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August/September 2001
Apologies for missing the August newsletter, the family Garland was on holiday in Turkey at the time. What a wonderful country and such friendly people.
Whilst away Feltwell got a new water tower! (See v. small attached photograph, bigger version available). The tower repairs at St Mary's have started even though the Parochial Church Council is still £15000 short. The architects, upon closer inspection, have now found that various bits are not as bad as was thought earlier but unfortunately some other bits are much worse so, overall, no saving in the cost. Unfortunately all of the scaffolding and netting detract from the church as a suitable backdrop for wedding photographs. The PCC are still madly putting on fund-raising events, the latest being a "Times Remembered" exhibition last weekend. This was open to anyone to exhibit any old article of memorabilia from their past and items ranged in age from the early 1900s to the 1970s. How did we manage to walk in platform shoes? The find of the exhibition for me was a series of photographs of some of Feltwell's past Rectors. Apparently these had been languishing at the back of a filing cabinet and when the churchwardens went looking for something to display they were discovered, along with a Roll of Honour from WW2 and some correspondence between Canon Sparke and various stained-glass makers in France. Several of St Mary’s windows are french and were purchased by Canon Sparke back in the 1800s. I wonder just what else is awaiting rediscovery in the church records. One day perhaps! (Sigh). Another rare item, which came to light, was a copy of an old school magazine containing children's work, many of who still live in the village and have families of their own. On the cover was a photograph of a "Welcome to Feltwell" road sign which, apparently, the County Council insisted on destroying despite having had a request for it from Pip Orange when he started the museum. Institutional vandalism. I'm trying to borrow the magazine so that I can scan the cover, as it really was quite a nice looking sign.
Also whilst I was away a new chapter in the continuing story of the composting operation at the landfill site unfolded. Apparently the County Council have issued another "Stop Notice" against Anti-Waste following a site visit by some County Councillors and affected residents that just happened to coincide with a delivery of new material for composting. I am told that the smell was 'not pleasant' and that the residents positively identified it as the one affecting them. In the meantime the company have finally put in a planning application for the very process that has just had the 'Stop Notice' issued against it. Confused? They've also applied to install a generator to burn the methane that is now being produced so that they can sell electricity to the National Grid. Where there's muck ........ And tomorrow night I've been asked to chair the next meeting between the residents, the County Council and the company - could be interesting.
On the website front I'm madly trying to create space by converting photographs from Gif to Jpeg so that I can add new material to sites 1 and 2. Site 3 is progressing at the rate of one new road a month at least, as long as the photographs get back from the developers. I've given up on the digital camera as all shots come out with an odd colour balance or greenish streaks on them e.g. blue sky comes out with a heavy purple tint! Space permitting site 2 should be updated with the addition of a very interesting series of letters from Mrs O'Rorke concerning an agricultural strike in the late 1890s.
Family tree queries this month concern the following surnames - Pidd, Walker, Adams, Carter, Ayres, Russell, Spencer and Levett. New members since the last newsletter, approximately 6 - I'll know for sure when I've updated the membership page.
