Edition 150 - June 2014
EDITORIAL
Currently enjoying a beautiful spell of warm, sunny weather, let's hope it can be like that for the many events planned over the next few weeks - fetes, open gardens, bar-b-cues and a World War I Exhibition to mention a few. Make a note of the dates on your calendars!
My editorial is always a place for thanks and my biggest thank you this time must be to the Parish Council for their very generous financial support and encouragement.
It is amazing that the August issue will mark the 25th anniversary of the Newsletter - can I really have been producing it for a third of my life!
Always good to hear from mail readers and following the April issue, it was lovely to hear from Eric Leworthy. Eric was delighted to see mention of Maurice Draper and Don Thirkell and remembers happy days with them at school and in the church choir.
Once again we send our best wishes to anyone not feeling their best and to Pat who had a dramatic winching out of the Sterridge Valley after breaking her ankle.
We extend a very warm welcome to all newcomers to the village and wish those leaving us happiness in their new homes.
Another lovely cover from Debbie and drawings, as always, from Paul, a colleague from my days at Ilfracombe Arts College who has been regularly illustrating the Newsletter since 1990. Paul is retiring at the end of this term but has kindly said he will continue to illustrate our articles. Thank you Paul, we wish you and Chris every happiness in the future - you'll soon be wondering how you found time to go to work!
Thank you, of course, to everyone who has contributed to this issue and please keep the articles coming. For August they should be at the Shop, Chicane or e-mailed to me as soon as possible and by Wednesday 9th July at the latest.
My belated thanks and apologies to Gary, John Pearce, Don and Mick Bowden for their help with the article about Farmer Lerwill and Lower Rowes Farm in the April issue.
Judie - Ed
1
2
IN MEMORIAM
WENDY AMOS-YEO
1956-2014
It was with
profound shock, disbelief and sadness the village learnt that following a fall,
Wendy had died suddenly on the 21st
March. A loving and much loved wife, daughter, mother, grandmother
and friend, she will be sorely missed by everyone who knew her.
A sunny day and St. Peter's was filled with family and
friends for a service that was both poignant and happy, a fitting tribute to a
caring lady who was always full of fun.
Our thoughts are with Mike and all her family at this time
of sorrow.
A firm and comfortable hug
Warmth love concern loyalty and fun radiating from an ENORMOUS heart
That was Wendy
God bless her forever"
Lesley
Holder
Mike and family would
like to thank all villagers for their kind messages of sympathy and for
attending Wendy's funeral.
Donations, for the Children's
Hospice South West, are still on-going and have so far reached nearly £2,000.
URSULA
ROUSE
Visitors to Lee Lodge will be so sorry
to learn that they will no longer be greeted by the cheerful smile and 'Hello
darling' from Ursula, who passed away peacefully at the Lodge on the 27th
April.
Our thoughts are with Fenella and John,
Fenella's sister Susan and cousin Nigel, and all the
family at this time of sadness.
I should like to thank, on behalf of
myself, John, my sister Sue in Australia and cousin
Nigel, all those who have been in touch about Ursula:
letters, cards, calls and flowers, it has been quite overwhelming. To us she
was our wonderful mother, aunt and "wife's relation", someone who had always
just been there with her wicked sense of humour and very practical approach. But she obviously made a bit of an impact in
her new home in Berry - be it as Mrs Reading Lady, in the shop, at the
Berrynarbor Ladies Group, Friendship Lunches, as a neighbour or latterly as an
enthusiastic singer at Musical Memories. We are hearing lovely stories of her
daily which makes her passing that bit easier.
We should
love you to come and share yet more memories of her with us on Saturday 7th
June at 3 o'clock at Sloley Farm, Castle Hill for afternoon tea. She could always whip up a mean cucumber
sandwich [and whisky and water] so we shall continue the tradition. If you could just let me know numbers it
would be a help on the cake front! We
shall hopefully rise to the occasion as it was always a running family joke
that Ursula had a well-stocked larder and could easily have fed the Russian
Army should they have been passing! She
would always welcome everyone into her home be it in Reigate or
Berrynarbor. Even at Lee Lodge she would politely ensure that the staff
would rustle up a cup of tea for every visitor.
This particularly delighted Shane who owns the place!
Talking of Lee Lodge we must say an
enormous thank you to Carol, Debbie, Tina, Aran, Beverley, Liz, Jan, John and
the entire team of staff, who have cared so beautifully and lovingly for Ursula
over the last five years. Lee Lodge was a true home for Ursula;
they treated her like their own mother and have over time become family to us
all. We cannot praise or thank them highly enough. She will be
sadly missed but never forgotten.
Fenella
3
SLOW
DANCE
Have
you ever watched kids on a merry-go-round?
Or listened to the rain slapping on the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight?
Or
gazed at the sun into the fading night?
You'd better slow down. Don't dance so
fast.
Time is short. The music won't last.
Do you
run through each day on the fly?
When you ask, "How are you?"
Do you hear the reply?
When the day is done, do you lie in your bed,
With
the next hundred chores running through your head?
You'd better slow down Don't dance so fast.
Time is short The
music won't last.
Ever told your child, we'll do it tomorrow?
And in your haste, not seen his sorrow?
Ever lost touch, let a good friendship die
Cause you never had time to call and say 'Hi'.
You'd better slow down. Don't dance so
fast.
Time is short. The music won't last..
When you run so fast to get somewhere,
You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift . . . thrown away.
Life is not a race. Do take it slower
Hear the music before the song is over.
This
poem was written by a terminally ill young girl whose only wish was to tell
everyone to live their life to the fullest, since she never will.
4
ST. PETER'S CHURCH
The Annual Meeting took place at the end of March. As all the reports were read out we realised
how much had been done over the past year.
Again it was encouraging to note that church attendance has been
maintained and we are still able to have a service every Sunday. Apart from all the help from members of the
PCC, thanks are due to those who clean our church every week, to caretakers
Bett and Kevin Brooks and to the Walls family who maintain the churchyard
making sure the grass is cut regularly over the growing season. And we all appreciate the bell ringers who
come in every Sunday. Special thanks
were expressed to Marion Carter who was PCC Secretary for many years and who
has now left the village. No one has
yet come forward to take her place.
Stuart Neale has returned as churchwarden but we still need
a second one and we are actively seeking two people to come forward to fill
these posts. Malcolm Sayer has taken
over as PCC Treasurer.
This year the very moving Quiet Hour on Good Friday was led
by Rector Chris with more people attending - an opportunity to take a break,
away from the hustle and bustle and busyness prior to Easter.
And what a joyous occasion on Easter Day! The service was led by Rev. George, who gave
an excellent sermon, and a full choir [thank you Stuart] led the singing with a
soaring descant in the last hymn and a beautiful rendering of the Sanctus from
Faure's Requiem. As always the church
was beautifully decorated by Sue Neale and her team.
Looking forward to June, Pentecost will be celebrated on the
8th with a Family Communion at 11.00 a.m.
Then on the 23rd there will be an additional evening service at 6.30
p.m. with Christians Together and envelopes will be handed in for Christian
Aid. St, Peter's Day falls on Sunday,
29th.
Gift Day will be on Wednesday, 28th June
and the Rector and PCC will be at the lych gate all day. Letters and envelopes will be delivered
around the village the week before and it is hoped everyone will take the opportunity
to make a
donation towards the upkeep of the church.
By comparison, July looks quieter at the
moment. There will be a wedding on the 5th,
the fourth this year, and three more still to come.
Friendship Lunches at The Globe will be on Wednesdays 25th
June and 23rd July.Our main
fundraising event, the Summer Fayre, will take place on Tuesday, 19th August,
and will again be organised by Stuart and Sue Neale with help from us all.
Mary Tucker
MESSY CHURCH
We have now had two very successful Messy
Church sessions at Berrynarbor School.
One on 1st April and the second on the 1st May. We do various craft activities with a
Christian theme which are for the whole family - Parents, Grandparents and
Carers all attend with the children, it is open to all.
 
Refreshments are provided and the
craft sessions end with a story and songs based on that day's theme. We have two more planned, come and join us!
- When? Thursday
5th June and Thursday 3rd July
- Where? Berrynarbor
School
- What time? 3.15 to 5.00
p.m.
NB - children must be accompanied
by a parent/carer We could also do with some extra
pairs of hands to help with the craft tables. If interested, please contact Teresa
Crockett 01271 32889 or e-mail at
5
WEATHER
OR NOT
The first week of March was unsettled
with the barometer falling to 980mb on the 3rd which brought in a lot of heavy
rain. On the 7th high pressure moved
in, the sun came out and the weather turned quite spring like, warm, dry and
sunny for a few days. Apart from a
couple of very foggy days it remained dry and settled until the spring equinox
on the 20th when the weather broke and it became wet and windy. The temperature dropped with snow in some
areas. The month ended on a warmer, dry
note and 108.21 hours of sunshine were recorded which was a bit up on the
average. After such a wet winter it was
a relief to have a dry month and with only 64mm it was dryer than average. The maximum temperature was 19 Deg C on the 30th
with the minimum of 0.8 Deg C on the 14th and a wind chill of -8 Deg C on the 22nd. The greatest gust of wind was 28 knots on
the 21st.
April was a fairly average month with
sunshine and showers. The total rain for
the month was 73mm, most of which fell towards the beginning and end of the
month with twelve days dry in the middle.
The highest temperature was 18.1 Deg C on the 21st with a minimum of 2.2 Deg C.
Winds were light for most of the month with a maximum gust of 21 knots on the
26th. As a result, the coldest wind
chill was -1 Deg C whereas in 2012 and 2013 we recorded wind chills of -11 Deg C. Sunshine hours of 137.79 were also about
average.
Simon
and Sue
6
CAN
YOU HELP?
Sheila Robson [90] spent her honeymoon
here in Berrynarbor 70 years ago, staying at a farm. Sadly she has forgotten its name but does
remember that a nearby bell chimed 13 at 1 o'clock! Can anyone help solve this puzzle? If so, please give Judie a ring on
883544. Thank you.
7
WEDDING
Adam and Beth Dennis were married on the
3rd May at Berrynarbor Church. It was
also Adam's Mum and Dad's wedding anniversary, Steven and Jillian Dennis, on
the very same day. The weather was good,
the reception held in a beautifully decorated Manor Hall and many were there to
help celebrate their day.
Beth and
Adam would like to say thank you to everyone in the village who helped with the
wedding and to all those who came and waited outside the church to see them
both.
And we should all like to congratulate you both and wish you
every happiness in your future together.
8
North
Devon Coast U3A
There are 923 U3A groups in
the UK. They are learning cooperatives for people who are retired or semi-retired,
and which draw upon the knowledge, experience and skills of their own members
to organise and provide interest groups in accordance with the wishes of the
membership. The teachers learn and the learners teach. U3As offer the chance to study different
subjects such as art, crafts, local history, garden visits, opera, geology and
walking and many others. The U3A
approach to learning is - learning for pleasure. There is no accreditation or validation and
there are no assessments or qualifications to be gained.
Our North Devon Coast U3A
branch covers the area from Lynton to Woolacombe, including Combe Martin,
Berrynarbor and Mortehoe. With an annual
subscription of £12, it is one of the lowest in the country and offers great
value for money.
We warmly welcome new
members to our friendly group. If you
enjoy company, and would like plenty of interesting things to do, or maybe you
have a skill you could share, why not join us and see what we offer? We're sure
you won't regret it! Please contact our
Membership Secretary Malcolm Mills if you are interested or want to know more,
on 01271 870009, Email u3amembership.devon@yahoo.co.uk or check out our
website where you will find a lot more information.
www.u3asites.org.uk/northdevoncoast 9
THANK
YOU
I should like to thank everyone who
attended my 40th Birthday Party at Ye Old Globe on the 14th March, and made it
such a special evening. I had a
wonderful time! I should also like to say thank you for all the lovely cards
and very generous gifts.
Also a big THANK YOU to Karen and the staff at The Globe for a delicious buffet and for making it such a wonderful atmosphere. I have lots of lovely memories.
Mickey
I am on the mend now after a long and troublesome illness
and wish to express my thanks for all the messages which I received, in person
and by lovely cards, and to those of you who made the long trip to visit me at
Derriford.
The family have been very supportive and helpful during this
difficult time. Mother couldn't have
done it without them. Thanks to Mark Dalgleish who gave up his time to help with the driving,
and Pat and Malcolm for the trip to Taunton for scans. I cannot speak highly enough of the staff at Derriford -
they are very dedicated folk.
Let's hope we have a good summer ahead of us to help with
the healing process.
Thanks and God Bless. Michael [Bowden] I cannot believe how many cards, flowers and best wishes I
have received. What a lovely village I
live in, and what lovely people! Thank you all so very much. Joan [Wood]
10
FROM THE RECTOR . . .
Well, so now June is
bustin' out all over! I trust your
gardens are blooming but it's not going to happen without some cultivation
having gone on. Relationships are
like that. To ensure that they are
blossoming and at the end of our lives there is a scented garden of
remembrance, think what we need to do to cultivate relationships with those
close to us. Time spent with friends and
family is, of course, vital. Although
true friendship contains that awesome capacity to pick up where you last left
off, it is vital to build in some element of re-union and celebration to keep
things alive and well.
Amongst the special
flowers that need to be cultivated to keep close relationships healthy is the
gift of forgiveness.
A minister with
failing eyesight glanced at the note Mrs Jones had sent him. The note read: 'Bill Jones, having
gone to sea, his wife desires the prayers of the congregation for his safety.'
Failing to observe
the punctuation, he startled his audience by announcing: 'Bill Jones, having
gone to see his wife, desires the prayers of the congregation for his safety.'
Or there was the wife
who had just returned home at the end of the day and found her husband was
starving. This is what she said: "I've
been to karate class, so dinner will be late. Want to make something of
it?"! Ah yes . . . conflict!! They say
a good marriage is the union of two forgivers.
For want of
forgiveness, instead of being healing and soothing places, relationships are
war zones where destructive forces rage violently. Anyone who proposes to embark on a close
relationship of any sort needs to be aware of the forgiveness imperative. So many issues that cause friction would be
resolved through forgiveness. It is a
gift, being able to keep short accounts, clear away the past, not bring up past
crimes or past times and so build up the wall of frustration. It is a practice, something you learn to do
and be committed to keep it up. Forgiveness is a capacity that can cope with
conflict and does not mean you can never talk things through in the interests
of harmony. It is a gift that keeps the
air clear and disarms the skills of unarmed verbal combat.
Best of all, there is
the dramatic forgiveness God is prepared to impart to all those who apply
through the cross of Christ. Said Paul Flowers, the disgraced Chairman of Co-Op, "I have sinned in
the old-fashioned way!"
It is hard to talk realistically about sin in contemporary
society because fewer people acknowledge the target of the violation, God, just
think, you cannot confess if there is no one to
confess to.
For me, I am upfront
about it. I have sinned in the old
fashioned way. Once I was a wilting
flower. Now I am a blooming Christian!
Church in June and July sees two weddings, the school leaver's service
and our new venture, Messy Church - the
craft activity for families being held at the school on the first Thursday in
the month. Why
not keep spiritually fit this summer and jog to church!
I truly wish you well as you cultivate
the life that is busting all around us and at closer to home!
Rev. Chris
11
NOTES FROM THE PARISH COUNCIL
The Annual Parish Meeting was held on the 8th April when the
meeting welcomed visitors from Devon County Council Highways and South West
Highways.
Reports were given by District Councillors Yvette Gubb and
Julia Clarke, and County Councillor Andrea Davis, who also spoke on the
consultation being held by DCC on winter damage repairs, on street parking and
Devon remembers the First World War, and Sue Squire, Clerk to the Parish
Council, all of whom gave reports at the Annual Parish Council Meeting on the
13th May. A report was also given by
the Police.
To comply with insurance requirements, Councillor Linda
Thomas undertakes a weekly inspection of the Play Area.
The War Memorial repairs, the Emergency Plan, registration
of land with the Land Registry, the bus shelters and public toilets, for which
a grant of £705 had been received from DCC, were discussed.
It was agreed that future meetings of the Parish Council
would be held in the Manor Hall.
At the May meeting Councillors Adam Stanbury and Dave
Richards were re-elected as Chairman and Vice Chairman respectively, and other
representatives elected were:
- Footpath Officer: Cllr. Clive Richards
- Dep. Footpath Officer & Officer to
Check Invoices: Cllr. Dave Richards
- Highways Liaison Officer and Tree
Warden: Cllr. Linda Thomas
- Emergency Plan Officers: Cllrs. Adam Stanbury, Dave Richards,
Steve
- Hill [also Combe Martin & District
Tourism], and members of the village
- Manor Hall Trust Committee: Cllr. Lorna Bowden
Planning and Financial items were discussed, noted and
approved. The revised Code of Conduct
circulated to parishes by North Devon Council was adopted.
As part of the Emergency Plan, Cllr. Steve Hill to hold the
emergency box sent by Western Power Distribution.
To date there had been no applicants to fill the two
vacancies on the Council. The date of
the next Parish Council meeting to be held at the Manor Hall at 7.00 p.m. is
Tuesday, 10th June.
Sue Squire - Clerk to the Parish Council
12
NEWS FROM OUR COMMUNITY SHOP & POST OFFICE
Here, at our Shop, we have the following Made In Devon Chiman's Authentic Indian Spice Blends at the Great Price of £1.80 [to buy from Amazon it will cost you £1.99!]
CHICKEN BIRYANI - CHICKEN KORMA - CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA
BEEF MADRAS - KASHMIRI LAMB - KOFTA BHOOMA
PRAWN CURRY - ROGAN JOSH - TANDOORI DISH BBQ
Making a great curry at home is easy with
Chiman's Authentic Indian Spice Blends
Our dry spice blends contain only premium quality spices - so they are free of all flavourings, preservatives and colourings - and they're gluten free. Many of our spice blends are also available in organic varieties.
The recipe on the back of the pack is easy to follow. Chiman's have been selling spice blends for over 20 years so our recipes have been tried and tested!
Each pack will make a delicious meal for around 4-6 people. If you're cooking for fewer, our tip is to cook the whole meal and freeze portions for another day. Alternatively, halve the ingredients and just use half the sachet. You can reseal the sachet and it will keep for 2 months without losing flavour.
So why not try a Curry tonight?
Have you tried our West Country Dry Cured Back Bacon at only £11.33 a Kilo? A better price than the Finest Unsmoked Wiltshire Cure Back Bacon at £14.13 from a local well-known supermarket. Also our Devon Ham Off the Bone at £18.25 a Kilo again a better price and taste than the local well known supermarket!
Our Sack Potatoes are only 65p per kilo - but you don't have to buy a 2.5 kg pack, just what you need!
Berrynarbor Community Enterprise will be holding its AGM in the Manor Hall on Friday, 6th June at 8 p.m.
All shareholders are invited to attend and the appropriate notices are in the process of being sent out.
In order to reduce the administrative cost of this paper-intensive exercise I am trying to assemble an e-mail distribution list of shareholders so that information can be sent electronically. If you are a shareholder and are happy to receive your correspondence in this way, please send your email address to paulfweston@btopenworld.com. Thank you.
Paul Weston - Secretary, Berrynarbor
14
15
BERRYNARBOR WINE CIRCLE
A Ladies
Night was a first for the Circle; six wines presented by six lady
members. I appreciate that I am biased,
but everybody around me and other members I managed to speak to on the night
thought their selection produced another excellent evening.
We started with Camel Valley bubbles; Cornwall
Brut was pretty special. It was fruity and dry with a great bouquet and the
price was special too: £24.95 per bottle, but hey, it's for the Wine Circle!
Our next whites were French and New
Zealand: a Picpoul de Pinet from the Languedoc region and then The Ned from
Marlborough. Many thought that the Pinet
was a bit thin, the flavour didn't last, but a Majestic employee described the
latter as 'That's New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc on steroids!' It is a punchy, fruity wine. Both of these are Majestic stock and were
£6.99 if two bought.
We followed these with a mixed-grape,
mid-Spanish red then two Pinotage wines from South Africa. If you're a red drinker, as I am, I should
be surprised if the Spanish Gran Status failed to impress; it was fruity, a smooth red with soft tannins. It's £8.50 a
bottle and from our marvellous shop.
Fancy being able to purchase a good red from a village shop!
The first Pinotage was Kadette from the
Stellanbosch region: the dearest red, at £10.50. It was typical of this grape: heavy and
fruity, but some described it as a 'Marmite moment'! Many felt it needed to be drunk with
food.
It is unusual at Circle gatherings to
have two of the same, but our final sampling was also from the shop and another
Pinotage, but from the Western Cape: Cappupino Ccintage. It had been compared to the Kadette, tried
and tested you might say!
Their presenters agreed that they were different; they were! It was described as smoky, obvious coffee smell, could or even
should be drunk with smoky BBQ food!
Judith Adam - Secretary and
Promotional Co-ordinator
16
TREV'S TWITTERS
Hail Smiling Morn
Reginald Spofforth
This was a favourite piece of music for the local brass band when I was young.
That tips the hills with gold,
that tips the hills with gold,
And whose rosy fingers open wide
The gates of heav'n,
And whose rosy fingers open wide
The gates of heav'n!
And all the green fields,
That nature does enfold,
All the green fields, That nature does enfold.
At whose bright presence,
Darkness flies, darkness flies away,
Flies away! Flies away!
Hail, Hail, Hail, Hail,
Hail, Hail, Hail, Hail!
Reginald Spofforth [1769-1827], was an English
musician, active as an organist, conductor and music teacher, but mainly remembered as a
composer. His best known works are the glees Hail Smiling Morn [written in 1810 and described as having been 'possibly
the most popular glee in the entire repertory'] and Hark! the Lark at Heaven's Gate Sings.
He composed
about 75 glees, also three books of nursery
rhyme settings and many songs and duets, including songs for
various stage performances at Covent
Garden in the 1790s and two elaborate hymns. It is thought he never composed any instrumental
music.
Written at an Inn at Henley
William Shenstone
To thee, fair Freedom, I retire
From flattery, cards, and dice, and din;
Nor art thou found in mansions higher
Than the low cot or humble inn.
'Tis here with boundless power I reign,
And every health which I begin
Converts dull port to bright champagne:
Such freedom crowns it at an inn.
I fly from pomp, I fly from plate,
I fly from falsehood's specious grin;
Freedom I love and form I hate,
And choose my lodgings at an inn.
Here, waiter! take my sordid ore,
Which lackeys else might hope to win;
It buys what courts have not in store,
It buys me freedom at an inn.
The Leasowes
William Shenstone, Public domain
via Wikimedia Commons.
This poem was written in the Red Lion Inn in
Henley. It is said that Shenstone scratched it on a window pane of the Inn with
a diamond. A reproduction of the
original pane of glass is now in situ.
The Red
Lion was probably built in 1531, though it incorporates even older buildings
including a 14th century Chantry House. Famous guests include Samuel Johnson
(and his friend Boswell), Charles I and the Duke of Marlborough, who used
the Inn as a stopping point on his way to and from Blenheim Palace.
Son of Thomas Shenstone and
Anne Penn, Shenstone was born in 1714 at the Leasowes, Halesowen. He received part of his
formal education at Halesowen Grammar School. In 1741, Shenstone became bailiff
to the feoffees [trustees] of Halesowen Grammar School. He went to Pembroke College, Oxford in 1732 but took no degree.
While still at Oxford, he published poems on various occasions and in 1741 he published The Judgment of Hercules.
Shenstone inherited the
Leasowes estate, and retired there in 1745 to undertake what proved the chief
work of his life, the beautifying of his property. He embarked on elaborate
schemes of landscape gardening which gave The Leasowes a wide celebrity but
sadly impoverished the owner! Not a
contented recluse, he desired constant admiration of his gardens, and never
ceased to lament his lack of fame as a poet. Shenstone died unmarried.
Illustrations by: Paul Swailes
Trev
17
Happy Days are Here Again!
So long sad times
Go along bad times
We are rid of you at last
Howdy gay times
Cloudy gray times
You are now a thing of the past
Happy days are here again
The skies above are clear again
So let's sing a song of cheer again
Happy days are here again
Altogether shout it now
There's no one
Who can doubt it now
So let's tell the world about it now
Happy days are here again
Your cares and troubles are gone
There'll be no more from now on
From now on...
Happy days are here again
The skies above are clear again
So, Let's sing a song of cheer again
Happy times
Happy nights
Happy days
Are here again!
This song was copyrighted in 1929 by Milton Ager [music] and Jack Yellen [lyrics] recorded by Leo Reisman and His Orchestra in November 1929 and featured in the film Chasing Rainbows in 1930. From 1930 to 2006, it has featured in over 80 films, including the Great Gatsby and in 1962 was recorded by Barbara Streisand.
1931 [5]
1932 [12]
1933 [3]
1934 [2]
1935 [2]
1937 [2]
1938 [3]
1939 [3]
1940 [1]
1941 [2]
1944 [2]
1945 [2]
1947 [1]
1948 [1]
1952 [1]
1955 [1]
1956 [1]
1957 [1]
1964 [1]
1965 [1]
1973 [2]
1974 [1]
1975 [1]
1981 [1]
1983 [1]
1991 [1]
1992 [1]
1993 [1]
1995 [2]
1998 [1]
2000 [1]
2001 [1]
2005 [1]
2006 [2]
Years and number of times used in films in that year
18
NEWS FROM THE EXMOOR PONY CENTRE
Ashwick,
Dulverton TA22 9QE
In an exciting partnership, the National
Trust at Arlington Court have taken Almond and Bergerac to help them
demonstrate how to put on a harness. As Almond is destined to be one of
our trekking ponies, as well as making an appearance at the Horse of the Year
Show, he will only stay there for this season when his place will be taken by
another pony ready to learn a new role.
A generous donation from Pluss, the
Social Enterprise that helps disabled people to find work, was recently given
to our representative at Exeter Football Ground by Ben Bradshaw MP. This goes a small way to helping with our
weekly costs but in an ideal world we need to raise about £350 per day to
ensure that the charity can continue.
Is there any way that you can help us?
One of our ponies will be putting in an
appearance at Witheridge Fair on 21st June along with some helpers, so please
come and support us there.
In Winsford Village Hall on the 6th July
at 2.30 p m., the High Park Music School Orchestra will entertain you in an
hour's concert followed by a cream tea and the chance to meet an Exmoor
Pony. The band of children will be
playing Saxophones, Clarinets and Flutes with a programme of jazz and pop
music. Please get your tickets in
advance from Winsford Village Shop.
Please look at our website
moorlandmousietrust.org.uk for more ideas of how to support us, follow us on
Facebook or Text MMTX22 £5 to 70070.
Thank you.
19
TRINITY FAIR
Saturday, 7th June 2014
Ilfracombe's Famous Victorian Week climaxes with the Trinity Fair at the Holy Trinity Vicarage in St. Brannocks Road following a parade through the town by people dressed in Victorian finery. Prizes are given at the Fair for best dressed lady, best dressed man, best dressed couple, best dressed boy and best dressed girl.
All the fun of the Victorian afternoon with stalls and sideshows, afternoon teas and coffees, hot dogs, burgers and especially popular sales of cakes and plants.
You are all warmly welcome to come and take part in this very special event!
20
PALS
Richard and Doreen Brown lived in a pleasant detached house
not far from the river Blackwater, together with their son Chris and dog named Puzzle.
Chris and Puzzle were inseparable and Chris, who was only
eight, often took her for walks.
One week-end Chris decided he would like to go fishing - he
would fish in a dyke that ran alongside the sea wall to the river. That was where the eels might be. So, with a packed lunch box, fishing tackle
and Puzzle, off they set. The dyke was
close to home so all would be well.
Settling down on the bank of the dyke he cast his rod
several times, but to no avail. 'Never
mind.' he thought, 'I'll have a bite to eat.'
He had left his lunch box a little way up the bank and as he
got up to get it, he twisted his ankle, badly.
Despite his efforts to walk he could only manage to crawl along the
ground. Quickly he had an idea. He still had the wrapping paper to his lunch
box and fortunately a pencil.
'Help me, I'm hurt.' he wrote. Then he undid Puzzle's collar and threaded
it through a hole in the paper and did it up again.
"Take this home," he told Puzzle and incredibly that's what
she did. Arriving she stood at the
front door on her hind legs barking to attract attention.
On opening the door, Richard was alarmed to see Puzzle on
her own and upon reading the message, he quickly made off towards the dyke with
Puzzle leading the way.
When he arrived at the dyke, there was Chris.
"Sorry dad, but I had to get help somehow."
"Never mind," his dad replied, "Let's get you home" and he
gathered up the bits and pieces and picked up Chris to carry him home. Puzzle followed.
About a week later, Richard had reason to return a book he
had borrowed from a friend. He set off
for the friend's home and had just put the book through the letter box when he
heard a car approaching and at the same time, Puzzle who was not on a lead,
spotted a cat across the road.
In a flash she was hit by the car and was lying on the road
bleeding. The car carried on and
Richard picked her up and carried her home.
As soon as they got back, Doreen rang the vet who came straight
away. Among her injuries, Puzzle had a
torn ear and was spreading blood everywhere.
"We'd better put her in the outside toilet," suggested
Richard, as this was tiled and could be cleaned up easily. A bed was arranged and Puzzle made
comfortable.
The vet began his examination and turning to them said, "I'm
sorry but I'm afraid I shall have to put her to sleep."
"No, no, please not that!" pleaded Chris, with tears running
down his face, having arrived and overhead the vet, who was rather embarrassed,
not knowing what to do in the presence of the young lad.
"Well, I'll give her a couple of injections but I don't hold
out much hope," he said sadly.
The vet left and Puzzle, looking very down, curled up on her
new bed, with a little food and a bowl of water.
That night and every night after, Chris would get up after
his parents had gone to bed and go down with a torch and sit with his dog,
often crying a little.
Slowly, however, Puzzle began to recover and gradually her
wounds started to heal. After nine days
she was allowed out in the garden, walking slowly and wagging her tail a little
before returning to her bed. Chris
kissed her on the nose with tears in his eyes, but this time they were tears of
joy.
Puzzle miraculously made a complete recovery and she and
Chris enjoyed many more happy years of each other's company.
Tony Beauclerk - Stowmarket
Ex-evacuee
1939-1946 Berrynarbor
Illustration by: Debbie Cook
21
BERRYNARBOR SCHOOL NEWS
Well, what a busy time we are having -
The children are really enjoying the first half of our summer term!
Strawberry and Cranberry class are
learning about Growing Grub and have planted a variety of seeds.
Children in Strawberry, Cranberry and
Blueberry have recently enjoyed a trip to Tesco to take part in their new Farm
to Fork Trails. The children learnt
about fruit and vegetables and their origin along with a visit to the bakery
and a trip through the warehouse. The
trip was thoroughly enjoyed by all!
Elderberry class have been busy working
hard for their SATS which they sat in May.
Now they are complete, the children can relax, just a little, as they
will now be working on their end of year performance.
The summer term always sees lots of
events taking place and several of our KS2 children have taken part in a Tag
Rugby and Striking and Fielding festivals.
We shall be holding our Sports Day on
Tuesday 10th June, 1.00 p.m. in the playing field. Should we have typical English summer
weather that day, we shall move to the 17th June.
Elderberry and Blueberry class will be
going on their annual residential trips; Goblin Combe in Bristol and Embercombe
near Exeter.
During the last week of June we hope
that the children will be out and about as we suspend the normal curriculum for
Community Week. The children will be out
helping and getting to know our neighbours.
As part of this week we'll invite you to visit our school and see what
the children have been doing - please keep an eye on the notice board outside
the shop for more details.
The whole school will enjoy a trip to
the Landmark Theatre in July to see The Essex Dance Group. The
children love watching this performance, all performed by children too!
Our pupils will also be enjoying a
Federation Day with West Down School.
This is a great and fun opportunity for the pupils from both schools to
mix and get to know one another.
The PTFA are working hard to organise
their annual Summer Fete. Beaford Arts
will be visiting us again this year and the Fete will be held on Saturday 12th
July.
We hope everyone has a lovely summer and
the weather is kind to us!
Sue
Carey - Headteacher
22
KENTISBURY
OPEN GARDENS - SUNDAY 22ND JUNE
10
gardens in Central Kentisbury, Kentisbury Ford and Patchole, open from mid-day
to 5.00 p.m. Entry £5.00. Cream Teas £4.50 available
at 3 venues.
23
FROM THE SCHOOL PTFA . . . SUMMER FETE
12TH JULY
We shall be holding our Summer Fete on Saturday, 12th July -
an action packed day guaranteed!
- 10.00 a.m. - 12.00 noon Farmers' Market in the Manor Hall
- 12.00 noon - 3.00 p.m. Fete outside Manor Hall with traditional
stalls - hook-a-duck, tombola, raffle, coconut shy, BBQ, bric-a-brac, books, etc.
- 1.00 p.m. and 3.00 p.m. Beaford Arts Production of 'Boy Who Fell in
Love with
the Stars', each performance is 30 minutes long, guaranteed to
be a fantastic story. Tickets on sale at £4 adults, £3 children and £12 family - call Jenny 07917 562216 for further information
- 4.00 p.m. Pet Show [details to be confirmed]
- 5.00 p.m. Final of
Berrynarbor's Got Talent, Manor Hall - come and see all
10 finalists at the LIVE final. Entry
tickets £2.00 adults, £1.00 children and includes your chance to vote for your winner.
To finish off the day we are hoping to
hold an evening event with live music.
Keep an eye open for details.
Note: If you have not yet auditioned for
Berrynarbor's Got Talent, the final auditions will be held on Sunday, 22nd June
in The Globe, from 3.00 to 5.00 p.m.
Just come along.
24
User
Consultation in March
Meanwhile we are continuing to develop a
work plan for a series of grant bids; costings for surveyor support, an
archaeological review of the building to establish its heritage significance,
plus planning further consultation and discussion on other potential needs in
the area that could be met at the hall.
**And same message as last time, please
note that actually carrying out the majority of the work is still some
considerable time away. Do not hesitate to contact in the normal way should you
want to book the hall for an event.
Local
Fund Raising and Berry Revels
Also watch out for the sale of raffle tickets, part of the North Devon Rotary raffle, with cash
prizes of £100 to £300, plus 100 smaller prizes. ALL proceeds from our tickets sales go towards
the hall refurbishment, so please support us when you see tickets on sale in
the shop and elsewhere.
Berry Revels this
year will be on 5th August, so
please make a note in your diary. Again
we should like wide support in our centenary year for the refurbishment of the
hall
To all
Poster-Producing People!
There is a new sign and notice board for
the Manor Hall - these have been placed at the car park entrance. So for all those arranging events at the hall
there is an additional opportunity for your posters. Notice board key holders are Len Narborough
and Geoff Adam.
Len Narborough and the Manor Hall
Committee`
Annual General Meeting The Manor Hall AGM will be held at the hall on Wednesday, 2nd July, at 7.30pm. It would be good to see people there. We will combine the AGM with an
update on the plans for the hall and all views are welcome! |
25
LOCAL HISTORY SOCIETY
As a result of the discussions around
the village about the planned repair works to the old manor house wing of the
Manor Hall, and the possibility that the house may in fact be medieval rather
than the oft-quoted Tudor, a few people have suggested that it would be good to
explore the history of the village in more detail, with the Manor Hall and
surrounding old buildings being a good starting point.
Whilst architectural and archaeological
investigations are being planned to ascertain the history and built form of the
hall, this research and evidence could extend to other village buildings and
the way the manor influenced the development of the village and its way of
life. Such organisations exist in quite
a few villages and carry out some very interesting work.
So, I should like to propose that we
establish a local history society for Berrynarbor. It is, after all, a Domesday village. I am sure we should un-earth some
fascinating facts! Please contact me
if you are interested in joining such a society.
Judith Adam, Flowerdew Cottage Tel: [01271] 882828
26
BERRY IN BLOOM & BEST KEPT VILLAGE
For gardeners this is the busiest time of the
year but I like to take time to stop and admire Mother Nature as she does her
bloomin' thing. How lucky are we to
live in such a lovely place.
We have been busy planting up the tubs
and containers with summer bedding, hanging up the hanging baskets and
generally weeding and tidying up around the village. The plants we bought from Jigsaw have been
very healthy and as always Streamways Nurseries delivers beautiful baskets
ready for hanging up.
Best kept village judging takes place
anonymously and at any time between May and August. The judging for the new R.H.S. Pennant
competition takes place in July, so we will all have to be on our toes!
We ran a successful cake stall at Easter
and had a very kind donation of almost £200.00 from a kind villager, so the
coffers have been replenished. But as
any of you who buy plants know, the cost goes up year by year.
This year the Sterridge Valley Open Gardens will be on 8th June between 2.00 p.m. and 5.00 p.m. with Teas
in the Manor Hall from 3.00 p.m. The Village Gardens will be on
September 7th, again between 2.00 p.m. and 5.00 p. m. Please come to either of the Open Gardens (or
both) and support us, whatever the weather you are certain of a great tea. None of this could take place without the
support and generosity of our helpers, so thank you all very much.
Wendy Applegate
27
Lime Cream Cheese Cake
With all the gardening to do, here is an
easy to make loaf cake with a nice zingy taste.
You will need: 1x900g loaf tin
(about26x12.5x7.5CM) greased and lined with a long strip of baking paper to
cover the base and up the short sides.
- 175g unsalted butter (softened)
- 150g full fat cream cheese (at room temperature)
Finely grated zest of 2 limes
- 250g caster sugar
For the syrup
- 4 tablespoons lime juice
- 50g caster sugar
- 50g caster sugar
- 3 medium free-range eggs (at room temperature)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 225g self-raising flour
For the glaze
- 150g icing sugar
- Finely grated zest of 1 lime and
about 1 tablespoon of lime juice
Heat the oven to 180 Deg C/350 Deg F/gas 4
Put the soft butter and cream cheese in
to a large mixing bowl. Add the lime
zest and beat with an electric mixer until soft and creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat in
the caster sugar.
Break the eggs in a separate bowl, add the
vanilla and beat with a fork. Add to the
butter/cream cheese mix gradually beating well and scraping down the sides of
the bowl now and then.
Sift the flour into the bowl and gently
fold in with a metal spoon. Transfer to
the prepared tin and spread evenly.
Place in the heated oven and bake for 50-55 minutes until well risen and
golden brown and a skewer comes out cleanly.
While the cake is baking make the syrup
by putting the juice and caster sugar in a pan and heat gently until the sugar
dissolves, then bring to the boil, remove from the heat but keep warm.
When the cake is ready and still hot,
place on a wire rack but leave in the tin.
Prick with a skewer and pour over the syrup. When the cake is cold run a knife around to
loosen then remove from the tin. Make
the glaze by sifting the icing sugar in a bowl adding the zest and enough lime
juice to make a thick but runny icing.
Spoon the icing over and allow it to run down the sides of the cake.
This cake will keep for up to 5 days -
but not in my house!
Wendy Applegate
28
FREE REMEMBRANCE TREES
This August marks the 100th anniversary
of the outbreak of the First World War.
The Woodland Trust is honouring all those who took
part in the war effort by planting millions of trees that will stand as a
tribute for centuries to come. Will you stand with us by planting a
free tree pack in your community?
We have over 4000 packs to
give away in autumn and they come in three sizes - 30 saplings, 105 saplings
and 420 saplings in various themes (hedge, copse, wildlife, wild harvest,
year-round colour, working wood, wild wood and wetland). You can apply for more than one pack and
theme with 420 saplings being the maximum quantity. You can find out more and apply online at www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/freetrees,
but I'd advise groups to apply sooner rather than later.
Please
feel free to forward or share this information with any group or school that
might be interested or include it in your newsletter - many thanks to those who
have already helped to spread the word!
Deadline for applications is
4th September but we may need to close early if oversubscribed. If you have any questions at all please do
get in touch.
Beverley
Gormley - BeverleyGormley@woodlandtrust.org.uk
29
WEST COUNTRY WALK - 144
'In ancient times . . .'
Hidden in countryside between Penzance and St. Ives are the
remains of Iron Age settlements. One
of these, Carn Euny, was built more than 400 years BC and was still occupied
during the fourth century AD.
We visited Chysauster [seven miles east of Pendeen], a
village last inhabited at the time of Roman Britain.
From a quiet lane in the parish of Gulval we climbed up to
the path across the fields to reach this fascinating relic of 'ancient times'.
Both Carn Euny and Chusauster consisted of cluster of round
stone walled rooms grouped around a central courtyard, with an outer wall
forming a circle around each homestead.
This pattern of dwelling is peculiar to West Cornwall and
the Isles of Scilly.
At Chysauster
there are the remains of nine of these courtyard houses and we were free to
spend an absorbing morning roaming among the carefully excavated dwellings; wandering in and
out of the circles of low stone walls;
the round rooms which would have been roofed with turf or thatch.
During the course of our visit there
was a light drizzle. A kestrel hovered
above and underfoot was a dazzling array of wild flowers. Bluebells with wood
anemones and wood sorrel, but also lousewort, milkwort and tormentil.
In North Devon I should not expect to see all of these
species occurring together in the same place - bluebells in woodland and on
cliffs. Sorrel and wood anemone also in
woods but the latter alongside rivers too; whereas pink lousewort, milkwort
[blue, mauve or pink] and yellow tormentil would be
largely confined to the moor. Perhaps it is the presence of the granite which gives rise
to such a rich and varied flora.
At Chysauster the houses were alighted in pairs along a
grass fairway or 'street'. With minor variations,
the usual pattern consists of a main entrance facing away from the prevailing
south west winds.
A paved passageway leads through the thick outer walls to an open space, the courtyard, about twenty-five to thirty feet wide. To the left a lean-to bay was used as a shelter for livestock.
Opposite the entrance is a large Round Room; on the right is the narrow Long Room and in
some dwellings there is a Small Round Room. In the Round Rooms a stone with a
hollow in it would have held the upright timber which supported the apex of the
roof.
In some rooms there remains a stone hearth and stone querns
had been found which were used for grinding grains. Water channels, lined and
covered with stone slabs, connected to a sump for the storage of rainwater.
Once forested with oak and hazel, by Roman times these
granite uplands had been cleared of trees.
The excavation of Chysauster took
place at various times from the 1870's until the 1930's. It is understood that in the early 1800's,
Chysauster was used as a venue for Methodist preaching and known local as the
Chapels.
Illustrations
by: Paul Swailes
Sue H
30
HOW SAFE A DRIVER ARE YOU?
As an icebreaker I regularly ask my
audience at road safety talks, "Who amongst you are above average
drivers?"
Of course the vast majority normally put
up their hands - none of us like to think that we drive badly or are below
average ability, and some of can get quite defensive over the subject. Strange also that from the date of our
driving test we may go through our driving career without even a second thought
of additional training. You might also
occasionally hear it said that if most of us took our test now, we would almost
certainly fail! Cars, motorbikes and the
rest have changed immensely over the last few decades, not to mention the
volume of traffic on the roads. Surely
then it is vital that we retain our driving skills in line with changing road
and traffic conditions.
There is an argument for introducing
some sort of driving assessment in the later stages of our driving
careers. Currently there is nothing
compulsory in place to check our driving standards but there are options for
voluntary assessments and coaching.
I'm talking about advanced driving and
riding. This is basically the art of
defensive driving where a system is put in place to help you plan your driving
in a more methodical and safer fashion.
There are a number of organisations that
will show you the ropes but the most well-known are the two national charitable
organisations: ROSPA [Royal Society for
the Prevention of Accidents] and the IAM [Institute of Advanced
Motorists]. There are many of these
groups scattered all over the country including North Devon, all of which are
singing from the same hymn sheet using the age old police system of car and
motorcycle control called Roadcraft.
I know personally many of those
volunteers who run local groups and can say with all confidence that they are a
very friendly, enthusiastic bunch just trying to pass on some of the skills
they have learnt over the years. It is
so simple to make contact and pop along one evening to find out a bit more
about safer driving and how you might become one of those brave enough to take
a little constructive encouragement. You never know, you could even be helping
with the assessing yourself after a year or two if you choose.
You might also say that it is giving
something back to the community and if you are looking for a hobby, look no
further. The ROSPA North
Devon Group also has a keen
social calendar with opportunities for visits as a group to
attractions/venues/events near and far.
If you think this may be worth a little
investigation please go onto the ROSPA or IAM website and look up the local
contacts. Alternatively you could
simply ring 01237 478982 and speak to Alan Powell who helps run the local ROSPA
group. He will be delighted to give you
more information and answer any queries.
If anyone has a topic or issue within
road safety on which they would like more information or that may be of use to
the wider community, please let Judie or me know and I shall do my best to find
out more for the subsequent newsletter.
You can also contact me on paul@revolutionbiker.co.uk or 01271 882959 if you have any queries on
safer riding.
Paul White
31
32
HOLWELL CASTLE
Not nearly as old as Chysauster and not nearly so far
afield, Holwell Castle is just a stone's throw away from Berrynarbor.
Holwell Castle is an early and probably short-lived motte
and bailey castle, built either at the time of the Norman Conquest or in the
civil war of the 12th century. Its
location suggests it was built to dominate the settlement at Parracombe and,
more importantly, the river crossing.
Alternative explanations for its construction think it may
have been built to obtain taxes at the River Heddon crossing or to protect and
supervise the silver mining in the area around Combe Martin.
A motte
and bailey castle is a fortification with a wooden or stone keep on raised
earthwork called a motte, together with an enclosed courtyard or bailey,
surrounded by a ditch. Relatively easy
to build with unskilled, and perhaps forced, local labour, these castles were
still militarily formidable. By the end
of the 13th century, their design was largely superseded by alternative forms
of fortification, but the earthworks remain a prominent feature in many
European countries.
Well worth viewing, here at
Parracombe the remains of this fine example can be seen clearly from the
churchyard of Christ Church.
Archaeological excavations and surveys record that it measures some 40
metres in diameter and 6 metres high above the bottom of a rock cut ditch 3
metres deep. Within the bailey are
traces of five
building platforms
Judie Weedon
33
BERRYNARBOR PRE-SCHOOL NEWS
The children have been learning about Spring. We have planted
some bean seeds and are taking very good care of our strawberry patch and raspberry
canes, which are all in flower. We created a wormery
and a snail farm and visited a local farm
during lambing. We
were lucky to see lambs being born.
To continue our learning about spring,
we should love to hatch some chicks. We
are able to get the eggs and can rehome the chicks, we just need an automatic
incubator to borrow. Can anyone help us please?
Recently we have been visited by a hamster named Darwin and
two bearded dragons called Mango and Tinkerbell - all part of our learning
about animals.
We are looking for new members to stand on our committee and
a new chairperson from September/October and if anyone is interested in finding
out more details to contact me on 07807093644. To stand on the committee will require
undertaking a DBS check.
Emma
34
MOVERS AND SHAKERS - NO 51
DR. JAMES (JIMMY) SMART, MBE, VMH
[7th December 1914 - 24th May 2002]
Former Anaesthetist and GP and creator of Marwood Hill Gardens
In 1949, had it not been for a houseful of
rhododendrons, North Devon might have missed out on one of its glorious
gardens: Marwood Hill, created by Dr Smart over the
next half century.
During the six years of World War II, he
had served as a ship's doctor, seeing three of his ships mined, torpedoed and
bombed. When HMS Hermes was sunk, with
the loss of two thirds of its crew, he had swum between rafts, treating
survivors for which he was later awarded the MBE.
After the war, Dr Smart settled in North
Devon as an anaesthetist and Barnstaple GP.
In 1949 he bought Georgian Marwood Hill which was sadly neglected, with
no mains water, drainage or electricity and included a lawned garden in front
of the house, and across the road a broken down walled garden with a few fruit
trees, surrounded by less than 2 acres.
The rhododendron
nobleanum alone, filling the house for his first viewing, almost persuaded
him to buy it. Sadly this, the only
plant of merit in the garden, died the following year from an acute attack of
Honey Fungus!
With the help of his first
one-day-a-week gardener, he set to on his front lawn and the walled
garden. One of his early jobs was to
grub out the fruit trees which were largely not keeping varieties and he
started again. Although his day job
occupied most of his time, he managed to protect the herbaceous borders from
rabbits with wire netting and soon got the garden respectable enough to open it
for the National Garden Scheme on one Sunday a year.
In the early 1960's, he bought rough
pasture to the south and east of his land, including a small stream flowing
through the valley. Here he planted an
ornamental range of trees: birch, maple, eucalyptus and eucryphia, and by 1969,
the stream was dammed to form two lakes.
On the island created in the top lake is one of my favourite features,
the delightful sculpture by Australian born John Robinson of a mother and her
two children. The damp surroundings were
planted with moisture-loving plants such as Primulas,
Astilbes and Iris.
That same year, he built the first
greenhouse in the walled garden for his large collection of camellias - now the
largest number in the country - that flower best throughout March. If you miss those, then go in April to see
the outdoor specimens. You won't be
disappointed. There are now over 800 cultivars, some of which can be purchased
from the Plant Sales Centre in the Walled Garden.
In April, too, the spectacular Magnolia 'Marwood Spring' with masses of deep red
flowers and pale pink centres will be in bloom, just one of many different
varieties and colours.
Where did he get all his plants and
shrubs? Well, over the years he brought
them from Australia, New Zealand, United States as well as scouring venues in
Europe and the UK. Once, whilst being
interviewed by a journalist from The Independent, he introduced her to a pair
of Turkish rhododendrons and remembered driving them home 30 years previously.
"What, all the way from Turkey?" she
exclaimed. "No" he grinned "From Exbury!"
He introduced several new plants into
Britain, such as Prostanthera Cuneata
from Tasmania, smothered in pretty white flowers throughout the summer,
and Paradisea
Lusitanica [Paradise Lily], also
summer flowering.
By 1972, Dr Smart had built his new home
overlooking his beloved garden. This he
called Marwood Hill, changing the name of his former home to Marwood
House. His living room now forms the Tea
Room where we may enjoy locally sourced cakes, soups, hot dish specials, sandwiches
and home-made scones for very special cream teas. Gluten-free food is also available and dogs
on leads are welcome.
Also that year, he invited Malcolm
Pharoah to join him as Head Gardener. They worked well together, and having
come from Wisley RHS, Malcolm brought many new ideas. Over forty years later,
he is still Head Gardener.
Dr Smart retired in 1975 and had the
chance to buy 12 more acres, which were developed as and when they could be
coped with. Firstly came the Bog
Garden, which in his 1999 notes he wrote "has to have large masses of any
individual plant to be effective and we are fortunate to have the space to do
this". True to his words, it is in
colour from May when the Primulas start, and carries on through to October with
Astilbes, now the National
Collection, and Iris Ensata, then Lobelia, Lythrum etc.
By 1982, further land had been bought
downstream, making a third lake possible.
Four years later, an arbour scented with honeysuckle, Spanish broom and
a highly perfumed shrub rose hedge was in place, together with a folly complete
with cherub. And still wanting more
land, he acquired 2 more adjoining acres. The original 2 acre gardens have now
expanded to over 22 acres.
In his 80's and still very fit, Dr Smart
declared "I couldn't bear to have a level garden" [Berrynarbor folk please
note!] "A sloping garden has
advantages.as one can select the situation of a plant so that you can look up
into the bloom of pendulous flowers from below and conversely down into the
bloom of an upright flower".
On November 1st 1994, Dr Smart was
presented with the Victoria Medal of Honour [VMH], established by Queen
Victoria to honour British horticulturists.
There are only 63 recipients at any one time, reflecting the years of
Her Majesty's 'Glorious Reign'. The opening words at his presentation were, Jimmy Smart is a doctor and I feel that his patients must have been
made to flourish with the same
strength and good health as his plants so that he could spend as much time in his garden
as in the surgery.
Sadly Dr Smart died in May 2002 at the
age of 88, but Marwood Hill still remains privately owned under the care of his
nephew, John Snowdon. He, with guidance
and help from Patricia Stout and Malcolm Pharoah, is determined to continue to
develop the Gardens for all of us to enjoy - this, our special and wonderful
haven of peace, Marwood Hill Gardens.
And you may still feel Dr Smart's
presence with the delightful bronze statue of him in working gear, overlooking
the lower lake.
PP of DC
PS Last year, Folksy Theatre's production of
'Romeo and Juliet' was set outdoors near the Tea Room. This year they are returning on Wednesday
30th July at 6.30 p.m. to perform The Taming of the Shrew, which sounds great
fun, so why not treat yourselves?
PPS You
have until September 30th to visit the Gardens. Nearer the date, check when it will be open
in October.
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CAR BOOT SALE
There will be a Car Boot Sale at
Blackmoor Gate Market on Sunday 3rd
August. Sellers from 10.30 a.m.
£5.00 per car, Buyers from 11.00 a.m. Refreshments. Proceeds to Kentisbury W.I. Contact: Viviane [01271] 882487
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THE 'ANT'QUIZ ANSWERS
- A brave ant - valiant/gallant
- A cringing ant - sycophant
- A pachyderm ant - elephant
- A begging ant - vagrant
- A very short ant - instant/scant
- A cheerful ant - jubilant
- A fluttering ant - pennant
- A lowly ant - supplicant
- A lively ant - vibrant/exuberant
- A fruitful ant - currant
- A suspended ant - pendant
- A musical ant - descant
- A ship's ant - sextant
- A military ant - adjutant/sergeant
- A legal ant - defendant/litigant
- A healthy ant - disinfectant
- A hopeful ant - expectant
- A wicked ant - miscreant
- An uneducated ant - ignorant
- A helpful ant - assistant
- A sharp ant - trenchant/piquant
- A sparkling ant - brilliant
- A schoolboy ant - savant
- The only ant left - remnant
- A commercial ant - merchant
- A menial ant - servant
- A garden ant - ant!
- An occupier ant - tenant
Thanks to those of you who had a go at this quiz, which is
harder than it looks! One or two
different but equally correct answers came in.
The winner on the ship taking Miss Chichester to South Africa only
scored 13, everyone here did better! The
winner is Kate from Castle Hill with a score of 20/28 followed closely by
Viviane from Kentisbury with 19/28.
Congratulations to you both you deserve your prizes!
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QUICK QUOTE:
"If
you want to go fast go by yourself.
If
you want to go far go as a group."
Old Chinese Proverb
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RURAL REFLECTIONS NO. 63
It is mid-afternoon as a teenage boy
takes the family's golden retriever for a walk through the local woods. The distinctive trill of a nearby wren is
momentarily overwhelmed by the whine of an airliner decreasing in speed on its
gradual descent into Heathrow Airport.
Boy and bitch exit the woods and walk between two fields along a path
recently narrowed by a bounty of white umbelifers that brush against the boy's
arms. The boy visually acknowledges them
and in so doing espies smaller flowers beneath the shady canopy. Noting their patriotic display, he wonders
if the differing red, white and blue flowers are like those in his parents'
garden in having familiar as well as Latin names. His pondering is then distracted as he looks
up to observe another descending airliner with whirring engines that
continually lower in pitch like the song of the greenfinch on a lone copper
beech close by.
The wildflowers
cease where the path runs between symmetrical high panelled fences cloaking two
gardens. Adolescent feet and canine
paws then feel pavement beneath as they tread the streets that represent the
suburb of London in which they have lived.
As he walks, the boy recalls recent enjoyable days spent with friends
during the spring half term. It has
been later than usual, running into the first week of June and meaning that the
last day of his school holiday coincides with a family celebration. Seeing his
close and distant relatives has always excited him, a feeling he feels hard to
share with his peer group; for they seem to prefer the company of friends ahead
of family.
As he reaches home he smells the
distinct aroma of food being bar-b-q'd in the back garden and hears joyful
conversation and hearty laughter.
Everyone has arrived. Handshakes,
hugs and kisses are taking place as another airliner purrs its way up above
into Heathrow Airport. Whilst father is at the bar-b-q and mother is busy
bringing out bowls of salad, aunts and uncles chat in seated groups on both the
patio and the top lawn. A net has been
put up across the lower lawn where the boy's brothers and nephews are playing
badminton.
"Come on Uncle Steve!" one of
his nephews calls out. "We've been waiting for you to get back. It's your turn to play!"
It was hearing my name being called out
that jolted me. Where was I? As I looked around some things seemed similar. I was sat amongst family in a large
back garden. Salad was being prepared
indoors whilst on the patio meat was being cooked upon a bar-b-q. Just for a moment its sizzling noises were
outstripped by the sound of an airliner's whirring engines decreasing in speed
- heading over towards the suburb of London where I lived as a child. For it was my brother-in-law who was stood
by the bar-b-q and my niece's children calling out my name - wanting me to play
table tennis rather than badminton.
Meanwhile two German shepherds sought shade upon the lawn having been
walked earlier in the day through a local wood on the Surrey border. Moreover, a wood reached via a path that had
been enveloped with cow parsley which in turn had provided a canopy for
campion, stitchwort and bluebells; names of wildflowers, along with many
others, that have become so familiar to me through coming to live in North
Devon.
Illustrated by: Paul Swailes
Stephen McCarthy
39
BERRYNARBOR HORTICULTURAL & CRAFT SHOW
Firstly, we should like to thank
everyone for supporting the Coffee Morning which has raised valuable funds
for the Show and Berry in Bloom. Thank you once again to everyone
who helped.
Schedules for the Show will be available
from the Shop, Sue's of Combe Martin, The Globe and Sawmill Inn from the
beginning of July, so make a point of looking out for them and organising your
entries.
To get your creative juices flowing, the
Floral Art, Art and Photography details are again given here.
Berrynarbor
Horticultural & Craft Show, 30th August 2014
Overall
Theme: Year of The Storms
Floral Art:
- Take 3 glasses 16" x 16" x 18" high
- 1914 in Memoriam 16" x 16" x 18" high
- Junkyard 18" x 18" x 24"
- War Medal - miniature 6" x 6" x 6"
Art:
- Sunrise or Sunset
- Stormy seashore
- Garden life
- Painted item on any surface other than paper, card or canvas, e.g. glass, pottery, stone, wood, slate etc. Any subject.
Maximum size for all classes must not exceed A3 (297mm x 420mm)
Photography:
- Reflections
- Animals at play
- Watersports
- Flowers
- Farm Life
- Anything goes
- Stormy Seas [humorous] may be enhanced in any way
Photographs must be maximum 5 x 8 to be affixed to white card or paper size A5 for display purposes. Entries limited to 2 photographs per class.
We look
forward to seeing you all at the Show on the 30th August.
Linda and
the Committee
40
CRAFTING IN BERRYNARBOR
Our Manor Hall is home to several
village and local crafting groups, to which everyone is warmly invited to join.
The Upholstery and Soft Furnishing Group meets
on Monday mornings, from 9.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. Have you an old chair, sofa or stool that
needs a face lift? Why not come along
and join this friendly self-help group, or just pop in to see what they are up
to. Upholstery materials such as webbing,
hessian, etc. are available, and help can be given with tooling to start you
off. The cost? £3.00 a session to include light
refreshments.
With nearly 20 members, the North Devon Spinners meet all day
on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays in the month when they spin, knit and weave using
all sorts of materials including cotton, silk and both sheep and alpaca
wool. Spinners pay £2.00 a day and
£1.00 a half day.
The Craft Group,
or Stitch and Bitch as it is affectionately known, meets every Monday afternoon
from 1.45 p.m. Just £2.00 per session
including tea, coffee and chocolate biscuits!
Mainly knitters, the group also has beaders, sewers, embroiderers and on
the first Monday in the month, watercolour painters, who also meet again during the morning of the
3rd Tuesday of each month and for which there is a charge of £5.00.
Never thought crafting was your kind of hobby? Everyone can achieve and enjoy such skills
so why not come along, join in, see what everyone is up to or try a taster
session to discover your talent!
For more information on these groups, please contact:
- Upholstery Tony
Summers [01271] 883600
- Spinning & Weaving Kath
Arscott [01271] 883278
- Mixed Craft and Art Judie
Weedon [01271] 883544
Have you come across The Periwinkle in Ilfracombe? For crafters, especially knitters and those who crochet, this is a real treat.
The Periwinkle is Ilfracombe's first knitting cafe, selling quality yarns and tools and offering customers locally sourced tea and coffee along with cakes handmade on site.
At 45 Fore Street, it is situated between the High Street and harbour and is the perfect place to meet friends, learn new skills and enjoy the creative talents North Devon has to offer.
A range of workshops, clubs and classes are advertised in store and on the website and a selection of kits, crafts and textile arts will provide you with inspiration for gifts for your arty friends!
Call in, meet Tonia or look at her website: www.theperiwinkle.co.uk.
41
NEWS FROM THE GLOBE AND THE SAWMILL INN
June 13th and 14th is the Beer Festival at The Sawmill. This popular annual event takes place over the Friday night and then the Saturday afternoon and evening. There are lots of ales to try, some great live music, stalls, face painting, a Raffle for the Hospice and guest appearances from Peppa Pig.
Father's Day is Sunday 15th June so book early for your Carvery/Roast Lunch.
We have Live Music at The Globe on Friday nights throughout the summer; kicking off with Sam Dowden on 4th July. For full list of music see the posters, but for now pop in your diary the 18th July as we have something a bit special planned for this night, with Zamba playing.
Captain Coconut is returning to The Globe for select Wednesday Nights during the school holidays. The show starts at 7.15 p.m., great fun for the kids so pop along. There's no charge for coming to watch the show. See posters for more details.
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CROSSWORD ANSWERs
43
BERRYNARBOR
CENTENARY EXHIBITION WW1
SATURDAY
2ND AUGUST 10.00
a.m. - 4.00 p.m.
Following my previous article in the
April edition, our organising group are making rapid
progress which in no small part is due to the many contributions from villagers
with some wonderful stories and artefacts from their respective grandparents
who took part or were involved in the 1914-1918 War.
Alfred Leete, Public domain
via Wikimedia Commons.
We still need more personal stories,
photographs, medals, newspapers and other related memorabilia to compliment the
Exhibition, so please feel free to
contact me on [01271] 883893 at any time and I shall be happy to include these
for all to view on the day.
We do have four excellent helpers in our
organising group who are helping to put the Exhibition together and they are
Linda Thomas,
Judith
Adam, Tony Kitchin and Tom Bartlett. If you wish to speak to any of our team
about related items for the Exhibition then please feel free to do so. However, please use my telephone number as
often as possible to minimise the chances of stories being duplicated.
As mentioned in my previous article
there will be a wide range of memorabilia/artefacts to see and a really exciting
range of foods to see, sample and indeed purchase in our Kitchen of the time.
We should strongly encourage parents to
bring their children to this colourful and informative Exhibition and there
will be a special Children's Corner where they can become involved in solving
and sending secret messages in Morse code, plus a special Flag identification
competition with prizes to be won!
Entrance will only be ten shillings or
50p in today's money! There will also be
a special raffle held during the Exhibition and the proceeds will go to
deserving organisations such as The British Legion and The Star & Garter
Homes for disabled Servicemen & Women.
The Berrynarbor Choir has recorded much
of the music of the period and our thanks go to Paul Crockett for producing
this special CD. Tony Kitchin is
contacting TV, Radio and other media in helping to promote this special
Exhibition.
May I once again ask you to please note
the date in your dairies and make every effort to support this event which we
are confident will be informative, enjoyable and hopefully a really great
success!
Stuart Neale
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OLD BERRYNARBOR - VIEW NO. 149
WWI:
Soldiers at Watermouth Cottage Hospital
These two photographic postcards were
taken by Phillipse & Lees, the Ilfracombe photographers, during November
1914 and taken outside Watermouth Cottage.
Watermouth Cottage is situated opposite the Sawmill Inn up the private
road, which eventually links up with Watermouth Castle.
On the 24th October 1914, a total of 50 wounded World War 1
Belgian soldiers arrived in Ilfracombe.
The 10 worst cases were taken to the Tyrell Hospital, 23 wounded were
taken to Westwell, Torrs Park, and 5 were taken to the Cliff Hydro. The remaining 12 were, at the invitation of
Lady Penn-Curzon [nee Bassett], brought to Watermouth Cottage Hospital.
In the first view, No.6, all twelve Belgians are posing just
by the steps leading down to the small road which continues under the bridge to
Watermouth Castle. Lady Penn-Curzon can
be seen standing in the centre directly behind one of the Red Cross
nurses. To the left of the nurse a
wounded Belgian can be seen holding Lady Penn-Curzon's beloved spaniel dog on
his knee.
The second view, taken on the same day at the same place -
and numbered 1 - shows just the 12 Belgians. The majority of them remained for the duration of the war
and in Ilfracombe many of them were joined by their wives and children. A special class was even set up in
Ilfracombe for the children. Sadly, Camille Kerckvoorde, one of the worst cases at the
Tyrell Hospital died towards the end of July 1915, and his well-attended
funeral was held on the 29th July 1915.
I understand that flowers were sent over annually from
Belgium to be placed on his grave at the Parish Church right up to the early
1990's.
Tom
Bartlett
Tower Cottage, May 2014
e-mail: tomandinge40@gmail.com
45
AT-A-GLANCE DIARY
JUNE | |
31st | Fun Quiz and Supper Evening, Manor Hall, 7.00 p.m. |
5th | Messy Church, Berrynarbor School, 3.15 p.m. |
6th | Berrynarbor Community Enterprise, AGM, Manor Hall, 8.00 p.m. |
7th | Ilfracombe: Trinity Fair |
8th | St. Peter's Church - Pentecost: Family Communion, 11.00 a.m. Sterridge Valley Open Gardens, 2.00 p.m. Teas from 3.00 p.m., Manor Hall |
10th | Mobile Library in Village from 11.40 a.m. Primary School Sports Day, 1.00 p.m. Playing Field. Parish Council Meeting, Manor Hall, 7.00 p.m. |
17th | Primary School: Reserve Sports Day |
23rd | St. Peter's Church: Christians Together, 6.30 p.m. |
25th | Friendship Lunch, The Globe, 12.00 noon onwards |
28th | St. Peter's Cburch: Gift Day |
JULY | |
2nd | Manor Hall Trust AGM, 7.30 p.m. Manor Hall |
3rd | Messy Church, Berrynarbor School, 3.15 p.m. |
5th | to 7th, Kentisbury Church Flower Festival, 11.00 a/m. to 5.00 p.m. |
8th | Mobile Library in Village from 11.40 a.m. Parish Council Meeting, Manor Hall, 7.00 p.m. |
12th | School PFTA Fete from 10.00 a.m. Manor Hall |
13th | NGS Open Garden - Marwood Hill Gardens |
23th | Friendship Lunch, The Globe, 12.00 noon onwards |
25th | Primary School & College: End of Summer Term |
26th | Bar-b-Cue and Pig Roast, South Lee Farm, 7.30 p.m. |
30th | Theatre: Taming of the Shrew, Marwood Hill Gardens, 6.30 p.m. |
AUGUST | |
2nd | World War 1 Exhibition, Manor Hall, 10.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. |
3th | Car Boot Sale, Blackmoor Gate Market, 10.30 & 11.00 a.m. |
5th | Manor Hall Trust: Berry Revels, 5.30 p.m. Manor Hall |
Manor Hall Diary | |
Mondays | Upholstery, 9.00 to 1.00 p.m. Craft Group 1.45 p.m. Badminton, 7.30 p.m. |
Tuesdays | N.D. Spinners [2nd & 4th] Yoga, 7.00 p.m. 3rd Tuesday, Craft Group - Art |
Wednesdays | Pilates Body Workout, 9.00 a.m. |
Thursdays | Watercolour Painting 10.00 a.m. Start September |
Fridays | Toddlers Soft Play and Activity a.m. Primary School p.m. |
Penn Curzon Room | Pre-School: Mon/Tues 9.00 am - 3.00 pm Wed/Thur/Fri 8.30 am - 3.00m p.m. |
Mobile Library - Assistant: Jacqui Mackenzie | |
Village Shop : 11.40-12.10 a.m. Sterridge Valley : 12.25-12.55 p.m. |
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