history Archives - West Bergholt

September 11, 2022September 11, 2022

Essex Lights – A History Club Talk

Essex Lights – Guiding Seafarers

Essex Lights featuring image of the Dovercourt Low lighthouse

The next Local History Group meeting will learn about Essex Lights of which there are many. From Harwich, down the coast and into the Thames Estuary. Peter Jones will be presenting the history of these Lighthouses in the Orpen Hall on Wednesday 14th September at 7:30 pm.

Members cost is £2 and non-members £4 which includes refreshments.

Other talks coming up inlcude:

Steve Pollington talking about Sutton Hoo, and
Norman Jacobs on the topic of Colchester 1880-1980.

Spring & Summer Events

The Group’s last meeting in Orpen Hall on April 13th, was to hear about the history of the Minories in Colchester. This Grade II listed building is believed to have been built in the Tudor period but with subsequent modifications, in mid-18th century, turning it into the elegant Georgian building you see today.

May 19, 2022May 24, 2022

Food Stories Coming Here – June 19th

The Food Museum, formerly the Museum of East Anglian Life, is going on the road! They are touring their exhibition ‘Food Stories’ to communities across East Anglia arriving in the Orpen Hall on 19th June from 10 am until 4 pm. You can also get involved in the event yourself.

What are Food Stories?

‘Food Stories’ celebrates East Anglian recipes, cooking, farming techniques and dialect words that have been passed down through generations. The centrepiece of the exhibition will be a farm kitchen table featuring:

Farmers and workers at hayricks — Farmers Picnic?

local recipes,
photos,
sound recordings and
objects from their collection.

Visitors will be able to sit at, and engage with, the displays; you can also contribute your own recipes and memories to the exhibition. You will hear historic sound recordings from the region of people talking about their food and farming memories. Visitors can also participate in the University of Leeds’ cutting-edge dialect research by contributing their own dialect words.

Make your own contribution

April 7, 2022April 8, 2022

Daniell update and The Minories next up

The Minories – The Characters & the Context

The next Local History Group meeting will learn about The Minories in Colchester. Max Fox will lead this meeting which will take place on April 13th starting at 7:30 pm. Max has been a Tour Guide in Colchester for 28 years, a former Minories manager for Colchester Institute and a traveller through many ruins who has a passion for history.

As ever, all are welcome for a modest charge of £2 for members and £5 for visitors. Next month the group start their summer visits, the first being to Harwich Museum on Wednesday 11th May. If you would like more information about talks or visits please contact [email protected].

The impact of the Daniell Family on West Bergholt’s development

October 11, 2021October 11, 2021

Digs at Jacks & the Mercury Theatre

Adam Wightman Reporting on the Digs & Jacks & the Mercury

Following the success of their last meeting, Adam Wightman (Senior Project Manager of The Colchester Archaeological Trust), is going to update the Local History Group on these digs this Wednesday. Both digs were possible because of refurbishment works.

In the case of Jacks, just off the High Street, builders dug six shafts to create foundations to stabilise this 17th century building. This gave the Trust 6 windows on the past; find out what they found in Shaft C at Jacks.

August 25, 2021August 24, 2021

Charlie Haylock Coaches Ralph Fiennes

Charlie Haylock talk about his role in the Netflix film “The Dig”

Local Suffolk celebrity, Charlie Haylock returns to the Local History Group for their first talk in person since March last year. This time it is to talk about his work as the dialect coach in the production of the recently released film “The Dig”.

The film tells the story of how local amateur archaeologist Basil Brown, played by Ralph Fiennes, discovered the Anglo Saxon Royal ship burial at Sutton Hoo. Suffolk Landowner, Edith Pretty, employed Basil, an amateur archaeologist, in 1939 to satisfy her suspicions that the numerous mounds on her property had secrets to tell.

November 6, 2020November 6, 2020

Remembrance & Old Church Update

Old Church Renovations YouTube presentation

Remembrance & Old Church Update

Last week we announced the plans for a Remembrance Service partially in St Mary’s (socially distanced and limited numbers) with Zoom. The new Lockdown has thwarted that and plans have changed. We also have an update report from the Friends of St Mary’s Old Church with a video presentation to the parish council. First, Remembrance:

Remembrance Day Events

With the new Lockdown rules, the village can now only Continue reading “Remembrance & Old Church Update”

November 2, 2020

Lockdown Strikes – No Cakes!

One of 2020 Xmas Cards - features Old Church Organ - but no cakes

Lockdown Strikes – No Cakes!

Last week’s news roundup spoke of fundraising ideas from the Friends of St Mary’s Old Church but there will now be no cakes. Unfortunately, Lockdown restrictions have made it very difficult to organise the sale of cakes, Cards & books on Saturday as had been planned. There is a slim chance that they may be able to rearrange for December but this is likely to be too late for Xmas post.

Gift Idea?

Continue reading “Lockdown Strikes – No Cakes!”

October 30, 2020November 6, 2020

Cakes, History, Remembrance & Fitness

Cakes, History, Remembrance, Fitness & St Mary’s Update – Updated for Lockdown

This news update covers several topics, starting with Cakes, History & Xmas, then covering:

Remembrance Day 2020, how it will be different;
News about an Essex scheme to improve our fitness & health with a side-dish of helping us resist COVID;
St Mary’s regular news update covering:
- Operation Shoebox,
- New Church Wardens,
- Zoom Home Groups,
- Remembrance Sunday,
- Prayer & Light Relief, as well as services & contacts.

First let’s find out what Cakes, History & Xmas have in common:

Cards, Cakes, History & Xmas – what’s not to like?

Continue reading “Cakes, History, Remembrance & Fitness”

October 20, 2020October 20, 2020

Lockdown Edition of Village Bulletin now Online

Cover of Lockdown Edition Village Bulletin

Lockdown Edition of Village Bulletin now Online

The Lockdown Edition of the Village Bulletin joins pretty much every other Bulletin and Newsletter issued since June 2006. You can view them all on our website on the Bulletin Page. Highlights of this edition include articles about:

Volunteers,
Open Gardens,
Co-op Dancers,
‘The Bears’,
Lockdown Wildlife,
Guiding, Brownies & Concert Band by Zoom,
Allotments,
Cakes,
A rather large Echium.

Previous Editions

A ‘trawl’ through the archive reveals stories about: Continue reading “Lockdown Edition of Village Bulletin now Online”

September 6, 2020September 6, 2020

The Taylor Maids – History by Zoom

The Taylor Maids

The “Taylor Maids” referred to are, of course, Ann & Jane Taylor, authors of “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”. They lived in West Stockwell Street in the 1800’s and Peter Jones of the Local History Group will be talking about them at their next meeting.

Zoom In & Enjoy

Because of the continued uncertainty about COVID-19, this meeting will not take place in the Orpen Hall but will, instead, take place on Zoom. Continue reading “The Taylor Maids – History by Zoom”