CURDRIDGE PARISH MAGAZINE - NOVEMBER2020 80p - BCD churches
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CURDRIDGE PARISH MAGAZINE
NOVEMBER 2020 80p
IN THIS ISSUE
Online Remembrance Service
Reflections: Wear your poppy with pride
Church View Cottage and ‘The Bull Boys’
Plus news, events and information from around the village
CURDRIDGE PARISH MAGAZINE
Curdridge Parish magazine serves
the Church and village communities
by circulating news which all
residents will find helpful.
November 2020
LIST OF ARTICLES
St. Peter’s Church ………….……..………….….…2
Reflections ………………….…….……….….……3
Parish Giving Scheme …………………….….……5
Days of Prayer ………………….………….….……5
T: 07748 827763
Curdridge Parish Council ………..….…….………8
Botley, Curdridge & Durley History Society ……10
News from Botley WI .……………………………12
November in the Garden ….…….…………….…13
Church View Cottage ………………….…………15
The Bull Boys …..…………………………….…..16
Adverts …….………………….…………………..23
Advertising: Justine Greenfield
November Cover Photograph: “A Chill in the Air”
Photograph supplied by Sarah Spencely
Cover Photograph Competition for December
Title - “Peace, love and hope”
November 15th
2020
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CURDRIDGE PARISH MAGAZINE
researched the silver mark for me and found that they were
Wear Your Poppy made by Elkington and Co of Birmingham in 1910, so it’s
quite likely that I’m actually the fourth custodian of them
and they were used all through the first world war as well
With Pride as the second. Holding these precious objects, which
W ith a heavy sigh, a friend of mind lamented the
other day that we would soon be heading into the
season of ‘if my poppy offends you’. For those of you who
contains all of that history, I can’t help wondering what
stories they could tell if they could speak…stories of great
sacrifice and service, I’ve no doubt. Stories of people who
are as unsure as I was about what the season of ‘if my got on and did their duty because it was what was required
poppy offends you’ is, my friend was apparently referring of them even though it was a terrible weight to bear. Stories
to a social media phenomenon. She explained that at this of people who hoped and prayed that at the end of their
time of the year, people will often find their Facebook and ordeal lay a more united, more hopeful, more peaceful
Twitter accounts liberally sprinkled with posts of images future.
(known as ‘memes’) of poppies with writing across them Faith in a more united, hopeful and peaceful future is, of
containing slogans such as, ‘If my wearing a poppy offends course, what the mystery of the Eucharist points us to and
you then go back where you came from.’ These ‘memes’ is which that silver patten and chalice were made to direct
are, of course, spread on social media for the sole purpose us toward. As Christians, we wear the poppy because it too
of attempting to generate the idea that Muslims are contains the message that good is stronger than evil; love is
opposed to the wearing of the poppy and are, by extension, stronger than hate and life is stronger than death. So this
working to undermine everything that British society holds November, let us wear our poppies with pride and
dear. The reality, of course, is that no such objection to the remember that the last thing they are ever intended to be
wearing of the poppy exists – as is made clear in numerous are symbols of division.
statements issued by both the British Legion and the Rev’d Richard Wharton
Muslim Council of Britain.
How sad that the symbol of remembrance has been
hijacked by some as another vehicle to generate division
and hatred within our society. Surely, remembrance should
be the opposite – we remember in order to honour the
sacrifice of others and to come together in unity and hope
for a more peaceful future.
In a sermon a few weeks ago, I told the story of how I
received a rather precious and moving gift from a retired
priest who used to be a member of my last congregation,
when out of the blue one Sunday morning, he presented me
with a small chalice and paten. In presenting it to me, he
explained that when he was a young curate in 1963, he
didn’t have one of his own for taking Holy Communion to
the sick (which, as you may know, priests usually do). So
his vicar, an ex-army chaplain, brought out the one in
question and said, ‘Here, you’d better have this one. I used
it on the beach at Dunkirk in 1940 and then all down
through France when we went back in.’ Apparently, he
could never be persuaded to say more about it and would
only say, ‘It’s best that it’s used for what it was intended.’
On presenting me with it, the retired priest said, ‘I can’t use
it as he wished anymore, so I’d like you to have it.’
On the bottom of both chalice and paten, next to the silver
mark, is an additional tiny mark, which shows that they
Chalice and paten used on the beach in Dunkirk in 1940
were originally presented to an army chaplain. Someone
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Bible Readings for November St. Peter’s Church and the
Parish Council
Working in Partnership
1st November 2020 All Saints’ Day
4th Sunday before Advent
1 John 3: 1 – 3
Matthew 5: 1 – 12
8th November 2020
3rd Sunday before Advent
1 Thessalonians 4: 13 – end
Matthew 25: 1 – 13
15th November 2020
2nd Sunday before Advent
1 Thessalonians 5: 1 – 11
Matthew 25: 14 – 30
29th November 2020
1st Sunday before Advent Councillor Larry Burden and Churchwarden
Isaiah 64: 1 – 9 David Picton-Jones after building the shed
Mark 13: 24 – 37
O n 13th October, Larry and I built the new shed in the
churchyard. The old one had been destroyed when
the storm blew down a tree from the corner of the Parish
Council car park.
The councillors proposed they should purchase a
Online Services replacement. Working with the Parochial Church Council
this has now been completed.
The recent wet and windy weather has delayed the erection
Online live worship is provided every Sunday but we are pleased it has now been accomplished.
using Zoom. Each week we email the Zoom We are grateful to William Greene and his family for the
meeting details and a link to the church donation of shelving for storage.
website where you can view any supporting
David Picton-Jones
booklets. Churchwarden
If you do not receive the details (contained in Remembrance
the Weekly Pew Sheet email) please contact
office@bcd-churches.org.uk to have your Sunday
email address added to the list.
Sadly due to the continuing concerns over the
spread of the coronavirus, Remembrance Sunday
Visit the BCD website for further details and services across the country are not able to go
to read sermons by the ministry team: ahead as we had hoped.
We will instead be holding an online service
www.bcd-churches.org.uk/faith which you are very welcome to join. Please
contact the church office on 01489 782445 or
email office@bcd-churches.org.uk if you do not
www.facebook.com/bcdchurches already receive the weekly news sheet with
details of how to join our online services.
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Parish Giving Days of Prayer
Scheme You will be warmly welcomed when you join BCD
Parishes for the first Day of Prayer on 12th
November for the people and places of your heart.
This scheme allows you to donate to St. Peter’s These days are being offered as resources and
Church by direct debit and support the upkeep opportunities for prayer at home, as drop-in
of the church grounds and building. opportunities on Zoom three times during the day
(10am, 4pm and 8pm) or as a springboard for your
With face-to-face services being significantly reduced daily devotions.
(and sometimes ceased altogether due to government
guidance), donations have reduced.
~ Thursday 12th November ~
Any donation amount is gratefully received. ~ Friday 11th December ~
You can set up a direct debit by telephoning The overarching theme for these Days of Prayer is
0333 002 1260 God’s Cosmos.
or online via the Parish Giving Scheme website
www.parishgiving.org.uk
The theme for 12th November’s Day of Prayer is
Remembrance: remembering how the Earth, Animals
To find out more about how The Parish Giving Scheme
works, visit the website
and People of God’s Cosmos, continue to bear the
weight of exploitation and extinction so, today, we
pray and act for the renewal and restoration of our
www.parishgiving.org.uk/donors/how-it-works
beautiful and inspiring planet, our interactions with
animals and relationships with each other.
or pick up a leaflet from St Peter’s Church.
Thank you.
People from the parishes will be leading through
words, music and images.
If this is something you would be keen to prepare and
lead, please contact me via Karen in the Church Office
01489 782445
office@bcd-churches.org.uk
Janet Clarke
May you be blessed, and go on to bless
others, through the time you spend at prayer.
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Looking for Meaning
O ver the lockdown there was a major upsurge in
people Googling things to do with prayer and
spirituality. I’m not sure it means anything beyond the fact
Is there a world beyond this or is immortality purely about
legacy, about the results of your actions? As a Christian I
have “faith” that there is something more beyond death. I
people became curious in the face of it all but it is can’t prove it and, in all honesty, there are times when I
interesting to speculate about none the less. have doubts, when I question things. For me though, I look
There has, apparently, been an increase in the number of around and it feels like there has to be something nudging
people who claim to have a spirituality as well too. I’m and guiding creation. The odds of the Willow tree outside
never sure about these claims, statistics can be misused to my window or my son shouting at his PC in the next room
prove anything after all. As I say, interesting to speculate being the outcome of chance, of accident, seem to great. I
about. The thing with either of these is that they could cannot accept it all as pure chance. But on the other side, to
easily be people following the way of the Jedi as much as many people, the idea of a God ordering the Universe,
anything else so big pinch of salt time. But what are these seems too fantastical.
claims about? What is prayer? What is spirituality? So how do you end up on one side or the other? I think
Before I became a Christian, I investigated a lot of different belief in God comes through experience or a desperate
religions. I read Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, longing. Those people reaching out on Google to
Christian, Baha’i texts and a whole lot more. I also read a investigate prayer and spirituality have seen the loss the
great number of Humanist books and things by people like world is facing, 42,000 people in this country alone, and
Richard Dawkins to get both sides of the argument for and can find no meaning in it. So they talk to God (prayer) and
against a greater power. The one conclusion I came to was find themselves building a relationship with
that all these people believed they were right. And the thing “Him” (spirituality) outside of a specific religion or
is that they focussed on the differences that divided them denomination. Will that relationship continue once there is
rather than the things that connect them. At their heart most a vaccine and the likelihood of the scary outcomes we
religions agree that the important thing is love and how you currently face start to fade? I don’t know. Not for all I
treat others. Humanists and atheists will tell you the same imagine but certainly for some. I hope they find the
thing. comfort I have.
The primary difference is what happens after. Pete Bangs
Methodist Missioner
TRANSPORTED “Our Father which art in Hendon,
Harrow be thy name.
BY FAITH Thy Kingston come, Thy Wimbledon,
in Erith as it is is Hendon.
O ne doesn’t associate the royals with public transport,
or wit, but I read in Andrew Lownie’s The
Mountbattens that Prince Philip’s uncle liked to amuse his
Give us this day our Leatherhead
and forgive us our bypasses
daughters with what he called The London Bus Drivers’ as we forgive those who bypass against us.
Prayer.
Lead us not into Thames Ditton
but deliver us from Ewell.
For thine is the Kingston, the Purley and the
Crawley,
for Esher and Esher.
Crouch End”.
(Article from The Times Newspaper, 9th October 2020)
Ann Young
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NEWS from
CURDRIDGE PARISH COUNCIL
www.curdridge-pc.gov.uk
Parish Quay
CHAIR’S NOTES The landlord of the Horse and Jockey kindly offered to
repair a broken board on the jetty, which was hidden at
high tide (we had to fix another earlier in the year).
NOVEMBER 2020 Because of the shortage of parking, few parishioners use
the quay, but it is a valued facility for those who come to
the area by boat, and the Council is keen to support
Meetings businesses in our villages. A concern for our insurers is
I’m writing this before the Council’s Zoom meeting on 15 that we don’t own the land on which the jetty stands – the
October, but the continuing growth of Covid-19 infections shore belongs to Fullers brewery, and the jetty itself is on
across the country means it will not safe to return to foreshore that is part of the Hamble. We are still seeking to
physical meetings in the Reading Rooms in November. donate the jetty to the Hamble Harbour Board to ensure its
You can attend our meetings on Zoom without needing to continued availability, and we are grateful to the
leave home, by following the link included in the agenda. harbourmaster for help with maintenance.
The agenda for each meeting will be posted on the Parish
Council website: www.curdridge-pc.gov.uk Click on the Affordable Housing
heading ‘Meetings & Minutes’. The project to build eight affordable houses on the site just
north of St Peters Close is proceeding well. The check for
Church Lane Tree Fall endangered species did not find any reptile habitats or
The Parish Council has provided St Peter’s Church with a dormice, and the site layout works well with the service
new shed to replace the one that was severely damaged infrastructure across the land. The developer has had a pre-
when a tree on the edge of the car park fell on it. application meeting with Winchester Planning, and the
Councillor Burden took delivery of the new shed and steering group is meeting on October 13 to move on to a
transported it to the church, where he has helped to erect it. formal planning application.
Eric Bodger
Green Waste
I was upset to get a leaflet purporting to “improve” the
green waste collection service, when what it really said is
that the free green bag service was being withdrawn in Planning Decisions and Appeals
February. Instead, you can pay to have a large plastic bin.
At first, this seemed to be of little advantage; Winchester Notified by Winchester
will be lucky if residents’ first year payments cover the cost
of buying and distributing the bins, though it does bring the
City into line with many other districts. Then it turned out None notified since last magazine.
that one of the main reasons people call the council help
line is to report green bags missing after collection, which
have to be replaced at significant cost. The bins will also
hold much more material than the bags, whose capacity is
very limited.
Bus Shelter
As I mentioned last month, the Council needs to replace
the bus shelter on Botley Road, which was destroyed by a
hit and run. We are evaluating quotations for a wooden
shelter, and hope to roof it with tiles or shingles to match
the rural nature of the village.
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FUTURE MEETING DATES FOR
CURDRIDGE PARISH COUNCIL
Council generally holds two Full Council Meetings each
month, on Thursdays at 7pm. The first meeting in each
month is primarily for Planning business and urgent
Council business as required (this meeting may be
cancelled if there is not enough planning business). The
second meeting in each month is primarily for Council
business, finance business and urgent Planning business as
required. The next Full Council Meetings are on:
5 November, 19 November (Zoom Online Meetings)
3 December, 17 December (format to be announced)
The Annual Parish Assembly (informal meeting for
parishioners with refreshments) has been deferred and
will be rescheduled when the need for social distancing
ends.
Meeting Agendas, including finalised date, time and
venue for meetings are made available on the Parish
Council website www.curdridge-pc.gov.uk and will Download the BCD Daily Prayer at Home
include joining instructions if the meeting is online. The booklet from
website will also report meeting cancellations when
necessary.
www.bcd-churches.org.uk/services
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Oddly, when Thomas demolished the Elizabethan “big
St. Mary’s Church, Hale house” Hale Park, he rebuilt it in the Palladian style you
see today. Baroque was beginning to go out of fashion by
then – so he built his actual home to be the height of the
W e won’t be meeting at least for 2020 – the usual
“C” reason. I will let you know when we hope to
re-start once I know myself. For this month I will tell you a
latest fashion. The church got the Baroque. Thomas also
landscaped the grounds (previously a deer park) and began
the lime avenue.
bit about an attractive little village – Hale (to the N.W. of The church was renovated in Victorian times with new
the New Forest) and its small but surprising looking (and roof, extra windows, new vestry, and an organ which cuts
Grade 1 listed) church. into the view of the largest (Thomas Archer’s) memorial. A
sloped site can be risky, and it did eventually create
St Mary’s Church, Hale (Hale Lane, SP6 2RF) is part of problems for Hale church. In 2004 grants from Historic
the Avon Valley Churches group along with 6 other Churches Preservation Trust and the Skaggs Foundation
churches – Breamore, Fordingbridge, Godshill, Hyde, enabled much-needed underpinning to stop major damage
Sandleheath and Woodgreen. At the time of writing the to the building.
church is open for private prayer (usual precautions) but I
Now, for a bit about the builder of St Marys Church.
would advise to check in advance if you want to visit. I
Thomas Archer was the youngest son of a wealthy
usually visit by going up through Woodgreen village (and
Warwickshire country gentleman. He graduated from
visiting the excellent Woodgreen community village shop –
Oxford University aged 17 in 1686 (it was common to go
check opening times on its website; yes it does have good
to Oxbridge at a rather younger age than today). A Grand
parking).
Tour of Europe, lasting four years, then followed for lucky
From Hale Lane you turn off the road into an avenue of Thomas. It was probably this that fired his interest in the
lime trees leading to Hale Park House; turn right by the Baroque.
house into the church parking area. The house and gardens
Thomas started out life with money and went on to make
are private so out-of-bounds. The church is built on a slope
even more of it. He was a very astute courtier, holding the
down from the parking area; some people find the path
well paid posts of Groom Porter to Queen Anne and the
coming back up to the car is a bit steep.
Controller of Customs of Newcastle (Hale being about as
There was a simple thatched church here in Saxon times. far from Newcastle as you can get). He also worked as an
Hale isn’t named in the Domesday Book but could well architect, being responsible for building several churches
have been part of the entry for nearby Charford. The including St Philips Church in Birmingham (now
foundations of the 1300’s (Norman) church, which Birmingham Cathedral), St Pauls in Deptford and St Johns
belonged to the Priory of Breamore just across the River in Westminster. His secular work included the north front
Avon, are still underneath. However, there is little to see of of Chatsworth House in Derbyshire, Roehampton House in
the Norman church now except the stone benches around Surrey, Hurstbourne Priors Park in Hampshire, and Chute
the walls of the nave. House in Dorset. Despite all this work, Thomas did also
The current church is not what you would expect to find in find time to become a founding governor of the London
this rural corner of Hampshire. St Mary’s was rebuilt in Foundling Hospital from 1739.
1715 by the architect Thomas Archer (1668 – 1743) after Thomas designed his own memorial to fit into St Marys - a
he bought Hale Park house and estate (and the church large marble creation. Thomas, dressed as a Roman senator
which went along with it) from the Penruddock family - reclines on a sarcophagus with his elbow on a pile of
who had owned it since 1538. The Penruddocks had bought books. He is flanked by his first and second wife. His first
it from the de la Forde family who had become so spend- wife (sorry I could not find her name) sadly died of
thrift that they had run out of money. smallpox a year after their marriage; smallpox took a lot of
Thomas Archer was a huge fan of Baroque architecture – a young people in those days. She is depicted gazing at the
theatrical style, originating in Italy in the early 1600’s, skull she holds in her hand. The second wife, Eleanor, is
which had spread across fashionable Europe. He tried to shown holding a book. Below is a Latin inscription
bring a slice of Italy to Hale’s church. What you think of extolling Thomas virtues as well as his looks when he was
the design is a matter of taste. I can imagine the villagers a young man. Sounds like someone thought a lot of
coming for their first service there would have been a little themselves! His heir, Henry Archer (d. 1762), also has a
surprised, and probably missed their old church. To memorial – a thoughtful looking young woman in marble
architecture fans it is best known for its Renaissance style by an urn. Some older memorials have survived, for
west front and its Baroque style north and south transepts. example a brass one to the previous owner Sir John
10CURDRIDGE PARISH MAGAZINE
St. Mary’s Church, Hale
Penruddock who died in 1600. The carved urn decorated electricity (luxury!). They had to wait until 1950 for a
by carved rams’ heads is the memorial to the next owner of piped water supply though. The hall had a good revamp in
Hale Park, Joseph May. There is a (closed) burial vault 1998 with money from a Lottery Grant.
underneath the church. Why isn’t the village nearer to the Church? It may well
The next owners, the Goff family, owned Hale Park until have been hundreds of years ago. The nearby River Avon
after WW1 when Colonel Algernon Goff (who had fought gradually silted up and with it Hale’s main source of trade
in the conflict) moved out. The house is still in private and income. From a river based economy the villagers
ownership. became foresters – so looked towards the Forest and away
A church cannot exist without a local community. Hale from the river plain.
village is a bit scattered about. It is however particularly Hale Purlieu is also part of the area. It is a Common of
scenic around the village green (Hatchet Green) with its heathland, woodland, and valley bogs and mires owned by
pretty thatched cottages, Victorian village school, and the National Trust. The name “Purlieu” refers to the area
frequent visits from ponies and cattle for a spot of grazing. having been taken outside of Forest Law in 1280. It was
Hatchet Green is a Conservation Area. In the last Census, reinstated within the New Forest boundary in 1964 under
Hale had about 260 homes with 470 people living in them. the New Forest Act. Why not look up some walks in the
By contrast, in 1870 it had 32 homes with 153 people area and try a few, or just go and appreciate the New Forest
(Imperial Gazetteer of 1870). and River Avon scenery.
The village school (now Hale Primary) was built in 1873 Particular acknowledgement in writing this to “British
with funding from Joseph Goff, the owner of Hale Park, History Online” (originally written in 1911); the Historic
and enlarged in 1897. There were more children in rural Churches Preservation Trust report by Judith Leigh (2004)
areas in those days. – the Trust is now the National Churches Trust; and a
1920’s Hale was quite determined to get a village hall. After friend who is from the area.
a public meeting (1927) and much fundraising they got one Sue Perry
on Hatchet Green in 1935. By 1936 the hall even had Secretary
11CURDRIDGE PARISH MAGAZINE
L ike many other organisations our meetings and plans
were thrown into disarray when the ‘lock-down’
commenced in March; so, our last actual meeting was held
mental health. In September the exercise was repeated, on
the day which would have been our Birthday Meeting with
visitors from the Waltham Group. On this occasion we met
on 21st February 2020. We look forward to we can reopen for a Picnic, on the football pitch, sitting in well-spaced
again - currently scheduled, by Hampshire County WI, for groups of 5 members.
May 2021. We would then welcome any new members
who would be interested in joining our WI, an organisation Some walks have taken place, with friends, in groups of 6,
which provides opportunities for involvement in many traversing the parish footpaths. Usually they pass through
activities - and a chance for simply making new friends. Manor Farm where refreshments can be bought.
The WI is a democratic, social and educational charity. Hampshire WI report that the financial situation is difficult
Since its inception over 100 years ago the WI has always but that the organisation remains in the black at the
campaigned for social issues, relevant to the times. In moment, and they are confident they will survive. Looking
1948, for example, they campaigned for equal pay for forward to 2021, they have booked Amanda Owens, the
equal work; Keep Britain Tidy was the watchword in 1954. shepherdess you may have seen on TV, to address the
In 1975 they campaigned for increased breast screening Spring Council meeting in March, in Portsmouth. Ben
and the WI was one of the first organisations to talk about Fogle has promised to pop in as well, if he can make it.
HIV and AIDS. In 2008 the campaign for Care not Custody The WI’s educational college, Denman House, situated
has resulted in considerable changes; plastic pollution has near Abingdon, has fallen foul of Covid; much to the
been high on the agenda for several decades. dismay of members the estate and house is having to be
Botley WI is part of the Bishops Waltham Group, meeting sold.
with six other institutes in the immediate area for an annual Our meetings are usually held in the Market Hall, Botley,
quiz, a skittles competition, a Carol Service and two formal at 7.30pm.
meetings yearly.
If you would like to join us, contact:
Events are also organised throughout Hampshire by a
County Committee; these include arts and crafts, Science Mrs Andrea Champion, President
meetings, sport, drama as well as public and international Tel: 01489 783711
affairs; there is something for everyone. Two large
meetings are held each year, usually one in Portsmouth and or Mrs Maureen Hunt, Secretary
the other at Basingstoke. The speaker for the Spring Tel: 07901 229596
meeting was to have been Ben Fogle but this meeting had
to be cancelled, was moved to September, and was Wendy Bassom
cancelled again; but Ben was eventually able
to address us by Zoom! A very successful
meeting it was too; we are all on a very steep
learning curve with technology enabling us to
continue with some activity.
During lockdown messages have been sent to
all Botley members to keep everyone updated.
A lot of members have known each other for a
long time - even since childhood - so many
are naturally in touch over the phone, over the
internet or over the garden fence.
We did get together, in socially isolated
groups, on the Recreation ground in early
summer for a Coffee Morning. Everyone
brought their own chair and drink. Those
members who live on their own enjoyed an Sheperdess Amanda Owen, from Channel 5’s
hour of social chit chat - excellent for their ‘My Yorkshire Farm’
12CURDRIDGE PARISH MAGAZINE
NOVEMBER IN THE GARDEN
I f you are thinking of adding roses to your flower beds
for next year now is a good time to plant bare rooted
roses. Unpack mail order plants promptly and soak well
before planting if the roots are dry.
If you have cannas or dahlias in your garden that you
intend to overwinter in the ground, mulch them well during
the month. If you would like to encourage earlier new year
flowers from your hellebores, cover them with a cloche.
Clean stakes and canes as you remove them from the
garden before storing for next year’s use. Plant new
rhubarb crowns and divide established ones, spacing them
a metre apart. Regularly clear and collect leaves.
Make Leaf Mould
Leaves on your path or patio can be a slip hazard and can
block drains. On lawns not only do they look untidy but How about this idea of using a wheelbarrow?
can cause the grass to deteriorate by blocking light and If you do plant bulbs in a wheelbarrow it will need
increasing humidity thus making grass more susceptible to reasonable sized holes and shingle in the bottom for
moss and disease. Collect leaves up as often as you can. drainage as do all containers.
You can turn them into leaf mould by shredding them and
then enclosing them in a plastic bag. Kept moist these will
turn into a lovely black leaf mould to enrich your soil in
about two years. Puncture the storage bag with a fork to
allow some air exchange as the leaves rot. Bear in mind not
to overfill bag as wet leaves can be heavy to lift. Don’t drag
bulky bags along the ground, not only might you ruin your
bag and your lawn but your back may suffer too.
Take Hardwood Cuttings
Cuttings taken now are known as hardwood cuttings. The
cutting should be taken from the newest shoots. These have
hardened ready to survive the winter weather (hence the
name hardwood cutting). Take the cutting from a thick
single stem with a bud on the top and bottom. Root them in
a sheltered spot outside with free draining soil or in a cold
greenhouse. Press them into the soil or compost by 2/3 of
the length of the cuttings to root overwinter. They will be
large enough to transplant or pot on next autumn. Fruit
bushes such as blackcurrants and gooseberries are ideal for
this. Also, shrubs such as Buddleia, Philadelphus, Spirea,
and Weigela.
Plant Tulip Bulbs
Tulips benefit from being planted in cold soil so November
through to January is ideal for planting, but do not plant in
frozen soil. Low temperatures prevent tulip blight.
Tulips can bring real vibrancy into your spring garden.
They look lovely planted in clusters of one colour or with
When planting tulips in containers you get a longer
two contrasting colours. They make great container
flowering time if you plant your bulbs at different depths or
displays as well as being delightful in flower beds. You can
you can include snowdrops and/or crocuses for an earlier
have real fun with choosing containers to plant them in to
show. There are so many different tulips available to
make a show piece.
choose from, offering every imaginable colour and shape
and some are even evergreen. continued on next page…
13CURDRIDGE PARISH MAGAZINE
November in the Garden continued….
Sitting with a catalogue at this time of year and imagining
your garden in resplendent colour next spring can
pleasantly pass an hour early this month. Don’t however
leave it too late to place your order! One thing to consider
before buying your bulbs is are you hoping they will flower
again in subsequent years? Many hybrids do not perform
well in this respect. If you want bulbs that will last a
number of years you need to choose perennial or species
bulbs. The great thing about these bulbs is not only will
they come back, they will multiply each year in the garden.
It’s important to note that species tulips are more
diminutive in size. They are often called “dwarf tulips.” If
you want to cut your tulips and bring indoors it’s worth
noting some species tulips may not stand tall enough for Protect Hibernators
vases unless you are creating miniature arrangements.
Before lighting bonfires check for any creatures sheltering
Like all flower bulbs, tulips prefer well-drained soil. The
in them. If you accidentally dig up a bumblebee don’t
first year that you plant them, don’t worry about fertilizing
rebury it. Put it somewhere cool and dry such as on a pile
the bulbs; all the energy and nutrients they need to grow
of leaves.
are contained in the bulb. Once you dig them in, water your
bulbs to encourage root growth. When blooms are spent in If you are lucky enough to find a slowworm place it on
the spring, deadhead the flowers themselves, but leave the your compost heap covering it lightly with some of the
foliage to die back on its own. compost. If you wake up a butterfly catch it in a shoebox
and take it into your shed. It will be fine there but don’t
forget to release it in spring.
If you spot a moving hedgehog offer it water and food
(chicken flavoured cat or dog food is good) and leave it. It
will soon settle down somewhere. Leaving some leaves in
your garden provides hedgehogs material to make a nest.
Kathleen Watson
We were lucky enough to meet this hedgehog on our
doorstep as we returned home one evening. He was busy
moving leaves but froze when he saw us.
14CURDRIDGE PARISH MAGAZINE
Church View Cottage
Y ou may remember reading some of the history of this
lovely cottage in the June magazine. Mike Hughes
was very interested to find out more about the cottage and
the Bull family who lived there for in excess of half a
century. The June article proved helpful in this respect. A
number of people contacted Mike, including members of
the Bull family, and have helped him with compiling a
more detailed history which can be handed on to any future
owners. Mike and Denise even had a long Skype
conversation with Gilbert Bull’s 90-year-old daughter. The
following page has an article about Gilbert Bull.
It seems the magazine is a useful tool for historical
research. Mike and Denise are most grateful for the help
the magazine brought forth. The pictures show the cottage
since 1928 and its occupants at that time, Alred and Ada
Bull. Church View Cottage, 1928
Church View was unoccupied from 1957 after Ada Bull
died until it was purchased by the Sanders family in 1982
and fell into a state of disrepair.
It is so good that this Grade 2 listed building that dates
back to the early 17th century is now beautifully preserved.
Kathleen Watson
Painting of Church View by Thomas McHattie (1939)
who lived two doors along in ‘Woodsmoke’
Alfred and Ada Bull owned the cottage
until Ada’s death in 1957
Local History
If you know some interesting details about local
buildings or local history we’d love to hear from you.
Or maybe you live in a property and would like to
know more about it by asking readers in an article.
The cottage fell into a state of disrepair when unoccupied
curdridgemagazine@gmail.com 07748 827763
between 1957 until 1982
15CURDRIDGE PARISH MAGAZINE
The Bull Boys
T his month as our focus turns to those who fought in
both of the World Wars it seems appropriate to share
the story of some of our Curdridge “boys” who served our
He joined the Royal Field Artillery on 27 August 1914, one
month after the start of the First World War, and on 25
February 1916 he joined the East Kent Regiment and
country in the forces in the First World War. Following on remained with them until 2 July 1916 when he re-joined
from the Church View history, some information that has the Royal Field Artillery. He remained in the Royal Field
come to Mike in response to the June magazine article Artillery until 4 September 1918 when he joined the Royal
seems fitting to record here. Air Force. Gilbert’s daughter relates that Gilbert was an
Gilbert Bull excellent shot and continued to shoot at a rifle club for
many years after the war. He was set to be in the Olympic
Gilbert Bull was the oldest of the four Bull boys. He lived
team but the outbreak of war prevented this. Gilbert left
from 14 September 1891 until 9 November 1980. It is good
the Royal Air Force on 23 April 1919, around six months
40 years on, exactly to the month, to record here some of
after the end of the First World War. During his period of
his life story.
Service, he spent the following times in France with the
His Service Record shows that he served as a Stoker British Expeditionary Force:
Second Class in the Royal Navy between 16 February 1910
19 May 1915 - 4 October 1915
and 19 December 1910. He served onboard HMS
RENOWN and HMS HERMIONE during his brief Royal 6 September 1916 - 9 June 1917
Navy Career. 11 October 1918 - 28 December 1918
During his Service in France he was buried alive in
Fresnoy whilst doing forward reconnaissance. He survived,
though it is recorded he suffered shell shock. On discharge
his pension record shows that he had gunshot wounds to
his right thigh and back.
He received the Military Medal (MM) for bravery in the
Field and this was announced in the London Gazette dated
9 July 1917. He was Mentioned in Dispatches and this was
recorded in the London Gazette on 1 January 1916. The
former must have been for his second service in France and
the latter for his first time.
Gilbert was invalided from all three Services: the Navy
with a poisoned foot and the other two Services due to the
wounds he received in action. He then went into Service
with a family who had lost their son and only heir during
WW1 and with whom he stayed until the remaining family
member passed away. The family built a cottage for him to
live in when he got married.
In 1925 Gilbert purchased Church View to enable his
parents to continue to live there for the rest of their lives.
Gilbert used to come and ring the bells at Curdridge
Church some Sunday mornings and after doing so would
drive to Binfield, where he was living, to ring the church
bells there too. His grandson, Alec, got in touch with Mike
Hughes after seeing a copy of the June magazine article.
He has happy memories of helping in the garden of the
cottage and of his granddad taking him up the tower of the
church to look over the village. Alec is rightly very proud
of his grandad whose funeral was held at St. Peter’s church
and his ashes later intered in the churchyard are marked by
Gilbert Bull a memorial stone.
16CURDRIDGE PARISH MAGAZINE
Alfred Bull
Alfred was the second of the four “Bull boys”. He joined
the army in July 1912 in the Rifle Regiment, possibly
inspired by his older brother? He served in the war as a
Trooper in 8th Hussars. After the war he joined the Navy in
1919, remaining in service there until 1928. His naval
papers record him having given “superior” service
throughout. His son served in the Royal Navy as a seaman
gunner.
Percy Bull
Percy, the third brother, is recorded in the 1911 Census as
being a domestic gardener aged 16. He joined the
Hampshire Regiment as a Private in the First World War.
He was sent to the Middle East with the 1st/4th Battalion.
He made the ultimate sacrifice in service, dying at the age
of 24. He was killed in Mesopotamia on 10th October
1918. A tragic loss to his family and to the village so near
to the end of the war. He is buried in St. Sepulchre’s
cemetery in Pune, India. Percy is recorded on the
memorial board in the Reading Room as being an Acting
Company Sergeant Major at his time of death. His
Regiment ended the war near the Caspian Sea in what was
then Persia. Denise Wright who now lives in the cottage
that Percy left home from to fight in the forces, has felt
honored as a Navy Reservist to be able to read his name
along with the other village heroes in recent years at our
village Remembrance Day Service. Mike, on behalf of the
Navy, has laid a wreath at the service.
Percy Bull
Reginald Bull
The youngest of the brothers served in the Royal Navy as a
cook between 1915 and 1920. It is believed that he later ran
a fish and chip shop in Hull before emigrating to Australia.
Mike Hughes, current owner of Church View cottage,
writes of these men’s service history:
“What an amazing story about a very special family - all of
whom were committed to serving their country and, when
required, with great gallantry. It would have been a
travesty for this history not to have been gathered. We have
been so lucky to have a family willing to contribute so
many memories to what is a very uplifting story of people
in the early 1900s.”
Kathleen Watson
Percy Bull’s Memorial
17CURDRIDGE PARISH MAGAZINE
News from The Cricketers Inn
Throughout October and November the Cricketers Inn is
A fter a successful opening and great summer, the
Cricketers Inn in Curdridge Lane has created a
brand-new space for locals and visitors alike.
also running the following special offers:
With the colder months drawing in, they have added a Steak Mondays: 2 sirloin steaks and a bottle of house red
marquee to the outside patio so there is an additional area for £45
to enjoy food and drinks. Fishy Fridays: 2 fish & chips or 2 scampi & chips for £22
Landlord Stuart Downie comments: They will also be running a festive menu throughout
“We are limited with tables inside the pub due to social December.
distancing so we have created this additional space so we
can accommodate more of our loyal locals looking for a For further information about the
place to enjoy a drink. Cricketers Inn events and offers
When it’s lit up at night with the heaters it’s a lovely cosy visit www.cricketerscurdridge.com
space, and we hope it is something for the local community or call 01489 784420
to meet, have a catch up and ponder over a drink or two.’
Our first weekend with the marquee has been a great
success and it wouldn’t be without the locals of Curdridge
and the surrounding area, so we’d like to thank all who
have come to support your local pub, it means a lot!”
There may be a chill in the air but
a Covid-safe coffee in a friend’s
garden warms the heart!
18CURDRIDGE PARISH MAGAZINE
September News
Macmillan Coffee Morning Appeal We will be out and about in the villages and town centres
Ever looking for imaginative ways to fundraise, Meon doing static collections so please look out for us. At the
Valley Lions Club had fun supporting the Macmillan moment we have been given permission to collect:
Coffee Morning Appeal by giving Club members and
friends a chance to enter a competition to guess the number Denmead
of sprinkles adorning Colin the Caterpillar. Everyone Wickham
joined in the fun to give their guesses and raised £125 in Swanmore
donations and the winner donated the price of the cake. Bishop’s Waltham
This was gratefully received by Macmillan Cancer Relief
Fund and will help to fund a Macmillan nurse for a day. Keep an eye open for our next newsletter or check out our
website for dates and locations
www.meonvalleylionsclub.org.uk/santa
We are also asking local shops and other businesses to help
us with collection boxes.
Charity Donations
Keeping in line with other charities, we are looking at other
ways people can donate i.e. via credit card, SMS and web-
Santa And His Elves based payment as well as good old-fashioned cash. Keep
Under the current Government rules Santa and his Elves an eye on our website and follow us on Twitter/Facebook
won’t be able to go out to the villages this year. However, as we further develop our plans for this most unusual
he is hopeful and has a plan, should things change nearer Christmas period.
the time, that he may be able to do his usual evening runs.
If you would like to make a donation an easy way to do
this is simply text: LIONS to 70490 to donate £3
OR if you would like to donate between £1 and £20 text
LIONS followed by your donation amount e.g. to donate
£5 text LIONS 5 or to donate £10 text LIONS 10.
Texts cost your chosen donation amount plus one standard
network rate message.
This is also a great way to donate and it won’t cost you a
penny! If like many of us, you are using Amazon to do
your shopping, you can help us raise money by simply
changing your settings and Amazon will donate every time
you make a purchase through your account. Go onto
www.smile.amazon.co.uk and select Meon valley Lions
Club.
Contact us through our website:
www.meonvalleylionsclub.org.uk
Christmas Collections
Santa runs are large part of Meon Valley Lions Club’s Dates For Yyour Diary
fundraising events so we are doing everything we can to Swanmore Fete 2021 - We’ll keep you updated on our
make it easy for those who want to support us, support our website but in the meantime please add next year’s date to
local community. your diary: Saturday 10th July 2021.
19CURDRIDGE PARISH MAGAZINE
Universal Credit In order to show how you have completed the to-do list set
out in your Claimant Commitment, you should keep a
record of the tasks you’ve completed and how long they
Lesley Rose, Advice Services Manager for Citizens Advice
took in your Universal Credit online journal, or in a diary if
Winchester District, shares her advice on Universal Credit.
you’re not online. Some claimants, mainly those who have
Q: I’ve recently signed up to Universal Credit after I applied for Universal Credit for the first time since the
was made redundant. I’m looking for a new job but is outbreak of COVID-19, may not have a Claimant
there more I need to do to ensure I keep getting Commitment yet. Those who claimed before the outbreak,
Universal Credit? will have had their Claimant Commitment suspended
A: When you apply for Universal Credit, you’ll agree a during the outbreak and had no work-related requirements
Claimant Commitment with your work coach. A Claimant imposed. From 1 July The Department for Work and
Commitment is a record of the responsibilities that you Pensions (DWP) has said it will be calling all claimants to
have accepted in order to receive Universal Credit help them to prepare for work, so people should expect to
payments. Your claimant commitment will be updated each be contacted to set up the Claimant Commitment. They do
time you see your work coach. not need to contact the Department for Work and Pensions
When you agree to your Claimant Commitment you will be in the meantime. The DWP has said that they will take a
put into one of four work-related activity groups common-sense approach to work-related requirements and
(sometimes called “conditionality” groups). These set out that those who are shielding, have childcare responsibilities
the tasks you’re expected to complete in order to receive because of COVID restrictions, etc. will have their
your full benefit payment. You can check which group Claimant Commitment tailored to reflect their
you’re in by logging into your Universal Credit account circumstances.
online and checking your Claimant Commitment. If you’re
not online, you will have been provided with a paper copy
of your Claimant Commitment. To contact Citizens Advice Winchester District please
This will tell you which group you’re in and what tasks call us on 0300 330 2183 or email
you'll have to do regularly to get Universal Credit. These advice@cawinchesterdistrict.org.uk
tasks could include writing your CV, signing up for job
alerts or applying for vacancies.
Launch of the
West Meon Wine Society
Currently our meetings are suspended until at least
January 2021 due to Covid-19. Our summer outings
T he West Meon Wine Society is delighted to announce
it has now launched! The Society would be delighted
to welcome members from the locality to enjoy not only
have also been cancelled.
Some of our groups have managed to continue by
communicating through email - Poetry Circle, Reading
drinking wine but also (when circumstances allow) coming and Egyptology; others due to their nature of visiting
along and enjoying trying the wines in a convivial setting. places/walking/meeting in groups – Art Appreciation,
Our normal membership fee is £30 for a year’s Geology and Nostalgia have ceased for the time being.
subscription. This entitles members to 15% discount off Strolling will begin in August with limited group numbers
the entry price of up to two tickets to any society event and social distancing observed. We have now lost our
attended by the Member. Given the current Covid-related Mindfulness and Meditation Group due to the inability to
uncertainties surrounding events, the Society is currently meet at the Wickham Centre. Many thanks to Marjorie
offering a Membership Fee of £30 for an extended Nutland for leading this group. I am sure we will all
membership period to 31 December 2021. This offer will appreciate these groups more than before when we
lapse on 31 October 2020. Membership applications after resume. If you are interested in joining us in the future
that date will be for 12 months. We look forward to please use one of the contact details below.
welcoming you - for more information please visit the General enquiries to: Betty Hiscock, Secretary
WMWS website.
01489 894807 or 07766522464
www.westmeonwine.co.uk email: mvu3asec@yahoo.com
Website: www.u3asites.org.uk/meon-valley
20CURDRIDGE PARISH MAGAZINE
Waltham Chase
Flower Club
Acting for up to 50 years
Performing at The Reading Rooms, Curdridge I
t has been some months since I sent anything to the
Parish magazines. Not that we should have had plenty
of news but…well, you will probably know why! Three
D espite the long months of lockdown and other
restrictions, CADG is still working to bring you our
production of ‘The Shadow Factory’ just as soon as we can.
times we have planned information on Flower Club
meetings. We had some interesting speakers planned, and a
Flower Club outing. This has all gone by the board and we
Originally, we thought ‘maybe November’ but that is now
are now hopefully having speakers, demonstrators, outings
‘maybe late March’ but who knows with the present
etc planned for 2021. There are those who are much more
uncertainties making it impossible to make any definite
exasperated than I am and we still hope that next year will
plans. You can be sure that CADG will survive and bounce
be more productive than this year.
back better than ever.
As soon as we know how things stand for 2021, we will
Why not join us with the future in mind?
pass on information. In the meantime, keep warm and not
Working from home? Got more time to spare? Want to
blown away. Very best wishes to everybody.
enjoy a hobby? ‘CADG’ (the Curdridge Amateur Drama
Group) always welcomes new members. Local groups such
Jill Sutton
as ours need members of varying talents, whether players,
Waltham Chase Flower Club leader
scene setters, costume designers, bar helpers or whatever.
We have been around for over 50 years, so we must be
doing something right! That’s not to say we are a stick-in-
the-mud group, either. Always forward looking and willing
to ‘push the boundaries’ our status as ‘Amateurs’ belies the
professional standards we always seek…. but with hard
work and fun!
Why not look at our website www.curdridgedrama.co.uk
and look back over past presentations and see the varied
productions that our sell-out crowds have enjoyed over the
years?
Workshops
We hold workshops to improve our presentations and
reading nights where new plays can be ‘acted’ in an
informal atmosphere and everyone can try their favourite
part. Perhaps you have new ideas…..What play excites
you? Maybe we haven’t heard of it! Get in touch!
2W\\NG6KOG
My first is a verb.
Add to me one letter and I become an insect.
Add another and I become
a kind of vegetable. Be Slow To Speak
Add two more letters and I become the name of “Be slow to speak, and only after having first listened
another insect. quietly, so that you may understand the meaning,
leanings, and wishes of those who do speak.
Thus you will better know when to speak and when to be
What am I? silent.”
Saint Ignatius of Loyola (1491–1556)
(answer on page 24)
21CURDRIDGE PARISH MAGAZINE
Ode to Duty
“I vow to thee, my country, all
earthly things above,
Entire and whole and perfect, the
service of my love;
The love that asks no question,
the love that stands the test,
That lays upon the altar the Remembrance Memorial at St Peter’s Church, Curdridge
dearest and the best;
The love that never falters, the
love that pays the price,
The love that makes undaunted
the final sacrifice.”
(Ode to Duty, by the late Sir Cecil Spring Rice,
G.C.M.G., G.C.V.O.)
The Hall is being mentioned and read increasingly on
BOTLEY MARKET HALL Facebook.
So, COME ON IN! The Hall is safe, COVID-19 compliant,
clean and warm!
GETTING BUSIER! www.botleymarkethall.org.uk
07733 553408
T he Market Hall, having re-opened in September, is
getting busier with more bookings – new clubs as
well as the regulars are returning. At least three clubs have
said how safe the hall is, and one has said that it is the best
prepared, cleanest and safest hall they have met in! Partly
thanks to our new cleaners who are doing an excellent job.
We are doing our bit to brighten up the village centre – not
only by having the hall repainted, but also planting bright
flowers in the planting boxes (thanks to those who planted
them up!). Hopefully we will be getting some smart and
discreet external lighting on the front of the building as
well.
Our new website is under construction so watch this space.
22CURDRIDGE PARISH MAGAZINE
We specialise in the transformation, rennovation and
all year round maintenance of gardens, ponds,
indoor/outdoor swimming pools as well as property
rennovation and building projects.
building - plumbing - fencing - paving - driveways -
brickwork - hedge cutting - pool winterising/cleaning
For more information
email: info@ls-maintenance.com
text or call: 07719 147382
23CURDRIDGE PARISH MAGAZINE 27
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