn't merit a song either.
In fact,he's best-remembered as the Trumptonshire bobby that everyone forgets.
Totally eclipsed by his Camberwick counterpart,PC McGarry,who got the catchy songs and the famous "Number 4-5-2" designation that he's so sadly lacking.
Although .... whisper it quietly .... they actually used the same models for both.Which is why they never appear together in any episode.
Mr.Wilkins - Plumber
In view of the problems animating water using stop motion,it's slightly amusing that a plumber was included at all.
But if it was good enough for the firemen...
And they do say that a good plumber is a dry one !
No bathroom is ever shown in any of the 3 series.
So the only episode in which he appears is largely spent up in the Town Hall's loft.
And despite having more equipment than most,we're not shown any means of transport used to get it there.
This is his song from that one and only appearance in "The Plumber" episode :-
"Hot water heater takes too long to heat,overflow pipe dripping into the street.
A leaky old tap or broken waste trap,just send right away for the plumber.
Ball valve corroded or mud blocks the drain,winter has brought frozen pipes once again.
So turn off the tap that shuts off the main and send right away for the plumber.
Water tank leaking and blocked with dead leaves,that winter's cold winds have blown under the eaves,
the water comes stealing down through the ceiling,so send right away for the plumber.
The cause of the trouble is very soon found,the old tank is lowered with care to the ground.
The new one erected and quickly connected
and weather-proof,water-tight,tidy and trim is soon with clear water filled up to the brim.
An excellent job by the plumber."
"Auntie"
Her only appearance is in the episode that centres around her nephew,Fireman Cuthbert,who she comes to visit.
She's only ever called "Auntie".And we're told she's "an elderly lady" .... "a stranger to Trumpton" .... and,like Miss Lovelace,has a peke "of my own at home".
"Home" isn't actually in Trumptonshire.Although we're not told where exactly.
And,in one of the many Trumptonshire costume anomalies,she looks like she's just arrived by steamer from the American Civil War !
But the main thing she brings is confirmation that being rather dopey is indeed a family trait,and not just restricted to her nephew.
No song either.
An out-of-town,itinerant artist who doesn't even merit a name ( have easel will travel ).
Always just referred to as "The Artist",and probably the least memorable of any Trumpton character with a 'speaking' role.
Although his painting of the Town Hall could be seen in subsequent episodes,on the wall behind the Mayor's desk.
And his song is from the only episode in which he appears,"The Mayor's Birthday" :-
"I wander through the countryside,with easel,brushes,paints and stool,
and settle in a leafy glade,by willow tree and shadey pool.
I draw the picture first of all,with simple lines of green or blue
and then I fill the drawing in with paint and shades of every hue.
And when at last my picture's done,I pack it carefully away
and wander on across the fields to return another day."
Characters mentioned .... but never actually seen.
Mr.Bolt - "The Borough Engineer" is referred to in 2 episodes.
In "Telephones",the Mayor talks to him over the phone following "more complaints about the street lights"
And in "The Greenhouse",the Mayor tells Mr.Craddock to get him to inspect the disused greenhouse chimney before the flower & veg show.
Prompting this classic Carry On-style retort,"I think I've seen Mr.Bolt about. He's showing his chrysanthemums"
But,unfortunately,he's always too shy to show himself to us and merely remains a disembodied ( and unheard ) voice on the end of a phone when informing the Mayor that it has to be demolished.
Mrs.Clamp - wife of the greengrocer.
In the "Telephones" episode we learn,via a phone call,that she's ordered some printed paper bags from Mr.Munnings. Definitely Mr.Clamp's wife and not his mum btw.And,again,never actually shown.
Minton family member[s]
In the Raggy Dan episode,Dora Minton gives us this tantalising little snippet when referring to the rocking horse at the centre of the story when saying "...the children are much too big for it".
So does that mean that Nibbs isn't an only child then ?!
And what a bombshell to end on !
Overview
What's listed ?
Everyone (or thing) that's mentioned specifically by name is listed here,plus their modes of transport and songs.
Some characters were given Christian names,some not and they're listed with all the information we get.
Obviously some merit less comment than others,either because they only appeared in one episode or they just didn't do very much.
How do the songs differ from Camberwick ?
You'll notice the Trumpton songs are generally longer and more ambitious.
In fact,some are mini narrative epics by comparison and the repitition of lines is almost Gilbert and Sullivan.
Another difference from Camberwick is that the lyrics aren't altered to fit a certain storyline.Instead,if a song's used more than once it's often just shortened by starting part of the way through ie. simply missing out a line or two.
And the songs that accompany trips from one place to another dispense with lyrics altogether.
Basically because Trumpton's far more self-contained than Camberwick,so we just get shorter journeys.
