Chapel Lawn
Bucknell
THE REDLAKE
Issue 1 January 08
The web edition of the Redlake is a slightly adjusted version of the paper copy to bring you just a little more information and some colour photographs.
From the Editors
Welcome to this first edition of The Redlake, which we hope you will enjoy.
Following our survey in October last year, it became clear that there was scope for a local Newsletter, covering the area of the Chapel Lawn ward.
The name The Redlake was chosen because the river of that name connects most of the townships, bringing the communities together.
Although part of the Clun civil parish and ecclesiastically linked to Bucknell benefice, the Chapel Lawn area stands alone with its own personality and interests.
Our editorial policy is to be stimulating but non-partisan, report on local events that have happened and publicise those about to happen. But to be really successful we do need your input, whether as a letter or a short article on a local topic or just let us know what you’d like to read about.
The Redlake will be distributed free to every household in the ward: however the odd contribution towards the cost of publication would be most welcome!
The Redlake is published by The Redlake Valley Hall Committee and neither the committee nor the editors can accept responsibility for any opinions expressed by contributors in these pages. The editorial team reserves the right to edit contributions as it believes appropriate.
The Editorial Team
The editorial team
comprises: Jane Kent, Christine Page, Becky Whitton & Michael
Macturk
How to contact us: by mail The Redlake Editors, Squire Farm, Chapel
Lawn, SY7 0BW
by telephone 01547 530 530 or by e-mail theredlake@squirefarm.co.uk
Seasonal Gardening Notes
Hamamelis, or Chinese Witch Hazel, is the star of the winter garden. It is an easy, hardy shrub that won't get too big and needs no pruning. It's not fussy about position, as long as it has some sun and soil that is not too dry. It blooms on the bare stems from Christmas until March in strong colours of egg-yolk yellow, tawny orange or gingery red. Its flowers look like the tousled ribbon bunches you add to gift-wrapping and they are richly scented - a Christmas puddingy blend of citrus-spiciness, which hangs in the air on still days. The foliage will colour magnificently in favourable autumn. The bruise-soothing liniment comes from the American witch hazel, which is not such a garden-worthy plant as its growth is straggly and its flowers small.
The National Collection of Hamamelis is held in Shropshire by Pat Edwards at Swallow Hayes, Albrighton, near Wolverhampton. The next garden open day is 20 January 2008. Telephone 01902 372624 for more details.
Hannah Willets
Profile
Vera Price
Vera is one of the very few people who has lived in the Chapel Lawn area all her life. She was born at Big Purlogue, now known as Purlogue Farm.
In her primary years she walked to and from school at Chapel Lawn and later attended the old High School at Bishop's Castle. When she left school Vera worked at home on the farm, where she was kept constantly busy. Her mum did not approve of lazy pastimes such as reading. Herself an excellent craftswoman, she encouraged Vera to learn to knit, sew, and embroider. Vera must have been an outstanding pupil as anyone who has seen her beautiful craftwork will know.
Vera married Maurice, from Garbett just over the hill, in 1958 and moved to Green Farm at Purlogue, which, with Garbett, they farmed in partnership with Maurice's brothers. In 1969 they bought The Garn and branched out on their own. Here Vera helped on the farm, which was stocked with about 30 cows, a Hereford bull and Clun sheep. Vera's speciality was rearing geese. She sold the dressed geese to traders in the Midlands. The feathers and down, in great demand for their quality, she sold to a travelling dealer.
Vera and Maurice's three children, Christine, Robert and David, all grew up at The Garn and like their mum went to Chapel Lawn and Bishop's Castle schools. When Vera and Maurice retired to the Pentre in 2002 the boys took over the farm. Christine (Oakley) now lives in Bucknell, but is still very involved in Chapel Lawn life, so happily all are still local.
What has changed over the years? Quite a lot thinks Vera. In the early days the Stag's Head at New Invention was still a pub. As well as the market bus to Knighton on a Thursday there was a bus to the Saturday cinema, beyond where the hotel car park is today. Before the Village Hall was erected regular whist drives and dances were held in the Chapel Lawn school, where the two classrooms could be opened up into one big room; and there were more, and busier, church services at St. Mary's. Although when young, Vera generally went to Sunday School at the Chapel at New Invention, which was in her field!
Before the 1960's the Chapel Lawn area was a close community of farming families and all the houses in Chapel Lawn were associated with farming, only two others being built until recent years. With the Adams family's smithying and corn bruising premises situated in the heart of the village, and used by all the local farmers, Chapel Lawn could be a very busy place at times.
When Vera was young the post was delivered on foot from Clun sorting office. The service was maintained right through the great ‘47 freeze up, there was even a delivery on Christmas Day! Bread and groceries were delivered by Mr Davies from Clun by horse and cart. In deep snow he would leave the cart at New Invention and finish the journey to Purlogue pack horse style.
Vera has always been extremely active in the life of Chapel Lawn in the past she has been W.I. President and Secretary and Treasurer to both the PCC and the Village Hall Committee.
Sadly, Vera's husband Maurice, also a community stalwart, died
in 2007. Vera continues to be at the heart of the community, an active WI member, very involved with the Church, a busy mum and grandma, and a good friend valued by all.
Jane Kent
Parish Plan
The Clun & Chapel Lawn Parish Plan is an attempt to find out more about you, the members of the Parish, and your ideas about what is needed. Many of you helped with the consultation at the Village Walk in September which gave us many good ideas. The next stage will come early next year, when a questionnaire will go out to everyone in the community. This questionnaire will ask for your views on a wide range of subjects from work to the environment and community facilities. Please help the Parish Council to work towards what you want by having your say.
Welcome to Chapel Lawn
For newcomers to the area we thought a very brief profile might provide an introduction to Chapel Lawn. Chapel Lawn is a ward of the Clun parish and covers the six ancient townships of Hobendrid (Chapel Lawn and Pentre), Hobarris, Menutton, Purlogue, Treverward and Pentre Hodre. Chapel Lawn village is regarded as the mother village of this large and sparsely populated ward. In the next issue of this newsletter we hope to distribute a map of the area. If you would like to know more about Chapel Lawn life and it's history the book "The Life and Death of Chapel Lawn School" published by the community and available locally is well worth a read. The village has a church, village hall, listed telephone box, letter box and a once a week bus service to Knighton. It is very quiet, and it is quite unusual to meet anyone as one walks or drives along the main street. It lies in the beautiful Redlake valley, dominated on one side by Caer Caradoc and Stow hill and on the other by Bryneddin wood and Hodre hill. The six townships have 149 voters on the electoral roll and with about 12 children under voting age we think we can assume the average age of the community is well above the national average!
Although we are part of the Clun civil parish, Chapel Lawn Church parish is
part of the Bucknell benefice. Thus we have Church services are twice monthly and after the service is a very good opportunity for socialising. In Chapel Lawn village is the Redlake Valley Hall, which while extensively refurbished retains it's old world charm and is popular with people both within and from outside the area. Frequent events take place in the hall to which everyone is very welcome. It also hosts the local W.I., Gun Club and Astronomical Society, all of whom would be delighted to welcome new members. |
If you have
any questions or would like
to get more involved, please speak to
Kim Smith on 01547 530504
Seasonal Gardening Notes
Hamamelis, or Chinese Witch Hazel, is the star of the winter garden. It is an easy, hardy shrub that won't get too big and needs no pruning. It's not fussy about position, as long as it has some sun and soil that is not too dry. It blooms on the bare stems from Christmas until March in strong colours of egg-yolk yellow, tawny orange or gingery red. Its flowers look like the tousled ribbon bunches you add to gift-wrapping and they are richly scented - a Christmas puddingy blend of citrus-spiciness, which hangs in the air on still days. The foliage will colour magnificently in favourable autumn. The bruise-soothing liniment comes from the American witch hazel, which is not such a garden-worthy plant as its growth is straggly and its flowers small.
The National Collection of Hamamelis is held in Shropshire by Pat Edwards at Swallow Hayes, Albrighton, near Wolverhampton. The next garden open day is 20 January 2008. Telephone 01902 372624 for more details.
Hannah Willets
Chapel Lawn W. I.
During the past year the W.I. has expanded greatly and is an extremely lively group, very involved in many of the village’s activities. It meets at 7.30pm on the second Wednesday of every month in the village hall for fun, gossip and informative talks.
Do come along, or if you’d like to know more ring Pauline Terry 01588 640754 or Jane Kent 01588 640642.
Council Matters
The Clun with Chapel Lawn (CL) Parish Council meets nine times a year in Clun and once in CL. Three of the twelve councillors represent CL: Councillors K. Smith, S. Sherring and K. Terry. No matters of major significance affecting CL ward were discussed recently.
Planning applications from Little Bryncalled, Brook House at Pentre, land at Pentre Farm and Lower Hodre were all either supported or voted ‘no objection’.
In the Next Issue
We are planning to bring you a free map of the townships, more profiles, news, reviews of events and interesting articles.
Please let us know what you’d like to read about.
Illustrations by Ann Arnold
Chapel Lawn Astronomicals
The Chapel Lawn Astronomicals has now reached its fourteenth year. It began as the Offa’s Dyke Astronomical Society, which met each month in Knighton Observatory.
Following a few years of decline, it was
decided to move the meetings to Chapel Lawn Village Hall. Not only was the
hall a user-friendly place but it had a large
car park and it was blessed with very dark skies – except for three street
lights!
Today it is an informal group of friends and acquaintances with one great interest – the stars.
A source of wonder rather than knowledge binds the group together. They enjoy hands-on experience of telescopes to view the heavens and it’s wonders.
Excellent speakers help to expand their interest and knowledge: Subjects have included ‘The Birth and Death of Stars’, ‘Saturn – Lord of the Rings’, ‘Mars and the Belief in Canals’ and ‘The Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence’.
The Astronomicals meet on the last Thursday of every month at Chapel Lawn Village Hall at 7.30pm. Members number around twenty but on most evenings ten would be a good number. Between them the members have at least five good astronomical telescopes. Special days and nights are arranged for viewing. At midsummer a supper for members and friends is held, and each Christmas there is a splendid Christmas dinner in Knighton.
If you are interested in the stars or would
like to look at the planets and the moon magnified 450 times, then do please
come along or telephone 01547 530205 for more help and details. If this has
caught your imagination and you want to know more of what is happening click
on the picture
Graham Arnold
Renewable Energy
Liz Campbell and Patrick Cosgrove recently attended a meeting in Ludlow where the possibility was floated for grants of up to £150,000 for renewable energy schemes for landowners or communities (or both). This money, from the Regional Development Agency, could support feasibility exercises on projects based on bio fuel crops to support farm diversification, wind power, water power or biomass digestion.
For further information
contact:
Patrick Cosgrove on 01547 530347 or Liz Campbell on 01547
530535.
HAVE YOU GOT THE ENERGY?
Climate change, petrol prices, home-heating costs – do they concern you?
About a year ago a group of people in the Teme Valley wanted to know what these issues meant for a rural community such as Knighton and, unwilling to wait for government to take a lead, what they could do about it. Their aims are now agreed as wanting to minimise the negative environmental impact of their own activities and of local organisations and industries, to support local businesses, and to take a fresh look at how local resources are used. In their first year they carried out a Community Carbon Footprint which demonstrated that each person locally emits significantly more CO2 than the national average: 13.2 tonnes compared with 10.2 tonnes. They ran a free film festival on climate change, peaking oil production and localised energy solutions. Support grew and they have moved into a second phase which is a division into three inter-linked groups of interest: energy performance, food production, and renewable energy options. They have now identified a number of projects that they wish to develop.
The energy efficiency group will train volunteer “surveyors” to provide free advice to homes on ways of increasing fuel efficiency. The food group is looking at ways of connecting local food producers to local buyers and of setting up community orchards and gardens. The renewable energy group will explore the practicalities of generating power locally thus reducing dependence on oil, gas and centrally generated electricity, 67% of the last of which is currently wasted before it reaches the home, farm, or factory.
So far the majority of those involved live in or near Knighton, but there are also members from Llanfair Waterdine and Bucknell. If anyone from Chapel Lawn or nearby wants to know more or to become involved, please regard me as a first point of contact. If there is sufficient interest, I’ll arrange an initial meeting to see what people’s interests or concerns are.
Patrick Cosgrove
Well House, Chapel Lawn
Tel: 01547 530347
Email: Patrick@cosgr.plus.com
Chapel Lawn Gun Club
The Air Gun Club has been running in Chapel Lawn for over a 100 years. Two Chapel Lawn teams shoot in the Clun Valley League, with a match every Monday from September to March at different venues, and a practice on most Thursdays in the village hall. Read a potted history of the club in the next newsletter. If you are interested in joining, please contact James Middleton 01547 530247.
Village Socials
Following the success of the recent events, such as the men’s pudding competition, the Village Hall Committee is planning regular social evenings to include games, talks, food and a bar. The next social, on 21st February, includes Becky’s talk and slideshow about her adventures riding from Portugal to Suffolk with a friend, two horses and a dog.