Why are we called "A Blackbird Sang"? A question we are often asked! Our name was inspired by a poem, specifically a line from Adlestrop by Edward Thomas. Adlestrop is based on a railway journey Edward Thomas took on 24 June 1914, during which his train briefly stopped at the now-closed station in the Gloucestershire village of Adlestrop:

"And for that minute a blackbird sang
Close by, and round him, mistier,
Farther and farther, all the birds
Of Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire."

Just 30 minutes away from our home and studio, the station's old sign and a bench can still be found in this small Cotswold village.

In addition to being our name, we incorporate and feature the blackbird and the "And for that minute a blackbird sang close by" line throughout a number of our designs, highlighted in this collection.

Below is the full Adlestrop poem - enjoy!

"Yes. I remember Adlestrop—
The name, because one afternoon
Of heat the express-train drew up there
Unwontedly. It was late June.

The steam hissed. Someone cleared his throat.
No one left and no one came
On the bare platform. What I saw
Was Adlestrop—only the name

And willows, willow-herb, and grass,
And meadowsweet, and haycocks dry,
No whit less still and lonely fair
Than the high cloudlets in the sky.

And for that minute a blackbird sang
Close by, and round him, mistier,
Farther and farther, all the birds
Of Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire."