Captain Webb – Strong Man, Good Coffee

Captain Matthew Webb was the first person to swim the English Channel without using any artificial aids in 1875.  He did try some goggles, but they weren’t water tight, so he ditched those quite early on.  His reputation for completing risky and adventurous activities lead him on to be a stunt man, having started off in the Merchant Navy.  Some may remember his portrait adorning boxes of matches, and being the synonym for strength and daring do.  Adam Riches, writer and actor, is creating a one-man show to take to the Edinburgh Festival in August 2026.  His friend, and resident of Cheriton, EJ Martin, has connected him with Simon Triffitt, owner of the Captain Webb coffee shop on Cheriton High Street in order to perform his show before the festival.  It turns out, there’s more to the connection than just the name.  Folkelife, powered by quince kombucha, went to find out more.

Adam: “The story of Captain Webb is one I have known about and loved for years.  I first came across it when I was at Niagara Falls, maybe 30 years ago.  I was visiting my brother and we both saw this very humble and non-descript stone at the bottom of the falls, a bit further down the river from the waterfall itself.  We were intrigued, because this wasn’t an easy place to get to.  If you were visiting this memorial to the person you loved, you’d have to lug your flowers over some rather hard terrain in order to pay your respects.”

the story behind the man

Captain Matthew Webb, after completing his Channel swim, went on to compete in various dares and bets of extraordinary feats.  He held the record for the longest freshwater swim from 1877 to 1899 by swimming 40 miles from Gravesend to Woolwich.  His events earned him money, but he also lived a lavish lifestyle and the desire to earn more by doing more and more dangerous stunts was what lead him to his death.  In 1883, Captain Webb died in an attempt to swim the whirlpool rapids at Niagara Falls.  He went into the water, and was caught by a wave, surfacing a couple of times before never being seen alive again.

Adam: “We associated the name Captain Webb with this strong man who used to be on boxes of matches when we were younger.  What strength has to do with matches is anyone’s guess, but there you go.  Then I found this book called The Crossing by Kathy Watson.  This is a wonderful book that brings together the whole history of the swim and the difficulties he faced, but also involves the Victorian age in which he was performing, and it adds a lot of humour.”

Comedy and Theatre

Adam: “With my background working in comedy and the theatre, the humour in this book really drew me in and inspired me to create a show about this man.  For a long time, I thought I would perform this in some Victorian swimming baths, and be swimming continuously throughout the show.  This way, the audience would understand the endurance aspect of the feat as well as hearing the story.  There are a few practicalities to this, such as electricity, lights, microphones and water don’t really mix, which made this idea a health and safety nightmare. Also, I didn’t really factor in just how much physical preparation I would have to do in order to be able to swim continuously and perform for what would be an hour and a half. So I’ve changed it to be based, very much, on land!

“I think the story is also in the preparation beforehand, and then what happens after the event, rather than the event itself.  He took twenty two hours to cross the Channel and that action is quite repetitive.  But the build up to this act of endurance, and what it lead him to do after the Channel swim, is where I find the interest and the humour.”

Captain Webb Coffee Shop

Simon: “Well, my wife and I bought our house in Cheriton in 1997 and the previous owner was a relative of Captain Webb.  She was called Peggy Webb and she told us the story.  I had no idea, but thought the story was great, and always thought it would be cool to name my business after him.  For a long time I had wanted to open my own coffee shop, and so that is why we named it after him. 

“We mentioned this story to my mother-in-law and she was astounded.  She’s 98 years old and can remember being told about Captain Webb and this character that was so strong he could do anything.”

It seems too good to be true that the Captain Webb Coffee Shop in Cheriton should put on the first performance from Adam Riches on Captain Webb.  And that is all thanks to EJ Martin.

EJ: “I’m friends with Adam, have known him for a long time, and knew he was developing this brand new show.  We moved to Cheriton in 2025 and Captain Webb Coffee Shop is just down the road from me.  So, I know Adam has his own marketing team, but I just thought I would help and be friendly by introducing Adam to Simon and see if something came from it.  And now, on Thursday 28th May, Adam is going to do one of the first read-throughs of his script to an audience here in the appropriately named coffee shop.”

acoustic experience

Adam: “I’m still working on the script, so expect the performance to be a stripped-back, acoustic version of the show.  The idea of doing this in the coffee shop is great as it’s a totally relaxed and non-theatrical performance.  The audience are going to hear about his entire life through the eyes of the guy that trained him.  He was a sporting hero, but also had a life before he swam the Channel, but that’s what turned him into the self-made hero.  After the swim, this bit is really compelling to me, you start to see the parallels with modern day celebrity status.  His reputation started to affect his mental health and lead to his demise. 

“He became a global superstar, but the attention was so vast, and short lived and he was driven by the need to maintain this level of exposure.  That’s what’s identifiable nowadays; this need to keep this public profile.  It lead him to do more feats, more races, more and more dangerous things culminating in trying to swim through the rapids at Niagara Falls – which even a fish wouldn’t bother doing.  And that is where he passed away. 

“The aim is to give everyone a taste on Thursday night, and then it would be great to perform here again when the play is ready, either before we get to Edinburgh, or as a moment to look forward to in the autumn.”

Tickets are available via EventBrite.