April 2002
Churchwardens: Mrs. J. H. Mannings, Mr. J. R. Wyld
Message of hope for an anxious world
It has often been said that we remember exactly where we were, and how we felt, when we first heard of some terrible tragedy. Those of us, who are old enough to remember, will recall the circumstances in which we first heard about Aberfan or the assassination of President Kennedy.
All of us will remember what we were doing and where we heard of the news on September 11th last year.
In his Christmas letter, Father Duncan Ferguson of St Joseph's Church, Peasedown St John told his friends that he was on holiday in Italy when he heard the terrible news of September 11th. It wasn't until the following day that news began to circulate among the English people on holiday in Florence.
On that sombre day Fr Duncan was in the Convent of San Marco, where the famous artist Fra Angelico painted wonderful frescos depicting important events in the life of our Lord. Fr Duncan described his awe and wonder at seeing the picture of the Annunciation on a wall in a corridor of the Convent, painted c. 1437; he was impressed with the sheer size of the fresco. It is normally shown in such a small format in books and postcards that to see its actual dimensions is truly staggering.
Fra Angelico invites his audience to enter into the mystery of his subject. In the Annunciation scene Mary is addressed by the Angel. Fr Duncan notices that Mary's eyes do not look straight at the messenger, but beyond him into infinity, underlining the eternal nature of the mystery. The Angel has great presence showing his beautifully coloured wings, encouraging us to consider the heavenly realm from which he has just come; the place where his vital message has its origins.
Mary is seated, with her hands crossed and held into her body. She is bending slightly forward and therefore looking upward (albeit by a fraction). This pose shows Mary wishing to be submissive, listening to the Angel's message and taking it into herself.
The Angel's hands are also crossed and held against his body. This is in contrast to other depictions of the scene. Sandro Botticelli, for example, in his "Cestello Annunciation", shows the Angel with outstretched arms, his right hand held in a gesture full of energy and strength (the Virgin's hands are also outstretched but, again, in a submissive posture).
Fra Angelico's angel gives the impression of receiving Mary's reply.
On a day when millions of people were shocked and numbed by the sheer force of evil in our own day; when America realized that it is not isolated from the power struggles and religious hatred of the Old World, a message of hope was experienced by a Christian priest on holiday in Florence.
It is my prayer that the message of the Angel given to Mary, with its challenge of salvation for the whole world will be a source of inspiration for us this Spring.
Whatever this year may bring us in the field of human conflict, we have the abiding presence of God shown to us through the person of Jesus Christ; we have the gift of his Spirit present within us as we rise to the challenge of living the Resurrection Life.
Hugh Bonsey
For details of Church Services in Wellow CLICK HERE
For details of Church Services in Peasedown St. John CLICK HERE
CHURCH NEWS
Mothering Sunday
The service on March 10th was well attended when we also had a christening. It was good to see the body of the church filled and to see so many children. Every lady present received a small posy of flowers. Thank you once again to all who made our church look beautiful for Easter. To all who cleaned, arranged the lovely flowers and brought greenery etc and also to everyone who donated money to buy flowers in memory of loved ones. A list of those remembered is in the Hungerford Chapel.
Annual General Meeting
The Church’s AGM will take place on Thursday, 25th April at 7.30 pm. We do hope that lots of parishioners will attend to see how the church is run, and to find new people to help with a few tasks. We have a few vacancies for sides-persons as three people who took this responsibility are leaving the village. This puts lots of pressure on the faithful few. Help is needed if we are to keep things running smoothly. Any offer of assistance would be welcomed, and it would be nice to see a few more people in the congregation on Sundays.
Please support your church; you are urgently needed.
Churchwardens
WELLOW RESIDENTS’ ASSOCIATION
Outline planning consent for 25 acres of employment uses on the Bloors development site at Peasedown St John has now been validated by the completion of the long awaited Section 106 Agreement.
The S106 ensures that if development takes place £47,500 is payable by the developer to Wellow as a contribution towards the implementation of the traffic calming scheme presented to residents by the WRA at the public meeting last April. Bloors has also reimbursed us our professional fees of £2,150. We shall be writing to all who kindly contributed to the Appeal Fund. As promised, we shall offer to repay or to maintain the balance for the benefit of the Parish. This may be needed soon!
We understand that Bath Press is not going to relocate to this site. As predicted, this leaves Bloors unwilling to start development and proves it is unviable to do so without a majority occupier. The bad news is that Bloors is preparing further proposals for the site which involve unspecified, alternative uses. We are to be consulted and will report further.
The outcome of this shows that positive action brings results, even when the cause seems lost. Remember, we did not start until after B&NES had resolved to grant consent. We have also learned that the Folly Down scheme has been called in and will be the subject of a Public Inquiry. Another example of local action succeeding.
Alistair Colston Tel: 834 528
WELLOW CORRESPONDENT
Introducing yours truly as your new Chronicle Correspondent!
Have you a piece of news or story to tell, maybe an anniversary or special birthday to celebrate. Do tell me about any forthcoming event in the Village ie: - WADS, Hort Soc, W.I., School events, Village shop, Church news, Pub quiz etc. Are there any celebrations for the ‘Golden Jubilee’ being organised? If you would like an article written about your village news in the Bath Chronicle then please get in touch with me.
Shirley Betts, "Dawnrise", Wellow Tel: 833 683
WELLOW VILLAGE HALL
150 Club Draw winners for March 2002
1st prize No. 75 Mr W New £32
2nd prize No. 89 Miss H Gale £14
3rd prize No. 28 Mr R Fulbrook £7
4th prize No. 54 Mrs J Mannings £5
Thank you for your support.
Brian Messer, Chairman
ST JULIAN’S SCHOOL PLANT SALE
We are repeating our successful fundraising Plant Sale again this year which will be held on Sunday, 19th May. Pre-order forms should appear through your doors in the near future with the final date for orders being 30th April. If you have any queries please contact: Clare Chapman, Tel: 835 381 or Kim Ogilvie-Davidson, Tel: 433 774
WELLOW AMATEUR DRAMATIC SOCIETY
Many thanks to all who supported our 21st Anniversary production of Cinderella. It was great fun and enjoyed by both cast and audience alike with a Champagne party following the Saturday performance followed! The hard work and sleepless nights were soon forgotten and there were cries of "what shall we do next?" If anyone has any suggestions we would love to hear from you. We would also welcome any new members on stage or behind the scenes as there is always masses to do and it would be good to be able to spread the work-load out. Meanwhile I thought that you might like to see the following list of all the shows we have staged over the years.
SHOWS PERFORMED
1981 Cinderella
1983 Snow White and A Victorian Evening
1984 Aladdin
1985 Alice in Wellowland and Packet of Twenties
1986 A Christmas Box, Jack in the Beanstalk and At the Changing of the Year
1987 ‘A Double Bill’ - Dark Brown and Ernies Incredible Illucination
1988 Puss in Boots and a ‘Triple Bill’ - At the Golden Ram, The Patient, and It won’t be a stylish Marriage
1989 Ali’s Barbara and the Sleeping Cutey and a French Evenin
1990 Little Red Riding Hood and What did you sing in the War Daddy?
1991 Humpty Dumpty and Robin Hood
1992 90/90 Vision and Robinson Crusoe
1993 Green for Danger, Sold to the Gypsies and Murder at Muckleby Manor
1994 Wellow Weekend Floor Show - Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves and a supper
1995 The Pied Piper of Hamelin and a Christmas Extravaganza - The Plot Thickens, Children’s Play and The True Story of Good King Wenceslas
1996 Supper Show – Flower Show Sketch and Hanging by a Fred
1997 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Around the World in Eighty Minutes
1998 ‘Three Piece Sweet’ – Cards, Cups and Crystal Ball, Man Trap and When One Door Closes
1999 Frankenstein Panto and ‘An Autumn Collection’ – Halfway Up the Wall, Hard Times at Batwing Hall and Come Now to be Joined
2000 Millennium Miscellany – A Review
2001 Afternoon at the Seaside and Forty Winks Beauty also a Supper Show - Murder Mystery Evening
2002 Cinderella
Mary Messer
WADS 21st ANNIVERSARY SHOW
For the above milestone in their history – the pantomime ‘Cinderella’. I was delighted to have been asked to put together a special celebratory programme. This contained a potted history of WADS including appreciations of some of the group’s leading lights and photographs of some of the shows performed down the years. There are still a few of these special programmes available costing only £1 each so if you would like to purchase one before stocks are exhausted, just contact me. Alan Taylor Tel: 837 894
COINCIDENCES
Wendy and I enjoyed an evening at St Julian’s Church on December 4th last year when a play was performed by teenage students from two Midsomer Norton Schools and a slide show was presented by local historian Dick Graham. During the latter a slide of an antique postcard appeared on the screen causing Wendy and I to sit bolt upright. It was a photograph taken in 1906 of a cottage in a row of three in Buckland Dinham now occupied by our son Paul and his family. The three cottages are now merged into one large house. The postcard at the slide show was entitled ‘After the Storm’ and featured flood damage around the cottages and showed some of the villagers seemingly interested in a haystack which had been swept downhill through the village and which had come to rest against one of the properties.
Our son had been seeking this picture, or print of the same, since he had seen it displayed over the bar at the Bell Inn, Buckland Dinham, several years ago but failed to obtain a copy despite the landlord’s promise to arrange this. After the show last December we told Mr Graham of Paul’s interest in the postcard and he (Mr Graham) got a size A4 photocopy done for us. This we framed and presented it to Paul at Christmas. He and his wife were ‘over the moon’ to receive it.
As a follow-up to this story, Paul and his family were recently at the Shepton Mallet showground when they came across a stall at which copies of antique views of Somerset villages were on sale. Surprise, surprise! There was one of Buckland Dinham showing exactly the same cottage, obviously taken by the same photographer, at the same time after the flood of 1906, but from a different angle. Needless to say Paul snapped it up and put it and our Christmas present alongside each other in matching frames. It’s a good feeling to know that he now has two different views of how his house looked back in 1906. As Dame Edna would say " Isn’t it kind of spooky possums, how one spooky coincidence can lead to another?"
(I hope I didn’t bore you with this saga). Alan Taylor
LUNCH CLUB
The lunch in April will be on Thursday 25th at 1 pm in the Village Hall. We are looking forward to seeing you there and also hope we will be joined by helpers from St Julian’s School. Janet Earp and Marion Osborne, Tel: 832 561
‘ART IN THE ROUND’
Frome Art Society will be presenting its Spring Exhibition entitled ‘Art in the Round’ at Black Swan Arts, Gallery 2 (formerly The Round Tower), Frome, from Wednesday 10th April until Tuesday 23rd April, opening times being from 10am to 5pm daily except Sundays. Most exhibits will be for sale and will include watercolours, oils, pastels, mixed media and drawings. All are welcome and admission is free.
Susan Taylor (Warminster) Tel: 01373 832 566
THE PARLOUR SHOP
Our Mediterranean-style olives, roasted vegetables, sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes and so on have been selling really well – they’re a good antidote for our very un-Mediterranean-style weather! This month look out for a special promotion of some tempting new cheeses.
Marion Osborne
FROM THE PAST
1897 another ‘Jubilee Year’
The Chronicle reported:
‘Wellow and Wellow villagers were more gay and happy on Tuesday than the oldest inhabitant can remember. Flags and bunting decorated the whole of the main street … (and) …the station had been prettily decorated by Mr Hayward, the stationmaster. A Royal salute was given by means of fog signals on the line.’ At the top of Station road ‘an arch, tastefully decorated with evergreens, bore …. the words "God save our Queen." … Both public houses were gay with bunting, greenery and flowers, while the houses about here, as also along the street, displayed numerous flags and red, white and blue colours.
‘The school premises had fairy lamps, looking like enlarged glow-worms, placed along the front of the schoolhouse. meanwhile the sheep being roasted in the Jubilee field …. was doing nicely …. it weighed something like 95lbs.’
There was a large congregation at St Julian’s, where … the choir sang the Coronation Anthem … which … went beautifully, much better than one would expect a country choir to sing it.’
Afterwards ‘everybody … made their way to Mr Gough’s yard,’ (Court Farm) … for the parade … ‘The Midsomer Norton Volunteer Band, … appropriately playing "The Dashing Dragoon", marched through the village. Following closely upon the band was the light-horsed squadron of the "Loyal Wellow Dragoons," and they were followed by a "Royal equipage", drawn by six grey horses … the Wellow troopers wore white smocks with red or blue sashes, and…. big brown straw hats, with pale blue sashes around them. The wagon carried … six of her Majesty’s oldest and most Loyal subjects …. There was Maria Coombes, an old lady who had seen something like 90 summers and … George Bush, who will not see his eightieth birthday again, who can well remember the time of the Queen’s Coronation and was one of the bellringers when Queen Victoria was married. The roasted sheep was also placed on a cart and paraded around the village
‘Seventy sat down to dinner, which included… delicious cuts from the roasted sheep…George Bush proposed a …toast to the Queen, …. and cheers were given for her whom all Englishmen love.’
Later… ‘in the National Schools … about 140 schoolchildren were served tea by many willing helpers.’ There was another assembling of the troops who were inspected in the Jubilee field by Dr. Thompson, the Rev. E. B. Cook and Mr. Budd. The troopers marched past, trotted past, and galloped; they rode in sections and in single file.’
There were afternoon races with dancing and fireworks in the evening, at the end there was ‘a large muster of the inhabitants outside the school at about 10 O’clock when cheers were given for the Queen and the National Anthem was heartily sung. Thus ended a very pleasant day.’
Gordon Hewlett
WELLOW AND DISTRICT HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY
Visit to Hadspen Garden,
See the tulips in this wonderful setting in their springtime splendour. We will travel in private cars departing at 1pm with the journey taking approx. 1 hour. Lifts can be arranged. The cost will be £6 per head, which includes the entrance fee and a guided tour. Please contact Sue Chivers, Tel: 832 778 or Julia Wyld, Tel: 01761 432 346 to book your place.
Junior Gardening Club
The next meeting will be held again on the 3rd Sunday in the month, which will be on 21st April, 10.30 am – 12 noon. Come along to Lisa’s gardening surprise!
Reminder
Wellow Flower Show is back to its late summer date of Saturday, 31st August. Put it in your diary now! Don’t forget to arrange holidays, weekend breaks, friend’s and family visits around this date which is one of the major highlights of the village year. Start sowing those seeds now in preparation for a bumper harvest for the show.
Mari Bartholomew
PARISH NEWSLETTER
The May issue will be back with Jill Tremellen. Can she please have copy by 20th April either to her house at St Julian’s Well, the Parlour Shop where there is a folder or e-mail her at julians.well@virgin.net. Jill’s telephone no. is: 833 506.
Thank you! MB