Presently researching the past      
                    for future generations

Saturday 9th October.

11.00am ~ 4.00pm

Place Mill, Christchurch Quay

A glimpse of the everyday lives of the town’s medieval residents with music, games, crafts, and historical exhibits. The star attraction at this year’s Fair is timber dated to the 12th century which was unearthed during the recent development of the King’s Arms Hotel site. Costumed contributors will be presenting 13th century harp music, longbow demonstrations, calligraphy, the game of nine men’s morris, and more…

The original three-day Fair was centred on the feast day of the maidenly St Faith, 6th October, and commenced after the Lord of the Manor, the 21 year-old Baldwin de Redvers, was granted a royal charter by King Henry III in December 1257. St Faith’s Fair continued as an annual event until abolished in 1872.

FREE (Alms to the Place Mill donations box welcome.)

Michele OBrien local Storyteller, Actor, Educator, has created a family friendly, entertaining and magical evenings walk that will ignite the imagination and summon historical and mythical characters. Michele OBrien has been walking as Granny Cousins, Pooles Original Ghost Walk for 13 years.  Michele OBrien excels - The Stage

When:
27 Jul 2010 - 7 Sep 2010 19:30 - 20:30 Tuesday

Where:
Place Mill, Christchurch Quay Place Mill, Christchurch Quay Christchurch BH23

Tel: 07977969080
Email: michele.ob@ntlworld.com

Price:

Price:

£5 Adults £4 Children

Age restriction:

Under 5s welcome and free

A WALK NOT TO BE MISSED ON THE LAST SATURDAY IN AUGUST.

This annual event provided us with another opportunity of profiling the Society.

With reasonable weather, only the odd shower, plenty of folk were out and about.

Some books were sold, and interesting conversations engaged in which should hopefully result in others joining the Society.

Undaunted by the terrific rainstorm that heralded our arrival, 46 members of the Society spent a very enjoyable afternoon at Edmondsham House, not far from Verwood. The House is a Tudor Manor House with Georgian additions and is built on the site of a medieval Manor, which is mentioned in the Doomsday Book.

As the sun broke through the clouds our party divided up into two groups; one to be taken around the house by the owner, Mrs Julia Smith, the other group were taken around the grounds by the very knowledgeable head gardener.

The grounds have walled herbaceous borders a very well organised kitchen garden (so many country houses have lost these important features) as well as a paddock a dell and a beautifully restored Victorian stable block. In the grounds is the little church of St Nicholas which we were also encouraged to visit.

The house contains a fine Jacobean staircase as well as many artefacts and pieces of family memorabilia handed down by members of the family. Included in the portraits is a fine painting of Lewis Tregonwell founder of Bournemouth.

After our tours we were treated to some magnificent cake and a welcome cup of tea., taken not in some bland purpose built tea room but in the main rooms of the house itself-marvellous!

The Edmondsham House and Gardens are open every Wednesday and Sunday and Bank Holiday Mondays during the months of April and October. It is well worth a visit.

Editor; we would all like to thank Sally Bowers for organising such an enjoyable outing

Painting above - Entrance to the walled Garden. Margaret Samuel

An opportunity to join us on a visit to Edmondsham House and Gardens, Cranborne, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 5RE on Tuesday 29th June - 2, o’clock, meet at the house.

The cost per person is £7 to include tea and cake. Pay on the day.

In order that we may advise approximate number of visitors please let us know your nane(s) and your telephone number by contacting either:-

Mike Andrews 01202-482141  E-mail - michael.andrews@btinternet.com  OR

Liz Messer 01202-482450  E-mail Messer2@homeuser.net

Edmondsham House is a Tudor Manor House with Georgian additions, set in 6 acres of lawns and gardens. Of particular interest are the Victorian walled gardens, dairy, stable block and the site of a medieval cock-fighting pit.

The house has remained in the same family since the sixteenth Century; we will be escorted by the owner, Mrs Julia Smith.

AGM (Another Great Meeting!)
Actually it’s the Annual General Meeting for members of the Society on Tuesday 25th May 7:30pm. Christchurch Junior School, Clarenen Road, Christchurch
After the business is concluded Janet Burn will be presenting Victorian and Edwardian slides of Bournemouth.

Looks to be another great meeting. See you there.

On Sunday May 16th 10am - 3-30pm  the Society will be exhibiting at the FONFA  (Friends of New Forest Airfields) open day.

The location will be the Airfields History Centre just off the A35 near the New Forest Airfields Memorial. OS ref SZ208 987

Once again a full house for our Tuesday evening meeting, even as the room was being prepared folk were arriving early to get a good seat. Paul Sturgess was the speaker with a slide presentation of historical photos entitled Dorset of old. Using a camera with a macro lens Paul had used his photo editing skills to produce in may cases an enhanced image of the postcard, thereby enabling presentation of quality images.

We were treated to an archive of pictorial delights from 19th and early 20th cent Dorset:- Haywain, Ox-carts, Ploughmen, Steam engines, Sheep shearing, Harvesting, Milling, Cider making, Horse sales, Fairs, Paddle Steamers, Dairymen, Butchers Wagon, Ironmongers, Postal workers, Charabancs, Old people, Young children, Bridport, Portland, Wimborne, Bere Regi, Witchampton and much more

Be sure to note our next meeting, one not to be missed!

Tuesday, 13th April 2010 - Discovering Dorset-part 3; by Rev. Stuart Timbrell, everything you never knew about deepest darkest Dorset ! —

We enjoyed a memorable and hilarious evening on Tuesday 2nd February as we listened to Alan Hyde and some of his sound recordings from early broadcasting days. Acquiring these clips has been his life long passion, and his collection of now over one thousand forms the basis of valuable sound archive which otherwise might have been lost. His presentation was both informative and full of humour.

We were introduced to Gracie Fields the singer offering Mirro free if you purchased two cartons of Fairy soap, Lord Belisha (as in Belisha beacons) speaking to children in 1938 urging them to collect a free copy of the Highway Code from their local post office, Max Bygraves, commissioned by the National Coal Board to sing about safety in the mines.

The British Broadcasting Corporation did not escape as we listened to a news bulletin about a huge hole ‘big enough to swallow a double decker bus’ that had opened up on Wimbledon Broadway during Wimbledon tennis week. Traffic chaos ensued and listeners were urged to take the bus!

We heard the story of a couple that had queued for over two hours at the Antiques Road Show who upon arrival at the china stall discovered their carton did not contain their china but the families hibernating tortoise!  Who says history is not fun? Why not join us on Tuesday 2nd March for our next meeting. See the events page for details.