LIFE An all day visit to this museum at Cobtree, Maidstone is an opportunity to leave the modern world behind and experience the sights, sounds and smells of country life in Kent over the last 150 years. This will be combined with a cruise on the Medway from Allington Lock to the Arehbishops Palace and back taking one hour. Take a packed lunch or eat at the nearby Beefeater or snacks inside the museum. 111 members own cars. 1 0.3 0 am Recreation Ground Car Park, Bridge. Adults £10.00 Senior Citizens £7.50 including entrance and Cruise. 61:; iiiiiSiATURDAY 24 JUNE 2006 BOUNDS WALK To celebrate our 10th Anniversary members Martin and Jenny Vye will lead a midsummer evening country walk around parts of the parish boundaiy of Bridge visiting local beauty spots and finishing at a local hostelry. The walk will be a maximum of five miles and will take no more than two hours 5.00 pm Recreation Ground Car Park, Bridge. Members and non membersA ree. This year is our 10th Anniversary year and to celebrate we have included two special events. The first is the members evening of reminiscences and the second the walk around the bounds of Bridge. During these ten years we have been entertained by a wonderful array of speakers and been on some very interesting visits. We are now the largest organisation in Bridge and one of the largest History Societies in Kent. This successful organisation is what both the founders and you it’s members have made it. The second meeting of the year will be preceded by a short Annual General Meeting, to review last years programme and to hear the Treasurer’s report, this will also be an opportunity for you to have a say in what you would like the Society to do for you. 7.3 0 pm Bridge Village Hall. Bridge & District History Society was formed in 1995 to promote interest in aspects of local history in and around the villages of Barham, Bekesbourne, Bishopsbourne, Bridge, Kingston and Patrixbourne. County—wide Aspects are served through the Society’s membership ofthe Kent History Federation. The evening meetings are informal and sociable. Transport and or escorts can usually be arranged with other members living nearby. On trips by members ears, those without transport can usually be accommodated in the spare seats. Please contact the organiser of each event for arrangements. Please contact any Society officei‘ or committee member if you need any help. Membership is annual commencing in September. Rates are £6.00 single, £10.00 double and £4.00 for each additional person residing at the same address. Newsletters with a record of previous meetings and advance notice of the next events will be sent out in September, November, February and April. Chairman John Bishop Tel. 832596 Secretary Jenny Vye Tel. 830983 Treasurer Maurice Raraty Tel. 830508 Committee Janet Bishop Tel. 832596 Meriel Conner Tel. 830487 David Gilmour Tel. 832450 Barry Whiting Tel. 830506 Published by David Gilmour 11062005 Produced by the University of Kent Printing Unit 101723 7/05 8! DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY The Swing Riots of l830’s were a protest by agricultural labours against their condition which had been particularly hard in thc arable counties of the south and east of England. The riots began in East Kent at Lower Hardres and persisted here the longest. Peter Ewart will outline the history of this outbreak which spread throughout Southern England. 730 pm Bridge Village Hall. Members £2. 00 non—members £3. 00 including refreshments. bw The archaeological team which did the previous dig on Star Hill, Bridge in 2004 decided to dig again in 2005 and uncovered an extensive Anglo-Saxon cemetery of the 8th century AD with many artefacts including coins from King Whitred’s reign. Dr. Maurice Raraty has been given their report and will illustrate this with slides taken of this dig and the previous ones. 7.30pm Bridge Village Hall. Members £2. 00 nonmembers £3.00 including refreshments. Michael H Peters will give a talk on the arrival in this area of the Huguenots in the mid 16th century and their contribution to the wealth and industry of East Kent. Many Huguenots fleeing from persecution in France to Belgium and the Netherlands later fled to England and Kent. In many ways the Huguenots were the original asylum seekers but because of their skills and knowledge they were welcomed with open arms. 7.30 pm Bridge Village Hall. Members £2.00 n0n—members £3.00 including refreshments. . jg, Following the talk from Heather Newton we have been fortunate in arranging a visit to the Stonemasorfs yard ir1 Broad Oak to see at first hand how this ancient craft is carried out with a demonstration of the whole process of stone cutting and carving. The group will be limited to 30 and the tour will last 1 and 1/4 hours. Our annual Christmas get—together will be a totally different format this year. We have engaged the “Barnstormers” for a 1940’s musical evening to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II. The refreshments will be a buffet style hot and cold including sausage rolls mince pies and mulled wine. 2.30 pm Stonemasons Yard, Broad Oak. Limited to members only £10. 00. jb me 7.30 pm Bridge Village Hall. Members .:E 7.5 0 n0n—members £10.00 including refreshments. To celebrate our l0th Anniversary this meeting will be an evening of reminiscences of how the society was formed and the influences behind it from the village exhibition of photos. We will be displaying items from our archive of photos and maps that will be of interest to our members and look forward to a jolly convivial evening with the usual good cheer arranged by Chris and Melanie Maclean. Following on from our talk on the Big Houses in Bridge we uncovered so much fascinating information on the Coyningham family from Bifron’s House that we have asked Laurence Boyle to give us the benefit of his extensive research on this family who have been so closely associated with Bridge and Patrixbourne. 7.30pm Bridge Village Hall. Members £2. 00, n0n—members £3.00 including refreshments. 7.30pm Plough & Harrow, Bridge. dg Limited to members only £5.00 including buflet. jb Heather Newton the head of the Stonemason’s yard will talk to us of the work of the stonemasons of Canterbmy Cathedral, a very old craft that is in many ways is still carried out in a similar way to how it was done in medieval times. The cathedral employs thirteen masons, some are based in the Cathedral precincts and others in the Stonemason’s yard at Broad Oak. The Kent History Federation Conference will take place at Darent Valley this year and will follow the usual format of talk on topics of interest in the morning followed by visits to the local area in the afternoon. As last year we are including a slip on the booking form for those who would like information on this event. Those who attend these annual meetings always find them enjoyable and 7.30pm Bridge Village Hall. stimulating so please try to attend this year. Members £2. 00 non—members £3.00 including refreshments. 1716 mi”