Oyez! Newbury town crier Brian Sylvester retires after 25 years

Newbury’s beloved town crier has laid down his bell for the last time having retired from the post after 25 years.

Brian Sylvester, 86, began his tenure as the town crier on April 1, 1999, after he unexpectedly entered early retirement.

A quarter of a century later, he has solidified his status as a Newbury icon, well-known for leading pancake races, turning on the town’s Christmas lights, opening shops and being an integral part of civic ceremonies.

He said: “I want to go while I’m on a high.

“I don’t want to go when people are saying ‘poor old Brian, he’s passed it now’.

“I want to go while people still remember me well.”

Mr Sylvester has taken part in several major Newbury events over the past 25 years, and residents will doubtless have heard his booming voice announcing important local and national news while he rings his iconic hand bell.

He has decided to retire from the role because he and his wife Yvonne are planning to move to the coast in Kent to be nearer to their daughter who lives in Ramsgate.

Mr Sylvester became town crier after he retired and happened to speak to one of his cousins who was a town crier in Brent.

His cousin encouraged him to give the prestigious civic role a go, so Mr Sylvester approached Newbury Town Council in 1999 asking to become the crier to ring in the millennium and it accepted.

He fondly remembers announcing the millennium countdown, one of his first major tasks, and being slightly nervous about what was going to happen when the clocks turned midnight.

“There was talk about all the lights going out, planes dropping out of the sky,”

“There were even people who said it was the end of the world. he said.

“When it got to zero, all that happened was that it rained.”

Mr Sylvester compèred the annual Newbury Town Civic Awards which quickly became another highlight in his calendar.

He said: “It’s just so impressive what goes on in this town. There’s so much volunteering and good work helping people.

“It’s so impressive and I feel a bit humbled by that because there are some really good things being done in the town.”

One of the strangest tasks he completed as town crier saw him appear on German television, announcing different interviews and linking bits of coverage at a day of motor racing at Silverstone.

He was also part of a group of town criers from across the country who sang happy birthday to the Queen Mother outside Buckingham Palace on her centenary in August 2000.

He said: “There were thousands of people there, thousands of tourists, and everyone wanted a photograph with the town criers. It was fun.”