Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. . Ticket £4.00 members and [5. 00 non-members. Meet 10.15am at the Fleur de Lis Heritage Centre, Preston Street, Faversham. Tuesday 6th May 1997 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING & BISHOPSBOURNE IN VIEW Fred Atkins A swift AGM to report on the progress of the Society and its finances and to formally elect a committee including chairman, secretary and treasurer. Followed by... BISHOPSBOURNE IN VIEW Over many years member Fred Atkins has taken slide photos of Bishopsboutne.The presentation from his collection, together with personal anecdotes, shows the changing face of Bishopsbourne and its surrounding countryside through the seasons. Originally from Tunbridge Wells, Fred settled in Bishopsbourne in 1946, and following his marriage to villager Margery, remained there until they retired to Bridge. A fitting introduction to next month’s Summer Walk in Bishopsbourne. Saturday 10th May 1997 Kent History Federation TENDERDEN ONE-DAY CONFERENCE The KHF one-day conferences are friendly and very popular, comprising talks in the morning, and a choice of visits to places of local interest in the afternoon. KHF ticket price and full details to be announced. Sunday 15th June 1997 A SUMMER WALK Martin Vye has organised a gentle stroll through and around Bishopsbourne to point out some of the sights of historical and social interests. Tickets £2.00 members and [3, 00 non-members. Meet at The Mermaid, Bishopsbourne 10.30am. The Bridge & District History Society now in its second season exists to promote interest in all aspects of history in and around the villages of Bekesbourne, Bishopsbourne, Bridge and Patrixbourne. County-wide interests are served through membership of the Kent History Federation which meets quarterly at Count Hall, Maidstone. Meetings are held on alternate months in Bridge Village Hall, commencing at 7.30pm. A small entrance charge is made, which includes interval light refreshments, of £1 for members and £2 for non- members. Visits are informal and sociable. They are organised through the season to places of interest, and to the Kent History Federation’s Annual One—Day Conference in May. Membership for the season costs £5.00 single and £7.50 double (concessions available - please Contact the Secretary). Chairman To be elected at the Meeting of 3rd September Secretary Bill Dawson Tel (01227) 831 044 Treasurer Maurice Raraty Janet Bishop John Bishop John Corfield Emily Shirley Jenny Vye "--~—~‘> —»~._,... «~———~«-~r,.-_ru_. ~—— «A» —/ ».._«\,.«—~r,e~\ ,._ -_.(..e_.— . V. ,._...,\..._ BRIDGE 8! DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY Programme 1996-1997 Visit to Bourne Park 13th October Tuesday 3rd September 1996 THE VILLAGE SOCIAL LIFE OF BRIDGE IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY John Williamson Although over many centuries it had gradually grown up alongside the Roman Wading Street on the main London—Dover route, by the close of the nineteenth century Bridge could boast a large Workhouse serving a Union of 15 outlying parishes around Canterbury, and its own railway station. Like many country villages of its type, Bridge altered throughout the nineteenth century, reflecting in its way the unprecedented social upheavals due to the effects of the industrial revolution. Drawing on his extensive archives on Bridge which he has built up over many years, John Williamson gives some fascinating insights into the social fabric and life of the village. 7. 30pm, Bridge Village Hall. Sunday 13th October 1996 VISIT TO BOURNE PARK A rare opportunity to view one of the finest Queen Anne mansions in Kent, home since 1983 to Lady Juliet de Chair. The broad-fronted house of mellow red brick with its striking symmetry surprisingly repeated on the back facade has a spacious interior with handsome plastervvork and staircase. Contents include fine paintings by such famous artists as Van Dyke, Lely, Romney and Stubbs, furniture by I-Iepplewhite, and a Chinese jade collection. Para: limited to 30. Tickets (including donation to a chariw of Lady de Chair’s choice): £5.50 nembers and [8 non- members. (Priority booking for members to 6th October) Meet 2. 00pm at Bridge Village Hall. Tuesday 26th November 1996 RESTORATION OF PERIOD COTTAGES IN CANTERBURY Brian Fagg Having been neglected to the point of collapse and declared to be beyond help, the pair of cottages next to the Magistrates Court in Broad Street were painstakingly restored under the supervision of Mr. Fagg over a ten year period, resulting in their winning a Canterbury Civic award. A selection of some 300 slides taken to record progress will illustrate his talk. A surveyor specialising in period building restoration, Mr Fagg has most notably worked on Minster Abbey, and the Italianate Greenhouse in the King George VI Memorial Park, Ramsgate. 7.30pm, Bridge Village Hall. Saturday 14th December 1996 CHRISTMAS BUFFET LUNCH A warm welcome and a complimentary glass of wine awaits members and friends for a special informal gathering with a Prize Quiz and buffet lunch. 2.00pm Red Lion Inn, Bridge. Tickets £6.50 members, and £7.50 non-members. Tuesday 14th January 1997 JOHN BARGRAVE Prof. Stephen Bann Canon John Bargrave holds a unique position in the history of collecting, as his Cabinet of Curiosities, held in the archives of Canterbury Cathedral, appear to be the only surviving example with most of its contents intact. The son of John Bargrave Senior who had built the manor house of Bifrons in Patrixbourne, he was intimately connected with the history of the local families who took part in the Civil War in Kent. During this troubled period it was necessary for him to travel abroad, and it was while on his travels that he began to form his collection. Bargrave collaborated in writing the first English travel guide to Italy, and his grand collection reflects his interests in the Grand Tour during the seventeenth century. Professor of Art History at the University of Kent, Stephen Bann has recently published a book on Canon Bargrave. He will present slides of the Bargrave Collection and give an analysis of the objects which reflects Bargrave’s staunch Royalism, and his desire to commemorate the brief glory of his family. 7.30pm, Bridge Village Hall. Saturday 22nd February 1997 VISIT TO ST. MARGARET’S BAY MUSEUM & THE PINES GARDEN A social outing for a special opening of the museum which houses a fascinating collection professionally laid out to show St. Margaret’s as the historical gateway to Europe, from the earliest invasions of Britain, across the busy Straits of Dover, to the advent of the Channel Tunnel. Close by, The Pines Garden contains fine specimen trees, shrubs, flowers, lake and waterfall in grounds of six acres. Also featured are a famous statue of Sir Winston Churchill, a Romany caravan and a wishing well. Tickets including light refreshments at the museum tea rooms ,5‘ 3. 50 members and ,[ 4. 50 non~members. Tuesday 25th March 1997 THE EFFECT OF RAILWAYS ON EAST KENT Dr. Frank Andrews When the railway came to Kent it made a very considerable impact. Two railway companies fought for supremacy, but succeeded only in reducing each other to bankruptcy. Dr. Andrews considers their struggles and the scale of this effect, basing his conclusions on an analysis of the trade records of the period and the railways’ staff records. The overall conclusion is rather surprising. 7. 30pm, Bridge Village Hall. Saturday 26th April 1997 VISIT TO FAVERSHAM &THE BROGDALE HORTICULTURAL TRUST The Faversham Society offer a choice of guides who you can join according to your interests in looking around this ancient and historic town. Tours last approximately. 2 hours, and include the Tin Church, GunpowderWorks, the Museum and the Creek. Shortened tours can be arranged - please advise when booking. Light lunch at the Pippin Tea Rooms (not included in the ticket price) at the Brogdale Horticultural Trust, followed by a 1 hour tour of the orchards. The trust was formed in 1990 to take over the National Fruit Collection of some 4000 temperate fruits from the