How a leather-clad man stood out in a ‘twee’ market city
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Every week, thousands of commuters make their way from the Hertfordshire city of St Albans to the Big Smoke, while at the weekends visitors flock the area’s quaint streets and bustling market for days out. Although St Albans was recently crowned as the best commuter town in England, it’s also known for its eye-watering house prices and staggering costs of train tickets.
Before the area became known for its affluence, it was known for its wealth of creative talent. In 1970, the small city’s music scene was at its zenith. The Zombies had formed there in 1961 and were on the fast track to stardom. A teenage Maddy Prior, before she went on to join folk-rock band Steeleye Span, was busy making a name for herself in local pubs. And Britain’s answer to Bob Dylan, Donovan, cut his musical teeth in the folk clubs across Hertfordshire after his family moved down from Scotland.
As these musical legends performed in venues across the area, between them walked a man who would go on to become a folk hero: Ginger Mills. Living on the very edges of society, Ginger was originally born in Barnet in 1937, where he was abandoned by his mother and brought up by nuns in Worcestershire. He eventually ran away and joined Bertram Mills Circus where he learned bare-knuckle boxing and worked with elephants. It is thought this may be where he adopted the surname ‘Mills.’ His forename meanwhile, was likely inspired by his halo of bright orange hair.
By 1968, Ginger had wound up in St Albans where he frequented pubs popular with beatniks, singers and, later down the line, hippies. He’d stroll from his old camper van to the city centre dressed in a leather waistcoat, a cowboy-style hat, a pair of jeans and several studded leather belts.
