Romsey & District u3a August Newsletter

Romsey & District Learn, Laugh, Live

Newsletter – August 2021 romseyu3a.org.uk General Monthly Meetings

*** We are planning to resume talks in Crosfield Hall in October. *** PLEASE READ the information on p2 as procedures will be different.

There may still be CHANGES to the PROGRAMME so remember to check for updates - visit our website events page.

We are pleased to add two *additional talks* below.

Meetings start at 10.30 am (ZOOM log-in from 10.15 am).

————————————————— *7 September* Paul Brinklow

By ZOOM An Introduction to Post Card Collecting ————————————————— 15 September Andy Lester

By ZOOM From Global Threat to Local Action - responding to the Climate Crisis ————————————————— *4 October* Dr Lucy Marten

By ZOOM Nunneries & Nuptials: What do we really know about Anglo-Saxon Royal Women?

————————————————— 20 October Jane Glennie Suffering Suffragettes ————————————————— 17 November Tim Craven Thelwell Country: the life and career of an artist and cartoonist ————————————————— 15 December Christmas Quiz ————————————————— We will continue to investigate the possibility of sharing meetings in the Crosfield Hall with members who are unable to attend in person.

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FORTHCOMING EVENTS

We are excited to tell you that we are planning to resume meetings in the Crosfield Hall, starting with the 20 October 2021 monthly meeting.

To minimise the risk of Covid transmission the arrangements for attending the meetings will be changed and, at least for the immediate future, refreshments will not be provided after the meeting. We still hope as many of our members as possible will attend! Nearer the time we will send you a description of the modified arrangements for attending.

Please remember that our talks are open to all members and their guests, whether delivered on Zoom or in person in the Crosfield Hall. If you would like a guest (non-member) to attend a Zoom meeting, you are permitted to share the Zoom link with them. You are not permitted to share a Zoom link with other organisations.

Remember that guests are encouraged to make a contribution to our costs. For Zoom meetings this can be sent to our bank account: Sort Code 20-97-01, Account number 20473111.

ADDITIONAL TALKS ON ZOOM

*10.15AM FOR 10.30AM START*

(1) Our 7 September talk, is by one of our members! Paul Brinklow will introduce us to Post Card Collecting. History, holidays, people, places: what does it remind you of and will you want to ask a question in Chat?

(2) On 4 October, an illustrated talk by Dr Lucy Marten will inform us about Nunneries and Nuptials in Anglo-Saxon times, giving us an insight into the Royal Women of that period and what we know about them.

Thanks to Shirley Rogers, our Architecture and Local History Group leader, for organising this.

Look out for the email links so that you can join us on Zoom.

Newsletter Team Contacts Please send copy for the NOVEMBER 2021 newsletter to:

Dave Lovell : 01794 515316 news.copy@romseyu3a.org.uk The deadline is FRIDAY 29 OCTOBER 2021 but PLEASE send any copy as soon as you have it!

OTHER newsletter queries to: newsletter@romseyu3a.org.uk 2

Chair’s report Let me introduce myself… my name is Kay Lovell and I have lived in Romsey for 30 years but my birthplace was just down the road in Southampton. I have, however, lived in many other places, from South Wales to East Sussex and, a little further north, as far as Nottinghamshire.

My career background is in Education. I have taught all age groups from 5-18 years but mostly I specialised in teaching English and Drama at Secondary School level, with a smattering of History, General Studies and even Sports along the way! I have been an Examiner for GCE O Level English Examinations and an Advisor and Moderator for GCSE English Examinations.

For a few years, I also took on a few pupils requiring extra English and examination tuition.

Having been inspired by family stories during my childhood, I have always held a keen interest in my relatives and forebears and, once no longer at work, was able to start family history research in earnest. I have been a Member of Hampshire Genealogical Society since 2012, a Trustee since 2017, and currently I am Organiser of their Romsey Group and Co-Organiser of their newly formed International Group. I co-run our own Romsey & District u3a Genealogy Group with Graham Woodbury, I lead our Short Day-Trips Group and have been a member of the Bridge Group. Now I am your new Chair, and feel very honoured to be so!

Unless you are a member of the three Interest Groups mentioned above, or have joined in our Coffee & Catch-up Zoom sessions this past year, you are probably thinking, “Where did she spring from?” as I haven’t even been a Trustee… until now, that is! It just so happened that the Chair role was to become vacant and a charitable organisation such as ours needs a Chair. I didn’t initially 3

put myself forward but, after being encouraged by more than a couple of people, I jumped at the chance!

Over the past year or so, we have faced the great challenge of living through and surviving the Covid-19 pandemic. I applaud Janet Payne, our past Chair, and her committee of Trustees for the way in which they have kept our u3a going in the spirit of the motto, Learn, Laugh, Live, embracing new ways and new skills in order to do so. My intention is not merely to continue in this vein but to bring us out stronger and more vibrant on the other side, and to resume our monthly meetings in Crosfield Hall. The prospect is an exciting one.

Let’s welcome new members, let’s create more interest groups, let’s strengthen our relationship with Romsey Archway u3a, and let’s also get involved with other like-minded organisations and societies within Romsey and its environs. In short, let’s expand and modernise!

We are already making a start: our website has been re-vamped and we have launched our very own Romsey & District Facebook page. Who knows? Instagram and Twitter may be the next steps.

People who have only recently reached their third age will be conversant with these social media platforms, and we should be keeping pace so that we can attract them as new u3a members.

New members mean new ideas. New ideas, in turn, mean new vitality.

Finally, in this the first of my Chair’s reports, I must take this opportunity to remind you that our u3a is run by members, for members. There is a saying, “The more you put in, the more you get out.” Being a u3a member means exploring new ideas, skills and activities together. Would you like to join me and the other volunteers that run our charity to deliver our activities? See pages 11-12 for the many opportunities we are offering you!

Kay Lovell 4

AMY GOODMAN — YouTube PRESENTATION Surely every one of our members knows about it, most will have seen it, many will have touched it, few cannot have been moved by it. It is featured on our website and on our Facebook page. But do you know what is buried underneath it?

Yes, our speaker for July was Amy Goodman who designed and sculpted the Romsey War Horse and Arborfield Horses memorial projects. She kindly agreed that we could record her presentation and share it with members who missed it. Click he re to watch it.

News from around the Groups PAINTING 1 We meet on Thursday mornings, so with Covid restrictions recently easing somewhat, several members met up in the Memorial Park to discuss and agree a way forward for the immediate future.

We eventually decided to follow the Impressionists' example and paint/ draw en plein air for the time being On Thursday mornings from 10am until noon you will now find a small group of us, armed with chairs, pencils, paints and pads, under a tree near the bandstand in the Memorial Park, being creative whilst chatting and enjoying the delicious take-away coffee and treats from the cafe!

We plan to go back indoors, probably in September; though for the time being we are really enjoying the fresh air and flowers of the delightful Memorial Park. We are a friendly bunch, so if you are in the park, give us a wave, or pop along and see us sometime!

Jan Moody

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ART APPRECIATION GROUP Normally meeting once a month, via Zoom, we have had some excellent talks organised by our members. In July, the meeting was about The Story of René Lalique (1860-1945).

He was born a rural 19 th-century man, in pre-industrialized Europe; a time before electricity, light bulbs and telephones; before automobiles and washing machines. By the time of his death in 1945, at the dawn of the atomic age, he had completed two careers, spanning two different centuries and is remembered for his jewellery and his glass.

In 1900 at the age of 40, he was the most celebrated jeweller in the world, and an Art Nouveau artist and designer of magnificent proportions. By 1925, at the height of the Art Deco era, he was the most celebrated glassmaker in the world.

In between, Lalique had left his contemporaries behind as he turned, from creating unique jewellery and objects d'art, to the mass-production of innovative and usable art glass. He brought glass into the homes of ordinary people, where it had never been before. He worked out the industrial techniques to mass-produce his useful art glass objects, on a scale and cost to complement the spreading industrial revolution, which resulted in a worldwide appetite for his products.

His greatest accomplishments were born of his recognition of the changing world in which he lived. His life spanned the entire period from the Civil War to World War II, and as his world changed, so did Lalique.

His amazing turn of careers and fields put him in the forefront of the new mass-production industries. He was a jeweller, he was a glassmaker, and he was an artist. His great accomplishment was to combine those talents with foresight and innovation to not just serve markets, but to create them. In the process, Lalique would become a world class industrialist, with an industrial ability on a par with any other of his rich talents and achievements.

A permanent collection of the work of René Lalique can be found in the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum in Lisbon, which I was lucky enough to visit some years ago.

Carla Lawrence

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FRENCH CONVERSATION GROUP We have had Zoom meetings during the pandemic, organised by one or other of our more computer-literate members. But we can, once again, meet in person and chat in French, rather like a coffee morning.

We usually start by telling the meeting what exciting events have happened in the last month. Sometimes we have a quiz in French taken from a French magazine. I am not a teacher, so it is a question of retaining what we already know rather than learning something new.

Anne Gorst

MY CREATIVE WRITING JOURNEY When I joined the u3a and was invited to lead Creative Writing I never envisaged being part of such an enthusiastic group. Despite my lack of experience as a leader they have immersed themselves fully in the process of building on their existing skills and warmly welcoming new faces. We recorded our feelings about coming out of lockdown earlier this year and ventured into descriptions of Our Favourite Places.

Characters Who Trigger Our Emotions was the next topic, and this month we are moving on to a less grounded subject about Magic Carpets. I cannot wait to hear what we will all bring to the table on that theme.

Poetry is also an important writing style, and we always include a poem.

Poetry allows us to be more succinct and focused, and select words carefully to convey the atmosphere and feelings we want to express. In our next session we will be looking at The Pied Piper of Hamelin.

Whether you are writing a memoir for your grandchildren, a poem for your friends or whether you just enjoy scribing away to escape the humdrum, you will be very welcome to join us. During Covid regulations we have been restricted to Zoom but things may change after 19 July.

Our session is between 2pm and 4pm on the fourth Monday of the month. Why not treat yourselves and come along (you are invited to be a spectator at your first meeting), which means you can sit back and be swept along by the energy.

Our next meeting is Monday 23 August and you are welcome to join us.

Why not contact me now by email: jennifer@wineberg.co.uk or via the website here .

Jennifer Wineberg

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SINGING FOR PLEASURE This group is starting again soon. They meet at the church rooms in Braishfield on the 4th Monday of the month, starting on 23 August from 2 - 4pm, with a break for a cup of tea and biscuits for £1.

This is not a u3a group but our members are very welcome to join in.

OPERA GROUP In its 15-month survey of operas ranging from the Renaissance to modern time, Opera Group has encountered multiple instances where key 19th and 20th Century composers were influenced by the work of Richard Wagner. It has been claimed that more has been written about the works of Richard Wagner than about any other artist, including Shakespeare. Certainly, Wagner’s influence across the arts is astounding and cannot be ignored. In literature and drama, Elliott, Joyce, Wilde, Proust, Baudelaire, Zola, Mann and others were significantly influenced by him. So too were the philosophers Nietzsche and Shaw.

Cézanne, Renoir, Gauguin, Degas, Odilon Redon, Fantin-Latour and Beardsley painted scenes based on his operas. In Coppola’s Vietnam War film, Apocalypse Now, helicopter gunships attack while blaring out Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries, a psy-ops event which actually occurred during the US invasion of Grenada.

There is no doubt that Wagner was anti-Semitic, as was much of Europe at the time. This, together with the misappropriation of his work by the Nazis, makes it extraordinarily difficult now to objectively assess his achievement. To address this challenge, Opera Group at its June meeting adopted an unusual format, starting with a formal 40-minute lecture by the coordinator: Richard Wagner, the man, his beliefs, his operas; then a presentation of Act 1 of Lohengrin. A week later Acts 2 and 3 of Lohengrin were presented, followed by a general discussion of the whole opera.

On the achievement side, Richard Wagner composed 13 massive

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musical dramas, of which seven, including the four operas of the Ring Cycle, are acknowledged masterpieces. The Ring Cycle is about the evils of capitalism, materialism and the lust for power. For all his operas Wagner wrote the text as well as the music and he provided detailed stage directions (often ignored by modern directors). Only one opera, Die Meistersinger, is a comedy, and is the only one to be based on historical sources rather than myth. Wagner, like the ancient Greek dramatists, thought that myth was powerful because it is essentially timeless and universal. Wagner also greatly extended the orchestra, for which he invented new instruments, new dramatic forms and innovative harmony, the latter paving the way for 20 th Century music.

Moreover, he codified his thought in extensive theoretical and philosophical writing, and made important innovations in theatre design, construction and acoustics. Wagner believed that traditional drama is about what goes on outside and between people. He regarded traditional opera as a frame in which music is hung on drama. In contrast, he thought that music was the only art capable of expressing inner realities unfettered by language. Wagnerian music drama is about what goes on inside, the emotions, heart and soul, which are chiefly expressed in the orchestra. He used tiny leitmotifs of just a few bars to represent feelings, objects etc., which are modified as the drama develops. All of this makes Wagner unique, and inherently more approachable when one understands what he was trying to do.

Lohengrin was chosen as our introductory Wagner opera because it has a relatively simple plot of good versus evil, and is the closest to the Italian operas with which people are more familiar. This was a tremendous and challenging amount for members to assimilate. One member wrote afterwards: “I’m a convert!! Having never attended a whole Wagner opera I was mesmerised”.

Opera Group is now on its summer holiday, but recommences early in September. We are a small, active group which alternates popular opera with more demanding or lesser-known works. For safety in the winter months, we will continue meeting via Zoom. Our members have a huge range of opera and related experience and interest. No prior knowledge of opera is required. If you think you might enjoy being part of this sometimes challenging but always friendly group, please contact the coordinator via the group web page.

Michael Ward

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WALKING GROUP As Covid restrictions have eased this year, the walking group has made the most of the wonderful outside that we have been able to enjoy.

We started in the Spring with an outstanding walk from Farley Mount to Parnolt Woods, where the bluebells were in full flourish. This was followed by a walk from Sherfield English, over the hills and down the valleys of the surrounding areas. There were still many bluebells to be seen but other beautiful wild flowers as well.

In May a small group of us met on the outskirts of Winchester and made our way up towards the Hockley Golf Course and down alongside St Catherine’s Hill, with its outstanding views of Winchester. There were many historical points of interest along the way, which resulted in lively discussion.

Staying close to the Winchester area, we enjoyed a beautiful walk around Twyford Down and Shawford. We passed Compton Lock which is an area for wild swimming, and was recently shown on a television documentary with Chris Packham.

Closer to home, Mike Tudball treated us to a new walk around Awbridge.

It was a hot day so we were grateful for the shady footpaths along the way. At one point we crossed a field where the cows looked at us a little too curiously so our walking pace quickened accordingly. Never mess with cows!

Our next walk was around Broughton, ending with an excellent coffee at the new community shop by the village hall. Due to the very high temperature, the walk from Longparish was sensibly postponed.

Our first August walk was from Copythorne School across the main Lyndhurst Road into the New Forest, Cadnam Common, Canada Common and Newbridge. The weather was perfect and eleven of us enjoyed this area at its best. Even though I live locally, I discovered gems that I didn’t know existed. We were lucky enough to spot deer, ponies and a gorgeous natural pond with water lilies.

If anyone is interested in joining our group please contact me: hbuttle@btinternet.com or 01794 323057.

Hilary Buttle

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Interest Groups News : August 2021 Many groups will now be considering restarting meetings face -to-face in the next few months, so please make sure you as members feel safe and that you are covid-aware. Group leaders must complete a risk assessment form and submit it to Dave Lovell (vice.chair@romseyu3a.org.uk) before you actually start.

If you are short of members, please let us know, so we can see whether we could advertise for new members or possibly work with Romsey Archway u3a to form a more viable group.

* Model Railways Unfortunately due to lack of numbers, this group has folded. Our thanks to Mike Koscian for starting it and trying to keep it going.

* Table Tennis for All and Table Tennis Intermediate are no longer running.

* Luncheon Group This group needs a new leader as Greta Bennett is stepping down. Our thanks to her for running the group for the last couple of years.

* Digital Photography This group also needs a new leader, as Malcolm Heathcote has unfortunately had to step down. Our thanks go to him for all his hard work in running the group for the past years.

* Recorder Graham Louden has decided to step down as group leader, so we are looking for someone to take on this role.

Our thanks go to Graham for running the group for the past few years.

* Craft Angela Greet has also decided to step down as group leader, so we are looking for someone to take on this role.

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* Horticulture The leader of this group, Gill Smith, has stepped down and has been replaced by Linda Meyer. We would like to thank Gill for her two years of service to the group and wish Linda continuing success in the future.

* Geography/Geology Thank you to Janet Moody for offering to run this new group and good wishes to her and the group for future success.

* Novices Italian Jean Stone has decided to step down as leader of this group and Angela Bogatto and David Haigh have assumed the roles of joint leaders. Our thanks go to Jean for helping to set up and run this group for the last couple of years.

* Natural History This new group has recently undertaken its inaugural meeting and first study trip. Thanks to Michael Sleigh for suggesting the group and leading it. The numbers are capped at the moment, but anyone interested in this subject is welcome to set up a new group, if there are enough people willing to participate.

If you have had time during lockdown to think about forming a new interest group, we would like to hear from you!

Please contact either of our Interest Groups Coordinators about anything to do with groups: Jo Morgan : 01794 514134 Margaret Marchbank : margaretmarchbank@btinternet.com

THANK YOU! …to everyone who helped to make the 2021-22 Membership Renewal go smoothly, returning your form to make sure we have your correct contact details and that payment is credited correctly. Your email address is very important, as we now communicate regularly with most of you this way.

Finance: Gill Hodge (2020-21); Sheila Prangle/David Percival (2021-22) Membership: Brenda Sennett, assisted by Jean Stone

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GENEALOGY GROUP How can we share our family history findings with family and friends? In May, Kay Lovell gave us a tour of her personal family history website via a Zoom presentation. She explained that she had decided to use a website so that it could be updated with new discoveries, and to appeal to the younger members of her family. The website can only be accessed by people she has invited and registered as subscribers.

On her About Me page Kay explained that her interest in family history was in finding out about how real people lived. She has researched the families of various relatives and this is reflected in the website content.

We saw a delightful compilation of her parents’ wedding photos from the 1940s in the Gallery section. There were a few people whose names are not known; in family history we all have questions we wish we’d asked when we had the opportunity.

In later life, Kay’s father had made notes of his memories; how wonderful to have such a resource. In the Memoirs part of the site these notes had been compiled and Kay presented them in his own words. It was divided into various sections (for example, one described his schooldays), each accompanied by photos.

A page headed Mormons introduced some interesting family members, born 200 years ago, who had joined the Church of Jesus Christ of LatterDay Saints and emigrated to the USA. This was again illustrated by interesting photos, including a wagon train crossing the Plains, which brought back memories of 1960s Westerns.

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Jeremy Holder then gave an interesting presentation showing how he has used Excel to create family trees which can be shared with others as email attachments. He had colour coded family groups so they were easier to identify. Graham Woodbury also showed us his family website, which initially is concentrated upon his late wife, and being developed to add memories and images of her life. Graham explained that site access was password controlled. Both his and Kay's sites use the WordPress web hosting facility.

Thank you everyone for sharing your family stories in this enjoyable meeting.

Wendy Varnham

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WINE APPRECIATION GROUP French-themed Garden Party 8 July 2021 was the date for our first group live wine tasting!! Twenty-two of our members arrived at our leader’s garden on a very cloudy afternoon. Luckily, a number of gazebos had been borrowed and setup, as a number of showers tried to disrupt the event. Once the session had started there was no way of stopping the excitement that lay ahead.

The afternoon started with a Blanquette de Limoux, a sparkling white wine, enjoyed by all and a celebration of our first get together for at least 18 months. The next wine to be opened and poured was a white Cotes de Gascogne, served with patè on toasted baguette (prepared by my wife Jan with the help of Janet Moody). I had found a recipe for a French soup, Summer Pistou, which I was going to present to the group with our next white wine, Petit Chablis. This was the first time I had cooked this soup, which went down a storm, with members asking for the recipe - and a few asking if I was available to prepare the soup for them!

Quiche, being a French tart, was next on the menu, with a red Bordeaux, Chateau les Martins. The chatter from the group was now getting louder, which meant I had to raise my voice to explain the details of the wine. Malbec de Balthazar was then offered with pieces of Comte cheese. Our final offering of the afternoon was a dessert wine, Monbazillac, served with a slice of lemon tart; an overheard comment was “a perfect matching”.

All wines came from Waitrose except the Blanquette, which was from Tesco.

As the afternoon was coming to an end Patrick Austin led the group in praising the efforts of the team that had served throughout the afternoon,

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and the great matching of wines and food.

The group then slowly dispersed, with members offering their thanks. A comment, which certainly covered the feeling of all members, was, “Where did that time go?”. We had spent from 12.45 until 4pm chatting, eating and tasting wine together. What better way to spend an afternoon!!

We look forward to our next meeting in August with another garden themed tasting.

If you are interested in wine and would like to start a group, we as a group are willing to help you get off the ground.

Derek Morley Wine Group Coordinator

SOCIAL AND GENERAL HISTORY We have continued to meet on Zoom and have enjoyed a wide range of fascinating presentations by members of the group. This is our pattern, but there is no pressure to offer talks. Recently, Val Smith spoke about the history of the Women's Institute; Gordon Massie has given us a good insight into Napoleon III; Ron Batchelor has spoken about The Spanish Armada, and Julie Reeves gave us great insights into Life in the UAE.

Our August talk was by Howard Coulson comparing the two great railway pioneers, Stephenson and Brunel. For September, Julia is working on a talk on Adoption and Sponsorship. For November, Cecily Tilley is preparing a presentation on four Female Patent Pioneers. At some point Pat Batchelor will present a PowerPoint on Biafra, and Patsy Baston has prepared A History of Ballet.

We are a relaxed supportive group of between twelve and twenty in number.

Pat Batchelor & Patsy Baston

* Social and General History has changed its meeting day from the 1st Monday to the 3rd Monday of the month, same time, same place. This is to facilitate opportunities for Architecture & Local History and Social History to share expertise and for members to attend both groups if they want to.

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STROLLERS GROUP The Strollers group is for members who would like a shorter walk exploring around Romsey, and occasionally using public transport to the start of a walk. This means that having a car or car sharing is not always necessary.

We are a friendly group who meet on the second Wednesday of the month, usually at 10.30am. I try to send out details of future strolls four times a year. Tadburn Meadows is one of our favourite walks.

We have been meeting again since March, when it became possible to gather outside in groups of six. This year we have walked around Romsey Memorial Park and along the Causeway, stopping in Romsey for coffee afterwards.

In June we met on a glorious sunny day which was not too hot. We met at the Plaza to walk by the canal chatting and enjoying the wildlife. The walk continued until we came to the sign for Fishlake Meadows Nature Reserve, where we stopped. We admired the wildness and tried to identify the plants and birds, before turning back to retrace our steps. As we neared the end of the walk one of our members, who lived close by, invited us into her beautiful garden for coffee and biscuits, which was a lovely way to end.

New members and suggestions for strolls are always welcome.

Sandra Vines

ACTION FOR HAPPINESS Altruistic August Altruism is vital for the human race to survive and thrive; and each of our lives is supported by countless kind acts from other people.

Aug 18: Today do something to make life easier for someone else.

Keep calm, Stay wise, Be kind.

DPD TEXT SCAM Don’t get caught out by a ‘smishing ’ text which takes you to a false website, asking you to pay for a re-delivery.

Read more about it in this Which? article here.

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NATURAL HISTORY GROUP A proposal to form a Natural History Group was put forward nearly 2 years ago, as a ‘hands-on’ group suitable only for a small number of members. The Covid pandemic prevented progress with starting a group in 2020, but, with prospects of reduced restrictions in 2021, it was decided to attempt a start this year with a membership of 10, and potential members were invited to put their names forward.

We have so far held three meetings, the first an open-air planning meeting in May to talk about the possible programme and for the seven founding members to meet. Three more members quickly joined and the group reached its target size.

The meeting in June was to a site in the New Forest where the variety of plants and animals was expected to be limited, so that members could practice the skills they already possessed in recognising them. The members accepted the challenge with enthusiasm and gave confidence that they could cope with a much greater range of living things next time.

Nodding (Musk) Thistle (Carduus nutans)

To make good use of the flowering season on chalk down-land, the July visit was to Stockbridge Downs on a glorious sunny day when the flowers were at their best and the insects also enjoying them. Members had a feast of colour and floral variety, with about 50 species recorded, but somewhat fewer butterflies than expected. We spent a busy 2 hours there and members expressed their enjoyment with the visit and the group’s programme so far.

We expect to meet indoors in several of the winter months and will seek opinions about what sorts of topics the members would like to pursue.

Michael Sleigh

POSTCARDS -

Listen to Paul Brinklow on Zoom, 7 September When was the last time you sent or received a postcard ? Do you know when the first postcards were issued, how to date one or the different types? Postcards can be a source of family history, names and addresses, a record of holidays and happy memories of places visited. Local historians often collect real photographic postcards for their own village, town or city, of the school, post office, windmill, railway station, shops etc that no longer exist and can help illustrate local history books. With thousands of collectors, postcard fairs are run every day and at least one specialised auction is held each week. There are many opportunities to build up a collection on any theme - from Advertising to Zoos.

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SNAPPERS GROUP Snappers at Longstock Park Water Gardens On one of the hottest July days of the year a group of intrepid photographers set out to capture the vibrant colours of Longstock Park Water Gardens. We soon discovered that the gardens provided us with plenty of welcome shade, and the stillness of the lake a kaleidoscope of beautiful reflections for the group to record.

The gardens, situated just north of Stockbridge, are world famous. Set in six acres of woodland, they were originally created in the early 1900s by the Beddington family, but later acquired by John Lewis.

The main lake contains sixteen small islands connected by small bridges.

Each island has its own unique well-established flora and fauna providing many photographic opportunities.

To our surprise we learnt that the gardens are tended by just two gardeners.

Visiting times to the Water Gardens are restricted to two hours in the morning and afternoon on certain days of the week. Further information is available on the Leckford Estate web site here.

The gardens are a gem and well recommended. We shall be revisiting in future years, possibly in the autumn next time.

Mike Driscoll

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ARCHITECTURE AND LOCAL HISTORY GROUP (1) Tony Askew ’s June talk: Around the world in Art Deco Many of us have heard of Art Deco but what exactly is it all about? Here are some thoughts for you to ponder. Art Deco was an important and influential style of design that was popular in the 20's, 30's and early 1940's. The design style is characterised by bright patterns, colours and bold geometric shapes. Some describe Art Deco as a form of cubism.

The name Art Deco is derived from the French phrase Arts Decoratifs which itself came from a creative arts exhibition held in Paris in 1925. It is best known through architecture, but you can see its style in many areas including building interiors, furniture, jewellery, household appliances and even ocean liners of that period. World War 2 saw the demise of Art Deco as the post war age moved away from adornment, so to speak, on account of budget restraints.

Romsey U3A are proud of the town’s own Art Deco in the form of the local Plaza Theatre. Art Deco buildings and representations can be found across the UK. It may surprise you to know that The Battersea Power Station, outside and inside, is Art Deco.

Claridge’s hotel's interior is a magnificent example of the style we are talking about.

Perhaps the best-known example of Art Deco is The Burgh Island hotel in Devon and the foremost example in Europe some people say.

Three cities in the world are show cases of Art Deco: Miami Beach (USA) - South beach is home to 800 plus buildings and structures built between 1923 and 1943.

Asmara (Eritrea) When the Italians colonised Eritrea they built around 400 Art Deco and modernistic buildings in this the capital city. Asmara was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2017.

Napier (New Zealand) Following a devastating earthquake in 1931 Napier was rebuilt in the iconic Art Deco style. A truly wonderful place to visit.

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If you are looking for a new project or some new area of interest to explore why not try Art Deco?

Tony challenged us to find more local examples. Southampton has quite a number to offer including L to R below: the Art Gallery interior, Ocean Terminal (to match the contemporary ocean liners, referred to in the talk), and Rank Hovis Flour Mills (presently under threat of demolition).

(2) Salisbury: a new Cathedral City – Elias of Dereham’s Vision In her July talk to some 85 members, Sue Allenby set out the case for concluding that Elias of Dereham was the architect of Salisbury Cathedral, a somewhat controversial subject. Was he the key to realising the dream of Bishop Roger Poore to abandon the Norman cathedral at Old Sarum and build a new one in the valley below where five rivers meet? In the marshy ground they found a gravel bank, not unlike the situation of Romsey Abbey. It all happened very quickly.

Building began in 1220 and the Cathedral was consecrated in 1258. (Of course, it didn’t have its spire – that was added a hundred years later.)

There are few sources about Elias, so Sue played detective by putting the various pieces of the jigsaw together and deducing that Elias was the architect.

Source material tells us that Elias was born c1167 in West Dereham bordering the Fens of East Anglia where he grew up. He was offered a ‘living’ by the Prior of Lewes and by Battle Abbey. Around 1188 he was in the household of Hubert Walter who later became Archbishop of Canterbury. In 1201 he appeared in Canterbury.

According to the prolific chronicler of St Alban’s, Matthew Paris, Elias was a shrine and tomb builder, artist and goldsmith. He was credited with helping to build the shrine of Thomas à Becket in Canterbury

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cathedral. He was a trusted lawyer who was involved in the drafting and distribution of Magna Carta. He was allowed the title Magister which indicated a university education and he became a church canon.

1199 saw the arrival of King John’s turbulent reign. John tore up Magna Carta and was at war with everyone. There were tensions between the King and the Barons, between the King and the Pope and between the secular (non-monastic) clergy and entrenched monasticism. Secular clergy wanted Church reform and education for the laity. Elias openly denounced both King John and the Pope in London. When in 1208 John refused to accept the Pope’s nomination of Stephen Langton as Archbishop of Canterbury, the Pope issued an interdict which meant that all the churches were closed to the laity; this continued till 1213. This was a harsh measure for people whose very existence was governed by the religious calendar. Secular clergy were exiled in France led by Archbishop Stephen Langton and included Elias (Langton’s steward), Richard Poore and the Bishops of Lincoln and Wells. In due course, they were allowed to return.

Enforced exile became a fruitful period for Elias who was able to see the new Gothic architecture of French cathedrals; yet he was more influenced by the simple lines of the Cistercian Abbey when he visited Pontigny in eastern France. This reflected the more austere lines of West Dereham Abbey with which he was familiar.

All changed in 1216 when King John died suddenly. Richard Poore became Bishop of Salisbury in 1218 and seized his chance. He petitioned the Pope for a new church – the heavenly Jerusalem he dreamed of - and was granted permission. The building was conceived on pure Euclidean geometric principles and the ‘golden ratio’ can be found all over Salisbury Cathedral even in the windows. There was no continental influence – no apses, just square ends.

The result was a harmonious whole and can be described as the most English of cathedrals. Only the educated

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clergy could interpret the geometric ratios and symbols.

Bishop Osmund of Old Sarum is remembered in the Sarum rite, a new liturgy that he introduced and which was carried to the new cathedral, and indeed, over time, adopted by many other churches. So many clergy were involved that wide aisles were introduced. The Sarum rite was further reflected in the cathedral art with depictions of prophets and apostles reading from scrolls together with angels, painted in the roof vaults. Most of it was obscured during the Reformation although some has now been restored. Grisaille glass, also used by the Cistercians, produced a silvery light through the clerestory; unfortunately, only a few fragments remain.

A further clue that Elias was instrumental in the founding of Salisbury was the introduction of drainage ditches. Sluice gates allowed fresh water channels through the grid system of streets, many of which bear names that are still in use today. The draining of the Fens was the likely model.

Bishop Poore founded ordinary schools and licensed people to teach in their own homes.

Thus, by 1258 when Salisbury Cathedral was consecrated, we have a thriving and growing town with the beginnings of education for some of its citizens.

Note: Sue’s talk to the u3a was recorded and is available.

Her novel ‘Elias’ can still be purchased, price £12.95 from Waterstone’s. All proceeds go to Cathedral funds or related charities. Her interview with John Elliott of Spire Books, her publisher, can be found on YouTube. Just key in her name or the book name.

Shirley Rogers

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