Robin Geard first heard the piano accordion played at a folk dance in the village hall at Montacute, Somerset. He was eight years old. From that moment he wanted to play. He was already learning the piano and asked Archie Bryden, the leader of the Wyvern Dance Band, to teach him. Archie's answer was that Robin must first dance for two years and then he would teach him to play.
Throughout his teenage years Robin played and danced with the band. Under Archie's guidance he taught English Country Dancing (as it was then known) in schools in Somerset and Dorset. In the seventies he moved to Wiltshire and in Archie's memory formed his own Wyvern Dance Band.
The band has seen many changes over the years, played in many places from village halls to Woburn Abbey, from Glyndebourne to the Kensington Hilton. Now based in Hampshire, Robin and his band still give dancers evenings filled with fun and plenty of good dancing.
The band has seen many changes over the years, played in many places from village halls to Woburn Abbey, from Glyndebourne to the Kensington Hilton. Now based in Hampshire, Robin and his band still give dancers evenings filled with fun and plenty of good dancing.
Montacute House is a majestic Elizabethan stone-built house containing fine collections, gardens and a park. It is currently home to over 50 Elizabethan and Tudor portraits.
