News from around the Groups

ARCHITECTURE AND LOCAL HISTORY GROUP

In February Tony Askew, group member and speaker, took us on an architectural and local-history tour of Alresford, Portsmouth, the Isle of Wight and the New Forest. In a talk crammed with fascinating facts and enthralling stories, Tony took us on a lovely journey round our part of Hampshire. Because the group knew something about each of the towns, we were able to interact, comment and share together. Group participation like this this creates and develops friendships. Something so important as we grow older. Our March talk was given by Barry Shurlock, the well-known journalist who writes for the Hampshire Chronicle and the Romsey Advertiser. His title was Stories from the Hampshire Archives. Drawing on Hampshire’s rich history, Barry’s stories included public servants, politicians, educationists, social reformers and those linked to the arts.

The National Census, held every 10 years, had its roots in Hampshire after a Population Bill was passed. John Rickman from Christchurch (then in Hampshire), public servant and statistician, was appointed to the task. The Government wished to know the potential number of fighting men available to the country! Hampshire can lay claim to no fewer than six Chancellors of the Exchequer, including the current Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, through their education at Winchester College. The College was founded in 1382 by William of Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester. Its current head, Dr Tim Hands, who is state educated, is keen to bring the college closer to the local community. In the 1840’s, the social reformer Robert Owen set up a commune near Broughton. It failed but led to the opening of a progressive public school in Quaker ownership with an emphasis on science; somewhat ahead of its time, perhaps. The school was destroyed by fire in 1902 and the site abandoned. Another social reformer was Sir Arthur Helps who, after a career as a high-ranking civil servant, bought the Vernon Estate at Bishops Waltham. Having found a rich clay seam on the estate, in 1862 he set up a brickworks and pottery business that brought employment to the locals. He went bankrupt in 1867 but the brickworks survived into the 1950s. Very few of the fine pots made there are still around, but a few are held by the Hampshire Cultural Trust and the Bishops Waltham Museum. Dylan Thomas, the Welsh poet, lived for a short time at Blashford village near Ringwood, just after his marriage to Caitlin. Their son Edouard Thomas is buried at nearby Ellingham Church. The tomb of the unfortunate Alice Lisle can also be found in Ellingham Churchyard. Dame Alice, of Moyles Court near Ringwood, was beheaded in Winchester in 1685 after being found guilty of giving refuge to two dissenters who had supported the Monmouth Rebellion. Barry concluded with a reference to Jane Austen, who was a frequent visitor to Manydown Park, at Wootton St Lawrence near Basingstoke, owned by the Bigg-Wither family. Harris Bigg-Wither proposed to Jane in 1802. She accepted, but revoked her acceptance the next day. Her only love was probably Tom Lefroy, the nephew of nearby neighbours at Steventon. His family did not approve of the relationship and sent Tom away. Barry also gave helpful hints about researching and writing stories. Our first visit for 2022 was on 4th April to the historic village of Hursley, where resident and u3a member Antonia Stickland, gave us a talk about the history of the church. We learned that there had been at least three churches on the site before the present church. John Keble (one of the founders of the Tractarians or Oxford Movement) was vicar there from 1835 to his death in 1866. He considered that the previous church, a brick-built Georgian church built in 1752, was too Cromwellian and Puritanical for his taste. He therefore built the existing church in 1847/48, mostly at his own expense from the profits of his book The Christian Year. He retained the existing 14th century tower, with some changes, although he only refaced the walls of the body of the church with stone. He redesigned the interior of the church so that the focus was on the altar at the East end, rather than on the pulpit as in the previous church, and replaced the old box pews with moveable pews with sloping book boards like prayer desks.

Antonia drew our attention to the 21 magnificent windows in the church, which tell the story of Christianity from Adam and Eve, through the Prophets, the life of Christ, the New Testament and other figures, to the Final Judgement. We also saw the many memorials in the church, including those to the family of Richard Cromwell, who had lived at Hursley Park and is buried in the church; to the Heathcote family, who lived later at Hursley Park, as well as ones to the fallen of Hursley in the two World Wars, including a VC’s battle field cross. Not only did we have the opportunity to walk round the church and appreciate its many features, we also saw the Heathcote Mausoleum and the graves of John Keble and his wife in the churchyard. The visit ended with a welcome coffee at the Dolphin pub in the village.

**************************************** BIRD WATCHING GROUP—Visit to Titchfield Haven, 15th February

The forecast was windy, with rain moving in from the West, when nine members of the Group met at the Nature Reserve. Although it was nothing like Storm Eunice, which was still to come, the visit would be mostly in hides. When we arrived, there was a sizeable flock of sanderlings on the foreshore opposite the Visitor Centre, but something disturbed them and they took off and flew to the West. We began in the Meon Shore Hides which entailed a longer walk to the hides, and at that time the rain hadn't moved in. Most noticeable were large flocks of oyster catchers and teal, a couple of shovelers, some lapwings and a lone avocet. Moving on to the hidesto the east of the river, we saw, among others, Greylag, Canada and Brent geese and a curlew. Some of our Group were lucky to spot the marsh harrier that flew along the tree line. The trip was just a morning visit and by 12.30 it was raining steadily. In all 31 species were spotted.

VISIT TO KEYHAVEN, 8 APRIL 2022

The morning started cold and drizzly, as a small group of u3a birders assembled in the carpark. Simon had volunteered to lead the trip and kindly arranged for us to use the private viewing platform of the Milford Conservation Volunteers. This gave us great sightings over Avon Water and kicked off our bird list with 21 very obliging species, including some elegant avocet and cryptic snipe. Moving on, we entered the Reserve and made our way slowly along the sea wall, being treated to very close views of some comical turnstones, doing what turnstones do, on the edge of the beach. Further along towards Keyhaven Lagoon we saw redshank making their characteristic bobbing movements and a black tailed godwit starting to colour-up with a rufousbreast. Then we caught sight of a Keyhaven regular: a female peregrine falcon sitting on a post out on the mudflats. She was alert but didn’t choose to provide us with a wader spectacleby flushing the birds on the lagoon. Next time maybe….. By now the rain had stopped but the seeping cold kept us moving along to Fishtail Lagoon, where everyone welcomed the chance to have coffee and fortifying snacks. Fishtail didn’t disappoint with good sightings of several ruff, one of which had unusual white feathering on much of its body. The lacylook to the feathers on the backs and folded wings of the other ruff were beautiful when viewed through our telescopes. As we turned inland onto the footpath, conditions were more sheltered and the sky started to lighten, so we spent a few minutes checking out some little grebe on Butts Lagoon. Male and female stonechat were also showing well on the flowering gorse, contrasted against strips of light and shade from the marsh vegetation in the background. What a wonderful photo that would have made. As we approached the gate to the ancient highway we looked back and were lucky enough to witness a small flock of linnet land on the gravel path, all in varying stages of red on their breasts. The ancient highway is a gravel track connecting the far side of the lagoons back to Keyhaven, and we battled our way back along it through clouds of newly hatched midges. Looking up, a hovering kestrel caught our attention. As we watched, it flew straight towards us and landed in a nearby tree for a fantastically detailed view. Leaving it in peace, we continued to the small wood where a treecreeper was located. We were also given a cracking view of a singing chiffchaff as we emerged into the lane.

A final moment’s excitement was provided back at Avon Water by three birds of prey soaring in high circles. One looked smaller and finer than the other two, which were buzzards. Drama followed when the buzzards lowered their legs and made several swooping passes at the smaller raptor, identified as a possible marsh harrier. Back at the carpark a quick count showed that, between us, we had notched up 43 species. Great work from a great team! Well done everyone. These are our next visits, email details to follow. Please note the change of start time from the previously issued programme:

May

Fri 13th May 10:00 - 13:00: Lymington Nature Reserve, Normandy Lagoon and Marsh

June

Fri 17th June 10:00 – 13:00: Acres Down, New Forest (for raptor spotting), woodland and heath

Marion Slattery, Group Co-Ordinator **************************************

PICKLEBALL GROUP

The Indoor Group has been playing regularly in the Spring. Some members had the benefit of a coaching session in March, which included a new approach to the volley, and those dinky strokes that are needed when playing just outside the no-volley zone. We have welcomed three new members to the Group and we usually have 12 to 14 players on three courts. The Outdoor Group are also going strong, albeit with some challenging windy weather. We have had great fun and have also gained new members in the Group. We play on Thursdays between 14:00 –15:30, and anyone is welcome just to turn up and have a go.

Trisha Meredith and Adrian Rigby *************************************

READING FOR PLEASURE GROUP

We are a small friendly group, meeting on the second Monday of the month at 2.30 in the afternoon. During the Spring we have continued to meet via Zoom, but we will be meeting in person again soon. We decide by agreement between ourselves which books to read, so everyone has a turn at choosing a book for the month. We try to source re-cycled books so this does mean that we don’t usually read current best sellers.

We try to read a wide variety of books, and generally have wide ranging discussions. In January we read A Room with a Viewby E. M. Forster, a novel very much of it’s time. For February it was Human Croquet, a very strange story written by Kate Atkinson. We mostly found it confusing. We discussed the setting of the book which we felt was a nod to Shakespeare’s Forest of Arden. In March we read The Coastlinersby Joanne Harris, set on an island off the coast of Brittany. A tale of an isolated community living in the past, held back by suspicion of strangers and superstition. Finally, in April, we read Stella Gibbons’ Cold Comfort Farm. In a way another tale of country folk – with a twist. The various characters of the said farm being taken in handby an interfering young woman linked by family to the farm. Everyone’s lives get turned upside down, but generally they all live happily ever. To our dismay Gibbons doesn’t reveal what something nasty in the woodshedwas, so we were left guessing. If you would like to join the Group, please email either myself giliangardiner274@gmail.com or Nan nankeightley@hotmail.com

Gilian Gardiner

“BEHIND THE SCENES at THEATRE ROYAL, WINCHESTER”

On Thursday 24th February, 20 of our members enjoyed a visit to Winchester’s Theatre Royal to learn of its history and what goes on behind the scenes. There has been ‘theatre’ in Winchester since the 9th century when performances took place inside the cathedral but, by the time of the Reformation, drama had been ousted from the Church and performances were outdoors. Winchester’s first purpose-built theatre was then created on the first floor of the meat market which was situated near the Cathedral where the Winchester Museum is now. It cannot have been a particularly pleasant experience, especially on a hot summer’s day, can it?

Our tour guides Phil, Julie and Les

The building which now houses the Theatre Royal was originally the Market Hotel, built in 1850 in the shape of an ‘L’ and catering for the farmers who brought their cattle to market and bought provisions at the Corn Exchange next door. When the market ceased to be, the hotel went into decline and was sold. In 1912 it was bought by the Simpkins brothers who extended the building by filling in the yard behind the hotel to establish what is now the auditorium. It opened as a cine variety theatre but in 1922 became a permanent cinema. Ownership changed several times over the years but by 1974 the cinema was closed and the building under serious threat of demolition. Winchester City Council responded by securing a Grade II listing for the building. Within two months the Winchester Theatre Fund was formed with the aim to “restore live theatre in Winchester”, and the theatre was its first project reopening in 1978 as the Theatre Royal Winchester. Since then, two buildings next door in Jewry Street have been purchased to extend the premises and refurbishments have taken place over subsequent years. Owned by the Winchester Arts Trust Ltd., the theatre is now operated by Live Theatre Winchester Trust Ltd. and offers a dynamic programme of drama, music, dance and comedy. Most performances are by visiting artists and theatre companies but each Christmas, the theatre stages its very own very popular pantomime. We were fortunate to have a trio of guides: Julie, Les & Phil. Julie and Les volunteer at the Theatre and Julie also works for Winchester Tourist Board. Phil is the theatre’s senior archivist, very sprightly at the age of 95 years, who regaled us with plenty of entertaining stories! Following Julie’s talk about the theatre’s history, our guides took us on a tour of the auditorium, the orchestra pit, the stage, the wings, the projection room and the fly gallery. We couldn’t visit the dressing rooms because they were in use by a youth theatre group who were going to be performing later that day. We did however see some of the theatre’s pantomime costumes. The visit culminated in a light lunch, provided by the proficient catering team, and eaten in the recently refurbished café-bar. Kay Lovell, Short Day Trips Leader

Short Day Trip D Day Museum, Southsea, Portsmouth

On a lovely warm and sunny day on the 24th March 2022, 44 members boarded the coach from Romsey Bus Station to the D-Day Museum in Southsea. On arrival everyone enjoyed refreshments and biscuits before splitting into two groups to visit various parts of the museum; some visited the Landing Craft Tank 7074 which is the last surviving craft from D-Day playing a vital role in transporting men and supplies across the channel; another group visited the Legacy Gallery which features the magnificent Overlord Embroidery, 83m in length and was commissioned to remember those people who took part in D-Day and the battle of Normandy. In the main museum were audio visual displays and information about how crucial decisions were made on the day. Afterwards everyone had free time to have lunch, enjoy the sunshine before heading back to Romsey on the coach. Organiser: Margaret Waghorn

SHORT DAY TRIP VISIT TO THE RUSSELL-COTES GALLERY & MUSEUM THURSDAY 28TH APRIL 2022

A trip to Bournemouth, culminating in a visit to the Russell-Cotes Gallery & Museum, was enjoyed by 44 of our members. We arrived in Bournemouth, where it was a little chilly at first, in time to spend a few hours having a coffee, walking along the splendid Undercliff Promenades, exploring the beautifully kept parks or whatever was our fancy. Some even took a ride on the Hop-on-Hop-off bus tour. Lunch was taken according to one’s own preference before we reconvened on the coach and were taken up the hill for our visit to the Russell-Cotes Gallery and Museum, a flamboyant Victorian villa full of paintings, sculptures and artefacts from all around the world. The property was built by Merton Russell-Cotes as a gift for his muchbeloved wife, Annie, on her 66th birthday. The stories of their lives, their love, their travels and their collection were excellently told by two volunteer, but expert, guides who share as much passion for the villa as its original owners. As was the Victorian fashion, every part of their house was crammed with items – hardly a space between them and an eclectic mix of varying styles and cultures – but it ‘worked’! There was time to explore this year’s seasonal exhibition, “The Lost Words”, the gardens which overlook the Bournemouth beaches and pier and take refreshment in the Museum Café or on the Terrace whilst taking in the sea views. Everyone left happy, having fully enjoyed our excursion and saying they’d certainly visit again. Trip Organisers: Gilian Gardiner & Kay Lovell

WINE GROUP

The Wine Group continues with our monthly wine tastings. In January we were taken on a tour through the Rhône Valley. February saw us in Spain, with a selection of wines from the north. California was calling for our March tasting, with various priced wines to delight our palates. Something a little different for our April evening saw us tasting Supermarket own labelproducts, based on an article from The Times Wine Critic. All these presentations were made by different members of the Wine Group, who chose their own wines and put together details and information about each of the wines they presented.

Although we have lost a few members over this year, we are back to our full capacity of 25 members. If any members of the u3a are interested in joining us, we have a waiting list you could put your name on. The image is of our happy group of tasters!!!

Derek Morley

ARCHITECTURE AND LOCAL HISTORY GROUP

The Grange, near Alresford, which our group visited recently, is probably best known for its staging of opera and its Greek revivalarchitecture. It is owned by Barings, the banking family, Barons Ashburton. We were shown round by Mark, who inherited the title two years ago. He was very informal and added a frisson to our visit.

The estate was originally owned by Hyde Abbey in Winchester until the dissolution. Sir Robert Henley acquired it in the mid-17th century and commissioned architect William Samwell to build a 4-storey mansion house. Influenced by the fashionable Palladian style, it was noted for its interior proportions and grand staircase. Only the exterior west wall of this original building is now visible. One hundred years later, the grounds were landscaped into parkland with lakes and a folly.

In the late 18th century, the estate was sold to the Drummond family, also bankers. The Grange was dramatically transformed, when in 1804, grandson Henry Drummond commissioned a young architect, William Wilkins, to give his brick house the appearance of the Greek temple we see today. The change was to the exterior, the old house being wrapped around in cement with a huge Doric porticoadded on the east side. Unfortunately, Drummond didn’t like the result and sold the estate in 1817 to his neighbour Alexander Baring.