The Babysham's Shepton Mallet Theatre

From the collection of

The Box
Established in 1992, the South West Film & Television Archive collection spans from 1893 to the present day containing more than 250,000 items. Formed from a variety of depositors, including broadcast news and programmes material from the Westward and TSW archive. In 2018 the archive collection transferred to The Box in Plymouth.

The Babysham's Shepton Mallet Theatre (Westward Diary)


A gift from Babysham founder Francis Showering, the Amulet theatre opens in Shepton Mallet

A gift from Babysham founder Francis Showering, the Amulet theatre is at the heart of Shepton Mallet. The theatre complex originally called ‘The Centre' was built in the early 70s. The town was extensively remodelled in a scheme financed entirely by the Showering family. Due to an allegedly Roman Chi Rho amulet found in the Fosse Lane excavations in the 1990s the theatre was renamed the Amulet in honour of the find.

The sparkling perry derived from cider and with its trademark fawn was a 20th century marketing phenomenon. “I'd love a Babysham” and “There's a world of magic in a Babysham” enhanced the Showering brand and it is still popular. The theatre features in the BBC's ‘Turn back time' in 2010.


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