Newton Abbot is the focus of an audio history documentary looking at the life of the British Black mixed race composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor that was released last week.

The three-part audio series and interactive digital map, ‘Tracks of a Trailblazer’ explores Coleridge-Taylor’s travels in the heyday of Britain’s railways. The series investigates the racial attitudes he may have faced and reveals new research about the visits he made to the nation’s concert halls, theatres and chapels, before his tragic death at the age of just 37.

Coleridge-Taylor appeared at Newton Abbot’s Alexandra Hall in April 1902 where he conducted a performance of his famous work ‘Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast’. The performance celebrated the silver jubilee of the Newton Abbot Choral Society.

Series co-presenters, Dr Chamion Caballero, director of The Mixed Museum, and Laura Smith, a freelance associate editorial director at The Mixed Museum, visited Newton Abbot in January. They met local historian and museum volunteer Tess Walker and chair of the Newton Abbot and District Musical Comedy Society Dr Richard Ward.

During their visit, Chamion and Laura learned more about the history of the Alexandra with a guided tour from Richard and discovered hidden mixed histories of Newton Abbot as well as more detail about what travel would have been like for Coleridge-Taylor as a Black mixed-race man in Edwardian Britain.

The podcast reveals that by 1902, Newton Abbot had become a thriving tourist destination as part of the so-called 'English Riviera'. It was popular with those seeking escape from London and other cities, which had become overcrowded and polluted as a result of the industrial revolution and the expansion of the British Empire.

‘We were fascinated to find out about his extensive rail journeys across Britain, including on the GWR network, and learn more about the venues he visited and how the people he met on his travels saw him,’ Chamion explained. ‘To be able to bring together existing and new research and offer a fresh perspective on his life has been wonderful, especially as 2025 marks the 150th anniversary of his birth.’

Coleridge-Taylor was not the only Black or minoritised performer to appear in Newton Abbot. Productions of Uncle Tom's Cabin in the town between 1892 and 1898 featured Black American or Black British actors. And a Native American artist, Go-Won-Go Mohawk, performed her play at the Alexandra Theatre in 1906, four years after Coleridge-Taylor's visit.

‘Our mission at the museum is always to surface stories of racial mixing that might not be widely known and to place them firmly within British history. So, to have the chance to tell these very local yet nationally important stories about Coleridge-Taylor’s interactions with people in England and Wales has been a joy,’ commented Laura. ‘We’re immensely grateful to all the guests who have given their time and expert knowledge to help make this such a rich audio journey.’

The ‘Tracks of a Trailblazer’ interactive digital map can be found at trailblazer.mixedmuseum.org.uk. And the three-part ‘Tracks of a Trailblazer’ audio series is available on the usual podcast platforms including Spotify and Apple Podcasts.