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Helmdon Branch WEA - Activities
Charity reg. no: 1112775
  WEA Xmas Event - 21st November 2003

Thanks to WEA member Will Watson's hospitality, on Friday, November 21st, over forty members and friends went to the Old Glebe for another delightful social occasion. It is to kind of Will to let use his lovely home - the branch does appreciate it.

Rudi Parish and Spencer Dibbins
Rudi Parish and Spencer Dibbins
After a supper of fish, chips and mushy peas, and delicious "puds" provided by generous members, we settled down to hear Rudi Parish. Rudi is front of house manager for the Derngate and Royal theatres and she regaled us with stories of various comedians and events which have been held there. Her title was "Never a Dull moment" Behind the Scenes at the Derngate, and she certainly impressed upon us the hectic nature of her job, which is obviously balanced by the fact that she obviously finds it fun. She was accompanied by her fiancé Spencer Dibbins, an actor who has appeared in such films as The Magnificent Men and their Flying Machines, and who is currently appearing in pantomime at Nottingham.

The evening was an entertaining one. Thank you to all those who made it a success.

Wildlife Walk - 6th June 2003

The flower of the Common Spotted Orchid
The flower of the Common Spotted Orchid
If you can't tell a Whitethroat from a Greenfinch or a Fescue from a Cocksfoot, then you should have joined the group of WEA members and guests that spent an evening with Brian Webster exploring the flora and fauna of Helmdon. The seeds of interest were sown during the series of lectures Brian gave in the Autumn of 2002 and it was agreed at the last lecture that we should meet in the Summer and explore some of Helmdon's footpaths with Brian. So it was that 35 or so folk ventured forth from the school playground in an effort to increase their knowledge and awareness of Helmdon's plants and wildlife.

The Green Woodpecker
The Green Woodpecker
Among the many delights we were pointed towards were the Common Spotted Orchid (Yes we have wild orchids growing in Helmdon - but if you want to know where, you should have been on the walk) and the Yarrow (which is quite tasty and was once used to heal wounds. Its scientific name "Achillea" originates from a passage in Homer's Iliad in which he describes how Achilles used yarrow to cure his soldiers' wounds). Did you know that the core of thistles can be cooked and used as an Asparagus substitute (best to get them before mid May though, else they get too woody) or did you know that elderflower florets can be deep fried and make wonderfully tasty elderflower fritters? No, neither did we - but Brian knew and assured us that they were very tasty.

The number of people in the party probably accounted for the fact that we saw no mammals but we did see (and hear) many birds - a Green Woodpecker being the highlight for most.

All in all a most pleasant experience and one I am sure many would wish to repeat. Perhaps Brian will present more of his lectures in the future. If so, be sure not to miss them - they are informative, humorous and will add to your knowledge of the animals and plants that you walk past every day - often without noticing they are even there.

Ross Vicars

WEA Summer Event - 30th May 2003

Do you know the difference between your Art Nouveau and your Art Deco?

Judith Hodgkinson
Judith Hodgkinson
Hopefully, after a talk by Judith Hodgkinson on At the Turn of the Century: Fashion, Art and Design Around 1900 WEA members now do! Judith was brilliant in her explanation, and backed up her talk with photographs from around Europe. We are now conversant with Art Nouveau whirls and twirls, and should be very knowledgeable as we recognise the style on buildings as we tour around on our holidays.

The WEA members numbered 30, and were at the Old Glebe, Radstone Road, by kind invitation of Will Watson. It was a very hot evening (for the third year running) and as always we were entranced by the garden. It looked really lovely, ready to play its part on the forthcoming National Gardens Scheme Open Gardens day. Then followed a pot luck supper (thank you all of you who contributed), after which Judith spoke.

Judith Hodgkinson is coming again for our autumn course, her subject being Architecture from 1500 to 2000: Local buildings large and small, their function and how they relate to major architectural movements. She has whetted our appetites and we are sure to have a good audience for her ten-week course. All are welcome, and you do not need to pay until the second week, so why not give us try?

WEA Queue for Kew! - 17th May 2003

WEA Members at Kew - L to R: Cec Harrold, Jan Harrold & Wilf Forgham.
WEA Members at Kew - L to R: Cec
Harrold, Jan Harrold & Wilf Forgham.
The WEA visit to Kew was sold out on Saturday 17th May, with a waiting list. Members and friends braved the early morning drizzle as they boarded the bus, but the rain held off as they neared the Royal Botanic Gardens and only returned as tea and cakes were being gorged prior to the return home!

Participants will remember different highlights, but surely the world famous tropical Palm house, the immensely interesting Princess of Wales Conservatory and the excellent Plants and People exhibition must have a mention, as well as the pretty Queen's garden, the nosegay garden and parterre behind Kew Palace. We all must have seen, too, the Pagoda (the 10-storey building designed by Sir William Chambers) even if it was a fleeting glimpse when viewed from the "Kew Explorer" which enabled quite a few of us to have a rest from walking as it circled for 40 minutes around the main points of interest.

The site is vast and no-one could do justice to all there was on offer, and of course at different seasons of the year each part of the garden comes into its own, but we all enjoyed our visit to the Botanic Gardens, and what we could all do justice to, if we were so minded, were the innovative hot meals on offer in the Orangery restaurant!

Visit To 18th Century Farnborough Hall - 13th April 2003
Farnborough Hall near Banbury
Farnborough Hall near Banbury
On Saturday, 5th April , a small group of WEA members were privileged to be taken on a private visit to Farnborough Hall, just north of Banbury, by Barbara Hornby. Barbara was the tutor for the Spring Term's topic of "The Wide World of an Eighteenth Century Parson", and she knows the Hall well.

It was a beautiful day and the walls of Hornton stone glowed in the sunlight. The Hall was bought from the Raleighs in 1684 by Ambrose Holbech and was reconstructed by William Holbech from 1692. William's son, also called William, succeeded in 1717 and over the next 60 years adapted and adorned the house. The interior is decorated with amazingly intricate Rococo plasterwork of fruit and flowers. William travelled widely in Italy and brought back busts of Roman emperors which are installed in niches around the entrance hall. In the centre of the entrance hall is a large round table, inlaid with different colour marbles, which was originally a sample table from which people could choose the marble they wished to buy for their grand houses. The dining room, with its wonderful views over the lake and the valley beyond, was originally hung with Canalettos, some specially commissioned, fitted into the plasterwork. These had to be sold and copies now remain. In the dining room we were given coffee and biscuits by Mrs Beddall, the daughter of Mr and Mrs Geoffrey Holbech. Mrs Beddall's parents and her own family still live in the Hall, although it now belongs to the National Trust, and it retains the feeling of a home. She made us very welcome and showed us round, taking us into the family's sitting room, which is not normally open to visitors. In the library Barbara showed us a leather-bound volume presented by Dr. Maynard, the parson we had been studying.

After viewing the treasures of the house we went back into the sunshine to walk along the Terrace Walk, the broad turfed ramp bordered with huge trees, which William Holbech installed along the ridge in the 18th century. It leads from the south front to an Ionic Temple and a little oval temple, with superb views across the plain below towards Stratford and the Malvern hills, arriving after three quarters of a mile at the obelisk, where we found one of the volunteer gardeners taking her lunch break. There is only one full time gardener, who is helped in maintaining the lovely grounds by volunteers.

After this very enjoyable visit, we repaired in true Helmdon WEA fashion to the local hostelry to partake of a tasty lunch.

Farnborough Hall is open on Wednesdays and Saturdays from April to September, from 2 - 6 p.m. and the Terrace Walk on Thursdays and Fridays. More details can be found on its web site.

Judy Cairns
 
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