Paulerspury People July 2011
The Newsletter of The RREC Paulerspury Section
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Paulerspury People - July 2011
Paulerspury People
July 2011
The newsletter of the Rolls Royce Enthusiasts’ Club - Paulerspury Section
Contents Not a Lot of People Know That
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Chairman’s Bit
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Editor’s Comments
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January Pub Lunch
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February Pub Lunch
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Pendon Railway Museum
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Visit to Bentley Driver’s Club
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March Pub Lunch
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St George’s Day Lunch
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Northumberland Rally
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Annual Concours and Rally
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Broadwell House Picnic and Driving Day
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Member’s Bits, ‘The Passing Of A Cloud’
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Technical Corner
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Secretary’s Report
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Forthcoming Events
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Section Contacts
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The quality and quantity of the content of Paulerspury People is provided by our members for the enjoyment of others. If you have something to tell us about, do let us know, by email preferably editor@rrecpaulerspury.org.uk and we will do our best to include it. Supporting photographs are especially welcome. We are keen to revive ‘Me and my car’, so do let us know about yours. Front Cover Photograph: ‘Hat Man’ Steven Murray completes eight days of cleaning outside The Old Rectory in Great Easton on Saturday prior to the Annual Rally
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Not a Lot of People Know That One of the great society scandals of the war years happened in 1944, when actor-manager Ivor Novello, darling of the theatre, was imprisoned in Wormwood Scrubbs for one month for unpatriotically driving his Rolls-Royce without a wartime petrol permit.
In the film ‘Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines’, Robert Morley is featured as the driver of an old Rolls-Royce. It was in fact the most famous Rolls-Royce of all, the original Silver Ghost.
Cary Grant hated to be caught without a Rolls-Royce. He had three of them garaged simultaneously in Hollywood, New York and London. The last registered CG 1.
Peter Sellers owned over 100 cars - including a string of Rolls-Royces. In 1968, in Belgravia, London, he accomplished the rare feat of crashing his silver RollsRoyce (bought from Terence Rattigan) into another Rolls-Royce, reportedly in a fit of anger about something his passenger, Miranda Quarry, had said.
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Paulerspury People - July 2011
Chairmans Bit Welcome to the summer edition of the PP. As I am exercising my little grey cells writing the ‘Chairman’s Bit’, I have been relinquished from the double task of reporting on the Annual Rally as our editor tells me this has been covered by his mystery roving reporter. Who could it be? I can’t mention the Rally, however, without thanking Keith and Pippa Davies for hosting the tailgate party. It was a great success and drew many members of the section to their beautiful 1952 Bentley Mk VI. Well done both. Chairman - Chris Ball
I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate those who won at the Annual Rally. In the words of Bruce Forsyth, ‘Didn’t we do well?’ Mike Martin’s and Steve Murray’s cars were awarded Touring Class; David Davis’s car First in Elegance in its Class and last but not least, Lou Lou Belle II, my Silver Spur, won its Touring Class plus First in Elegance in her Class. In addition, she also won the P & A Wood Trophy for the Best Touring Car in Show. What a great day and what splendid results for the Paulerspury section. With regard to Committee matters, It gives me great pleasure to welcome Steve Dolan who was co-opted onto the Committee at the last meeting. His enthusiasm knows no bounds and I’m sure he will make a good addition to the team. As always, we’ve made a good start to the driving season. In March section members visited the Bentley Drivers’ Club at their new purpose designed modern premises in Banbury. The St George’s Day Run took place on a fine Spring day in April and once again Alan and Margaret Fuller did a great job of organising it. I was also very pleased to have the opportunity to present them with the St George’s Trophy for all their hard work on the section’s behalf (see write up and photo on page 13). Prior to the St George’s jaunt, many section members’ cars were chosen to parade before HRH the Duke of Edinburgh. The event, held at Windsor, was to celebrate his upcoming 90th birthday on 10th June. Well done to all those whose cars were chosen to parade. On 29 April a small group from the section attended the RNLI Harwich Lifeboats’ Annual Banquet. We had a great evening with the crew, meeting their other guests and dancing the night away. The purpose of the visit was to present a commemorative cheque for the money the section had raised over the past 18 months and I was pleased to pass a cheque for £3,272.36p to Captain Rod Shaw, the Harwich Lifeboats’ Honorary Operations Manager. Paulerspury People - July 2011
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I’m also pleased to report that this year’s funding raising had started off well and so far £1250 has been raised for Harwich. This grand sum was raised at the Northumberland Rally and is down to the generosity of those who attended. My heartfelt thanks to you all. In May some 24-section cars and their owners took over the Langley Castle hotel for a five-day rally in Chris handing cheque to Harwich Lifeboat Captain Rod Shaw the beautiful and majestic North East. The landscape boasts fabulous castles and monuments and is acclaimed as England’s most tranquil place. My thanks go to Mike and Kathy Martin for organising it and you can read more about the visit in this edition of the PP. Many events remain in the calendar for the season; not least David and Barbara Clarke’s Charity Cheese and Wine party on 7 August. Although it is filling up, there are some spaces left and if you’d like to come along complete the form in this edition of the PP to secure your place. The Annual Picnic is taking place at Ascott House on Sunday, 21 August. It is a National Trust property situated near Aylesbury. Why not come along for a fine day out? I am looking forward to the visit to Ely Cathedral in mid-July and the visit to Poole in September is eagerly awaited. Having just done the recci, I can say it’s going to be a great weekend. Don’t forget to look on the section’s web site and in the PP for other events taking place this year. Some events are already scheduled for 2012 and, as always, remember to book early to avoid disappointment. All that remains is for me to say happy summer motoring and hopefully there will be many fine and sunny days on which to take our cars out for a spin.
Chris Ball 6
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Editors Comments The year has been very exciting and many of our members have enjoyed covering great distances in their cars. Wherever they travel, the cars are received with great respect and admiration and it is my privilige to keep you informed of all of this. I can only do it if members are keen enough to provide write ups on events and thankfully they do. It is most welcome and helps to keep the PP ‘a cut above the rest’. If you have any items of interest, do let me have them. Rolls-Royce or Bentley articles are welcome of course, but I know many of you have other cars or hobbies and the rest of us would like to hear about them too. Photographs to support your articles are most welcome. You may have noticed in the ‘Chairman’s Bit’ that I enlisted the services of a mystery roving reporter to cover the Annual Rally. This was of course in anticipation of the Chairman being extremely busy counting the rosettes on his very beautiful ‘Lou Lou Belle II’ as he cleaned up in his class. Congratulations to him and to our other deserving winners featured in the Annual rally report.
Barry Gallafent RREC Ten Year Badges Section members are advised that the Club Shop now has 10 year membership badges available to buy at £12 each plus postage. Members who are eligible and would like to purchase one should contact the RREC club shop manager Linda Housden at The Hunt House. Linda will ensure that you qualify and that your details are updated on the database. Linda can be contacted by telephone during office hours on 01327 811788.
January Pub Lunch Bustling up to the young waitress hurriedly stepping aside, he called out loud enough for all to hear “I only want to go to the loo and they wouldn’t let me – and I’M THE CHAIRMAN!” No doubt about it – we had found the Paulerspury Pub Lunch, after a very interesting (albeit unscheduled) exploration of the surrounding countryside. Well worth it of course – good company, good food and a good venue. Paulerspury People - July 2011
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The Wicked Lady at Wheathampstead warrants remembering as a place to take friends – comfortable, interesting artifacts such as carved printing blocks, and the place settings on oak tables are generously wide, (like 3 feet wide !). Servings were to our liking too – we are not often enthusiastic about artistic damp patches on plates, and never about quantity without quality. The Wicked Lady does it just right.
Wicked Lady of the night
But then what would you expect – Robert and Jill’s events are consistently ‘just right’. Thank you! We really appreciate what you and all the Committee members do for us.
Robert and June Brown February Pub Lunch Ye Olde Swan at Woughton-On-The-Green in Milton Keynes was the destination for this lunchtime gathering, it is a charming venue in a lovely village setting. A goodly number of us turned out as usual and despite the rain, many brought their club cars. Olde Worlde charm does however have its disadvantages for taller people and many heads were banged on beams, Adrian even drew blood! It was very cold inside when we first arrived despite the efforts of a splendid open fire; the central heating seemed to be radiating cold. After a quick word, assistant manager Olly got to grips with the controls and soon had us all a glow. A strange quiet was evident during lunch and it was some time before any of us realised Conversation flows whilst lunch is awaited why this was. No chairman! Mr Ball (now known as chairman minimus) was not with us but in true testimony to his superb leadership, we managed to carry on just as if he were. Alas there were no speeches and the Harwich Lifeboat may be down a few pounds too but in all it was another convivial gathering of Paulerspury stalwarts and our thanks go to Mia for organising it.
Barry and Ruth Gallafent 8
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Visit to Pendon Model Railway Museum On Saturday 22 March a group of us visited The Pendon Museum Trust, an absolute railway modellers delight, concealed in the Oxfordshire countryside at Long Wittenham, near Abingdon. The museum was a vision of an Australian model railway enthusiast who came to England in 1925 hoping to market his complex model train control system. Roye England aged just 18 years, arrived in Plymouth and travelled to London on the Great Western Railway. The train on which he travelled was hauled by the Star class locomotive, Westminster Abbey. Roye claimed he fell in love twice that day, Bert Gladwin chats with Chris Goddard at Pendon initially with the Great Western Railway and secondly with the beautiful countryside through which he passed. Roye lived in Swindon for a while. Known as the valley of the white horse, the area was depressed at that time and Roye, taken with its beauty, vowed to preserve it for all time in miniature so that others may see what he was so taken with upon his arrival in England. Near Roye’s home was a former inn ‘The Calley Arms’. This was being shortened, straightened, roughcast and having pink asbestos tiles fitted to the roof to replace the thatch. Roye decided this would be his first model. He would build it in the thatched style as it was originally and so The Waggon & Horses, Roye Englands first model he commenced building it in 1931 and it was finally completed in 1935. Roye’s thatched inn is now the Waggon and Horses that features in the Vale landscape. By the mid 50’s, Roye had assembled a team of volunteers and the time was right to find somewhere to display his models to the public. Roye found another former inn, The Three Poplars public house in Long Wittenham and realised this would provide him with somewhere to live as well as a site for his first museum. This was an ex-RAF hut sited adjacent to his house and was the foundation for the current museum. In 1971 the current building was erected over the existing hut and construction of the wonderful exhibits we saw began.
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GWR Locomotive
Over the next ten years volunteers fitted out the building and built various dioramas which were put on display to the public. These were to be incorporated eventually, in to the Vale Landscape and by 1981, they were. For the next decade and a half model buildings were constructed and the landscaping developed. The railway was incorporated in to the landscape and control systems developed. Considerable progress had been made by the time of Roye’s death in 1995, giving him great comfort that others would continue to see that his vision was fulfilled.
Pendon is also home to the Madder Valley Railway built by John Ahern in the 1930’s. It was the first model railway to be set in a fully developed landscape utilising modelling techniques that have since become legendary. So old and frail is this amazing layout, that the museum only runs it on certain days. We did not see it in operation. Real life or modelled? It really is hard to tell
This visit fascinated every one of us. The detail in modelling is almost beyond belief even down to pictures on the walls of houses.
The detail in these models is unbelievable. Every piece is handmade, there are no ‘shop bought’ items at all.
After our visit we adjourned to the local pub for sausage and chips. In all we enjoyed a very good morning out and our thanks go to Ray Hillier for organising it. P.S. I apologise for the pictures being a little soft, they were all taken without flash and through perspex screens.
Mike Martin 10
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Visit to the Bentley Drivers Club Twenty members of the section headed out to Wroxton, just to the west of Banbury, to visit the headquarters of the W O Bentley memorial foundation and the Bentley Drivers Club. It is a very impressive, modern, purpose built facility comprising an open plan reception area housing some interesting exhibits both free standing and in glass cases, considerable office and archive accommodation and a ‘museum’ area that is themed each year. At the time of our visit the MKVI was featured.
Reception area at the Bentley Drivers club
We were welcomed on arrival with coffee and biscuits and divided in to two groups for simultaneous tours of the facility. Our group was led by Alan Bodfish the BDC archive administrator, one of the few full time salaried staff members, clearly a Bentley enthusiast and extremely knowledgeable. Modern offices are modern office of course and not in themselves particularly exciting, but the boardroom features some of the original furniture from W O Bentley’s office in Cricklewood including the boardroom table and some magnificent glass fronted wall units. Our tours terminated in the ‘museum’ area where we were all seated for a talk on the work of the W O Bentley Foundation and shown a short DVD. Just before one o’clock we moved to the car park for a short photo opportunity. A donation was given to the BDC in appreciation of their hospitality. Just about a mile away is the White Horse at Wroxton, a very nice country pub indeed, where we enjoyed a superb two course lunch, served by the landlord and his family. The food quality and the service provided were both excellent and should you ever chance upon it, be sure to stop. Paulerspury People - July 2011
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Alan Bodfish tells us about the MKVI exhibits
Outside the White Horse at Wroxton
Sometimes these midweek events can be overlooked because of other commitments, but members go to a lot of trouble to organise them and they do prove interesting and very sociable. On this occasion our thanks are due to Adrian Denham for organising yet another enjoyable event.
Barry and Ruth Gallafent 12
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March Pub Lunch Thirty one members and family congregated at ‘Dunkleys’ on Sunday 27th March for lunch. It was nice to see eight members had come in their club cars. We had been to Dunkleys before and as usual a very nice Sunday lunch was enjoyed by all whilst catching up with friends.
Val Yates How funny, as we were enjoying our Sunday roasts, the proprietors were preparing to sell the very seats we were sitting on. Yes Dunkley’s is on the market for a cool £570,000 and if you need somewhere to live you can buy the bungalow next door for another £230,000. Ed.
St George’s Day Road Run Sunday 17th April 2011 St George’s Day run started early for us as tyres and oil had still to be checked before starting out. At 8.30 am it was still rather cool so we left the hood up for the journey to The Falcon in Bletsoe where we were booked to have our coffee break and all meet up.
An impressive line-up outside the Falcon at Bletsoe
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After coffee we congregated in the car park where I counted about 26 highly polished cars. It also seemed a lot of the ladies were wearing red and white (and very nice they looked), and there were several questionable gentlemen some sporting St. George ties, our Section Chairman was seen wearing a tall St George top hat with a Not RR or B, but very beautiful, Alan and Margaret Fullers E-Type somewhat bizarre embellishment on top, and Adrian Denham wafting about wearing a large St George flag as a cloak which he then proceeded to drape over our windscreen which would not have helped the driving one bit. After being handed out our “destructions” by Margaret and noting that our destination The George at Spaldwick would not open until & nb sp;12 noon, we set off. The route was easy to follow and made its way through many attractive lanes and villages in Bedfordshire and Huntingdonshire - an area we personally do not know well. A stop was made in Buckden to see a certain retail outlet and an inspection made of the contents of the windows and one or two mental ‘sold’ tags placed on some articles. We arrived in good time at The George and joined the neatly parked cars at the front. We than went in to the bar to get some drinks before sitting down inside out of the sun as our faces already glowed from the sun during the morning. Jim and Pat Fleming arrived in the official Rolls Royce Phantom fresh from fraternising with Royalty! We noticed Jim was shaking hands only with his left hand as he hadn’t washed his right since shaking hands with Prince Philip at Windsor. We were called in for lunch and found personal menu cards on the tables in case we couldn’t remember what we had chosen (what a good idea - especially for those with dietary requirements such as vanilla ice cream for Geoff). Margaret came round with a raffle ticket each and after a very pleasant meal and lots of loud conversations flowing all 14
Geoff and Val Mitchell attend to their roof while the Gunn’s look on
Paulerspury People - July 2011
Margaret and Alan ‘delighted’ to receive the St George’s trophy from Chris Ball (Chairman Minimus)
Jim Fleming’s (Chairman Maximus) state limo fresh from the Duke of Edinburghs’ birthday celebrations
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around us, Chris stood up to make a brief speech and raffle tickets were drawn. However, the lads and lasses tickets got mixed up so Steve Dolan won the flowers which were hastily swapped with the chap prize and then Adrian Denham won the flowers and was told to pass them to a lady of his choice! The superb interior of The George at Spaldwick
The streets of Spaldwick were lined with club cars
Mmm, looks like a nice car says Mike Martin
The sunshine allowed us to retire outside when lunch was over
One day Minimus!
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Two pretty young handmaidens came round and gave us all a pressie from St George and then everyone started to circulate to chat to those they missed seeing earlier, then started to set off home. When we arrived home we had clocked up 165 miles driving on a lovely warm sunny day - what more could one ask for? Thanks to Margaret and Alan Fuller for all their hard work in organizing such a great day out for us all.
Val and Geoff Mitchell 17
Northumberland Rally - 22nd to 27th May 2011 A little bit about what we get up to when Paulerspury Section go on holiday: Arrival Day Folders sent, bags packed, car cleaned to within an inch of its life – we were ready. After what seemed ages, with loads of organisation, visits, phone calls, e-mails etc the rally was upon us. We travelled up on the Saturday, like many others. We wanted to arrive at Langley mid Sunday before anyone else to ensure all was ready. It was. Slowly the participants arrived and were settled into their rooms, stuffed with tea and scones, cream and strawberries. After a brief welcome, and the celebration of Janet and Wendy’s birthdays over glasses of bubbly, we Langley Castle were ready for our first meal. Kathy and I crossed our fingers in anticipation of the week to come. Would they like the rally? Well read on to find out… Mike (King) Martin Hadrian’s Wall Day “Weather dependent”, it had said in the notes for today, weather we got! We were awakened to the sound of rain, wind, oh and peacocks. Even so, some of the ladies did their own “Gentle Jaunt” around the country lanes before breakfast despite the fierce wind and rain.
Listening to our guide at the Vindolanda
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Undeterred, the cars rolled out after breakfast towards Vindolanda set amongst some beautiful countryside with rolling green hills dotted with sheep and somewhat fat (and tasty) looking lambs. Paulerspury People - July 2011
The Vindolanda Trust is an independent charity that raises money from visits to fund the excavation, conservation, research and education activities. On our arrival at Vindolanda, the group huddled from the rain and now storm force winds until we had an excellent talk from the resident archaeologist (which took place under cover rather than on site as was originally planned). The talk was enthralling View across the excavations and on looking around the group we could only see faces focussed on our speaker, transfixed by his tales of the continuing dig at Vindolanda and the lives of the Romans based there. The site is made up of 9 forts on top of each other, 2 stone and 7 wooden. Why so many? Well, in Roman times, they had no idea of a damp-proof course so each fort only lasted about 50 years before it was necessary to do a rebuild. The latest fort is the 3rd century one, which is at the top of the archaeology, and the earliest fort predates Hadrian’s Wall by 43 years. The lower layers of archaeology are well preserved because they are set in clay and were built over immediately, thus preserving things well as no air could get in and deteriorate artefacts. Different nationalities were involved in the service of the army, not just Romans. Each had their own special skills, for example the Batavians could swim in full battle gear (useful, huh?!). The idea that it was a hated outpost of the Roman Empire is not really true as it had a similar climate to now (although our day there was not the best representation of climate!) and it was quite a civilised and sophisticated society. We know this because of the great preservation of the lower layers of archaeology where they have found perfectly preserved postcards, letters and reports and have learned a lot about the way the inhabitants lived. They have even got to know people’s names and personalities and can even recognise some people’s handwriting. Some of the opinions of the “natives” are quite amusing – they were often referred to as the “wretched little Brits” (we were wretched that day, for sure). Our speaker ended by informing us that there was just another 150 years or more to go on the dig. It is that rich in turning up finds – items are unearthed every single day! They even found a Roman murder victim once. After the talk we walked out onto the excavation to cross it and visit the museum. It was at this point that several umbrellas were destroyed and probably added Paulerspury People - July 2011
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to the archaeology for future generations to uncover (they’ll think it was a mass umbrella sacrificing ritual!) Still, we all continued as per the plan and a very bedraggled set of Paulerspury People arrived at the museum which was very interesting – we squelched around looking at the many fragments of written documents on display with translations, and lots of other artefacts, including textiles, leather goods, wooden objects. In the gift shop you could buy a copy of “Harrius Potter et Philosophi Lapis” – “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” in Latin! Following the visit we all headed out to lunch and many of us ended up at one of the recommended pubs. It was a great atmosphere as we thawed and dried out but luck wasn’t with us today as the pub had lost power in the kitchens and was making do by providing us with soup and sandwiches. We were true adventurers in the furthest outpost of the Roman Empire! Warm again and with brightening weather we headed off to the Roman Army Museum. Here we watched an interesting film about “joining up” to the Roman forces, which many of us were beginning to think we had, inadvertently, done. And then there was a brilliant presentation by a Roman soldier. He was really entertaining regaling us with stories about life in the army – funny and informative. Back to Langley Castle for tea before dressing for dinner which was a feast in the dining room. Feeling like a group of Romans and after several cases of wine and mistaken identity when referring to the Chairman (due to the presence of both the Section Chairman, Chris Ball and Club Chairman, Jim Fleming) we came up with new titles for both chairs. Chris is now to be known as Chairman Minimus and Jim as Chairman Maximus. Simples, huh! Of course Mike Martin remained the self-declared king of our castle. Steven & Mia Murray
Feasting in the dining room at Langley Castle
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Driving Day The howling winds that we experienced on Monday had abated overnight to mere hurricane force as we all slowly assembled for breakfast. The ladies walking club was once again in full flight, but was far too energetic for most at that time of day. On the male side however, energy was of course expended in ritual car cleaning with happy anticipation of an exciting day of driving to come. This proved to be a somewhat fruitless exercise as the winds drove away the patchy early morning sunshine, changing rapidly to drizzle, then to steady rain, and then to intermittent downpours. At around 10.00 a.m., a steady flow of cars left Langley Castle for the 79 mile, 2 hour run to Otterburn. Despite less than ideal visibility, the scenery was just as spectacular as Mike and Kathy had promised us and with quiet roads, the driving was a distinct pleasure. We travelled out through the village of Haydon Bridge, across the mighty Tyne and up on to the high moors passing alongside several miles of Hadrian’s Wall, before turning away northwards and into the lush green valleys of northernmost England. At Bellingham, we turned off the main road on to even quieter lanes for the run towards Kielder Water. Surrounded by the biggest working forest in England, Kielder is an awe inspiring lake built in the late 1970s to provide water and hydro-electric power for the Tyne & Wear conurbation. The largest manmade lake in Northern Europe, it has settled magnificently into the landscape, providing not only scenic beauty but also exemplary leisure facilities. After passing through the small village of Kielder, we soon crossed over the border into Scotland. They say that you can experience all the four seasons in one day in Scotland,
All parked up at Otterburn Tower
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and judging from our 20 miles worth of experience, they are certainly not wrong! Back in England, we soon made it to Otterburn Tower hotel, where a fine buffet lunch awaited us. For some, the day’s excursion ended after lunch by returning to Langley Castle, but for those made of hardier stuff (and possessing National Trust cards) we travelled onwards through yet more spectacular countryside to Rothbury and Cragside House. Built in Victorian times by the inventor Lord William Armstrong, the house was the wonder of its age, being the first house in the world to be powered by electricity generated from its own hydro-electric system. For those happy to undertake a lengthy walk down the valley, the original generation equipment is still there to view. The rain even stopped long enough for us to enjoy a walk around the splendid grounds and to see one of the biggest rock gardens in Europe, spanned by a refurbished Victorian wrought iron bridge. After a lengthy day, we assembled back at Langley Castle for yet another superb dinner. The weary went to bed, whilst the more daring of us enjoyed the “Gentlemen’s Club” atmosphere in the back of dear Peter Nightingale’s Phantom V. What a splendid way to round off an exceptional day. Keith Davies Free Day Everyone was free to do as they chose. Here are reports of a few things people did: Day Off – (so I thought) A remarkable day out – John Martin Heritage Trail After a very busy few days enjoying the scenery of Northumberland, Mike & Kathy programmed the day off. Thoughts of staying in bed or a day shopping with a good lunch soon were diminished when the Mitchells suggested we have a day walking. Again thoughts of walking until lunch then down to the nearest town for an afternoon shopping, all diminished when the John Martin Heritage Trail was mentioned. It is in two circular sections centred round Haydon Bridge. The Northern Section to Haydon-on Olde Church is 2 miles (Great Shopping from late morning). The Southern Section to Allen Bridge is a mere 11 miles, takes 5-6 hours. (I asked at this point were we taking the car!!!). After further discussions it was decided to take the Southern Section to Allen Bridge. The information on the John Martin trail was the River Allen can be particularly dangerous when in flood and high winds can bring down trees and branches. (However mentioning this to the team and waiting to see who pulled out first did not go down too well. Also mentioning that I thought perhaps shopping would be less dangerous for us all, was a nonstarter). 22
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So off we started from Langley Castle after breakfast fully kitted up for a good day’s walking. It was dry and bright as we left the castle and very soon we were in beautiful countryside with magnificent scenery. We walked out towards Haydon Bridge and then followed the River South Tyne. There were many steep slopes and cliffs, particularly in the Allen Banks and Staward Gorge area. A little daunting but magnificent. At this point we could see where John Martin had his inspiration for his paintings that can now be seen in the Tate Gallery. We did stop for lunch in the Allen Banks Nature Reserve; this was an apple on a wooden bench. The trail then took us to Harsondale and back via West Deanraw to Langley Castle. The walk took all of 5 hours. The trail was almost deserted, the only people we saw all day was a couple walking their dog. We all then retired to the lounge for Tea and Cakes and a good soak in the bath. The John Martin Heritage trail was developed as part of a community project in 2004, celebrating the life and work of John Martin. It was officially opened in April 2006. Carole Gunn Cragside The weather on Wednesday morning didn’t look very promising, so, after Peter had finished with LCS 533F cleaning duties we had a leisurely breakfast and departed Langley castle for a 40 mile gentle jaunt to Cragside (National Trust). Most of our party had been there the day before but we had visited Hexham Abbey. Arriving at Cragside we did the six mile trip around the estate’s one way system at 5 –15 mph, very relaxing and the rhododendrons were at their most spectacular, towering over the drive 20-30 meters in some parts and ranging in colour from almost white to deep red.
Peter Nightingale cleans his beautiful James Young Phantom ready for the trip to Cragside
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After a light lunch and a look around the shop in the visitors centre, we walked to the house. This is a splendid example of Victoriana and it was most interesting to see all Sir William Armstrong’s inventions put to practical use. I especially liked the kitchen. In the gallery, the Victorians loved to display taxidermy. The most exotic of these was a bird of paradise from Papua New Guinea but Peter rather liked the full size statue of the slave girl with gold earrings displayed on the staircase. On leaving the house I asked two questions: How did Sir William get out of the plunge bath without the help of a strong footman? How does the National Trust keep the carpets so clean with so many Visitors? Answers on a postcard please. Audrey Nightingale Beamish After two days of brilliantly organised trips with the Club to Vindolanda and the Roman Army Museum (Monday) and a Scenic Driving Day in Northumberland National park, Wednesday was to be a day to “do our own thing”. After consultation between Jacky and Robin Taft, John and myself, we considered Edinburgh but, although we love driving our wonderful club car, we thought it was a bit far to go. We settled on Beamish – the Living Museum of the North. We decided to take one car and off we went, leaving our impressive Langley Castle accommodation, the gentle “purr” of the engine taking us on our way through some spectacular scenery. On arrival at Beamish we carefully parked the car, which as usual attracted a few admiring glances, and made our way into a re-creation of history (c.1913) taking the old tram to Home Farm, then on to the Colliery, venturing into the old drift mine (opened in 1855) to see and feel what miners’ working conditions were like – not something I would like to do every day – 15 minutes was enough!! Then back on the tram to the Town to see the old shops, houses, Masonic Hall and the dentist – pretty horrendous implements being used there. After a light lunch in the Tea Rooms we looked around the Co-operative Store – food, drapery and hardware departments – all marked in 1913 prices. By this time we were exhausted and decided to head back to the hotel for yet another superb evening meal. 24
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Whilst writing this I would like to express the thanks of myself, John, Jacky and Robin to all the members of the Paulerspury Section of the RREC for your friendly welcome – it has been most enjoyable meeting you. Janet Allchurch We had a lovely day! June had never seen Durham Cathedral so we had decided before the Rally began that, given the opportunity, we would go there. Other rallyists went there too as we discovered that evening over dinner. I was apprehensive about parking so, after breakfast I asked at Reception about public transport and learnt that to go by rail would be easy. Great, we could go on a train. Something we do so rarely these days that we looked forward to it with the delight of children. We did enjoy it – two trains each way, (change at Newcastle’s delightful curving railway station – rather like York). On arrival at Durham you can see the castle and cathedral high above the town, so where to go is obvious. We walked down the hill and into the city. Our first call was not even coffee, (or loos), but a dose of retail therapy. Then across the bridge into the winding cobbled streets of the old town and a climb up to The Green, with the long side of the magnificent Norman cathedral opposite and the college buildings and castle completing the square. The sun is out and the grass is populated by groups of students of Durham University. What a setting in which to study – memories of youth were stirred. We had lunch in the cathedral refectory before exploring this great church and its abbey enclaves. Durham Cathedral is awe-inspiring, (an inadequate description), and its impact when first built must have been overwhelming. Norman overlords who spoke a foreign tongue and built enormous buildings in stone, not timber, must have seemed to be people from another world. Mid afternoon and rather tired we spotted a bus in the square, destination ‘Station’ – what luck – so we stepped aboard and began our journey ‘home’ to Langley Castle in time for a quick snooze and the delights of a four course dinner in good company. What a day! Robert and June Brown Alnwick Day - Blood-curdling botanicals and other interesting things at Alnwick Garden. On Thursday we visited this amazing garden owned by the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland. The Percy family has been at Alnwick Castle for 700 years Paulerspury People - July 2011
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and the present duchess has made a major contribution to the attractions of the North East in the shape of this beautiful place. The garden brought to life by the Grand Cascade water feature was created on a site that was derelict a little over ten years ago. There is a tree house, which is like Hansel and Gretel on steriods! It’s high in the treetops and is a spectacular
Another neat line-up, this time at Alnwick Castle and Gardens
place with lofty walkways and wobbly rope bridges. It’s one of the largest tree houses in the world; spans twenty lime trees and houses a restaurant. If you didn’t visit it, then you missed a trick. The attraction that most interests me, though, is the Poison Garden. Here’s a question for you: what do the Duchess of Northumberland and the James Bond arch-villain Blofeld have in common? I’ll tell you – spookily, they nurture a secret passion for Mother Nature’s most appalling creations – plants that can kill and maim unwary human beings in the garden. The Duchess grows hemlock and the deadly caster bean plant, whilst Blofeld in the thriller You only Live Twice, filled his so-called “garden of death” with poisonous plants to ensnare victims. The locked wrought iron gates remind visitors of the danger within the garden. The berry from the caster bean plant produces ricin, the poison which killed Georgi Markow as he walked across Waterloo Bridge. He was jabbed in the back with an umbrella and suffered an awful death. No one has ever been charged with his murder. The Oleander tree is so dangerous it’s kept in a cage. The twigs from the tree were used by French soldiers in the Napoleonic wars as skewers to cook their meat over fires and apparently they lost more soldiers to the poison than to the actual fighting. Such a pretty plant when it’s in bloom and you see them growing all over the place in France. Cannabis is also kept in a cage and the duchess has a licence from the Home Office to be able to grow that and magic mushrooms. There were other plants like the pretty Christmas rose (hellebore), the common poppy (heroin) and many more too numerous to mention. The frightening thing is many are in our gardens. A sobering thought. The garden does have an educational side though, and programmes have been developed in consultation with the Education Department’s Drug Action Team and groups of children come along to hear about the dangers of drugs and what can happen if taken. 26
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I mentioned the Grand Cascade earlier and what a feat of engineering it is. It’s constructed in a series of 21 weirs and 7,260 gallons of water per minute tumble down it at peak flow. The sequence of the Cascade changes every half-hour throughout the day, with four sequences in total and the climax is an eruption of fountains forming a mass of water, which, at its peak, reaches a height of six metres. The sequences are computer-controlled by state of the art equipment in the pump room below the Grand Cascade. After lunch in the Pavilion we took a stroll to the medieval castle, which doubled as Hogwarts in the Harry Potter films and was disappointed to find that we had only just missed out on lessons on how to fly a broomstick! Chris reckoned my The Grand Cascade at Alnwick Castle and Gardens mother was a grand master on hers and that it even had derailleur gears. As you can imagine he got a slap for that! Alnwick Castle is the second largest inhabited castle in England and has been the home of the Percys, Earls and Dukes of Northumberland since 1309. It is very grand but you can see it is home to the Duke and Duchess as all their family photographs and personal effects are scattered around. Apparently, they regularly use the newly refurbished dining room for entertaining. After visiting the castle we made our way back to our own castle, Langley, to relax before the black tie dinner that evening. The dinner was most enjoyable and afterwards I had the honour to crown the King and his Consort, aka Mike and Kathy. They were presented with a goodly sum of money in recognition of their hard work in organising the rally on everyone’s behalf. A diamond pendant was also auctioned and the total sum of £1250 was raised for the RNLI Harwich Lifeboat. During our visit, we drove our cars into designated Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, ate wonderful food and drank some lovely wines. We also met some interesting local people along the way and thanks go Mike and Kathy Martin for organising such an interesting and memorable rally.
Linda Ball Paulerspury People - July 2011
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Steven and Mia Murray stopped of for tea at Betty’s in Harrogate on the way home Betty’s Tearoom was founded by Frederick Belmont in 1919
The Kennedy’s found a 1932 railway carriage at The Black Bull in Moulton, North Yorkshire, outside which to park their 1932 Rolls-Royce 20/25. The carriage was built by Metro-Cammell and formed part of a five car set as Southern Railways ‘Brighton Belle’. ‘Hazel’ as the carriage is named, was still operating on the London Victoria to Brighton line until the service was axed in 1972.
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Paulerspury Section Sweeps The Board at the Annual Concours and Rally In the depths of that very cold winter, plans were already afoot as to what cars were being entered in what class at the much anticipated Annual Rally to be held for its second year at Rockingham Castle. By April laptops were being taken into motorhouses, and heads were in hands at the enormity of what was really involved to be in with the slightest chance of a rosette. Actual work then commenced right up until Judgment Day. Saturday - day 2 of this most enjoyable event, was by complete contrast, a more relaxed affair. Many club cars remained at home in the dry or anxiously at a local B&B in the wet. This is a day to go shopping, a hard to source hub cap here, a grease gun there and to catch up with friends from all over the country. Picnics were arranged and steamed up sports cars were used as impromptu coffee houses as the heavens opened - and a home in the Bahamas once again felt like a good idea. The Bonham’s Auction, was as always a draw, gasps being heard as few cars reached their reserve, a beautiful Shadow went for £4,500, a Bentley Turbo for £9000, cheers when the £100,000 barrier was breached, entertainment as Switzerland slugged it out with Lichtenstein. “Don’t buy that” a dealer whispered “there is water pouring out of it”.
Paulerspury rally-goers were kindly hosted at the tailgate of Keith and Pippa’s Bentley MKVI
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Sunday dawned, grand picnics were assembled, winning wardrobes, changes of shoes and final polishing began once again. It was cold (and very early in the morning for some) the Chairman Chris Ball was in danger of freezing, emergency clothing was purchased, and knocking of knees was heard as THE JUDGES approached. Enquiries as to the placing of the flag on a former Ambassadorial car were answered by a member of the section with personal experience of these things, wads of notes were put away and everyone adjourned to the back of Keith and Pippa Davies’ gorgeous Bentley MKV1 for the much admired and imitated tailgate party. As we waited for the judges to deliberate, unexpected events unfolded in front of us, doctors and paramedics were requested by tannoy and before we knew it the air ambulance whisked one of our members (Andrew Wood of P & A Wood) away. We are happy to report Andrew is now at home and recovering.
Rodney Gunn briefs the WNAA team on arrival
Ecstatic faces beamed as first time entrant Steven Murray won the touring class with the beautiful Lily Beament a 1953 Silver Wraith with a Hooper Body, Mike Martin’s stunning 1967 Shadow also won the touring class and best of all the
Eight days cleaning for eight hours a day produced the result Steven and Mia were hoping for
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Mike and Kathy Martin’s 1967 Silver Shadow won first in the touring class
Chris and Linda Ball’s Silver Spur ‘Lou Lou Belle II’ seems to have won everything else! (see text)
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A surprised but delighted David Davis gets a blue rosette for his Bentley Brooklands being judged most elegant in class
now warmed up Chairman carried off the touring class, the most elegant car in its class and to our absolute delight the P&A Wood Touring Trophy for the best “Touring” car in show with the magnificent Lou Lou Belle II a 1988 Silver Spur. On returning to his immaculately presented car David Davis found a blue rosette for most elegant car attached to his 1994 Brooklands Bentley, which he had not entered for judging. Well done to you all. Despite the rain, frantic leathering began all over again, this time in the show ring, whilst waiting for that all important presentation from our own Jim Fleming current Chairman of the whole caboodle. His kindness and genuine pleasure at the success of the Members of the Paulerspury Section radiated throughout Rockingham. It had been a great weekend.
The Empress NOTE FROM THE EDITOR The Empress is the Editors’ roving reporter and brings news from all corners of the Paulerspury section. Her identity has been carefully preserved in order that she may infiltrate section gatherings, glean important information and report back to me for publication in future editions of the Paulerspury People. If you think you know who she might be from the photo here, you must email and tell me as future news gathering may be in jeopardy (editor@rrecpaulerspury.org.uk), you could win a prize!
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Broadwell House Driving Day and Picnic On Sunday 26th June, approximately 235 Paulerspury Section members missed out on what surely must be one of the best ‘one day, fun day’ events in our section calendar, the annual picnic and driving day at Broadwell House in support of the Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance and the Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland Air Ambulance. On the hottest day of the year so far, around thirty club cars and sixty or seventy people gathered at Broadwell House, the home of Adrian and Linda Denham, and on arrival all were invited to take tea or coffee and biscuits on the lawn, meeting friends old and new. Soon car boots were raised and a plethora of tables, chairs, parasols, picnic baskets and barbecues were unpacked and set up behind their owners cars. Members mingled and chatted whilst viewing other members fine automobiles as others sat back eating drinking and being merry in the glorious sunshine.
This peaceful line up gives no clue as to what they will be doing later on in the afternoon
After lunches were finished the afternoon’s fun began. As we arrived earlier, we were presented with a map of the Broadwell driving course, an expertly laid out driving test track set out in the field adjacent to our picnic. This is where all budding or failed world rally champions now had a chance to race against the clock in their Rolls-Royce and Bentley motor cars. The course consisted of some high speed straights, tight slippery turns, and coned garage parking both forwards and in reverse, culminating in a final run through a chicane to stop adjacent to a waiting policeman! Fortunately he was a cardboard cut-out policeman; otherwise I think his ticket book would have been emptied in no time. I jokingly described the driving course as the ‘karaoke’ of motoring. At first nobody wants to sing on the karaoke machine, but once they do, you can’t get them off it. Well we had some very determined ‘singers’ myself included, addicted to the track. Drivers took part in all sorts of vehicles, from a Springfield Phantom to the most modern Bentley GT and many of them were keen to drive the course a few times in order to improve on their time. Only the time achieved on the first run is recorded for judging unfortunately, but it was very satisfying to the individuals concerned. 34
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Mia covers her face as father-in-law Frank takes to the wheel
in action on the rally field. The power laid down is phenomenal and the grass cutting ability of the Mulsanne Turbo second to none. Vehicles laden with carefully chosen ballast (larger club members) in the rear, managed to achieve sideways slides, 180 degree turns and full 360 degree doughnuts as racers strove to beat their previous time or that of their friendly rivals.
There were a few first time drivers of these vehicles too. Sharon Carnell took the wheel of her husband Martin’s Silver Dawn and Steven Murray’s father Frank, the wheel of Lily Beament, Steven’s beautiful Silver Wraith. When usually you see these vehicles driven on the road, it is in a sedate and stately manor, it is jaw dropping therefore, to see them
Now remember the chrome one is the gear lever dad Steven explains anxiously
Rob and Jo Bell finished in 4th place with 2 minutes 6 seconds, David and Debbie Howard in 3rd place with 2 minutes 5 seconds, Dennis and Sue Sewell in 2nd place with 2 minutes 4 seconds. The winners were Lyn and Chris Browne with their round of 1 minute 54 seconds in their Shadow II. Tom Smith from the ASOC & RRHT won a bottle of wine and Sharon Distant shot of the editor leaning 1 BMG around cones Carnell the ‘booby prize’ cup for the slowest clear round of 3 minutes 58 seconds and the fact it was the first time she had ever driven her husband Martin’s Silver Dawn. The fastest unofficial round was achieved by yours truly in my Shadow I of just 1 minute 50 seconds with Steven Murray’s father Frank navigating, but they tell me I would have attracted a penalty, never mind, it was great fun. A sum in excess of £1,000 was donated to the joint air ambulance services. As a reminder of the importance of supporting this charity, those of us attending the annual rally saw the WNAA helicopter in action. Andrew Wood of P & A Wood collapsed close to the parade ring. He was attended by our own Rodney Gunn who summoned the air ambulance which then transported Andrew to Adenbrookes hospital. Andrew has now recovered and is back at home. This may well be testimony to speedy transportation provided by the air ambulance service. Paulerspury People - July 2011
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Editor’s wife Ruth, explains ‘something’ to RolliRoyce himself as Derek Randall crosses the line
Our thanks are due to Adrian, Linda and their team of marshals, judges and general helpers for putting on such a fantastic day. If you did not make it this year, make sure it is on your calendar for next.
Barry Gallafent On The Passing Of A Cloud Many of you will know that my love affair with Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars started some years ago with the purchase of Wilson, my beloved Bentley Mk VI. However, as time progressed, I felt an urgent and pressing need to expand my fleet. The monthly “drip feeding” of tasty cars in the Advertiser only encouraged this and the miserable grey days of autumn 2009 did not help, pushing me into hours of internet surfing around the classic Keith Davies’ passing Cloud - no silver lining though car websites. Big V8 engines have always been an attraction for me and so my short list came down to the later Silver Cloud / Bentley S series of cars. With the help of a couple of books from the club shop, I wisely concluded that the only car to have was a Silver Cloud III. I suppose that as a teenager in the early 60’s, my car gazing must at some time have alighted upon the magnificent design of the Silver Cloud. Its shape and 36
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dignity have always seemed to exemplify the style and majesty of those days of privileged RR motoring, especially when my dad was still running around in a pastel blue Ford Consul. Her ladyship put up the usual objections : you don’t need another car, it will be more cost, we don’t have enough space, etc. etc. Well apart from the fact that the garages are not long enough for the Cloud, all the other minor objections were overruled at the Supreme Court. The space issue was simply solved by evicting the tractor from its shed and making room for a Cloud. Now all I had to do was find one. After a few false starts and wasted journeys, I eventually found a suitable car that had been recently repatriated from Canada and was up for sale at Vintage and Prestige. And so, on a grey and very wet late November’s afternoon, I went to view him somewhere near Gatwick airport. The test drive went well - he was mechanically quite good, the bodywork and chrome looked dent free and in good order. I got a local garage put him up on the lift for me to check his more private parts and they all seemed in fine form. By early evening and after some typical haggling, the deal was done and a deposit duly paid. Vintage and Prestige volunteered to correct a few minor issues that I had identified, and to obtain a UK registration number for him. By early January he was mine. “Wallace” had been built in 1963 and was one of the very early Cloud III’s. His name came from the second owner, a Mr Wallace, and this of course tuned in with my admiration of Nick Park’s animations of Wallace and Gromit. He had led a relatively uneventful life for his first 60000 miles here in the UK before being exported in the late 1970’s to the USA where he spent a lot of time (and very few miles) in the possession of several American owners in Arizona and Wisconsin, before somehow ending up in Ontario, Canada. When he eventually arrived here, he did smell a bit of petrol, and the first few trips did seem to use quite a bit of fuel. After some serious carburettor rebuilding (all to no avail) I turned my attention to the petrol pumps which had at some time been changed to an American electronic system, and I soon discovered that the pump was pushing out fuel at 10 p.s.i., whereas the original S.U. pumps dispense fuel at less than 2 p.s.i. Effectively, the poor carburettors were being force fed fuel and blowing most of it out of their overflow pipes which were conveniently positioned perilously close to a hot exhaust downpipe. New original specification pumps did the trick and fuel efficiency leapt up to a startling 17 m.p.g. The smell of fuel continued however, and one day when filling up with another £100’s worth, I discovered petrol running out from the filler pipe which connects the filler cap to the tank. A new jubilee clip solved that one, just in time for the Cognac trip. Paulerspury People - July 2011
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I suppose that it was on the Cognac trip that I had the opportunity to look carefully at the paintwork of some other club cars in close detail. Wallace had at sometime had a re-spray, probably in the USA, and not in the original RR colours. Whilst he looked good from a distance, at closer quarters there were quite a few faults. Several months of my hard work had ensured that he was OK mechanically (and he performed without fault on the Cognac trip) but paintwork is certainly not my specialist subject. By happy co-incidence, a chat one evening with Steve Dolan established that he was about to start work on a total strip and respray of Derek Freeman’s Cloud III. Steve, of course would be the ideal man to do the job and so the die was cast. Sometime in October, I took Wallace down to see Steve whilst he was hard at work on Derek’s car. Much discussion followed, but suffice it to say that the costs started to look quite scary, and respraying Wallace certainly was not going to be cost effective. Steve and I concluded that perhaps Wallace would be happier with a less critical owner ! And so poor Wallace passed on, back through the hands of Vintage and Prestige, who managed to find him a new owner with big, big pockets who took him along to P & A Wood, where he is, I believe going though a total rebuild and bare metal re-spray – no doubt at eye watering cost. And of course, I was left with a large wedge of cash and a tractor back in its rightful place. But all is not lost. Since Wallace’s departure, her Ladyship has started claiming that I have developed OCD – that’s Obsessive Compulsive Disorder to the uninitiated. I have expanded the fleet yet again, with the purchase of my modern Continental GT (a low mileage bargain too good to miss) and, out of the blue, the impulsive purchase of a 1936 Rolls-Royce 25/30 (with ‘Wallace’ prior to sale by auction - 28th October 2009 a very desirable and valuable number plate) simply as a play thing and for tinkering with. But I am really starting to miss Wallace and the overstated 1960’s elegance, so on the way back from Northumberland, I took Steve and Jan Dolan to have a look at yet another car – a Bentley S3. So watch this space …………………
Keith Davies 38
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Technical Corner - Wheezy Breathing One of the most overlooked and simple fixes on the six cylinder cars is that of valve clearances. We have had numerous cars which have been described to us as “very quiet� by the owner but they also mention they are a little disappointed with the performance of the car. Invariably when we have seen the car for the first time the valve clearances will have been set very tight in order to stop them being noisy. We had a recent case where one of the side exhaust valves on a 1953 Bentley R type had been set to 0.002� cold. If you allow for thermal expansion as the engine warms up, the clearance would have been nonexistent at running temperatures. When the car came in to us, it exhibited a tendency to run rough and spit back, particularly when warm. The simple expedient of carefully resetting the inlet and exhaust valve clearances and accurately setting the ignition timing had a miraculous effect on the engine. Starting, running and revving the engine were now much easier and the car sounded cleaner. The difference in performance was also very much improved.
Bentley S1 engine with the rocker and side covers off to facilitate valve adjustment
By setting the valve clearances accurately and correctly you allow the engine to breathe as it was designed to do. Engine breathing on the older cars is even more critical given the volatility of modern fuels.
Another case of Wheezy Breathing We had a 1990 Bentley Turbo R come into the workshop, which was regularly and properly serviced and maintained, and the owner had complained of an unusual and unexplainable loss of power. We checked all the basic settings, confirmed fuel delivery and fuel rate, checked the ignition system. The car idled well and smoothly and the performance on partial throttle was acceptable but not as good as normal. Under full acceleration the car seemed to hold back and the performance seemed strangulated. We returned the car to the workshop and carried out further tests and subsequent road tests without improvement. As a last resort we decided to run the car without the air filter in order to confirm that there was no restriction in the induction system. Still no improvement! Paulerspury People - July 2011
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It was whilst we were standing and inspecting the air filter, we noticed that the air intake hose seemed soft. Further, more detailed visual inspection, confirmed that the inner portion of the hose had separated from the outer. We started the car and watched the hose whilst we blipped the throttle. Lo and behold as the revs picked up, the vacuum from the engine collapsed the intake hose inwards, restricting the amount of air entering the induction throttle body. In order to confirm our theory, we replaced the hose with a piece of straight rubber hose of the correct diameter and set off for a road test. We were rewarded with the return of the proverbial scalded cat performance as the car gulped down air and threw us into the distance at a rate of knots! Returning to the workshop, we ordered the correct air intake hose overnight, fitted it the next morning before returning the car to one happy owner, who could now desist from the temptation to place the Bentley in the Sunday Times small ads!
Secretary’s Report The Annual Rally has come and gone with our unpredictable weather failing to dampen the enthusiasm of the members. In fact, the remarkable success of the Paulerspury Section in the Concours raised them to unprecedented heights. The hunt for that much wanted bit among the trade stands is all part of the scene and the meeting with old friends, especially those from abroad, is always a pleasure. But there are problems. The members from the Continent are not particularly happy and only too willing to express it! Threats to break away will need to be taken seriously and traditional British diplomacy brought into play to resolve this situation. And then there is ETHANOL. The percentage of ethanol in our fuel seems destined to rise. This is predicted in most countries, with figures of 10 and 15 % being forecast. The ethical and moral issue of turning food producing land over to the service of the bio fuel market does not appear to deter the major oil firms. Ethanol does not suit the fuel systems of Vintage and Classic cars. Many of the materials used in our cars are attacked by them and degrade. Hopefully, additives will be produced to counter these effects or will the oil companies produce ethanol free fuels for our not inconsiderable needs? Otherwise we will be draining our tanks and Auto-vacs each winter. What a chore! On a happier note we are currently experiencing real summer weather in this great country of ours. Soft tops are coming down, barbecues and picnic hampers are coming out and we have our wonderful Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars to enjoy.
Robert Kennedy 40
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Forthcoming Events Sunday 7th August Cheese and Wine at the Clarkes Organiser: Linda Ball Note: This event may be fully subscribed
Saturday 19th & Sunday 20th November Historic Weekend at The Hunt house Main Club event Organiser: Suzanne Finch
Sunday 21st August Annual Picnic at Ascott House Organiser: Robert Kennedy
Sunday 20th November Bedfordshire Pub Lunch Venue: TBA Organisers: Linda and Chris Ball
Friday 16th to Sunday 18th September Poole Weekend Organisers: Linda and Chris Ball Note: This event is fully subscribed
Sunday 11th December AGM And Christmas Lunch Mitchell Hall, Cranfield Organiser: Val Yates
Sunday 16th October Autumn Road Run Organiser: Val Yates Wednesday 5th October Leicester Bell Founders Organiser: David Davis Friday 11th to Sunday 13th November NEC Classic Car Show Main club event
PLEASE NOTE: The Club’s standard terms and conditions of entry apply to all events and these can be found on the back of all event booking forms. Please take a moment to familiarise yourself with them as your signature where requested on the front of the form, confirms your acceptance of the terms and conditions.
AGM Advance Notice Sunday 11th December 2011 The Paulerspury Section Annual General Meeting and Christmas Lunch (see above) will once again be held at the Mitchell Hall, Cranfield University. The AGM is open to all Paulerspury Section members (just turn up, no need to book) and booking details for the Christmas Lunch will appear in the Autumn Flyer. Paulerspury People - July 2011
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Section Contacts Chairman
Chris Ball (Linda) 01525 860880 chairman@rrecpaulerspury.org.uk chris.ball@rrecpaulerspury.org.uk
Treasurer
01234 714092 kathryn.martin@rrecpaulerspury.org.uk treasurer@rrecpaulerspury.org.uk
Secretary
Robert Kennedy (Jill) The Knoll 14 Harpenden Road, St Albans, Herts., AL3 5AD 01727 858833 (Home & Fax) robert.kennedy@rrecpaulerspury.org.uk
Newsletter Editor
Barry Gallafent (Ruth) 222b Wolverton Road Blakelands Milton Keynes MK14 5AB Office: 0844 504 9500 Home: 01908 216804 Mobile: 07785 398271 barry.gallafent@rrecpaulerspury.org.uk
Website Coordinator
Adrian Denham 01926 812347 adrian.denham@rrecpaulerspury.org.uk
Events Coordinator
Mia Murray (Steven) Tattenhoe Hall Farm Tattenhoe, Milton Keynes, MK4 3AA 01908 504606 (Home & Fax) 01908 600687 (Work) 07956 074859 (Mobile) mia.murray@rrecpaulerspury.org.uk secretary@rrecpaulerspury.org.uk
Committee Members
David Davis (Diana) 01462 674347 david.davis@rrecpaulerspury.org.uk Ray Hillier (Karen) 01234 714268 (Work) sales@hillierhill.com ray.hillier@rrecpaulerspury.org.uk Val Yates (Danny) 01234 708513 val.yates@rrecpaulerspury.org.uk
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Don’t forget to look at our section web pages which can be accessed via the Members pages at www.rrec.org.uk 42
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Paulerspury People - July 2011