V V BRIDGE 81 DISTRICT HISTORY SOClETY May 2011 PROGRAMME CHANGE June Visit We regret that due to the low take up response to our evening visit to Wye this has now been cancelled. We have however arranged instead an evening visit to Patrixbourne, on Wednesday 22 June 201 l at 6.30 pm. Patrixbourne now has a new organisation “The Friends of St.Mary’s Patrixbourne” which has been formed to raise funds for the church. These are urgently needed to restore the Norman Wheel window which is in a very parlous state. The Friends have organised a great evening visit for us. Free Car Parking has been arranged in the Recreation Ground at Bekesboume and we will assemble there at 6.30 pm. There will be a short guided tour of Old Palace Road and the Street, some of the houses built by the Marchioness of Conyngham, and some earlier, and then we will go into the church where Mary Berg a noted local historian will give a talk on the church and its history. This will be followed by a break for refreshments in the church and then followed by a talk on the stained glass windows by Leonie Seliger. I am sure that many of you have been through Patrixboume but I wonder how many have paused to look closely at the buildings. Patrixboume Church has some fabric of Saxon origin but it is mainly a Norman church with many associa- tions with the Conynghams of Bifrons. The stained glass is most unusual as it its of Swiss origin and this will be fully explained in the lecture. Please complete the slip at the bottom of the page and return it as soon as possible. The cost will be more than the Wye visit at £5.00 but will include the refreshments. Would those who had intended to go to Wye and are happy to go to Patrixboume please indicate on the slip. Those who have booked and paid for Wye but do not wish to go to Patrixboume please telephone David Gilmour on 832450. WESTENHANGER CASTLE: VISIT : for those going to Westenhanger please drive down Stone Street, over the M20 at Junction 11 and follow signs for F olkestone Racecourse. Pass the main entrance to the racecourse and take the next left turning, just before the railway bridge, signposted ‘Westenhanger Castle‘. Follow the roadway to the castle. and then follow the signs to the car park where we will meet. For satnavs post code is CT2l 4HX X Wednesday 22 June 2011- Evening Visit to Patrixbourne @ £5 I had booked for Wye Cl Name(s) ........................................................................................................................... .. Address ...................................................................................... ..Telephone number ............. .. Total enclosed £ .......... .. Return to David Gilmour, St. Quentin, Bekesboume Lane, Bekesboume, Kent, CT4 5DY by 15 June 2011 V V BRIDGE 8! DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY August 2011 A message from Chairman Maurice Welcome to the seventeenth annual programme of the Bridge and District History Society, founded in the summer of 1995 by the late Jimmy Tamsitt, Bill Dawson and John Williamson. Since then we have arranged one hundred and one lectures on a huge number of subjects, mostly re- lating to Kent in one way or another, and many connected directly with Bridge, and we have or- ganised 54 visits, some to nearby villages and towns, a few even abroad. We have sponsored an as yet unfinished archaeological dig on Star hill in Bridge, which proved to be hugely important and significant, though raising almost more questions about our past than it managed to solve. We have even hosted the annual one-day conference of the Kent History Federation in Bridge, an occasion celebrated across Kent as one of the most success- fill ever held. We have accumulated a host of pho- tographs and other documents in an archive which is steadily growing, and which has given rise to some published material. All this has been achieved by the hard work of a dedicated team, some of whom have been involved since the inception of the Society, and to whom I am extremely grateful. The new programme you have with you now offers more fascinating talks and outings to match any from past programmes: to keep up the standard we do however need your support in keeping up the membership and in introducing new ideas. If you have liked what you have experienced so far, please tell your friends and neighbours — bring them along to a meeting and encourage them to join. The Nailbourne villages are a living commu- nity with a long history, much of which has still to be told: the more contributions we get, the clearer the picture. And if you would like join the Com- mittee with your ideas (or persuade someone you think could help to do so) you will be very wel- come. Don’t be shy. Meetings are very informal and relaxed — just ask one of the present members! Maurice Raraty Last Season’s Programme We started the programme with a talk by John Grimwood on Hellfire Corner and this was fol- lowed in October by the talk, postponed from last year because of the adverse weather conditions, by Dr. Frank Andrews on Richborough Castle. And then in November we had the well attended talk on Bekesbourne Aerodrome by Geoffrey Hall. Christ- mas saw the Christmas Dinner at the Red Lion which was oversubscribed and a very enjoyable and convivial evening was bad. This was a change from the programme in which we had originally planned a hog roast but we encountered insur- mountable difficulties with the arrangements but the alternative arranged at the Red Lion was very successful and will be repeated this year. In the New Year we had the talk by Eric Hartland on his Then and Now project which showed the re- stored glass plates in the Maidstone museum, digi- tised, and then contrasted with a View from the same position today. In February at the Members’ Evening Alan Forrest gave a talk and demonstra- tion of his wonderful collection of antique pieces of recording equipment. This had been scheduled to take place in the White Horse but due to the Inn being closed we changed the venue to the Village Hall. In March we should have had a talk by Helen Allison on Victorian Life in a Kentish Village but Helen fell ill the day before the talk and so we had to arrange an alternative quickly and this is why you were inflicted with my talk on the Bekesbourne Book Project. A Visit to the Hugh Walpole Library in King’s School was arranged for April and al- though this is rather a specialist area, those who were interested and went were very pleased with the talk given Peter Henderson and the range of books and artefacts that he was able to display. In May we had the Visit to Westenhanger Castle which was a very enjoyable day and even those who had been to Westenhanger before were able to see some of things that had not previously been on display. The final event of the season was to be a summer evening visit to Wye but, due to lack of interest, we cancelled this and rearranged a visit to Patrix- bourne instead. This started with a walk on a lovely summer evening up the Street in Patrixboume looking at the historic buildings most of which were built by the Bifrons’ estate for its workers. This was followed by two talks in Patrixbourne Church, one by Mary Berg the local Patrixbourne historian on the history of the church and this was followed by a talk by Leonie Selinger on the rare and unusual Swiss stained glass in the church. This had been purchased by a member of the Conyng- ham family on their grand tour of Europe from monasteries and churches in Switzerland that were being demolished or reused in the 19th century. The stained glass now needs restoration as well as the fabric of the church and the evening was run by the Friends of Patrixboume Church to raise funds for this. You will be pleased to know that Bridge & District History Society were able to donate £400 towards their restoration projects. As you will see this season’s programme did not run at all smoothly, but we were able to make very acceptable alternative arrangements. We hope that this year’s programme will run much more smoothly. This Season’s Programme A few notes to amplify the programme that is en- closed with this newsletter and to explain why at certain venues we have to restrict the numbers and keep it to members only. The September visit to Denton Court is very re- stricted in numbers and we are unlikely to be able to repeat the Visit so members will have priority over non members and booking early is essential. We also have a talk at the Village Hall in Septem- ber on “Methodists in Canterbury” and, at the time of writing, the fate of the redundant Methodist church in Bridge hangs in the balance. By the time of the talk it will probably be settled and we will know whether it will be used for the benefit of the community or demolished for housing. We are repeating the Christmas Evening at the Red Lion and we hope this will be just as successfiil as last year. There will be prize quiz so remember to bring a pen with you and there will also be a raffle. The Members’ Evening in January will be held at the White Horse Inn, which has now reopened, and we have arranged for a buffet to follow the talk which will be on Education in Bridge, starting in the 1750s-l 7605 and coming right up to the twenti- eth century. In April we have arranged a visit to Westgate Tow- ers, which have been taken over from Canterbury City Council, and together with the Old City Gaol alongside, have been restored and refurbished and a new cafe built in the old exercise yard of the gaol. After the visit there will be an opportunity to have a cream tea in the cafe. The talk in May on Coal Mining in Kent is by a former miner who has experience of the under- ground conditions in the mines, those who would like to know more about the industry in Kent are recommended to buy the book “Those Dirty Min- ers” written by J .P. Hollingsworth and published in 2010. Our final event will be an evening tour of Dover by Keith Parfitt who will show that Dover has plenty of historical interest to show apart from the Castle and the Western Heights. Published By David Gilmour on behalf of Bridge and District History Society. Telephone 01227 832450. SOCIETY Christmas at the Red Lion 201 1 Drink on arrival — either wine or soft drink Main course choices: CJC)UJ> Roast Turkey with all the trimmings Roasted Belly of Pork Boeuf Bourguignon Poached Salmon with a lemon butter sauce If a vegetarian option is required please contact John Cardy on 721360 Dessert choices E F G H Ice Cream Crumble of season Sticky Toffee Pudding Christmas Pudding Send to John Cardy, Half Acre, Wingham Road, Littleboume, Kent, CT3 1UP. Name Name Name Name Main Course choice____Dessert ch0ice_ Main Course choice_Dessert choice__ Main Course choice__Dessert choice__ Main Course choice_Dessert ch0ice__ 8! DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY August 2012 There have been many changes to the officers and com- mittee of your society over the last few months, the most notable being the resignation of your chairman Maurice Raraty. He has been a tower of strength to the Society for many years, being first Treasurer and then Chairman, and we are glad that he will remain a mem- ber of the committee. He is still Chairman of the Kent History Federation, to which we are affiliated. We have been fortunate in persuading Meriel Connor, a long time member of the committee to take on the post of Chairman. Other changes to the committee are the resignation of Tim and Hilary Derouet, and Alan Walton and their re- placement by Alan Barber, Joy Bridger and Rosemary Whatley, all long standing members of the Society. If anyone else wishes to join the committee we would be delighted to hear from you. A final message from Chairman Maurice The first stirrings of a History Society for Bridge and the adjacent villages came to my notice towards the end of 1994, at a meeting of a group of musical friends in Beechmount, the home of the late John Williamson, who had for some time been collecting items of interest about the village. He had been in contact with Jimmy Tamsitt, a longstanding resident, whose childhood was notable for his appearance in the Powell & Pressburger film A Ccmterbury Tale, and who was keen to collect and take advantage of memories of ‘Old England’ as exemplified in the mood of that film, and the recollec- tions of his fellow villagers. A week or so later about a dozen people assembled in the Hunter Room of the vil- lage hall, to hear John tell us something of the great houses, and their inhabitants, in the district along the Nailbourne. At that first meeting I volunteered to be the Treasurer, with the late Bill Dawson as Secretary, under the Chairmanship of Jimmy Tamsitt. One further Committee member who has survived since that time is is our present Secretary, Jenny Vye. Unfortunately, Jimmy died soon after this, and in September 1996 an- other lifelong Bridge resident, John Bishop was elected Chairman. John stayed for ten years, and in 2006 I took over, as the first ‘outsider’ to take the Chair. After eighteen years it is now time for me to pass on the ba- ton, and I welcome Meriel Connor into the Chair, as the fourth incumbent: I wish her and the new committee every success in the future. Upon John Williamson’s death I took over his collec- tion of village—related documents, and have expanded them tenfold. I look forward to a time when they can be properly housed in a dedicated location in the village, alongside the more than 100 boards of old photographs, for an exhibition originally curated by Mervyn Gulvin, which acted as a catalyst for the formation of the Soci- ety, and which are now in the kind stewardship of Bar- bara Beinder in the High Street Over the years the Society has grown into the largest organisation in the village. It has had its ups and downs, but I think we have managed to put on a consistently good and varied programme of lectures and visits (advertised by David Gilmour’s excellently produced brochures), reflected in the numbers attending, which have rarely dropped below 40. Two events in particular stand out in my memory: the hosting of the Kent His- tory Federation annual one—day conference, with its opening address given by David Starkey (a Barham resident), and the three seasons, very disappointingly and abruptly cut short, of archaeological excavation on Star Hill, which uncovered some remarkable features and revealed evidence dating back to the iron age, and promised to be one of the most exciting sites in south- east England. It is a matter of sincere regret that we were not permitted to complete the dig. I do hope that in due course the site may be reopened. To everyone who has worked to support the Society in the past, I express my grateful thanks. I have enjoyed (almost) every minute of the experience. Maurice Raraty Last Season’s programme In September we had a very successful visit to Denton Court. This house is not normally open to the public and the owners were initially reluctant but they gave us a very good tour and were pleased by the enthusiasm shown by our members. Also in September we had a talk at the Village Hall by Dr. Do- reen Robinson on “Methodists in Canterbury”, which was par- ticularly relevant due to the demise of the Methodist church in the village and the proposed disposal of the church building. In October David Lewis outlined the Fordwich U3A project undertaken by the University of the Third Age for Fordwich Parish Council to provide a hiostory of the village on boards in the Fordwich Town Hall for future generations to be informed. Jackie Eales, a Bridge resident, gave a talk in November on Famous Women in Tudor and Stuart Times. This talk was originally entitled “The Monstrous Regiment of Women”. Jackie was as always a fluent and interesting speaker with an encyclopedic knowledge of her subject. A well attended and very convivial evening for the Christmas Evening at the Red Lion in December was enjoyed by all. The Members’ Evening in January was held at the White Horse Inn, in January with a buffet to follow the talk on Educa- tion in Bridge by members David Gilmour and Alan Barber. There were some glitches with the equipment but these were overcome. Helen Allison gave a talk in February on Life in a Kentish vil- lage. As always, Helen is a very engaging speaker. In March we had a talk on Canterbury’s medieval hospitals by Sheila Sweetinburgh. Sheila is a lecturer at the University of Kent and is the editor of books on the medieval period. In April we should have visited Westgate Towers but due to the death of the lessee it was closed and an alternative visit to the Mayor’s Parlour and Council Chamber was arranged at short notice by Laurence Dunderdale. to whom we are very grateful. The talk in May on Coal Mining in Kent was by a former miner who has experience of the underground conditions in the mines and enthralled those who attended. Our final event in June was an evening tour of Dover which was a great success. We were blessed with a rare sunny eve- ning and Keith Parfitt gave the 30 participants a fascinating tour around the streets of Dover, telling us about the original pre-Roman salt marshes in the area around the Museum; the latest information about the reconstructed model of the Dover boat; Saxon timber buildings; the Roman fort of the 3” century and the Roman navy; the discovery of an ancient and excep- tional wooden quay preserved in the river gravel; evidence of former fishermen’s hovels, boats and equipment near the County Hotel; Norman remains, and Edwardian and Victorian restorations. A thoroughly enjoyable evening was had by all. This Season’s Programme A few notes to amplify the programme that is enclosed with this newsletter. December—Christmas Evening. Our fourth consecutive year at the Red Lion which at the mo- ment is the only venue that can accommodate us and that we can rely on being open for the date booked in advance. Hav- ing said that the Red Lion have looked after us well and I an- ticipate a very enjoyable evening for those who attend. A very different quiz this year so engage brain boxes. February—Members’ Evening This is being held in the village hall this year as only the White Horse has adequate space for both a buffet and a lec- ture and as explained above we needed to be certain that they will be open that far in advance. So we are meeting in the Vil- lage Hall, but the Plough and Harrow will be supplying the buffet. No member has come forward with a talk this year so we have instead Colin Breed talking about his experiences in guarding the Royal Family on their visits to Kent. This is il- lustrated with film clips, many of them previously unseen and is a very interesting talk. March or April—Cobham Hall We are trying to arrange a visit to this very interesting and historic house which normally operates as a girl’s school. Group visits can be arranged during the term holidays but they are not advised until January of each year. If you are in- teresting in joining us please complete and return the slip as soon as possible. We will then be able to keep you posted on progress and advise what the cost will be. If we are unsuc- cessful in arranging a visit we will try for an alternative at Godington House, Ashford. May———Aylesford Priory The picture on the front of the programme is a painting of the arrival of the Carmelites in England and it they who built Aylesford Priory. June-—Broadstairs Our evening visit to Broadstairs should coincide with the Dickens Festival so there will be a lot to see and do even after our guided tour has finished. Pray for good weather, it worked for the Dover visit this year. I E Mail Addresses You may have noticed that we are now asking for e mail ad- dresses on the membership application form and the commit- tee are considering a possible change to communicating with members by e mail. It is now becoming prohibitively expen- sive to communicate by post as sending out a newsletter now costs over £100 PER PERSON. We are looking into a two tier structure of membership fees whereby those who receive communications by email would pay a lesser amount than those who receive communications by post. If you have any questions about this, please raise them at the Annual General Meeting in September. Published By David Gilmour on behalf of Bridge and District History Society. Telephone 01227 832450. BRIDGE & DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY 2012 2011 £ £ RECEIPTS SUBSCRIPTIONS & DONATIONS 701.00 603.00 EVENTS 2205.32 2134.54 DONATIONS BRIDGE HIST. SOC. BOOK 0.00 47.50 TOTAL 2906.32 2785.04 PAYMENTS EVENTS 1812.14 1702.91 STATIONERY & PRINTING ~ 2 YEARS’ PROGRAMME 410.68 178.00 SUNDRIES — KENT ARCHAEOLOGICAL TRUST 25.00 25.00 KHF INSURANCE 89.70 77.50 PROGRAMME SECRETARY 419.20 520.57 Due to our strong cash position we were able donate: A contribution to Patrixboume Church Stained Glass Window 400.00 restoration. Costs incurred for transcribing in respect of Bridge Village History 200.00 280.00 records — R Watley TOTAL 2956.72 3183.98 EXCESS OF RECEIPTS OVER PAYMENTS (50.40) (398.94) BALANCE AT START OF YEAR 1525.66 1924.60 BALANCE AT END OF YEAR 1475.26 1525.66 REPRESENTED BY CAS AT BANK 1356.04 1425.42 CA/I 119.22 100.42 1475.26 1525.66 " I ' Hon Treas}/rer f / 03 September 2012 I 11/ Independent Examiner’s Report: After checking the bank, cash records and supporting documentation as presented to me, I confirm that in my opinion, the above accounts give a true view of the state of affairs of the Bridge & District History Society for the year ended 31 July 2012. V W20! 3» Drink on arrival - either wine or soft drink Main course choices: UC'>W> Roast Turkey with all the trimmings Roasted Belly of Pork Boeuf Bourguignon Hand Roasted Fillet Salmon with a dill cream sauce Dessert choices Our own Steamed Christmas Pudding Bramley Apple, Pear and Almond Crumble Sticky Toffee Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce Vanilla Ice Cream, Walnut Brittle Selection of Ice Cream Send to John Cardy, Half Acre, Wingham Road, Littlebourne, Kent, CT3 1UP. ‘Name Name Name Name uopee'pm;)1;pe1Qsseoo1d/us/moo'uug.Ietu1e.Id'emoes//:sd1J,q r1 . Kc»/Lr=«'l"( Main Course choice fi Dessert choice 5 Main Course choice _3_;_ Dessert choice _E“ 3') (2,ar4?.A—t~e Main Course choice Dessert choice_ Main Course choice Dessert choice__ IIEII .I9fUI9.Id - LIOEJBIHIQCIOO 81 DISTRICT HISTORY SOClBTY CHANGE OF DATE CHANGE OF DATE CHANGE OF DATE On this years programme I regret to advise that, due to circumstances beyond our control, we have to change three of the dates for our meetings. VISIT TO BOURNE KENT WINDMILLS EVENING WALK PARK HOUSE AROUND BRIDGE The date on which we were to We have now been given a date have the talk by Andrew Wood Will now take place on and this visit will now take has now been taken by the Euro- place on pean Elections. We have therefore movedthe date to Thursday 12th June Tuesday 1st April , ’ If you have already registered for at 230 pm Thursday 29th May this and sent the money in, and now cannot make the new date, will you please advise Meriel Connor so that she may refund you. We are restricted to a maximum This will be at Bridge Village Hall of 30 participants and would as usual at 7.30 pm. those who have already registered please complete and The picture on the cover of the return the slip below together programme is of Bridge Windmill with their cheque. If you have and will be covered by Andrew already registered and are Wood. unable to go please advise Joan Hill as there is a waiting list. X Visit to Bourne House——Tuesday 1st April 2.30 pm. (Please car share if possible and meet on the drive of Bourne Park House at 2.10 pm) Please send SAE for tickets if you have not already done so. Name Address ................................................................................... .. Telephone Please send slip and cheque for £12.00 per person made payable to BDHS to Mrs Joan Hill, Renville Oast, Bridge, Kent, CT 4 SAD. V V BRIDGE 82 DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY July 2014 You may be surprised to receive the next season’s programme so early and the reason for this is that, exceptionally, we will have a meeting in August this year and in order to get the programme out to you well before August everything has been brought forward by two months. This, however, does not change the fact that subscriptions are due in September, we do not need them early as well. Message from your chairman Our 2013-l4 programme is drawing to an end and we do hope that there was something for all of you in the succession of talks and activities which we presented to you over the past year. We have long since been preparing our programme for next year and hope that amongst the items we have on offer for you there will be plenty to attract your interest. We have also updated our booklet entitled ‘A Brief Historical tour of the Village of Bridge and its Environs’, which is available now at £5 per copy. I am very lucky as chairman to have such an enthusiastic and committed group of people serving with me on your Committee and I am most grateful to them for their help and support. Particular thanks are due to David Gilmour for his skills in producing the programme for us, and to Jenny Vye for her efficient organizing ability as our secretary. Don’t forget that the activities of the Society are intended for your enjoyment and if you have any ideas or suggestions about what you might like to see in the programme in the future, please let us know. Our very first meeting in the new programme is following on from last years dig at Bourne Park. Do come along if you can on Wednesday 27 August to Bridge Village Hall at 7.30 pm to hear Dr Lacey Wallace speaking about the exciting archaeological dig which has been taking place at Bourne Park. All are welcome. Meriel Connor, Chairman Highlights of this season’s programme Archaeology in Bourne Park 27 August This is a follow up to the talk given by Dr. Lacey Wallace at Bishopsbourne in 2013. She will starting a second season of exploration in Bourne Park using ground penetrating radar and other non- invasive techniques and detailing her findings and expectations of this important archaeological site. Medieval Manuscripts 18 September Many medieval manuscripts have illustrations in the margins and elsewhere and these are usually beautifully detailed and a great source of information on life during medieval times. Dr. Alixe Bovey, who has presented programmes on medieval life on television. is a lecturer at the Centre for Medieval and Modern Studies of the University of Kent. She will have many beautiful pictures to show. Cathedral Stone 19 March & Visit to Cathedral 19 May Heather Newton, who is a world expert of stonework and is Head of Stonemasonry and Stone Conservation at the Cathedral will be giving a talk in March covering the restoration of the stonework that has already been done and this will be followed up in May by a guided tour by Heather on what has already been done and what there is still to do, hopefully with the aid of the recent award of a Lottery Grant. Cathedral Precincts Visit—Precincts Pass We are meeting Heather inside the Cathedral Precincts——by the Guided Visit booking office. To obtain entry into the precincts we assume that you have a Precincts Pass. These are available to all those living within 4 miles of the Bell Harry Tower which covers the village of Bridge. If you do not already have a pass please obtain one from the cathedrai by using the online form at http1//wwwcanterbury‘oatheclral.org/wp—content/ __ uploads/20?. I/10/precincts--passpdf If you have di.f.ftculty in obtaining a pass please get in touch with the membership secretary David Gilmour on 832450. E Mail Addresses You may have noticed that we are now asking for e mail addresses on the membership application form and the committee are considering a possible change to communicating with members by e mail. It is now becoming prohibitively expensive to communicate by post as sending out a newsletter now costs over £1.00 PER PERSON. We are looking into a two tier structure of membership fees whereby those who receive communications by email would pay lesser amount than those who receive communications by post. if you have any questions about this, please raise them with the membership secretary or at the Annual General Meeting in September. Last Season’s Programme Some of the highlights of last season’s programme Higham Park-—183 September A wonderful talk by Patricia Gibbs and Amanda Harris~Dea_ns which. left you in awe of their prodigious efforts to restore this beautiful house. Caiiterhury l942—~—-l7 October This video was a replacement for the planned video of “lvlagwitch” based on Dicken’s Great Expectations which unfortunately when we viewed the preview. decided that is was not suitable for us. The substitute was a Very interesting little video of Canterbury just before and just after the Blitz. Bourne Park House-——21 November A very interesting talk on the history of Boume Park and its residents by Avril Leach which was followed up by a visit to the house in April. Lady Juliet once again looked after us very well and the tour was much enjoyed. December—Christmas Evening. This was held at the White Horse who looked after us extremely well and served a great meal. The entertainment was provided by Robin Masters recounting his adventures with schoolchildren performing nativity plays. Soldiers of the First World War————16 January A very good talk by Rosemary Piddick which was scheduled to commemorate the centenary of The First World War. Dode Church——20 February A fascinating talk by Doug Chapman the owner of Dode Church which was followed up by a well attended visit in April. This visit was much enjoyed by those who took part. Victorian Herne Bay——20 March Mike Bundock’s talk was a tour de force as it was given completely without referring to notes and his enthusiasm for his subject was very obvious. A fascinating insight into Herne Bay’s early history. Kent Windmills—29 May Due to the European elections we had to change the date of this n1eeting to the 29th May but it was a very interesting talk on the many windmills that used to dot the East Kentish landscape. Evening walk around Bridge—12 June This visit also had to be changed from its original date due to circumstances beyond our control but thankfully it was a fine evening with a very enjoyable (and long) walk covering many places of interest. Published By David Gilmour on behalf of Bridge and District History Society. Telephone 0l227 832450 V ‘I BRIDGE Si DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY August 2015 Message from your chairman Dear fellow Members, Another successful season has come to an end. We do hope that you enjoyed the programme. We always try to include plenty of variety and where possible we choose speakers whom at least one of us has heard and whose knowledge is matched by their enthusiasm for their subject. Please remember that this is your society, and we are always pleased to have your ideas concerning anything you would like to hear about, or places you might like to visit. We started our programme in August last year, with Dr Lacey Wallace highlighting the archaeological discoveries which she and her team had made at Bourne Park. In September, Dr Alixe Bovey gave us a lively and amusing presentation about medieval manuscripts and their pictorial narratives. In October, David Lewis, who has previously given walks pointing out Canterbury’s curiosities, gave us an intriguing presentation about things in the city that we have often passed by and failed to notice! In November we learnt about Major Percy Powell—Cotton of Quex Park and his fascinating collection of Zoological specimens and other objects from his collection — a Victorian explorer whom Andrew Joynes brought to life for us. Our Christmas evening was once again a great success, and people enjoyed another of David Gilmour’s photo quizzes. In January Professor Jackie Eales vividly portrayed Richard, ‘Blue Dick’, Culmer — describing his enthusiastic ‘demolishing of all monuments of superstition in Canterbury Cathedral’, a task he set about with great gusto, winning the unofficial title of the ‘Most Hated Man in England’. Imogen Corrigan always entertains and informs in a lively way and chose in February to speak about the Black Death and its tragic afiermath. In March Heather Newton brought us up to date on the amazing work she achieves with her team of stone masons and others at Canterbury Cathedral, and in May some of us clambered up ladders to the dizzying heights of the scaffolding to see for ourselves close-up the results of the skillful inventiveness and expertise of that team. In April Hubert Pragnell talked to us about the development of country houses over the years, and a thoroughly interesting evening walk of Elham was given in June by Derek Boughton, who has lived there since his boyhood. To conclude our activities many of us enjoyed a very jolly party in the Village Hall, celebrating the Society’s 20”‘ birthday. We were served a delicious spread, organized by Alan Walton and created with great skill by the members of the Committee. Very many thanks to David Gilmour for his hours of work in bringing together the presentation in which people who had lived many years in the village spoke of their memories of their life here. Thanks too to Martin Vye, who conducted most of the interviews; to Rosemary Whatley who took up the challenge of typing the script; and to John Corfield for generally helping and supervising the sound system. Many thanks to those of you who have expressed your appreciation of our events — especially the party. Some of you even took the trouble to write to us, and that too was much appreciated in turn. Here’s to the next season! We look forward to seeing you at our meetings. Do tell your friends and encourage them to come as well. Meriel Connor, July 2015 Highlights of this season’s programme Overleaf Meriel has outlined our last season’s talks and visits all of which were a great success. We try to give a varied and interesting programme but if there is any topic that you would like included please let any committee member know. This season, in September, we have Paul Bennett the head of Canterbury Archaeological Trust, who is a very engaging and interesting speaker providing that we can get him to stop in a reasonable time. He will be talking about the Dover Boat which is a subject we have had before but he will bring us up to date with the latest developments. In November, Richard Eales, a local resident of Bridge but a pre—eminent scholar of the early medieval period will be outlining what relevance Magna Carta has to us to day. Our usual Christmas Dinner in December will be at the White Horse this year who, I am sure, will look after us very well, In order to make the photo quiz easier this year the photos will be printed in a size that you will be able to see clearly. In February Roger Bickerton, a member of long standing will give a talk that I found fascinating on an aspect of the First World War that does not get much of mention in the media. We are very fortunate in being able to get Dr. Andrew Richardson of the Canterbury 0 Archaeological Trust to talk to us in March. We did try to get him into last year’s programme but couldn’t agree a date with him. He will talk about his work in helping to regulate metal detecting and stopping wanton treasure hunting. And in May, one for the ladies, with a talk on Canterbury’s connection with a succession of medieval queens who do not feature prominently in history books although they are the subject of many historical novels. One wonders if their portrayal is accurate and perhaps Louise Wilkinson will give us some idea. Our last event of the programme is a visit to Dover Western Heights which is appropriate in this anniversary year of the Battle of Waterloo and the commemoration in general of the Napoleonic Wars. Kent has always had most of the defences relating to the Napoleonic era many of which still exist and can be visited like the Western Heights with the Drop Redoubt and the Grand Staircase. E Mail Addresses Last year we asked for e mail addresses on the membership application form so that we could communicate with members by e mail-The mail out for the Anniversary presentation has proved that the system worked and also enabled to correct a few e mail addresses that we recorded incorrectly. Please make sure that your e mail address is on the membership application form as newsletters will now only be sent out by email. 20th Anniversary Presentation DVD Several members at the presentation asked if the show could be put on to a DVD so that it could be played back at leisure and pause the photographs for a good look. We are working on converting the presentation into a DVD which can be played on any DVD player but it is very difficult and will take us some time to do it. When we have succeeded you will be advised by e mail where and when the DVD can be purchased and we would anticipate a selling price of £10.00 but this will be confirmed later. Published By David Gilmour on behalf of Bridge and District History Society. Telephone 01227 832450