SUFFOLK HEIGHTS BENEFICE NEWS - MARCH 2021 - Wsimg.com
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SUFFOLK HEIGHTS
BENEFICE NEWS
MARCH 2021
2nd March 1969—Concorde’s Maiden Flight
Rector: Rev Dr Simon Hill 01284 850857
mlima001@btinternet.com
Reader: Barbara Hill 01284 850857
CHEDBURGH—CHEVINGTON—DEPDEN
HARGRAVE— HAWKEDON—REDE
SUFFOLK HEIGHTS BENEFICE NEWS
March 2021
Welcome to the March 21edition of the SHBN. As ever, I look forward to
receiving your contributions for this and future magazines.
We are very keen to have photographs of what has been going on in the
Benefice. In fact the lack of communal events in lockdown makes them all
the more valuable so don’t be shy about sending in photos! Please DO NOT
SEND PDFs if it can be avoided. Only Word docs, Publisher files or Jpegs.
The deadline for the April 2021 edition is 5pm Monday 15th March 2021.
jamierobertson5cc@gmail.com. t
Contents Page
Rector’s Letter 4
Rain Matters 7
ADVERTISING RATES: Book at Bedtime 8
Chedburgh News 9
To advertise in this magazine, please
RAF Chedburgh 10
contact Jill de Laat on 01284 850463,
Chevington News 17
or email
Chevington Parish Council 21
suffolk.heights@delaat.uk Depden News 24
Aggie Redpath’s Kitchen 26
£65 per quarter page per year
Hargrave News 27
£130 per half page per year Hawkedon News 32
Rede News 38
Specifications:
Rede Scribe 39
1/4 page - 8.5cm x 5.5cm (3¼” x 2¼”) Hartest Gardening Club 43
Portrait ADVERTISEMENTS 44
1/2 page - 12cm x 8.5cm (5” x 3½”) Useful Numbers 63
Landscape Mobile Library 64
All images must be jpeg 150dpi Benefice Contacts 64
2
MY WEBSHOP IS STILL OPEN !!
Please contact me with any questions or to place an
order directly
All orders either directly to your door or you can collect,
whatever you prefer
Plus, all orders £30 or more get free delivery !
My mobile number is - 07702 310666
Email - beckisheridan@ymail.com
Do you belong to or run a group that is looking
for virtual talks?
My name is Simon de Laat and I work as a volunteer speaker for East Anglian Air
Ambulance. The charity has worked hard to readjust to these surreal times and
we now have a presentation that can be delivered virtually to groups and clubs
The presentation lasts for 30 minutes with the opportunity for questions at the
end. Feedback from other groups has been very positive – we have tried to
engage the audience by adding video footage and slides rather than just listening
to a talk. Virtual presentations are a whole new world!
If you feel that your club or society would like me to give a talk please drop me
an email at
simon.de.laat@eaaa.org.uk
EAAA has never had a set charge for delivering talks to community groups – we
welcome all donations from clubs and their members to help us continue the life
-saving work that we do within our communities
www.eaaa.org.uk
3
LETTER FROM THE RECTOR
I do hope that no one is giving anything up for Lent this year. If this
pestilence (under an editorial edict, I’m not allowed put pen to its name)
has taught us anything, it is that giving things up is no road to well-being
and most certainly not happiness. There are bound to be exceptions to this
observation but the overwhelming majority of us are living slimmed down
lives already, without giving anything else up.
Yes, it’s true. The seven deadly sins are just a step away. But it’s a pretty
screwy idea that you only have to forgo their pleasures for six weeks a year.
This persistent idea that somehow, we should make ourselves miserable for
Lent, just won’t go away. ‘You’re not allowed flowers in church during
Lent.’ What balderdash! I’m all for giving the over-stretched and
wonderful flower people a break from their loving devotion, but don’t use a
miserable Lent as the reason.
In his Gospel, John recalls Jesus’ declaration as being ‘the Good
Shepherd’. And in the passage that follows John contrasts the Good
Shepherd with a thief, ‘The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I
came that they (the sheep) may have life, and have it abundantly’ (John
10.10). So many are suffering terribly at present. Thousands of families are
grieving, others suffering lingering health conditions. Many have lost their
jobs, suffering not only loss of income but of dignity. And what is
abundantly clear is that, far from levelling up, an even larger wedge has
been driven between those of us who are OK and those who have been
disproportionately thumped, those whose lives have been stolen from them
by this thief. We are under no illusion. The social cost will be felt for a long
time to come, paid for by those who are least able to afford it. So how on
earth, in these appalling times, can we speak of the Good Shepherd as
one who ‘offers life in abundance’?
I wonder whether the psalmist was faced with a similar conundrum when
he/she penned, ‘You show me the path of life. In your presence there is
fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore’ (Psalm 16.1).
Was the psalmist also faced with pestilence and fear? We don’t know, but
the psalmist suggests that by trusting in God we will be led through the
wilderness into the fullness of joy. And, in his Gospel, John tells us how the
Good Shepherd will lead us away from the poverty to pastures new.
4
There’s no escaping the desert we are living in at present but when the
Israelites found themselves in the Babylonian wilderness, amidst the sorrow
the prophet Isaiah finds a sign of hope, ‘The wilderness and the dry land
shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall
blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing’ (Isaiah 35.1-2). The
crocuses will soon be in flower, by when we will be approaching Easter and
hopefully the easing of restrictions.
So, don’t waste time thinking about what to give up, and then fretting
because you gave in to your temptation and ate a whole bar of
chocolate. That’s the path to miserableness. No, fight the good fight of the
faith, in lives overflowing with generosity and love, rich in good works and
ready to share. Because herein lies life in all its fullness. This is nothing about
giving anything up. Except yourself of course.
Every year the Diocese has a Lent Appeal and this year we are again
supporting our twinned diocese of Kagera. Kagera Diocese is in North-West
Tanzania, where, unsurprisingly, the people have been devasted by recent
events. In particular, we are raising funds in support of Kagera’s Church
and Community Mobilisation Project. The project seeks to help subsistence
farmers survive the climate crisis, support the diocesan hospital providing
medical care to the most in need and trains priests in their pastoral work
directed towards leading their people out of poverty. The vision of Kagera
is, ‘Life in all its fullness’ and with our support we can assist them achieve it.
If you would like to make a donation, you can make a payment online at
cofesuffolk.org/bishops-lent-appeal or drop your gift at the Rectory, New
Road, Chevington IP29 5QL and I will forward on your behalf.
BENEFICE SERVICES IN MARCH
Due to the changing nature of lockdown at the moment it is difficult to
plan church services accurately, so for the latest information of
Benefice services can you please refer to the information on the
Benefice website,
suffolkheights.org
5
THE COLD SNAP
We’ve all had a dollop of snow lately and some of us may have enjoyed it
more than others. I can’t say I like being cold but a touch of the white
stuff during the proper time of year does make it feel right, somehow.
I asked for photos from around the benefice of snowy scenes the result of
which you will see scattered with gay abandon throughout the
magazine’s pages.
So thanks to Ian Leggett, Christine Fitzgerald, Lucy Agazarian, Pip
Goodwin, Fiona Reddick and Jacky Pratten who answered my plaintive
cry for photos.
I look forward to the next exciting “weather event” so we can liven up
these pages with more stunning images.
JdL
Stanley in the Snow
A mini snowman in
Hargrave
Fiona’s frozen
puddle
6
Rain Matters
Jamie Robertson
January was another wet month with 95.75mm of rain, a figure you might
well expect to be near the average for the time of year. In fact it is the third
wettest January since we came to Chevington. 2014 (99.75mm) and 1995
(98mm), the first year we took measurements, were both wetter. Other
Januaries were positively dry in comparison. 1997 had only 3.5mm of rain.
This year the month had no spectacular downpours, just a seemingly never-
ending succession of dull, damp days, in fact the worst kind of weather for a
lockdown. The ground seems to have drunk up as much of the rain as is
geologically possible and the water table has come about as high as it can
come without turning the village into a pond.
We did have snow on the 15th and 16th January and the temperatures
came down to zero on a few days. In the past we have seen daffodils and
snowdrops well into bud by the end of the month but not this year, with
flowers keeping their heads down and safely tucked away until we get a
proper change of weather.
7
A BOOK AT BEDTIME—AND A NIGHTCAP
Tune in as Jamie Robertson
reads a short story each week.
Jamie has so far dipped into
the worlds of James Herriott,
Laurie Lee, O. Henry, Somerset
Maugham, P.G. Wodehouse
and Rudyard Kipling.
So grab a nightcap of cocoa or
a snifter of something stronger and join us and Jamie every Friday
and Sunday evening. Everyone welcome to sign in to the Zoom link
at 9.45pm - a great way to unwind at the end of the day.
Details of the Zoom link are on our SHBN website,
www.suffolkheights.org, each week.
WORLD DAY OF PRAYER 2021
- Friday 5th March
World Day of Prayer is a world-wide
movement led by Christian women from
around the world who call the faithful
together to observe a common day of
prayer each year. The service has a
special annual theme and this year’s
service has been prepared by the women
of Vanuatu, an island country located in
the South Pacific. The theme chosen for
2021 is ‘Build on a Strong Foundation’.
Due to current restrictions, we will be holding the service via Zoom
on Friday 5 March at 6pm. Please check the Suffolk Heights website
– www.suffolkheights.org – for log in details.
If you would like to participate by doing a reading during the
service, would like a service booklet sent to you by post or would
like to make an offering to the World Day of Prayer, please contact
Jill Upton 01284 850286 or jillupton01@gmail.com.
8
CHEDBURGH
All Saints’
Church
Chedburgh
FLOODLIGHTING YOUR MEMORIES
If you would like to support the cost of floodlighting All Saints’ Church,
Chedburgh in memory of a loved one or to mark a significant event we ask
for a contribution of £15 a week. To book please contact Christine Lofts,
850479, donations will be acknowledged in Suffolk Heights Benefice News.
Mr Alan Hilditch R.I.P.
Mr Alan Hilditch, known to everyone in Chedburgh as Bill, passed away
suddenly, at home, on 25th January.
Bill and Audrey were in the process of moving house to Telford to live nearer
family and with the help of her family Audrey has now moved.
The family would like to thank everyone who has sent condolences, and
supported them at this very difficult time.
This is the view from Christine
Fitzgerald’s garden in
Chedburgh during the cold
snap
9
R.A.F. CHEDBURGH
CHEDBURGH
This is the third of Ian Leggett’s articles about RAF Chedburgh during WWII.
This month he covers Site 6 and recalls the tragic accidents resulting of loss
of life of the airmen stationed here.
R.A.F. Chedburgh From the Viewpoint of the Airmen
The February article mainly related to the building of the airfield. Some of the
early arrivals at Chedburgh were transferred from R.A.F. Stradishall, an airfield
which was built mainly in peacetime as a permanent site. The
accommodation was brick built and had decent insulation. There were
recreation areas, a football pitch and officers had houses with a garden.
Compare this to Chedburgh. Flimsy asbestos clad units on a concrete and
brick base, steel window frames, communal coal fired heater, and of course
all washing and toilet facilities were a distance away. No outside lighting,
and we all know what the surface area in Chedburgh is like after rain.
Muddy! It was well known that Chedburgh was not a site that they relished.
The first winter, 1942, was harsh with long periods of snow and ice. Then of
course there were the hundreds of young men and women who had joined
up and after initial training this would have been their first posting. They were
in for a shock. Much of the accommodation was not finished and some of
the showers were not connected, especially in the WAAF area. They would
have been particularly distressed to find no doors on the toilets, which
resulted in them having to use the male facilities. Hardly a good idea.
Now, I have already mentioned the Chedburgh clay mud. The airfield was
hastily constructed and you can imagine this sticky mud was everywhere.
Some machinery was still on the runway and there were occasions when
aircraft hit this machinery causing them to lose control, and if this meant
veering off the runway onto the soft clay alongside it inevitably meant the
undercarriage collapsing and the aircraft nosediving into the ground. The
Stirling was a very high aeroplane and the undercarriage was a weak point,
so there were numerous incidents. Similarly if the aeroplane was taking off or
landing and met a sharp cross wind the soft area was waiting.
10CHEDBURGH
There are many stories also of the aeroplane on full acceleration to take off
having an engine failure on one engine causing it to veer off the runway or,
as it failed to gain height, it would clip trees at the end of the runway and
crash. Rede Hall Farm saw one crash nearby. Another crashed across the
A143 towards Depden 400 yards from the Marquis Cornwallis pub. This was
on 2nd July 1943 and six aircrew were killed. A Lancaster crashed near
Depden Church on 20th April 1945 killing all eight crew. Four days later
another Lancaster crashed on Bury Road killing eight airmen.
On 24th April 1945 another fully-loaded Lancaster lost control and crashed
onto the area behind what is now Mulberry Park. This was a WAAF area and
some were trapped in the shower area and many more in the cinema
while the fire was dealt with. Fortunately the bombs did not explode, but
the eight aircrew were killed.
Even walking along the road wasn’t that safe; an airman was run over by a
lorry in a military convoy near Chedburgh Church on 8th August 1943. Near
to Chedburgh Hall was Hall Farm and it was here that an early crash
occurred when a Stirling lost control soon after the airfield opened. That
was on 24th October 1942; the crew survived but were badly burnt. A good
test for the fire crews and the R.A.F. Hospital in Majors Close. A similar
incident with a Stirling was on 17th February 1943 when it crashed at the
front of Tan Office Farm in Chevington.
Some of the pilots made amazing attempts to return the aircraft to the
airfield, or at least to avoid crashing onto housing. I can only imagine the
terror trying to control an unresponsive aircraft full of fuel and high explosive
bombs. Like the Stirling that crashed near Hargrave Hall on 20th January
1944 killing all nine crew. And a month later on 22 nd April 1944 when five
were killed at Barrow and a month later at Banstead Green, another Stirling,
when two more killed. Remember again, the average age of these airmen
was 22. Quite an adventure for them. At that age adventure would have
diluted much of the fear, but coming back to an accommodation block
and finding eight empty beds must have played on their minds no matter
how hardened they had become. I composed a poem (page 13) a few
years ago, based on the thoughts of a Chedburgh Airman. This one,
though, was killed and his soul is still here, so these words are his words as he
walks the area and recalls his fears.
11This is the area now known as Kings Park, originally designated Site 6. The
CHEDBURGH
reference to the buildings, below, uses the terminology Barracks rather
than Quarters for all the accommodation units except the one Officers’
Quarters. Noting also that there was a boiler room and a drying room and
the proximity to the airfield, this area was for ground crew and airfield
workers rather than airmen. They would be clothed in boiler suits rather
than uniforms which would have required regular washing. It looks as
though the current entrance driveway is built on the same Site 6 entrance
drive.
The proximity with the area opposite (now Elizabeth Drive, in next month’s
issue) was well thought out with the leisure facilities a short walk away.
SITE NO 6 KINGS PARK. Building Reference:
1. 1 Officers’ Quarters and latrines 7. 2 Latrines
2. 1 Boiler Room 8. 9 Nissen Barrack Huts
3. 1 Ablutions 9. 8 Everite Barrack Huts
4. 1 Drying Room 10. 3 Barrack Huts
5. 1 Fuel Compound 11. 3 Air Raid Shelters
6. 1 Effluent Tank 12. 1 Picket Post
12THE CHEDBURGH AIRMAN
CHEDBURGH
I was an airman flying from the airfield here,
I was sent on flying missions, and each time filled with fear.
I drank at the Marquis with its wonderful beer,
It helped, but always, I still had that fear.
I met a Chedburgh girl, but dare not call her dear,
In case I should not return, I lived with that horrible fear.
After every mission, as Chedburgh drew near,
My heart relaxed from that constant fear.
The church that I attended, and wise words I would hear,
They helped to control my worry and that awful fear.
At the school, the children would call out, and cheer,
So I smiled, and waved, so hiding that aching fear.
Then one day, while returning at the end of the year,
My plane was hit, exploding, now no time for fear.
We all died on that mission, never more to appear,
But at last I will not have to live with that fear.
I am at peace in Chedburgh, and your voices I can hear,
With no pain, and no worries, but mostly, I have no fear.
Ian Leggett
13CHEDBURGH
FOOD WASTE
We regularly see items about food waste. Not only is it costly to waste food,
but in most instances it is avoidable. This article is about fresh food waste.
There are three levels at which food waste can occur:
1) At the point of growing
2) In the store selling
3) At home
With the demand for perfect looking fruit and veg the mis-shapen or under/
oversized items are often rejected. They taste the same, last as long, but are
just not size-consistent. The stores who now sell “Wonky” fruit are to be
congratulated and if you buy this fruit or veg you are helping to avoid food
waste.
In the shop you may come across pre-packaged items marked 30% off or
half price as they are short dated. With pre-packaged items many have a
“Display Until” date and at that time the item will be reduced. However, the
“Best Before” date will often be a few more days away. Take them out of
the plastic bag at home and store in a cool dark place and most fruit and
veg will keep far beyond those dates. Another way to avoid waste.
Then there is the potential waste at home. I rarely have to throw out
anything. Be flexible with your eating menu, if you see something that needs
using up, like a few tomatoes that are going soft, or some potatoes starting
to sprout, then make your choice a Cottage Pie. You can use up all sorts of
veg, frozen and fresh, with mince, and even grate any dry or stale cheese to
make a tasty meal.
Now what about bread? I never have to throw
bread out. We are not big bread eaters so the
sliced loaf is packed into freezer bags of four
slices per bag, leaving out just the last four slices.
Bring the bread out of the freezer the day
required and after an hour or so it tastes as good as fresh. Bear in mind the
50% off stickers. A loaf sold at reduced price will freeze down just the same
as a new baked loaf. Save money and avoid any waste. If you do get some
bread that is going a little dry, then use it up as toast, or as Bread and Butter
Pudding, an old fashioned dessert but very tasty.
Another is eggs. When you buy a tray there is normally a use by date on the
egg. If you realise you are not going to use them by that date, why not
freeze them? Yes you can. The eggs will be perfect for making cakes or for
scrambled egg afterwards. Break the first egg in a cup. (To ensure it is not a
bad one) then pour into a small mixing bowl. Repeat with 2nd/3rd and 4th
egg.
14With a hand mixer or fork mix the egg vigorously so that the yolk and the
CHEDBURGH
white are mixed and form a pasty gel with no lumps. Pour the eggs into a
freezable lidded container, label the lid so you know what they are, and
put in the freezer. When you come to use them do not use defrost in the
microwave as the white will cook and go lumpy. Just leave the container
at room temperature for a few hours to thaw normally. You now have four
eggs, all ready to make a home made cake.*** And you have avoided
food waste.
Milk is a product easily wasted, but why? I buy milk in two litre bottles, 10
at a time, and freeze eight of them as soon as I get home and the other
two go in the fridge. That way, the day before you need a fresh bottle just
take it out of the freezer and defrost at room temperature. (In the fridge it
can take 2-3 days). If by any chance you do need to use up some milk
then try a rice pudding. Simply rice, small amount of sugar and milk. Home
made rice pudding is so much better that the canned type. (Make sure
you buy pudding rice as the long grain type is not really suitable). To make
it special sprinkle nutmeg on the mixture when cooking.
Now I have not mentioned meat! Well that is an easy one. Bobby my
Golden Retriever makes sure there is never any meat left over, so no
waste there.
Ian Leggett
***”Frozen eggs in any form need to be fully thawed to be used and can only be
eaten in thoroughly cooked dishes. Never cook eggs directly from frozen”. (British
Egg Industry Advice)
Obituary
Mrs Jane Wilson
It is with sadness that we have to report the sudden death of Mrs Jane
Wilson, who lived in Elizabeth Drive until 2018 when she moved to
Newmarket to be closer to her family.
Jane and her husband Bill chose Chedburgh to set up home about 25
years ago on their return from New Zealand where they spent much of
their working life.
Bill, who died in 2017, was quite a character and they were both very
good neighbours and liked by all. Jane helped out at village Jumble
Sales helping to raise funds for Chedburgh Church and was also a
member of the Village Lunch Club until she moved away.
The funeral took place at St Mary's Church, Newmarket. on February 19th
where she was buried with her husband Bill.
RIP Jane
15Chedburgh Walkers
Snow Dog Meets Bella
Bella and Diz
Frozen Pond at Knowles Green, Hargrave
16All Saints’
Church
Chevington
CHEVINGTON
Parish Prayers
Every week at the Sunday service at All Saints’, Chevington we pray for
areas of our village and matters of local concern. Over the past few
months we have been praying for those worst affected by the
pandemic and continue to pray especially for the lonely and frightened
and those whose lives have been blighted by the pandemic and the
lockdowns.
CHURCH LIGHTING
If you would like to support the cost of
floodlighting the tower at All Saints', Chevington
in memory of a loved one or to mark a significant
event we ask for a contribution of £15 a week. To
book please contact Simon Williams on 850045
OPENING THE CHURCH
All Saints’ Church is now open for private prayer and for weekly Sunday
services. If you wish to enter the church there are instructions on the
church door as to how to act to minimise the chances of infection:
• A bottle of hand sanitiser is provided at the door.
• Please sign the visitors’ form. This is to help track and trace if any visitors
contract coronavirus.
• Please use the plastic chairs for sitting and not the wooden pews. A
cleansing spray is also provided.
• If you pick up any guide book or prayer sheet they must be taken from
the church with you when you leave.
Thank You
17CHEVINGTON
2021 GARDEN FAYRE
If you can cast your minds back to before the current difficulty, you may
remember we had grand plans for a 2020 Benefice Whitsun Tea and Plant
Sale.
There had been a thought that we might postpone the event until this
year. But experience has taught us that planning events like this leaves us
at the mercy of lockdowns, quarantines, isolations and all the
uncertainties of the pandemic.
However, several Chevington gardeners have suggested we could just
open our gardens on the same day with the minimum fuss and
organisation and invite people to wander in, buy a plant if any were for
sale and if the regulations allow us, have a cup of tea.
There have also been suggestions we may put on another event at the
church similar to the Christmas Comfort and Joy exhibition, but with a
summer theme.
The date suggested is:
Sunday, 23rd May
If anyone has ideas about how we might be able to run this either on a village basis or at a
Benefice level, please contact: Jane Thacker on 01284 850384 or Jane Romana-Powling
on 01284 850680.
18Chedburgh, Chevington and Depden Oil Syndicate
After the cold weather in February you will probably be anxious to refill your oil
tanks. So please check and let us know if you would like to order oil this
month. The deadline date is 6pm on Wednesday 10th March. Prices will be
negotiated by the weekend.
Call us on 07985 884172 or email chedburghoil@gmail.com with your name,
address, contact number and volume of oil in litres. (Minimum order is 500
CHEVINGTON
litres)
If you are new to the area or would like to join the syndicate, please let us
know.
Thanks, Kaz Morris
Chevington church across a snowy field—Pip Goodwin
19John Sundon Fyson
Over two years ago I researched the names on the Chevington War
Memorial. One of them was John Sundon Fyson (His name is recorded on
his Nairobi gravestone as John Sundow Fyson) who had lived with his
brother William, two sisters, Florence Maud and Rosa Sophia, and his
parents John and Alice at Ruffins Farm. William emigrated to Canada,
probably to Saskatchewan, in 1903. John joined the colonial service in
Kenya, and worked for the Public Works Dept supervising road construction
CHEVINGTON
from a place called Londiani, about 130 miles north west of Nairobi close
to Lake Victoria. He came home on leave at the start of the war but then
sailed back to Mombasa in March 1915. Later that year he joined the East
African Pioneers, a kind of engineering/construction/fighting unit. He died
of Blackwater fever (a complication of malaria) in the British General
Hospital on 16th May 1917 and was buried in Nairobi.
It also appeared that he had been at school at Framlingham College.
However, he was not on their Roll of Honour and there was no mention of
him on the Chapel War Memorial. I contacted the Society of Old
Framlinghamians and told them of my research and at the end of last
year heard back from Chris Essex who wrote: “I confirm your research
that our John Sundon Fyson does appear to have died while serving with
East African Pioneers during WW1. One additional piece of the jigsaw
was the fact that his elder brother also briefly attended the College in
1897. We will therefore arrange for his name to be added to the Chapel
memorial in time for Remembrance Sunday 2021.”
John’s father gave up farming in 1918. There is no trace I can find of his
brother William. Florence died unmarried in 1947. Sophia Rosa married
Robertson Rolfe, a corn merchant and lived in St Andrews Street in Bury
and according to the 1911 Census, had one daughter Edith Marion.
Jamie Robertson
20CHEVINGTON PARISH COUNCIL
Council contacts: Cllr Agazarian (Chairman) 07776 783747;
Cllr McCormack (Vice Chairman) 850277; Cllr Keegan 850628; Cllr Briggs
CHEVINGTON
0778 9775157; Cllr Mark Surety 07808 974530
Neighbourhood Watch: Peter Keegan, James Briggs. All Neighbourhood
Watch queries to The Clerk
The Clerk: Mrs Betts 810508. Email: chevington-pc@outlook.com
Planning Applications: Please contact PC Website https://
chevington.onesuffolk.net
Please refer to the PC website for updates, minutes of meetings and
information about the village:
CHEVINGTON PARISH COUNCIL WEBSITE https://chevington.onesuffolk.net
Suffolk Heights Benefice News Website http://suffolkheights.org
Just a reminder that The Suffolk Heights Benefice News Website is there to
provide information for anyone who cares to log on. suffolkheights.org is a
beautifully designed website, lovely photography with the fun things as
well as the serious stuff: cookery, book at bedtime, gardening, church
news, countryside matters and more.
Lucy’s dog in the snow
21Chairman’s Report
Litter
As our PC annual litter pick has been put on hold, I would like to thank
volunteers who take it upon themselves to pick up rubbish in Chevington,
mainly thrown out of passing car windows. Denis Doyle, Dr. St. Clair Roberts
and his daughter Rosanna, and all others, who really are unsung heroes
CHEVINGTON
doing this thankless task.
If anyone would like to volunteer (in your own bubble please). Individuals
can sign up by filling out this online form.
https://westsuffolk-self.achieveservice.com/service/
Community_Volunteer_Form_Litter_Picking
We’ll deliver:
• litter picker,
• a hoop,
• a hi viz jacket
• waste bags
• If using your own black bin bags, put rubbish in your own bin. If using
council bags put by side of bin and council will collect.
VAS machine VAS
The new VAS machine, which has been bought with your precept money
to keep the village safe, is being activated on all roads in Chevington; one
always wants to be greeted with the green smiley face not red!
Anglian Water
The Parish Council is in communication with Anglian Water concerning
water overflowing the road by the pumping station.
Just remember when you read this it will be March and the clocks will go
forward at the end of the month, so time to celebrate.
Spring is on the way!
Lucy Agazarian
Chairman
Chevington Parish Council
22PARISH COUNCIL VACANCIES
The Parish Council and Clerk were very sad to hear of the decision made
by Cllr Denis Doyle to resign from the Council. We would like to thank Denis
for his loyalty and hard work to the Parish Council over the last thirty years.
With his efforts the bank balance slowly grew and with this firm financial
grounding the Council has been able to maintain services to the village
such as new benches, dog bins, neighbourhood watch signs, VAS
CHEVINGTON
machines and poles and a small, but well manicured burial ground.
Denis has also been vigilant keeping an eye on the small sewage pumping
station at the bottom of Church Lane and has monitored the frequent
flooding issues which alerts Anglian Water to come and deal with the
problem. He is often seen walking around the village and alerts the Clerk to
potholes, dumped rubbish in ditches and other nefarious activities which
can then be sorted. I for one, will miss him on the Council. Thank You, Denis.
THIS MEANS WE NOW HAVE TWO VACANCIES ON THE COUNCIL.
INTERESTED? Contact the Clerk if you are.
The Clerk: Mrs Betts 810508. Email: chevington-pc@outlook.com
CHEVINGTON WI
Our latest Zoom talk was speaker Chris Foote-Wood, the
brother of much loved Victoria Wood. He spoke about her early life as the
youngest of four children. Their father was an Insurance Agent but was
very theatrical, playing in a band and had written episodes of Coronation
Street. Victoria played the piano from an early age.
Her career began at the Rochdale Youth Theatre, she won New Faces and
started her partnership with Julie Walters. Her writings include Acorn
Antiques, Pat and Margaret and Dinnerladies. She wrote and stared in
Housewife 49 for which she won two Baftas, one as the writer and the
another for acting. Sadly, Victoria died of cancer at only 62 leaving a son
Henry and daughter Grace, both have followed their mother into the
music industry.
Our speaker for March, via Zoom, will be Murray Jacobs, subject Kings
Parade in Cambridge. We are making plans to celebrate our 100th birthday
in April but it looks like that will be a virtual party. More information nearer
the time.
If you would like more information about the WI or think the WI can help in
any way, please contact the Secretary Susan Boor 01284 850536 or email
s.boor.132@btinternet.com.
23St Mary the Virgin
Church,
Depden
NEWS FROM DEPDEN CHURCH
DEPDEN
This has been a particularly difficult winter for Depden Church. The
combination of lockdown restrictions and very muddy pathways have
made it difficult hold services in the church, but we are expecting to hold
services there again from February. I am going to put my head on the line
and say that a service will be held on March 21st at 11am.
The Zoom services continue.
Evelyn Payne
01284 850502
Bee Orchids in Lawns (continued)
There were one or two things that I forgot to mention last month. The first
one is that when the orchids develop from seed they spend a while
underground growing their root system which looks a bit like a pair of
testicles, hence their name. When the leaves and eventual flowers do
occur it will be after some years of underground development.
If you find the leaves in your lawn and the flowers come out it is good to
leave the plant to set seed and allow the seeds to disperse. In Britain Bee
Orchids are generally self pollinated, the seeds are tiny and are dispersed
by the wind.
Plants do not always appear in the same spot each year so they need to
be marked each year in the early spring.
Good hunting!
Evelyn Payne
24DEPDEN PARISH COUNCIL
DEPDEN PARISH COUNCIL
Chairman: Mark Leadbeater
Councillors: Dennis Bibby, Peter Ebbens, Nicky Moncrieff, Andrew Rabett
and Andrew Read
Neighbourhood Watch Contact: Angela Barnetson, Area Co-ordinator.
Telephone no. 07875 605165 email: abarnetson@gmail.com
DEPDEN
A DEPDEN BIRTHDAY
I was overwhelmed on Sunday 7th February, my 95th birthday, when I
awoke to find banners along the drive and Happy Birthday notices on
the doors and windows and cards, pot bulbs and
gifts on the doorstep. Later on a box of home made
cakes and goodies for my afternoon tea.
I did not need a reminder that I live in a very caring
community but was very touched by the efforts
made to make my birthday such a memorable one.
Thank you all.
Pearl Sugden
ZOOM WINETASTING
join charles eaton of nethergate wines
friday 19th March 7pm
Taste four bottles of wine for £40 in your household bubble
Local delivery with tasting notes. Purchase in advance to guarantee early delivery.
Provide email address for zoom connection.
Subject to change depending on Covid regulations
Organised by St Mary the Virgin Church Depden
RSVP anne.nicolson@outlook.com or 01284 850658
25Recipe from Aggie Redpath’s Family Kitchen and Garden
As it is Seville Orange Season, what else would you
make but ……………
Marmalade Upside Down Cake
Heat oven to 180C/350Fgas Mark 4
Grease a 22.5cm round cake tin, and line with
greaseproof paper.
For the base
40g butter
40g caster sugar
2 large heaped tbsp marmalade
2 sweet oranges sliced into segments
HARGRAVE
For the cake
200g very soft butter (soft, not liquid)
4 eggs
3 tbsp Seville Marmalade
2 tbsp milk
50g ground almonds
200g self raising flour
1 heaped teaspoon baking powder
In a pan melt (slowly) base ingredients, pour into cake tin. Lay segments in
tin in a circle, tips touching in the middle and fanning out.
Put all cake ingredients into the bowl of an electric mixer, mix gently until
incorporated and fluffy adding flour and baking powder last.
Spread batter on top of base mixture spreading it out and bake for 35
mins, test with skewer— if comes out clean, cake is done, if wet, leave for
another few minutes.
Turn out carefully removing the paper, the delicious orange base will now
be at the top, cool and eat with cold greek yoghurt.
26St Edmund’s
Church,
Hargrave
HARGRAVE QUIZ
Via Zoom
Saturday 6th March
2021
HARGRAVE
Saturday 10th April 2021
7.00pm—9.00pm
There will be prizes—delivery within the
Benefice only!
For log in details and how to make a donation please go
to
www.suffolkheights.org or scan QR code
Proceeds to St Edmund Church, Hargrave Fabric Fund
27HARGRAVE’S HISTORY ARRIVES FROM THE OTHER SIDE
OF THE WORLD
The Hargrave Heritage website only went on line at
the end of October, so we were surprised to receive
two emails this month from Australia and New
Zealand offering stories
of old village families
from the 19th and 20th
centuries. The wonders of
modern technology!
The Gooch Family
Two years ago we
received details of a
HARGRAVE
beer house on Hargrave
Green that had been
auctioned by Charles Gooch in 1847, but had no information about what
happened to the family thereafter as they disappeared from the
subsequent censuses. We now learn from his great grandson from
Queensland, Australia that Charles and his family emigrated and settled
in Queensland, with son Alfred who was five when he left Hargrave. He
became the first postman in Bondi, delivering on horseback - a remote
image from this busy suburb of Sydney famous for its beach and surfers.
The White Family
Fred and Flo White moved from a South London home with all mod cons
to Knowles Green Cottage in 1953, in search of “the good life”. The
“good life” then came with no electricity, no running water and no
sanitation. Lighting relied on oil lamps and candles and bathing was in a
tin bath. Such was the state of the lane that the milkman refused to
deliver and so a goat was purchased to supply milk. Even Chevington
and Chedburgh schools still had bucket toilets and the church no
electricity. What a difference 45 years has made to our comfortable life in
West Suffolk. Read the White Family’s full story on page 29.
Read more at www.heritage.hargrave-suffolk.co.uk.
If you have information on Hargrave families, memories, photos or
anything about the village, please send to hargraveheritage@gmail.com.
It might just be the missing piece we are looking for.
28HARGRAVE HERITAGE
These Hargrave memories come from Valerie Wadsley (née
White) who lived at Knowles Green in the 1950s and 60s.
Mrs Wadsley now lives in New Zealand.
I came to live in Hargrave in 1953 when my parents, Fred and Flo White,
bought the cottage at Knowles Green from a Mrs Brown. I think they paid
under £1,000 for the house, now a grade II listed property. We had previously
lived in South London in a home with all modern conveniences so the move
meant a huge change in our lives. The cottage looked picturesque but it
lacked electricity, running water and sanitation. We relied on Tilley and
Aladdin oil lamps, candles, a Tilley iron, battery powered radio and Calor gas
cooking stove. A well supplied water outside the back door, and there was a
dunny outhouse beside the pond. In order to have a bath we heated a
bucket of water over a Primus stove, tipped it into a tin bath and topped up
with cold water. Housekeeping was certainly not easy.
HARGRAVE
My father removed the black coal
range from the inglenook fireplace,
revealing the original bread oven in
good condition. Upstairs the
floorboards were so uneven that
blocks of wood had to be placed
under bed legs to make them stand
level. I remember my mother bought
an old washstand set, a jug and
basin, at a jumble sale for five
shillings, which she put in the
bedroom. What would an antique dealer charge for the same items today?
Tradesmen were reluctant to call at the cottage because of the narrow
road. The daily newspaper was left in a drainpipe further up the lane. As the
milkman would not deliver, my mother kept goats to supply us with milk.
My parents had a dream of the "good life" which was not a profitable
venture. Their pigs and chickens were well housed in an outbuilding
constructed by my father. It seems the livestock enjoyed more comforts than
we did. George Farrow and his mother were our nearest neighbours.
Surrounding land was farmed by Ken Reid who employed George
Rudderham and Bill Grey as Foreman. Pluck Hall was still standing down
Knowles Green, though in a derelict state. It was a big old farmhouse with a
multi-seater dunny, all of which eventually burnt down. I remember another
derelict house across the fields off the Wickhambrook Road, home to a
colony of jackdaws.
29I have happy memories of picking
wildflowers in the ditches—cowslips,
violets, king cups and wood
anemones. The bluebell wood at
Great Saxham was a joy in spring.
There were wild ponies and
mistletoe in Ickworth Park.
Moorhens nested on all the ponds.
Chevington and Chedburgh village schools still had bucket toilets. Miss
Crawford was headmistress at Chedburgh. She kept many cats and I recall
her sharing her lunch (a hot meal served at our desks) with her pets. She ate
from one side of the plate while cats ate from the other! Anyone who
misbehaved in class had to sit next to brothers who had a problem with
personal hygiene. Sitting next to the smelly kids was hardly a politically correct
HARGRAVE
form of discipline. I attended the county Grammar School for girls in
Northgate Street, Bury St Edmunds and am still in touch with some of my
fellow pupils. My contemporaries on the school bus included Barbara Smith,
Wendy and Valentine Tolhurst, Stella and David Knight, Jean Arbon, Diana
and Stuart Ayres, Willie Grey, Terry Carpenter and David Pettitt. I wonder if
they or their descendants are still in the area? Surprisingly, I still have in my
possession an old gig lamp found in a shed at Knowles Green and now well
travelled both in time and space.
Personalities in Hargrave included Ian Carlisle, an Anglican lay reader who
also assisted at Chapel services. Despite a serious disfigurement, Alec Morley
at the village shop was cheerful and helpful to customers. I remember
attending a wonderful candlelit harvest festival at Depden Green church
conducted by Reverend Harold Koop. There was no electricity in the church,
only a very holy atmosphere—the result of centuries of prayer. I once found a
small bat at Hargrave church and took it home wrapped in a handkerchief.
Whist drives and Saturday hops were a regular feature of village Life. There
was always a live band at these dances, though it might only have three or
four pieces. At one such dance at Hargrave Village Hall, I met my future
husband who was working on a research project at Risby fruit farms. We
married in Chedburgh church and emigrated to New Zealand in 1962. Initially
we came on a teacher recruitment scheme for three years, but nearly 60
years later, I am still here. Tragically my mother was killed in a car crash in
1965 and after a few years my father left Hargrave.
The cottage may not have been convenient, but it had its own magic. The
plum and greengage trees yielded fruit, icicles hung from the thatch in
winter, bats flitted around at dusk and the hay loft in the barn held echoes of
times past. Truly a peaceful corner of England.
30As part of the Hargrave Heritage Project, residents have been
asked if they’d like to submit a doorstep photo for posterity. Here
are some of them:
HARGRAVE
If any other residents of Hargrave would like to snap their doorstep
photos, please send them into the Hargrave Heritage Project
31St Mary’s Church,
Hawkedon
ST MARY’S CHURCH FLOODLIGHTING
The floodlighting for the week of January 24th was in
appreciation of Rosie Cawston and all local NHS
workers.
The week of February 1st was in fond memory of Diana
Rose.
The 14th February week was in honour of Jean
Gardner’s birthday.
If you would like to sponsor the tower floodlighting for a week in
celebration of an occasion or in memory of a loved one, please contact
David Taylor on 789324. The suggested weekly donation is £15.
HAWKEDON PARISH COUNCIL
The Parish Council had a meeting on 20th January. ‘Highlights’ include
HAWKEDON
discussions about tree works around St Mary’s Church, the now
permanently missing postbox at Scoles Gate and defibrillator training.
During the meeting the Parish Council precept was agreed – this is the
amount added to your Council Tax bill to fund the Parish Council. The total
precept for Hawkedon has been set at £216.36, which is much lower than
all surrounding villages. In all probability it will be the lowest in all of West
Suffolk. Do you consider this to be evidence that Hawkedon Parish Council
is run with remarkable efficiency? - or would you like your Parish Council to
be raising more to give them more resources to have a local influence?
Talk to your Councillors to let them know….
Draft minutes of the meeting can be found at hawkedon.blogspot.com.
32LOCAL HEROES
You may well have seen Rosie Cawston featured in the East Anglian Times.
The strength of character and commitment of many of our NHS staff has
been well documented, but it is all the more poignant when it is one of your
neighbours. If you have not read the article, have a look at eadt.co.uk/
news/life-as-a-covid-nurse-suffolk-690195.
There are, of course, many others who have worked throughout the last
year, fulfilling vital roles in keeping essential businesses and services going.
Here is a small selection of those who live in Hawkedon:
Keeping water safe—Richie Reading runs a business
with six employees providing vital water treatment and
plumbing services to commercial properties such as
care homes, office blocks, universities and hotels.
Richie has had the challenge of continuing to work in
occupied properties and has had to get used to
additional PPE for himself and his staff, as well as
coping with delays necessitated by testing prior to
entering properties. These additional costs in conjunction with a small
reduction in turnover caused by the pandemic have put extra strains on
the running of a small business, but Richie considers himself fortunate to
have a business that has been able to continue operating throughout
the year.
Getting rid of our rubbish—Sean O’Connell HAWKEDON
manages the collection of waste from
businesses in West Suffolk. Having been one of
very few people working from the office, Sean
has found many other responsibilities have
landed on his desk, such as the provision of PPE,
simply by virtue of his physical presence. The
waste team has needed mitigation strategies to cope with the dual
issues of staff having to isolate and fluctuating service demands – while
levels of commercial waste have gone down, domestic waste has
increased. Sean is full of praise for West Suffolk Council employees who
have been out on the roads keeping our towns and homes clean and
free of waste.
33Providing medical supplies—Chris Gray has changed jobs during the
last year. During lockdown one Chris was working in the supply chain for a
‘big pharma’ company, providing pills and capsules to the NHS and
globally. Overnight, the whole administration of the company adapted to
working from home, which has now become a permanent way of
working. Adding to the challenge was the need to prepare for Brexit whilst
in the midst of a pandemic. Chris now works for a company providing
bespoke cancer treatments, and has responsibility for the early phase
development team designing these treatments. He described how they
are struggling to get hold of some parts required for this work as they are
being reserved for the manufacture of Covid ventilators. It provides a
shocking context when cancer treatments are being sacrificed in the fight
against Covid.
MORE HAWKEDON HISTORY!
Who would have thought that the church Electoral Roll book covering the
period 1935 to 1965 could provide such interesting snippets to add to what
we know about the village during those years? Much depends on the
detail provided by the compiler and incumbent, but with the assistance of
the parish registers and the churchyard gravestone list, plus other additional
information it has been possible to piece together a picture of the village.
Everyone knew everyone else, so it was unnecessary to identify the
individual houses. ‘The Green’ or ‘Lower Green’ sufficed (and that was
HAWKEDON
better than just ‘Hawkedon’ - as opposed to Thurston End). Gradually
however, it became apparent that Elsie Louisa Gill, PCC Secretary and
school mistress lived in Spring Cottage, and Jessie Webb ran the Post Office,
whilst other members of the Webb family occupied The Forge. New
Cottages appear specifically in 1940, but I am sure the various families
hadn’t moved in from elsewhere on The Green, but had been the occupiers
for several years before that. (When exactly were New Cottages new?
Perhaps the name was acquired when an older structure was replaced).
There seems to have been some movement or house swapping, as
marriages occurred, families grew or folk moved out of the village,
especially when Nos 1 and 2 Council Cottages were built in 1939, and others
followed in the forties and fifties.
34Families who did not attend Hawkedon church are, of course, not
included, and it is only adults that are listed. Thus there is no mention of the
Misses Marsh who lived at Hawkedon Hall, nor anyone from Dean Farm. But
I discovered Garage Cottage Hawkedon House, and Burnt Ash and Kiln
Cottage, Stansfield. William and Elizabeth Gayfer, of Garage Cottage,
arrived in 1936 at the same time that Mr and Mrs Neilson took up residence
in ‘The Old Rectory’ - re-named Hawkedon House in subsequent years -
whilst Rev and Mrs Brassel also arrived that year to live in The Rectory. (But
where was that? The house now known as the Old Rectory was only built, I
understand, in the 1950s when the parishes of Hawkedon and Stansfield
were linked with one incumbent - Paul Davison and later, Hugh Hutton).
As purely a list of names, there is no mention in the Roll of the war, but it
would seem that most of the men in the village were in ‘reserved’
occupations or too old to serve. Church attendance declined in the years
following. Farming methods changed; life in general changed; families
moved away, others settled in the village and the small enclave of rural life
became more outward looking. But this snapshot of thirty years is a
welcome additional piece to the jigsaw.
JRW
******************************************************************************
WATER INTO WINE…...RING THE BELLS FOR THAT!
The story of Jesus turning water into wine at a wedding feast in Cana,
Galilee was read at St Mary’s Hawkedon today (24th January). Although I
ought to be focusing on the message in that bottle, the story reminded me
of an interesting trip to Palestine at least twenty years ago…..
HAWKEDON
My work has taken me to the Middle East, including to Palestine, for over
thirty-five years. Those visits have provided a depressing context to the news
from there during that time. I was staying in East Jerusalem (East Jerusalem
is occupied, West is not) and invited to go to Nazareth by a Palestinian
Christian family that owned a hotel. It seems strange to us to describe
people by reference to their faith and background, but there, then and
now, religious faith and background dictate how society and the authorities
treat you, and who your friends are likely to be. Nazareth is in Israel itself,
and whilst many Palestinians left when Israel was created in 1948, my hosts
stayed.
35Palestinians who stayed in 1948 and their children (many were forced to
leave, which created the refugee crisis and camps that still exist today) are
known as the “48ers”. They have become Israeli citizens and whilst they
don’t enjoy the same rights and access to services, they do at least have
passports and a citizenship unlike many of their refugee cousins.
The hotel is in an old monastery at the top of a hill overlooking Nazareth. It
has views down to the Church of the Annunciation, a tall bell tower, and
there is a mosque just down the road. It seems that Mosques and Churches
are often close to each other, and, sadly, the second to be built is often
that little bit higher or grander than the one next door, perhaps not wanting
any one faith to have a monopoly on the
locals.
My hosts’ children attended University in the
UK. They travelled on their Israeli passports,
and it was interesting talking to them about
their identity and how they viewed
themselves, as Israelis or Palestinians and
whether that was different when they were studying in London. Which
student societies and groups did they join at University? The groups that
focus on Palestinian students, or on Israeli students or both? Their answer
was simple. When they were in London, they identified with the Israeli
students, and were welcomed by them as fellow citizens. However, they
found that the contact they enjoyed in London came to an end when they
returned to Israel. When in Israel they were Palestinians and treated as
such, and when in London they were Israelis. It’s complicated when even
your friendships contain a political message.
HAWKEDON
But back to the message in the bottle….On the day of my departure my
hosts asked if I would like to ring the bell in the tower of the monastery. The
view was wonderful, across the hills of Galilee, above the whole of
Nazareth….the bell was going to ring out all the way to Cana….you could
see the village in the distance.
So with great enthusiasm I rang a church bell for the first time, and what an
amazing place to start. As I was ringing away loudly, I was aware of
another sound. It was the Moazen calling Muslims to pray at the nearby
Mosque…we had not looked at our watches.
36There was a local understanding that the bells and the calls to prayer
would not clash…had we inadvertently broken that arrangement? I have
seen physical fights between priests from different sects inside the Church
of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem so I hoped that I had not broken a
carefully negotiated arrangement in the Middle East.
Luckily there were no repercussions. It was incredible to have experienced
Nazareth in the company of its Palestinian Israeli citizens, with its
complexities and to have seen Cana from afar…with thoughts of water
being turned into wine.
Armageddon is only just down the road from Nazareth, thankfully it
remained peaceful that day and the wine tasted all the better for that.
David Freeman
Photos of snowy Rede—by Jacky Pratten
HAWKEDON
Hargrave Icicles
37All Saints’
Church, Rede
REDE REFLECTIONS
A couple of weeks ago I came across this poem which had been chosen
as Poem of the Month in our Saturday paper. For so long now it has felt
as if we are being unrelentingly bombarded by news, views and opinions
from all directions while, at the same time, doing our best to cope with
the pressures and anxieties we face. This little poem perhaps hits the spot
by expressing what many of us must be feeling.
Simon Pratten
Serenity Prayer
By Brian Bilston
Send me a slow news day,
a quiet, subdued day,
in which nothing much happens of note,
just the passing of time,
the consumption of wine,
and a re-run of Murder, She Wrote.
Grant me a no news day,
a spare-me-your-views day,
in which nothing much happens at all -
a few hours together,
REDE
some regional weather,
a day we can barely recall.
*****
Serenity Prayer is reproduced here by kind permission of Brian Bilston
whose new poetry collection, Alexa, What is There to Know About Love?,
is available through all good bookshops.
38Rede Scribe
Rede Lottery
January winners were:
Jacqueline Chubb of Four Ashes
Mike Read of Moat Cottage
More from the 1967 Essex Countryside Magazine
Compendium
Following on from last month’s comparison of prices, attitudes and
language, here’s more from that worthy tome:
Holidays and Travel – a different world
The travel pages warned that, if visiting New York, “The European woman
needs a man to look after her” and also warned that it was unacceptable
to wear a short skirt in Canada. Obviously, the Swinging Sixties had not yet
reached the ‘Dominions’!
Regarding a holiday in South Africa, the writer confidently stated that, “If
you wonder about the colour bar… forget it. Only by going there can you
see how exaggerated it is… many influential black men and women really
endorse the South African government policy...” referring, of course, to the
country’s official policy of racial segregation known as apartheid.
REDE
You could fly from Southend to Rotterdam, Ostend or Calais for £4/13/-
(£4.65) or a whopping £162 in today’s money. And that was a single not
return!
Meanwhile, back in the heady days of ’67, Stansted had just been
approved as the third London airport, with the Government, apparently,
completely disregarding public opinion – so no change there then! It was
expected there would be “400 Jet flights” per year. In 2019 there were
actually 199,925 flights. (one of the reasons Scribe moved away to deepest
Rede).
39Readers’ letters and complaints, much the same as today
One letter claimed that so much of the countryside was being built on
that by the end of the century (that is the year 2000) Greater London
would stetch as far as Lowestoft! In fact, many letters bemoaned the way
the countryside was disappearing and the loss of many customs and
country habits.
Another letter complained of people using strychnine to kill pests,
although I was relieved to read later that this was in fact already illegal.
Nowadays we often hear talk of the bad manners used on social media
and so it was interesting to compare this to the patronising and superior,
yet aloofly polite, language in the letters column where someone would
pompously state something like, “Major the Rev. John Smith MBE (ret) was
completely wrong, uneducated and ill-informed when he claimed last
month ….”.
Historical Interest and Bits and Bobs
There were lovely photos from the 1930s of a pair of oxen pulling a
delivery cart in Essex – this belonged to the Atora Suet company.
Harlow New Town was praised as “one of the most modern towns in the
world” and futuristic concrete buildings were very much in fashion. In
fact, the manmade ponds in Harlow town centre featured on the cover
of November 1967.
It also mentioned how Essex had lost a huge chunk of its population (50%)
when 6% of its territory was moved into the control of the new London
Boroughs in 1965.
The River Roding at Barking had once supported the world’s biggest
REDE
fishing fleet, but by 1967 was described as dead and “filthy”. Today it is
described as “clean and supporting a diverse fish population” whereas its
distributary river, the Thames, is clean enough nowadays to be home to
125 different types of fish and 400 types of invertebrates! Progress indeed!
The magazine also revealed that in the 19th century part of the East Ham
Levels from Woolwich Ferry to Barking Creek (i.e., along the North shore of
the Thames) was actually part of Kent!
40You can also read
