Farewell to ‘Mr Marsden’
PETER Armitage, who has died aged 85, was an institution in the Colne Valley and particularly within the community of his home village, where he was affectionately called “Mr Marsden”.
A former probation officer, he was a stalwart of the local operatic and dramatic scene and a prolific writer, producer and director of pantomimes. His ear for language and his knack for capturing humour led many to believe he could have turned a hobby into a profession.
Writing was clearly in the genes: his son is Simon Armitage, the Poet Laureate.
Born in Marsden in 1935, Peter was still only a teenager when he joined his parents, Harry and Madge, on stage with Marsden Parish Church Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society.
Over six decades he became a mainstay of the group, acting in and directing straight plays and musicals such as Carousel, Annie Get Your Gun, The King and I, West Side Story, Oklahoma! and Fiddler on the Roof, for which his deep booming baritone was perfectly suited to give voice to Tevye.
He also co-wrote (with John Morris) the musical Bellas, the tale of a roistering vicar set during the Luddite period, as well as cantatas and the plays A Funny Old War and Old Peculiar.
Educated at Marsden Church School and Royds Hall Grammar School, Peter tried his hand at several jobs including plumber/electrician, firefighter and buying and selling car tyres. He did his national service with the RAF.
But it was with the probation service that he found his calling, using a natural gift of the gab to connect with people. It was a mid-life conversion; he went to university to gain the required qualification. He worked for many years in Greater Manchester.
Son Simon followed him into the “family business” but only for five years, quitting in 1994 to become a full-time writer. Peter was always amused that his son managed to “retire” before he did.
Wife Audrey, daughter Hilary and son Simon all joined Peter on stage in various productions. Alas the ladies were not part of the Yorkshire Avalanche Dodgers, an all-male company that put on an annual pantomime and regularly sold out eightday runs. By all accounts rehearsals were thirsty work and were often concluded in the convivial surroundings of Puleside Working Men’s Club where fathers, sons and grandsons would sink a few pints.
With his father he also cofounded The Victorians, an acapella singing group, which was active both locally and further afield performing in hotels and restaurants like the Weavers’ Shed in Golcar. Simon recalls that his father, a master of the one-liner, wrote quality pantomimes - more than 30 of them between 1978 and 2018 - from scratch. Tickets were like gold dust. The performances raised hundreds of thousands
When he walked in somewhere, it perked up. He was a fantastic
bloke.
of pounds for local causes in the village.
They were, said Audrey, “his babies”.
That charity work resulted in the award of an MBE for services to arts and drama.
He was also immensely proud of winning the Arts Award in The Examiner Community Awards in 2011. As an actor Peter was much in demand with companies in Huddersfield, Wakefield, Dewsbury and Brighouse head-hunting him for specific roles. Often he would be working on back-to-back productions. In later years he stepped back from acting but would always be present for performances, clipboard and loudhailer in hand. He took the work most seriously.
“My dad was a huge extrovert,” says Simon. “He loved having an audience. You could say he was an instigator of things.”
Peter was also a keen sportsman. For Marsden Cricket Club he was a fast bowler and later its president.
As an older man he preferred crown green bowls with Hemplow Bowling Club.
For more almost 30 years Peter and Audrey holidayed in Puerto Pollensa, Majorca, where they became popular with the locals.
The family used to joke that Peter’s cuttings file at The Examiner was thicker than that of his internationally-renowned son.
Simon recalls calling his father on the telephone from America in 2019 to tell him he had been appointed Poet Laureate.
“He was quite tearful. I could hear him telling my mum. Then he said: ‘If your grandfather had been alive, this would have killed him.’
“Dad was a one-off and for that reason he is irreplaceable. A big light has gone out. He leaves behind a big gap.”
Daughter Hilary Woodhead says: “He was all of those things to people but to his family he was a husband, dad and grandad. He was a massive family man; those roles were important to him.
“He was a big man with a big personality and he pulled you into that big life by sheer force. He had a presence when you met him.
“When he walked in somewhere, it perked up. He was a fantastic bloke.”
Peter is survived by Audrey, daughter Hilary, son Simon and three grandchildren.