Bartholomew Shaw 1985
Monday 23 November 2020
Search far, far and wide until you find the most wonderful…Bart died aged 51 on 15 July 2020 from malignant melanoma. A brave man, he faced death as another great adventure.Bart was an aesthete; his doctoring of the school uniform led to his fashion studies and a life long love of dandy dressing. At 6’7” Bart never sought to hide in a crowd. He was a beautiful man.As a boy he was Robin Hood in Dinmore woods. In Tenby he was Black Bart the pirate. He was Hiawatha, Dick Whittington, Lear’s fool, a wise man: Don Quixote in the best possible sense. He was an incredible storyteller and had many adventures all over the world. He learnt stilt walking at circus school, and performed and produced large-scale theatrical performances.Bart was an explorer, seeking out exquisite places and unusual people. He walked up mountains for the love of views. He travelled through India and Nepal, at one point he was kidnapped and held for 14 days.He had epic adventures forming trails across continents and encounters with extraordinary people. One of these adventures led him to a Portuguese cottage on the banks of a lake. His friends were the goat herd who passed each day leaving small presents of warm cheese and bunches of herbs, a dog called Tick and a thousand turtles which plopped into the lake as Bart swam towards them. Bart had poetry in his soul. His vision of the world was deeply rural, incredibly social, and scrupulously fair. He always remained true to his ideals and beliefs.His search of beautiful places ended back home in his beloved hills.Of all the extraordinary people he ever met he was most fascinated by his precious and beloved children Solomon and Martha. If we can think of a legacy for Bart it is to applaud our differences; we should stand tall, value freedom, dance hard and respect all things bright and beautiful.Jess Shaw (OH 1985