Society of St.Michael’s & Kingsbury |
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August 2009 No. 34 |
Website Edition |
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As we reported in the February Newsletter, we proposed holding the AGM in September when a
warmer evening than that in November can be expected and thus attract a larger representation
of the membership. The date is now set for the 16th September. A summary agenda is presented
here and posters will provide you with a reminder.
This is your opportunity to tell the Committee what you would like them to do.
Please note that attendance is not limited to members only. Non-members are welcome to attend, but may not vote, and the AGM is a good opportunity to take up or renew membership and to learn more of what the Society tries to do for you. This, as always, is your chance to tell us what you think we are doing right, or wrong.
After the formal business of the meeting there will be an interval for informal discussion and the usual refreshments followed by a talk by Roger Miles entitled:
Our late 10th century church of St. Michael, founded by the Saxon Abbot Ulsinus, is steeped in history. It will be open to visitors on the Thursday, Friday and Sunday afternoons. Countless families have worshipped here since the foundation of the parish and the memorials dating back to the 14th century include that of Sir Francis Bacon. As a special feature for the Heritage Weekend two brasses, that are usually kept covered, will be on view.
Teas will be served in the Parish Centre on the Sunday afternoon.
The Barn will be open to the public for the first time since the completion of the restoration works during the St.Albans Heritage Week-End, on Friday, Saturday & Sunday, 11th to 13th September.
We should all be immensely grateful to Adam and Jill Singer for this restoration which was done without any outside financial help and, in addition to other problems, in the face of destruction by pigeons and squatting by bats! They have done a wonderful job. A report on the work was published in the Newsletter of the St. Albans and Hertfordshire Architectural and Archaeological Society for May, by the President Michael Cooper, and may be read on their website: www.stalbanshistory.org . Roger Miles, of that society's Archaeology Group which made a meticulous survey of the barn, will be giving the talk which is to follow this Society's AGM on 16th September when we shall, no doubt, be able to learn more.
It will be remembered that The Society of St.Michael's & Kingsbury commissioned a study and report on the barn in October 2004, by Adrian Gibson MBE which drew attention to the antiquity and historical significance of this beautiful building. The report; “The Manorial Barn at Kingsbury, St. Michael's” can be read on the St.Michael's Village website.
To complement these studies; during the
open days there will be an exhibition, in
the Barn, of photographs by John Bethell
on the theme:
‘Domestic Architecture
in St. Michael's Village
Through Five Centuries’.
The Mill Ensemble, the Isle of Man's premier Wind Chamber Group, will present a programme, which will include music by Debussy, Mozart and Malcolm Arnold, on Saturday, 10th October commencing at 7.30 pm.
Cost is £10 (£8.50 to Friends and members of the Society of St. Michael's & Kingsbury) and includes programme and refreshments.
Tickets from Mike Western, on 01727 864945 or 32 The Dell, St. Albans, AL1 4HE. Cheques should be made payable to The Friends of St. Michael's Church and a stamped addressed envelope would be appreciated.
The hardware linked to our new systems of waste disposal and recycling has posed issues for us all. How can the plastic containers best be hidden so that our streets, so full of heritage, can be appreciated both litter and plastic free?
As far as the large wheelie bins are concerned, every road should be commended in some measure for keeping them out of view. The Committee feels, however, that many congratulations are in order for the residents of the new Kingsbury Mews development, who succeeded in sorting away from their entrance the solid row of many bins.
The recycling containers are still stored all week by some residents outside their front doors. Many make valiant efforts to line them up neatly, but perhaps we could encourage even those to be concealed!
Liz HollidayOn Sunday 12th July Madeleine and I joined Michael Laws' walk on a pleasant, mild, morning. We used the Ver Valley Walk from the Puddingstone in St. Michael's Village, picking up the river in the Gorhambury Estate. The river was relatively high after overnight rain but the path mercifully dry. We were even able to harvest some fresh watercress with which to augment our picnic lunches.
Our companions at various stages on the walk consisted of heron, crows, cattle and horses and other walkers. At Redbournbury Ford we were treated to a 4-wheel drive virtuosity when 8 ‘jeeps’ charged through the river at high speed, creating a wash which wetted at least one pair of feet.
The group had a picnic at the mill, courtesy of the mill owners, and then walked on past the fishing lakes which have been created out of the former watercress beds. Here we were entertained by the landing of a very large trout before continuing to Redbourn, exchanging the Ver for the Red bourne, which is the only tributary of the Ver. Did you know that as a “chalk stream” the Ver is not fed by tributaries but by ground water seeping through the chalk along the length of the river.
At Redbourn Common the Cricketers' Arms provided rest and refreshment in the sunshine, and a distant view of the cricket. Transport was arranged to return us to St. Michael's.
The numbers who came were disappointing. We have been doing similar walks for about 6 years and, in the case of the summer walks, numbers have been dropping. This raises the question:- Do you want us to organise any more summer walks? Please come to the AGM and let us know.
Roger Sansom
The wig-wag lights opposite Kingsbury Mill warning drivers of their approach to the Lower School crossing are now in place and will, we hope, provide some measure of traffic calming. The area around the Puddingstone, which marks the boundary between St. Michael's & St. Albans, needs attention. Adam & Jill Singer's gardener keeps the grass cut but the land belongs to the Gorhambury Estate and we have written to their agents, Strutt & Parker, asking that the wooden posts and chain link fence be repaired.
Our complaint about the newly aligned footpath being paved with tarmac rather than brick as in Mount Pleasant seems to have fallen on deaf ears.
I have designed and printed a limited run of three greetings cards (left blank inside) featuring Kingsbury Barn and its beams, Kingsbury Watermill and its puddingstone, and the former Kingsbury Brewery and its bottles! Society events in the last year have celebrated all three locations.
They will be available to purchase at Kingsbury Barn over the Heritage Weekend, (11, 12 & 13 September), at the AGM, or from me at Kingsbury Lodge, Branch Road. The large cards will cost £2.50 each, of which more than 75% will go to support local groups. Half will go to Grove House Hospice; the other half will be divided equally between St.Michael's School, the Friends of St.Michael's Church (for the church fabric) and lastly, this Society. Details of the final sums raised will be published in a future news letter and on the village website.
We have since received an update to the above article. Move your muse pointer over this text to see it.
The six months of selling our local cards has now ended. This raised a total of £319.09 net for the specified local good causes. We are grateful to all those who supported the venture and to John Bethel who contributed £60 to this from his sale of prints in the barn last autumn.
We are pleased to report that in addition to the £170 we have sent already to Grove House Hospice, we have also donated £60 to the Friends of St Michael’s Church and £60 to St Michael’s School. The few remaining cards are being retained for Society use and £29.09 placed in our funds for future community use.
Liz Holliday
We are concerned that a proposal to build a large number of houses on the former playing fields in King Harry Lane has been submitted to the Council's Planning Authority. This is outside the Society's coverage as defined in its Constitution.
However, any such development will bring an unwelcome increase in the traffic flow (or jams) on the already congested junction at the King Harry pub. We shall support the objections already raised by others, most particularly the Verulam Residents Association.
It seems generally agreed that St. Albans is not richly furnished with public art or sculpture. The suggestion by local residents Morgan Howell and Andrew Carruthers that a sculpture called “The Big V” (see www.thebigv.info) should be put in Verulamium Park has aroused differing responses. While most people welcome the initiative, and many have chosen to champion it, some feel that a range of suggested sculptures should be sought and then chosen by public consultation, while others feel local figures should be considered as subjects; such as St. Alban or Samuel Ryder.
We would like your views. So please send us a letter, or email either direct or to the village website.
Jill Singer
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MICHAEL’S MANOR
Fishpool Street, St. Albans, Hertfordshire, AL3 4RY |
