THE LARKHALL NEWS Issue 14, May 2011
Produced by St Mark’s School
A Church of England Business and Enterprise College
Front cover courtesy of local artist, Simon Hodges, on display at this year’s Larkhall Festival
The Fall and Rise of Lambridge Mill by Bryan Chalker
Competition!
Win tickets to see Pick & Mix at The Rondo
Business Focus
BATHBAY & Larkhall Pharmacy
2011
Larkhall Festival
Full programme guide inside ...what’s on and where to go May Bank Holiday
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From the Editor You may notice one or two new faces this issue as we have expanded our student reporting team. We have been joined by Shelby, Bryher and Jess from Year 7 and they have made an incredible start as ‘journos’ - I am sure you will be seeing their faces around Larkhall quite a bit over the coming months! It gives me great pleasure, once again, to include this year’s Larkhall Festival programme. This is always quite an excitement for me as I finally get to peruse all of the fabulous things happening in Larkhall over May Bank Holiday weekend. I hope that you will take the time to amble around the streets of our village visiting the many homes, studios, exhibitions and displays that will be on show. It is a triumph of the spirit of this corner of Bath that such an
In This Edition
event can continue to happen. Congratulations to Jill Lawrence who won two tickets for ‘instant wit!’ at The Rondo. If you didn’t get the chance to enter last time...never fear! Our competition this issue is for two tickets to see the wonderful cabaret that is Pick & Mix, so why not try your luck!? I have said it before, but feel that it should be said again, that without the continued support of our advertisers, this community magazine would not be possible so, thank you! If you would like to join us in celebrating our fantastic community, do give me a call and book your slot for the next issue... With best wishes Paula Hawkins Telephone: 01225 312661 or 478416 Email: hawkinsp@st-marks.bathnes.sch.uk
Published by St Mark’s School Editor: Paula Hawkins, St Mark’s School, Baytree Road, Larkhall, Bath, BA1 6ND Tel: 01225 312661 Email: hawkinsp@st-marks.bathnes.sch.uk Website: The Larkhall News is available online at: www.st-marks.bathnes.sch.uk/BusinessEnterprise/LarkhallNews
St Mark’s & The Valley Schools Schools report on new beginnings, philosophical questionning and a choral trip to Wells Cathedral
A Bath-Half Challenge and a 1/2
Local resident Colin Hale has completed no less than 26 half marathons and raised thousands
Larkhall Festival Pull-Out Special
Your very own guide to this year’s much anticipated Larkhall Festival
The Legends of Larkhall Bryan Chalker researches the Harvester ‘Mill’ and the long-since forgotton Lambridge Mill
Community Garden See how the garden grows at Alice Park this spring
Competition! Win a ticket for two to see Pick and Mix at The Rondo this June
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in articles are strictly those of the authors. The publisher does not accept responsibility for any inaccuracies or errors in content. Whilst every reasonable care is taken with all material submitted, the publisher cannot accept responsibility for any loss or damage. For advertising enquiries contact us on 01225 478416
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StMark’s
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By Headteacher, Cherril Pope
Exciting developments are taking place at our school. The school is now secure and we are about to write another chapter in its history.
opportunities for both sets of students. Essentially the connection between the two schools will be similar to that of a ‘franchise’. The two schools will retain their own governing bodies and their own distinctive ethos and admission arrangements. The crowning glory of the partnership will be the creation of a joint Sixth Form, centred predominantly at St Gregory’s but also at St Mark’s. Both sets of students will have equal access to the provision. We are already an 11-18 school and currently our students have priority access to St Brendan’s Sixth Form College. This will still be possible, as will attending any other sixth form within the city.
I have been very keen to ensure that the school is well placed for the future. A Good Ofsted grading, an Outstanding Church School Inspection Report and a federation with St Gregory’s is set to assure an outstanding future. It is, therefore, an appropriate time to allow my successor to plan the next phase of the journey to Outstanding.
The last four to five years have been tough for all of the schools which have worked under a cloud of potential closure. Throughout that time we have remained optimistic and pursued many innovative approaches to learning. Our ‘stage not age’ strategy has been particularly exciting. We were thrilled to receive the first AS level results from our Year 11 students in January and look forward Mr Raymond Friel, the current Head- with anticipation for the full results from teacher at St Gregory’s, will take over as the fifth year of the programme in Authe Executive Headteacher of both gust. schools from September 2011. This joint leadership will open up endless opportu- There will be more to report in subsenities and we are limited only by our quent editions but for the moment we imagination in terms of sharing expertise shall continue to accelerate progress toacross both schools and enriching the wards the partnership.
StSt e ph e n ’s On the 17th March, St Stephen’s School went to Wells Cathedral to celebrate 200 years of Christian education. There were ten schools at the service, picked from all of the schools in Bath and Wells. The eleven children that went were: Charley, Heidi, Lottie, Emily, Isobel, Alice, Niamh, Jo Jo, Max, Toby and Georgia.
Swainswick school Eco Club
by Herbie, Isaac, Flynn, Louis and Luca Swainswick School has a new Eco Club that started in the Autumn term. Schools use more than half the electricity used in BANES so we are trying to reduce our energy use by 25%. We want to do this becuase we want to combat climate change. Eco Club gave an assembly to tell us facts and tips to keep us eco. Then they made posters for each class that say "turn off to keep happy" to remind us to turn off all our lights and electrical appliances when they are not needed. DJ, a member of Eco Club, said "We go around checking electrical devices and every Friday give out an award at assembly for the class or room that has been the most ‘eco’.” In January Swainswick Eco Club went to the Guildhall in Bath to receive their award for completing phase one of the energy project. Swainswick Eco Club gave a presentation and were even interviewed on television! "I think Eco Club have done a fantastic job," said Swainswick teacher, Mrs Kelsall. So, if you want to save electricity, remember to turn off computers, lights and other electrical appliances when you're not using them. Remember: "turn off to keep happy."
of our choice, then sang harmonies and taken to ASK Italian restaurant for a treat. It a section of ‘Donna Nobis Pacem’. was lots of fun and eventually some of our parents came to enjoy a meal with us! Before the service, Mr Mike Tedstone came to our school to help us practice After a wonderful meal, we went for a runour songs and teach us the descant around by the Cathedral and a small river. tunes to ‘Donna Nobis Pacem’, ‘The There were a couple of climbing frames, a Lord’s My Shepherd’ and ‘Ujah i Mose’. see-saw, slides and some swings. It was really He also told us what to expect on the warm so we decided to head back to get day of the service. ready for our performance at the Cathedral. We left St Stephen’s School in Bath at 11.00am. We sang in the minibus all the way down (none of the songs we were meant to though!). As we edged closer to Wells, we became more and more excited. Soon after, we arrived and thanked the driver. Minutes later, we were on the Cathedral Green, eating our lunch.
We all had to audition so that we were able After tireless singing rehearsals and several to go on this trip. We sang a piece of music breaks, we had a run-around and then were
Arriving at the Service, everyone was super excited but super nervous! The choir sounded beautiful and we really enjoyed ourselves. Only another 200 years until the next celebration!
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StSav i o u r ’s
Nurser y and Infant School By Headteacher, Ed Harker
What questions does this picture provoke? Are some of these questions ‘deeper’ than others? Who could you share and explore these questions with? Can there be any ‘right’ answers?
classmates about the issues they have raised. My role as a teacher is subtly changed to that of chairperson in a debate!
YOUNG PHILOSOPHERS This year I have been teaching one of the oldest subjects in education, philosophy. Following training in the techniques of P4C (Philosophy for Children) several staff in our school have used the principles of this style of teaching with our Infant aged children. It is wonderful to see 5 year old children discussing ideas using methods first explained by Socrates over 2,500 years ago!
There are no ‘right’ answers, lots of opportunities for imaginative and speculative thinking, as well as careful listening. The children learn to recognise questions that are ‘bigger’, or more profound than others. It is these deeper questions that usually lead to the best discussions. We often end up discussing how we can know what we know and the nature of ‘reality’…
P4C was originally developed by Professor Matthew Lipman and his associates in New Jersey in the late 1960s. It was designed to encourage children and citizens to be more reasonable; ready to reason and be reasoned with. Like the ancient Greek philosophers, Lipman saw this as the path to the ultimate goal of education: practical wisdom, or good judgement.
These are some of the children’s questions and ideas raised by the picture above: Josh - “Why are they putting ladders on the sun?” Nadja - “Is it on a desert island?” Ned - “How did they get the sun down?” Oscar - “Is there a storm coming?” Archie - “Perhaps a meteor hit the sun and crashed it down to earth…” Oscar - “I could use a jet and some string to pull the sun down!” Wilf - “But the sun’s bigger than the earth… I think it’s the moon.” Casey - “If it was the sun wouldn’t it hurt the people?” Jesse - “Not if they wear something that
At the start of the P4C sessions I present a puzzling story, picture or object, encouraging the children to consider any ideas or questions that are inspired by the presentation. I help the children to share their questions, and then lead them in a discussion with their
doesn’t burn.” Charlotte - “Maybe it’s a model of the sun that they are painting…” Archie - “…with a light bulb in it to make it bright?” Maisie - “I think it’s a sculpture.” Charlotte - “If it’s not a real thing why would a boy be cleaning it?” At the end of the day I send home a picture related to the P4C session, and ask the children to share their questions with their parents and carers. P4C is a great way to teach the children reasoning and questioning skills, helping them learn how to clearly share and explain their own opinions, while still respecting those of other people. Perhaps you could spend a couple of minutes sharing your ideas and questions about the picture with children that you know? Try to explain your thinking, and ask the child to do the same. For more information about Philosophy for Children you can look at the website of SAPERE, the UK’s centre for P4C: www.sapere.org.uk
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Local Marathon Runner Takes On 26th Bath Half!
A Church In The
Community
and for the community
By Rev’d Michael Norman Rector of St Saviour’s Church
26 Half Marathons and local resident Colin Hale, can amazingly still raise a wave for the crowds as he passes by in this year’s Bath Half Marathon held on March 6th. The 50 year old runner has lived and worked in Larkhall for much of his life and in this time has taken part in a staggering 26 Bath Half Marathons whilst raising over £10,000 for local charities. “I have always enjoyed running,” said Colin. “Back in the eighties, I became interested in running after watching my brother Stephen competing. I decided that I could do it too and took part in my first Bath Half Marathon in 1985. Back in those days, getting a personal best was important and I achieved 1hour and 40 minutes in 1990.” “Since then, the running has become harder and I have found that the older you get, the slower you get! So rather than trying to continually beat my personal best, I decided about ten years ago to dress up as a character to add a bit of fun and help me raise as much money for charity as I could.” “I have dressed as a Dalmatian dog whilst running for Bath Cats and Dogs Home, Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz whilst running for Dorothy House Hospice and last year an ice cream cone whilst raising
Spring at St Saviour’s is full of celebration and family activities for all of the community to enjoy.
Photograph courtesy of Clare Green and The Bath Chronicle
money for the neonatal unit at Bath’s Royal United Hospital. I dressed as a clown in 2007 in aid of Cancer Research and this year decided that the clown should come back, bigger and brighter!” This year, Colin ran in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support Care Team and hopes to have raised £450 for the charity. “I would like to say a special thank you to all of my family and customers who have sponsored me over the years. Also to the many families that take the time to come out and support such worthwhile causes,” said Colin. In May, Colin will be running in the Bristol 10k, again for Macmillan Cancer Support. Colin is also considering a further half marathon in Bristol this September, to round off a monumental year, pounding the streets of Bristol and Bath.
Easter services will be held throughout Holy Week including Holy Communion Service on Maundy Thursday at 7.30pm, a themed family service on Good Friday at 10.30am entitled “Journey To The Cross” and Holy Communion Service at 8.00am Easter Sunday, followed by Easter Family Communion at 10.30am, the latter to include an Easter egg hunt for the children! Members of the community are invited to St Saviour’s Church over Bank Holiday Weekend as Larkhall celebrates the annual Larkhall Festival. On Saturday 30 April, the Seven Parables will be brought to life through 10 minute sketches in ‘Deep Stories, Dramatically Staged’ from 11am - 12.30pm. There will be tours of the tower from 10am - 12.15pm and 2 - 4pm for anyone aged 8 and over and music from 2pm with a variety of solo musical recitals, group singing and an appearance by St Saviour’s Youth Band followed by the Beckford Singers at 7.00pm. A Family Praise Service will be held on Sunday 1st May at 10.30am entitled ‘The Good Samaritan’ and finally Messy Church continues on Thursday, May 19th from 3.30 - 5.30pm for those of school age with a creative urge!
Beat Team Reports by PCSO Paul King The Lambridge PACT meeting recently took place at St Mark’s School, and although the attendance was low, it only re-enforced my feelings that I had picked up over the last few months of patrolling that there were no major issues or concerns. We were more than welcome to hear from people who did attend that our long standing priority of traffic management in Bailbrook Lane should no longer be a priority as efforts by both ourselves and BANES over the last few months had been appreciated and deemed proportionate. I am also pleased to say that one of the new priorities was looked at immediately and an answer was finalised the following day. As many of you will have read or seen on the television, we as a Police Force are not immune to cuts, and although we are not entirely sure how these will affect us yet we hope that many of these can come as a re-shuffle of staff and operations behind the scenes and that many of you will not notice any significant difference in the service we provide and our commitment to that. Contact us on 999 IN AN EMERGENCY or 0845 456 7000 for NON EMERGENCY www.avonandsomerset.police.uk
PACT Meetings Next Meeting 16 Nov: 6.30pm St Mark’s School
Current Priorities The Havory, white lines at the junction onto St Saviour’s Rd Advertising vans at lay-bys for long periods of time
Lambridge Beat Surgery May 14th : Aug 6th : Nov 19th :
10am - Midday 10am - Midday 10am - Midday
All meetings at New Oriel Hall
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Community Garden Celebrates The Life of Cllr Richard Maybury Sunday March 6 saw the planting of two damson saplings in Alice Park’s newly created Larkhall Community Garden in memory of Councillor Richard Maybury, who died in December 2010. Richard was hugely supportive of the Community Garden and gave £1,000 of his Councillor’s Initiative Fund towards the development of this exciting and innovative scheme and expressed a wish to have at least two damson trees planted in his name. Fellow councillor Bryan Chalker has promised that a memorial plaque to Richard will be erected in due course. The tree planting ceremony took place at 12noon with Richard’s widow Pam attending, alongside family members and friends. Pictured: Cllr Bryan Chalker, Pam Maybury and Conservative Candidate, Dave Laming
Business Breakfast Wednesday 29th June St Mark’s School 8.15am - 9.30am Business Connect is an exciting opportunity for local business people to develop networking connections in Larkhall and the surrounding areas.The event has been organised by the EnterpriseTeam at St Mark’s School to help local businesses and groups develop better links locally and share expertise. It is an ideal opportunity for business people looking to build their company profile, generate interest or simply to talk face-to-face with other like-minded people. For more information and to reserve your place contact Sally Edmonds on 01225 312661.
Bluegrass Music Festival at St Mark’s School It may be the traditional music of Kentucky but Bluegrass is firmly rooted in our own rich folk heritage and this banjo-led genre comes to St Mark’s for the very first time. Bluegrass music, which in its strictest terms comprises 5-string banjo, mandolin, fiddle, guitar, acoustic bass and high tenor singing, has evolved from the old string-band styles of the Southern states of America but in turn they drew their influences from Britain’s folk roots. The Bluegrass sound we know today was perfected by Bill Monroe, a Kentucky mandolin player and songwriter who recruited a hugely innovative banjo player, Earl Scruggs, to his band’s lineup and in 1945 Earl’s amazing threefinger style banjo playing mesmerised audiences at Nashville’s celebrated Grand Ole Opry. Monroe didn’t call his music ‘bluegrass’; that came about when a local radio disc-jockey, at a loss to describe Bill’s style of country music, simply announced it as ‘some of that Bluegrass music from Kentucky’. Kentucky’s grass does have a blue tinge to it, resulting from chemical elements in the soil. This year sees Bath’s first-ever Americana Festival, which runs from May 18-22 and commences at St Mark’s on Wednesday May 18 with a concert by the Olde Boston Tea Party, a five-piece Bluegrass ensemble fronted by Charlie Boston and featuring the dobro playing of Ced Thorose. Tickets for the event are £4, available on the night or from Bath Box Office, 2 Church Street, Abbey Green BA1 1NL.Tel: 463362 email: boxoffice@bathfestivals.org.uk. The morning of Friday May 20 sees a group of Appalachian cloggers taking the stage during Assembly at St Mark’s, followed by a musical set from Bob Fish, who plays the autoharp, an instrument evolved from the psaltery, dulcimer and zither and largely associated with America’s legendary Carter Family. Reece Witherspoon learned to play the autoharp when she portrayed June Carter in the film ‘Walk The Line’, about Johnny Cash. Bryan Chalker will compere both events at St Mark’s School.
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News from
New Oriel Hall
Now that spring has well and truly sprung, each day the New Oriel Hall takes great pleasure in once more flinging open their doors to welcome in fresh, balmy air and with lots of exciting things lined up for the season ahead, there is sure to be something to suit everyone.
9 and 10. This workshop will be led by Hilary Cartwright, a ballet teacher and ex-soloist with the Royal Ballet.To book a place on the course or find out more please contact Lisa at lisacleverton@hotmail.co.uk or call 01373 813290.
Forthcoming Special Events
There’s a special treat for those who love to feast their eyes on beautiful fabrics as Bath Quilters once again hold their spectacularly colourful Quilt Exhibition (pictured above right) on April 16 and 17. You can amble around the hall, viewing the superb craftsmanship, then enjoy tea and cake at the café running alongside the event.
On May 22 Dorothy Jerrome’s Dance Meditation sessions provide a different dance opportunity with gentle Sunday afternoon sessions of movement and meditation. You can contact Dorothy on 01225 830200.
April 18-20 inclusive, from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm - Stagecoach Easter holiday creative drama workshop for children, with a Wizard of Oz theme and end of workshop performance. For further details call Natalie on 07861 391598
New classes for pre-schoolers include Crafty Cooks run by Becca Bates and Creation Station starting on Wednesday April 27.This is an exciting, creative class running from 1.45 to 2.45 p.m. every Wednesday. For further details call Nicki on 01761 438788 or email nickismith@thecreationstation.co.uk
April 24, May 29 and June 26 from 7-9 pm Bath Home Birth Group
If you are creative with words and have toyed with the idea of writing stories for children, now is the ideal time to start. On June 4, Writing Events Bath have organised a Saturday morning workshop where would-be writers can learn from expert Steve Voakes, Senior Lecturer in Writing for Young People. Steve used to be Head of a primary school in Kimmersdon so he knows all about teaching as well as writing. His first novel, ‘The Dreamwalker’s Child’ was published in 2005 and has since been translated into many different languages. For more information contact Writing Events Bath on 07833 711931 or email writingeventsbath@gmail.co.uk.
Starting on May 9, 9.30 to 10.15 am, is a new dynamic Zumba class. So if you miss starting the week with the exotic rhythms of South America drifting around the hall why not join new teacher, Jess, who also runs a very popular Zumba classes at Bath Sports Centre?!
With so much going on, it’s impossible to write about every activity! The New Oriel Hall website has a complete up-to-date list Over the coming months there is a host of of events, classes and activities taking place unusual one-off weekend events, starting this spring and summer or give them a call with Yoga Dance (pictured above) on April on 01225 466606.
Larkhall open studios www.larkhallopenstudios.weebly.com
After the enormously successful Larkhall Open Studios last year, artists across Larkhall have decided to open their doors to the public once again. As part of the Larkhall Festival, taking place over the Bank Holiday Weekend, over 25 artists in 8 locations will be giving an intimate glimpse into their private studios. This event has quickly
become a regular feature of the local art scene, and this year the small hall in New Oriel Hall will host a group of show artists.
You will be able to walk along the quiet streets of this quirky corner of Bath, visiting the studios of printmakers, sculptors, ceramicists, painters, automata makers, photographers and more. Imagine tea in an artist’s garden in the Spring sunshine! You may even find yourself tempted by one of
April 30 and May 1 - Larkhall Festival May 5 - Polling Station May 7 - Davis Rawlings is holding a Stretching Workshop from 10 am to 12noon May 8 - Writing Events Bath from 10 am to 1.00 pm following the theme ‘every life has a story’ May 28 - Action Aid Table Top Sale and coffee morning 9.30 am to 12 noon. Anyone interested in booking a table or helping please call Anne Baker on 01225 314467 June 3 - The National Blood Services will be operating from the hall. Any one prepared to give blood will be most welcome.
the many original artworks that will be on sale, from the tiny and affordable to the rather more imposing. The Larkhall artists have even set up a Exhibitor, Ione Parkin website where you can see their work and download a map to guide you around the backstreets of Larkhall.
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Readers of The Larkhall News can enjoy two tickets for a cabaret evening to thrill with Pick and Mix on Saturday 4th June It’s easy! Just answer the question below and email or post it with your name and contact details by Friday 20th May to: hawkinsp@st-marks.bathnes.sch.uk or Paula Hawkins, St Mark’s School, Baytree Road, Bath, BA1 6ND. A winner will be randomly selected from entries and notified on Monday 23rd May. Question: Which former Pick and Mix act is on The Rondo’s Summer Season Cover? Allow us to introduce the incredibly-awesome-brilliantly-wonderful-excellence that is the summer season here at the South West’s premier fringe venue, The Rondo. There are treats galore - in fact, so many that it would be a fool’s errand to try and pick the highlights when every show is as bright as the last. However, given that every conceivable taste is catered for at the summer smorgasbord, we have decided to embark on that fool’s errand and pick just a few of the gems that you can see along St Saviour’s Road this summer.
ceive support from the National Comedy Theatre, which is a rare honour indeed. The professional programme includes the return of Reform Theatre who wowed audiences last time they visited. Henry VIII and the Royal Wedding Planners is a timely look at the busiest planner of Royal weddings, Jane Parker.
Over in comedy corner there is fun to be had with a pair of very good value Edinburgh preview shows, two top acts on the bill for Representing community theatre we have the price of one! the ever-reliable Bath Drama, Core Theatre and a handful of other intrepid troupes to Rosie Wilby brings her entertain you. Bath Unity Players join us with Pop Diary to Larkhall, their superb production of The Farndale Av- her cult following enue Housing Estate Townswomen’s Guild grows with every perDramatic Society’s Production of Macbeth. formance she gives This is an uproarious, hilarious comedy with and the irresistibly sufficient twists and turns to ensure that this angry Mark Thomas will undoubtedly be Macbeth as you have returns with an innever seen it before! triguing show about walking the One community show that stands out is Israel/Palestine border. Playing Up’s production of Dougie Blaxland’s, Anybody who caught The Tamworth Two, a fun-filled play that fol- the raucous Christmas lows the true story of two plucky pigs who show Anti-Panto will escaped the slaughter house and went on be thrilled to see New the run. The show has been selected to re- Old Friends back with
a work-in-progress piece, Happy Couple, along with another cabaret night Pick & Mix. Regular comedy fans must now surely be acquainted with the genius that is Pappy’s (pictured above), if you’ve not yet seen them go. If you have seen them, no doubt you already have your ticket. Music is represented by the excellent Clive Gregson and his guitar. The wonderfully eclectic The Duckworths bring their unique brand of musical mayhem, and star of last season’s Pick & Mix, Bryher returns with a full-length show.
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The
LegendsofLarkhall
Images thanks to Dan Brown of the Bath in Time collection Above and right: Lambridge Mill in 1966
The Fall and Rise of Lambridge Mill By Bryan Chalker Watermills were once the driving force of industry in this great city and Larkhall had two of its own, Dead mill and Lambridge. The former still stands but Lambridge Mill fell victim to the demolition crew in 1966 – but could such a mill be revived today as a means of producing electricity? Old mills powered by water have a quintessentially English feel to them and yet they were common around the world, with numerous examples being restored to full working order and our own Government now promoting a watermill revival linked to hydropower. We probably have John Constable to thank for romanticising mills with his delightful paintings of ‘The Mill Brook’, ‘Parham Mill’ and ‘Watermill At Gillingham, Dorset’ and it’s so easy to see why this great artist was attracted to such gracious buildings, because of the permanent air of tranquillity they exhude.
You can be forgiven for thinking that the Harvester pub and restaurant complex was constructed on the footprint of a former mill, so faithful is its design to that of an early Victorian watermill, but you’d be wrong. The former pub actually stands on the site of Lambridge Garden Centre and the mill was located a little to the north on land once forming part of the garden of Lambridge Lodge and what are now the grounds of Pitman Court. The latter was constructed in two stages between 1971 and 1972 but by this time the sad remains of Lambridge Mill had been demolished. Fortunately for us a talented artist named Peter Coard recorded Larkhall’s Dead Mill has been well docu- the mill’s semi-derelict state for posterity and mented by me in The Larkhall News but the two of his superb drawings are reproduced Lambridge Mill has only been briefly alluded here. to over the past few years and I feel that it is now time to put the record straight about an An Ordnance Survey map of 1883, revised in import element of local history before it is 1936, shows the Garden Centre area as a erased forever. Nursery, whilst the land to the south of Lambridge Mill was left blank and generally asThe now defunct and boarded-up Harvester sumed to be a meadow and there is pub on Gloucester Road was designed and absolutely no evidence of industrial buildings built by Bass Taverns in 1998 to resemble a at any stage in the area’s history. Whilst 19th century watermill, complete with imita- traces of Roman occupation have been detion vents, timber lucarne (winching shed) tected at Kensington Meadows and it seems and west wing vaulted over an imitation tail- likely that the Lam Brook was forded by the race, diverted from the fast-running and con- Fosse Way where the present Lam Bridge stant Lam Brook which, in reality would have now stands, the Harvester site is not deemed housed a waterwheel. to be archaeologically sensitive.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY An archaeological survey undertaken during the Autumn of 2008 cited a lease of circa 1275 referring to: “two fulling mills with all appurtenances at Lambrugge and one messuage and one Beckey and one garden with a small meadow adjacent and two portions of meadow of which one head extends to the garden which was once of Emma de Lambrigge and to the bank of the water by which the said mills run and one acre arable which is called Scevelbrodaker of which the head extends to the way from Lambridge to Swainswick and the other head extends to the meadow of the Hospital of St. John”. A map of 1830 shows the Harvester site as meadow and depicts for the first time the recently built Lambridge Mills to the north, owned by Y and H. Sturge. The Tithe Award of 1839-41 depicts the same site as meadow and garden and it is referred to as “Part of Great Lickers Mead”. It has been suggested that this might refer to the cultivation of liquorice on the site, or simply a reference to milk vetch, commonly known as wild liquorice. By the 1840s it is clear that the southern end of the site had merged into the gardens of Lambridge House, with the northern portion held by the owners of Lambridge Mills. They were described in 1837 as “woolstaplers, fellmongers (dealers in wool and hides, respectively), leather dressers and glue makers but
Page 11 by 1885 the building was shown as a flour the boundaries of the proposed development mill, in which use it continued until 1951. site”. The ‘development’ site referred to is the Harvester and its car park and grounds The tributaries of the River Avon gave water and the Survey virtually dismisses out of hand power to many mills, including the gunpow- any historical significance relating to what is der mills at Woolley and the Dead and Lam- actually left of Lambridge Mill. bridge Mills in Larkhall and Lower Swainswick. Ownership went from the IMPORTANT FOCUS Sturge Family to J.T. Crouch but in 1913, Lambridge Mill, or Mills, was taken over by Walter To the casual observer the Lam Brook is Hitchcock and according to records they nothing more than an insignificant meanderdealt mainly in animal feeds. Theirs was ob- ing stream. Prior to the Industrial Revoluviously a fairly successful business because, by tion, however, water was the principal source 1935, Walter Hitchcock’s young nephew of motive power for corn and meal milling Leslie was photographed posing by the com- and for early industrial processes such as pany’s rather splendid Manchester lorry fulling and metalworking. The Lam Brook (below). was therefore a locally important focus of early industry and noted for its mills.
Leslie Hitchcock in 1935 with his uncle’s Manchester Lorry From around 1902 the Harvester site was occupied by a nursery and piecemeal development during the 20th century included a forecourt and hard-standing, timber huts and glasshouses and an adjacent bungalow to the east. Pitman Court, to the north of the site, was built between 1971 and 1972, adjacent to the site of the former Lambridge Mill which, by the time of its destruction in 1966, had become very derelict and served as a builder’s yard. It becomes quite apparent from the Archaeological Survey that the Harvester site offers “little or no evidence to suggest that the potential exists for any significant archaeological remains of any period to have existed within The article in our February Issue, entitled ‘The Destruction of Little Mudcombe’, may have lead some readers to believe that Councillor and the late Mayor of Bath, Tony Rhymes was responsible for the demolition of Worcester Buildings. This was not the case and it was not our intention to imply so. We apologise for any misunderstanding.
There is a certain amount of circumstantial evidence from medieval documentary references to two fulling mills at Lambrugge or Lambrige (assumed to be Lambridge) occupying the Harvester site but their precise location is unknown. We do know that two mills certainly did exist in our area and one, the Dead Mill, stands to this day (minus its waterwheel) and 19th and 20th century maps clearly indicate Lambridge Mill – and traces of the building’s footings can be seen to this day.
Vaulted west wing of the Harvester, which could be adapted to house a water wheel It is rare for watermills to be driven directly by a watercourse and they depend almost invariably upon man-made hydraulic systems to create the necessary head of water to power the wheel. The most common methods of creating a head of water are by damming the watercourse and impounding it in a millpond directly above the millrace, or by diverting it into a leat or headrace, running parallel to the stream or cutting across a meander. A sluice would then control the flow of water to the wheel.
A map dated 1729 notes along the course of the Lam a number of ‘necks where the watercourse is turn’d’ and the early maps clearly indicate that both the Dead and Lambridge Mills depended upon millponds and millraces, running to the east of and parallel to the Lam A number of different development plans for Brook to create a suitable head of water. the site have been submitted to the Council over the past few years and these include a Watermill technology proved its worth over grandiose scheme for a care-home, and a res- many centuries. Whilst wind-turbines are idential complex currently under considera- wholly dependent upon strategic geographic tion. Both schemes would result in the placement and wind velocity, hydropower demolition of the existing structure but there from good old-fashioned waterwheels might now appears to be growing local opposition yet save the planet. Where better to start to this and the suggestion that the Harvester than Lambridge, with its fast-running Lam building could be carefully re-modelled inter- Brook and proven watermill heritage? nally and its pleasing external features retained with a working waterwheel introduced to the vaulted west wing, linked to a turbine to provide hydropower for the homes.
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If Only They Could Talk! By Mark Minkler Senior Vet at Beaufort Veterinary Surgery, Larkhall Initially, when one is invited into the consulting room, other than for emergencies, it is you that your vet is interested in. I would like to talk about the consultation and how I diagnose cases. Firstly the history; this is really important, it is the equivalent of someone telling their doctor how they feel and what their symptoms are. Animals, of course, can't do this, so I ask people questions about their animal. As the owner, your observations are the most important thing, these are the clinical signs, which we need to tell what an animal’s symptoms are. Sometimes I think owners may be frustrated that I do not immediately examine their animal; indeed the animal may have an obvious wound, in which case there is no diagnosis to be made, and taking a history might seem a waste of time. However, I still need to know its general health in order to give the best advice. Secondly, the physical examination. More mistakes have been made through not looking rather than not knowing - not by me personally, I hasten to add, but by people generally, and as a clinician I am disciplined in not jumping to conclusions. Instead I gather all the facts before putting everything together; again I need to know the general health of the animal and I then proceed with the physical examination. I do this head to tail and cover all body systems. When I am examining an animal it is the animal I am interested in and focus my attention on. The next stage is back with the owner to discuss my findings. I have heard it said that reaching a diagnosis is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle, some pieces or facts may be missing, but nevertheless one can be fairly certain of the picture, or diagnosis. On the other hand, one may need more pieces of the puzzle, for example information from blood tests or X rays. At this stage I offer advice, discuss the options and the need for further tests or treatments, and importantly, my opinion. Lastly there needs to be a dialogue, your questions, thoughts and feelings on the advice I give. The word “process” is a good word to sum up with. Good consultations follow a process of fact-gathering and mental processing to give advice gained from knowledge acquired through education, training and experience.
The Larks Aim For Top Spot The Larks are currently flying high at the top of the Toolstation Western League Premier Division and will, hopefully, still be there come the end of the season! Since Christmas, the Larks have been in fine form and until Saturday 19th March, were unbeaten since early November, which is a fabulous achievement. Wells City were the team to beat the Larks on both occasions but, despite this, a high level of consistency throughout the season has enabled them to maintain the title challenge. Success has not been restricted to the pitch alone and in February the Club were honoured with manager, Neil Kirkpatrick, winning the league’s Manager Of The Month Award and goalkeeper, Lewis Porter, winning the league’s Safe Hands Award! The Club has applied for promotion to The Southern League and if successful, that would be a remarkable achievement. In order to qualify for promotion, there are improvements required to the grounds but the hard-working and dedicated team at Plain Ham are determined to make this dream become a reality. The team will also have to finish in a top two position to be eligible for promotion and again, in only the Club’s second season in the Premier Division, it would be an amazing achievement for the team and the Club. Whatever the outcome, on and off the field, the Club has raised its profile within the football fraternity in the South West of England and is now recognised as a leading Club at this level. Over the coming weeks everyone connected with Larkhall Athletic FC and the local community will be keeping their fingers crossed that the team can continue to stay at the top of the table and achieve what was unimaginable at the start of the season back in August.
Larkhall Athletic are holding a RACE NIGHT on Saturday 7th May at 7.00pm with all proceeds going to the Club Improvement Fund. Buy a horse for just £5 with a chance to win £20 and experience the excitement of Aintree in the comfort of the Clubhouse at Plainham!
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Transition Larkhall
gardening Blog
Come and see how the garden is growing on Monday 2 May, when we open the gates for the Larkhall Festival Garden Trail With the help of Larkhall volunteers, and some generous donations, the patch of grass and shrubs next to Alice Park is really beginning to take shape. Our raised bed workshop means we now have six sturdy, wood-sided beds, and are starting to plant in them. The ground has been enriched with topsoil from the park’s new pétanque area, compost from the council, and well-rotted rabbit droppings for extra growing oomph. We’re keen to involve young gardeners, and Tabitha McLaughlin is leading children’s workshops on seed planting, among other subjects. Fruit trees went in during March, and the garden is now home to six pears (Beth, Concorde and Conference), three apples (Scrumptious, James Grieve and Red Falstaff), two Stella cherries and a Victoria plum. If you have a local business and would like to find out about sponsoring one of the trees, then do get in touch. We would like as much of our community as possible to know about, enjoy and benefit from the garden as possible. On 6 March, Pam Maybury, with members of her family and Cllr Bryan Chalker, helped to plant two damson trees in memory of Pam’s husband, Richard. He was a great supporter of Transition Larkhall, whose members are leading the development of the community garden, and we are very grateful for his interest and support. So do stroll over on 2 May – there’ll be cake and seedlings, as well as a tour. If you’d like to be part of the garden transformation, sign up for news by emailing kathy@swainswick.fsnet.co.uk.
The Larkhall
Village Kitchen
The column that puts creativity back into cooking with the majority of ingredients sourced from Larkhall shops, gardens or allotments.
Emergency Pudding Yet another recipe promoted widely during the Second World War and still relevant in today’s austere climate. This version first appeared in The Atora Book of Tested Recipes dated 1945 and purchased recently from a Bath charity shop for £3! Ingredients: 7 1/2ozs self-raising flour 3ozs shredded suet 3ozs castor sugar 2 eggs milk Grated orange or lemon rind, or some flavouring essence if served with sugar and butter. Method: Grease a Yorkshire pudding tin with suet. Sift the flour and mix in the sugar, shredded suet and a pinch of salt. Beat the eggs, add milk to make up to a breakfast-cupful. Mix all very thoroughly but do not beat. Leave room for raising and bake at a steady heat, very moderate, for about 40 minutes. It should be nice and brown, and resemble cake in consistency.
Summer growing tips from our members:
Serve with sugar and butter, or spread warm jam or marmalade on the top after turning out the pudding.
• If your broad beans are getting blackfly, pinch out the tops, flies and all – the plants should recover well, and you can eat the (washed) shoots. • Peas and sweet peas also respond to a bit of harsh treatment. If you pinch out the first runner the plant will send out shoots from the base, giving you more flowers and more pods. • You can keep sowing salad leaves and peas right through until August. Sow every couple of weeks for a constant supply of quick-growing crops such as lettuces, radishes, spring onions and herb leaves.
Serves 6-8 persons
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Student reporter, Bryher, writes about husband and wife pharmacists, Ben and Lydia and their first year in business at the...
...Larkhall Pharmacy Hello Ben, who runs past couple of years as the pharmacy with you? there wasn’t much that Hello, my wife, Lydia and I run the pharmacy. needed changing. We offer a wider delivery What did you both do before com- and pick-up service than before as there are now ing to Larkhall? I was a locum in various Bath pharmacies and two pharmacists on site Lydia, my wife, was a pharmacist at Swindon at all times. This has imHospital before we bought Larkhall Pharmacy. proved things for those who rely on regular prescriptions or for people who find it difficult to get into Larkhall. How long have you lived in Bath? We have lived locally for 8 years since finishDo you like Larkhall and what are ing university in Bath. its best bits? Who owned the pharmacy before We love Larkhall! It is a lovely community to live in, there is nowhere else in Bath like it. It’s you? We took over from Wendy in 2009 as new friendly, everyone knows everyone else and owners. Very few independent pharmacies they help each other. Larkhall is just like the come up for sale these days so when Wendy old-days where everyone looked out for one decided to sell, we jumped at the chance and another and it is just lovely to be a part of it. we love it. What is it like having a business in How much has the pharmacy Larkhall? Larkhall is a great place to have a business. changed over the past two years? The pharmacy hasn’t changed much over the The great range of shops and facilities allow
A Spoonful of Sugar
people to come here and shop locally for everything they need, rather than making the journey into Bath city centre. What was your first year like here at the pharmacy? The first year disappeared in a blur and was an incredible learning experience for us both, but we wouldn’t change a thing. What are your future aims for the business? We hope to continue to build the business slowly and offer a personal and friendly service to the local community, with a fast and efficient service.
Classes are £7 and run weekly on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings (10am until 11.15am) with an additional class starting A Spoonful of Sugar allows children the op- after Easter every Tuesday afternoon. portunity to come along to a weekly session with Amber, in the comfort of a home envi- Please call Amber on 07748 644673 or email ronment. The emphasis is clearly on ‘fun’ info@spoonfulofsugarcooking.co.uk or visit rather than ‘chore’ and children and parents the website at www.spoonfulofsugarcookare encouraged to explore new foods in a re- ing.co.uk for more information. laxed setting away from the pressures Last month saw the launch of a new kind of that meal-times can sometimes bring. Cookery School in Larkhall. Local entrepreneur and mum of two, Amber Morgan, de- “Sessions are very hands-on,” excided to launch her new venture as a result plains Amber. “They are mainly based of a life-long passion for cookery that she has around cooking but we also like to do shared with her two young sons Jack and quite a bit of singing (with actions), some craft and storytelling, as well as Harry. talking about the ingredients we are “My son Jack was the inspiration behind the using and where they come from.” business,” said Amber. “He absolutely loves cooking and is not afraid of food. He is happy “My son really looks forward to his weekly classes at Spoonful of Sugar,” to try new things and new ingredients.” says one pleased parent. “He enjoys “Jack has now started school at St Saviour’s cooking and he especially likes sieving Infants and Harry is getting to the age when the flour and getting messy hands! he too wants to experiment in the kitchen. I Classes are small and friendly and thought that now would be a good time to Amber always makes us feel welcome hopefully inspire more children to want to into her home, I’m so pleased we cook regularly, using all sorts of ingredients.” joined!”
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Student reporters, Ben and Shelby, interview the person behind Bath’s very own online auction-retail site,
Larkhall Business in Focus...
BATHBAY
Mani Chauhan has lived on Eastbourne Avenue for the past nine years and until now has been working solely as a Chartered Surveyor in the local property industry. Life took a change of direction for him two years ago, when he became involved in fund-raising for Claremont Residents Association through online auction site, eBay. Since then he has been developing an alternative to global retail, focusing on giving consumers the widest possible choice, locally. “Bathbay is an auction site like many others, but it is also very different. It is a retail search and compare site with an added online market place that customers can use to find the best products and prices in this area. The idea originally came from looking for a tent. I wanted to go to one site where I could see all tents for sale, whether that be on eBay, a national or local retailer or even second-hand. It occurred to me that nobody is offering that service locally, which is surprising given how hard it is out there economically for consumers and retailers, ” explains Mani. “I think that there is potential to reduce carbon emissions and encourage people to trade locally whilst providing a vital boost to the local economy.”
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Consider it a shopping Mall for Bath...just online
Having launched the business 12 months ago, it is still in its early development stages and Mani is keen to ensure that it continues to meet with consumer trends and remains flexible. “The original business plan was for a local auction site that people could simply come to and sell their items locally but, over the last year, it has evolved to also include a search and comparison tool. We have developed our links with local and national retailers and now provide more buying options from our site. Our aim is to expand Bathbay to include all local retailers and national retailers so that the people of Bath can look on one site to find the best deal for them.” Talking about his background, Mani talks animatedly about his upbringing in the Midlands and how he was inspired by his father who arrived in England in the 1960s.Watching his father work the factories and then grow a property portfolio in his front room, provided him with the belief that if you work hard enough and believe in what you have to offer, anything is possible.
“For anyone wanting to start their own business, I would advise thinking through all aspects of it carefully. Write it down, research your idea, not just here in the UK but overseas, to see what other coun-
tries are doing. Look at the market and the competition and understand what it is that you want to do to bring something new to that market.” “Then talk to everyone you can, family, friends other business entrepreneurs. Show them your business plan. Anyone who is business and sees someone young coming to them with an idea will want to help because at the end of the day, that’s where they started!” Asked to describe himself in three words, Mani quickly responded, “Adventurous, energetic and optimistic!” Bathbay is clearly at the start of an exciting journey as a business and with skills such as these at the helm, it is hard to see anything other than success.
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To promote your business locally contact us on 01225 478416