Grey Friars – A History Group Talk

Grey Friars Location — Showing the northeast corner of the old town in 1777
Grey Friars House is above the word Frere

The first meeting of the New Year took place in the Orpen Hall on January 10th. The guest speaker was Alan Skinner, former Principal of Grey Friars Adult Education College.

History of Grey Friars

Alan’s talk was about the history of Grey Friars, or more precisely the area where it is located in the northeast corner of the old Roman town. It is difficult to ascertain exactly what was there during the Roman and Norman periods but between the 13th and the 16th century the site was occupied by Franciscan Monks, the Grey Friars, until the dissolution of the monasteries in 1538.

Poor Repair

The buildings remained in a poor state of repair. They were much damaged one hundred years later in the Civil War and Royalist prisoners of war were detained there after the siege. In Georgian times the area became very desirable and several large houses were built close by – Hollytrees, East Hill House, The Minories. The building which is now the centre part of Grey Friars was built around 1750.

The building changed hands several times and in 1829 the area where Roman and Castle Roads are now was leased to the Colchester Botanical Society to make into a Botanical Garden. This initially proved popular with the rich and fashionable although by the 1850s the garden had fallen from favour and was sold off for housing and would eventually become Castle Road and Roman Road.

Much Extended

The Grey Friars house, much extended, continued as a private residence until 1903 when it was purchased by a group of French Nuns. They converted it into a boarding school for gentlemen’s daughters. The Nuns sold Grey Friars to Essex County Council in 1920 when it was used to house part of the County High School for Girls. They stayed there until the 1950s when they moved to their current premises in Norman Way. Grey Friars was then used at different times as temporary accommodation for Monkwick and Phillip Morant Schools, and the Technical College, now Colchester Institute. In 1965 the building became an Adult Education College until being sold in 2008 for conversion into a luxury hotel, which opened in 2014.

Alan Skinner’s talk was very well received and many of the members of the audience had their own fond memories of Grey Friars.

Can You Help Trace William & Sarah Pettican’s Graves?

From time to time the Secretary receives enquiries from people studying their family history. A recent enquiry from Kiern Pettican, who lives in Kent, is seeking to trace the graves of her great-great-grandparents William Pettican 1848-1912 and Sarah Rebecca Pettican 1853-1921. They married in the old church in 1869 and were living in Old Church Lane in 1881. Searches of the churchyards have been unsuccessful. She would also be interested in copies of any photographs of Old Church Lane from the period.

If any reader can help please get in touch with Gill Poole 01206 240512.

Forthcoming Events

February 8th “Silver End the Crittall Village” a talk by Natalie Banks.
March 8th AGM plus a talk and video “Life in the 1950s” by Peter Jones
April 13th “44 Years of Elected Office” a talk by Sir Bob Russell

Meetings start at 7.30. Members £1 – Visitors welcome £3. Find out more here.

June 23, 2016June 30, 2016

St Mary’s Old Church – History & Concert

The Friends of St Mary’s have two upcoming events that might prove of interest, one a visit from an expert on church history and the other an afternoon concert:

Tour of Historic Churches

On Wednesday, 29 June, respected historian John Vigar will be including St Mary’s Old Church on his Tour of Historic Churches. The coach tour will arrive to look around and at about 2.30pm John will give Continue reading “St Mary’s Old Church – History & Concert”

January 29, 2016January 30, 2016

History Walk at Boxsted

Enjoy a Free heritage walk around Boxted airfield on Sunday 20th March, 2016. The walk is being organised by Martin Cuthbert, Community Archaeologist exploring the legacy of the US 8th Army Air Force during their time here in WW2, a project . This forms part of a 3-year Heritage Lottery Funded project whose main aims are:

Research and interpretation of the built and social legacy of the American Eighth Air Force in the East, through community archaeology, oral history, film and photography, and re-examination of museum collections.
Celebration of this material through local and regional events, exhibitions, , touring theatre and other showcase opportunities.
Sustaining the project beyond its active stage through website, digital flythrough, learning resources, social media and museum development.

Martin says:

Join us as we lead a walk through the historic airfield at Boxted, home to the 354th & 56th Fighter Groups and the 386th Bomb Group of the 8th USAAF during World War Two.

If you’re interested in landscape history, airfield archaeology, or just fancy the chance to have a walk in the unique landscape of this World War Two airfield, this walk is for you.

This Walk Through History starts at 10am on Sunday 20th March. Parking is at Boxted Airfield Museum, Langham Lane, Langham, Essex, CO4 5NW, where refreshments can be taken following the walk.

Admission to the Museum itself is by a £3 donation, accompanied children are free. The walk, which is about 3.8 miles long is over easy terrain and is free of charge. You are advised to wear outdoor shoes and clothing appropriate to the weather.

This is one of a series of walks organised by Martin’s project, find out more at www.8theast.org.

September 8, 2015September 8, 2015

People, Priests & Problems

Jon Lander, who was a resident of West Bergholt for many years has written a book about the history of St. Mary’s Old Church, titled ‘The People, Priests and Problems of a Country Parish’. The Friends have recently had this published in a booklet form. It is illustrated with colour photographs and is an interesting read, especially for anyone who lives or has lived in West Bergholt.

On Sunday 20th September from 2.30 – 4pm, Jon Lander will be at the old church to meet people and discuss his work. Peter Noakes who provided the photos for Jon’s book will also be there. Peter is putting on a slideshow of photos that he has taken of the interior and exterior of the Old Church. We are offering visitors tea, cold drinks and homemade cake. We hope you will come and join us.

The friends are selling the 20 page booklet for £2.50. All profits from the sale of this booklet will be used by the Friends to care for the Old Church.

May 18, 2015May 18, 2015

Heritage Watch Launched

Influential figures in Essex’s heritage industry came together on 23rd of April at Stow Maries First World War Aerodrome to launch a new police initiative aimed at protecting the past. Heritage Watch is an Essex Police led partnership between agencies that are committed to protecting our heritage, as well as members of the public who want to help preserve our heritage.

The watch scheme looks to maintain and preserve important places of interest, encouraging vigilance and reporting of suspicious activity around sites. This is to prevent any theft or crime that may damage assets beyond recovery, which may lead to the loss of a piece of history for this and future generations.

Heritage Watch locations would include ancient earth works and archeological sites, listed buildings, museums, galleries, religious buildings, historic visitor attractions and others.

Dominic Petre of the Historic Houses Association said he was ‘very pleased’ about the initiative, adding:

When heritage is lost, it is lost forever.

Crimes against heritage are not just crimes against the owner. They are crimes against future generations and culture in general.

Chief Superintendent Carl O’Malley said:

In Essex we have some really significant sites, from the Roman remains in Colchester to Audley End House in Saffron Walden.

The key element for any watch scheme is to involve a broad range of different partners and bring them together. Through expert advice and assistance, we can all help one another. It is about communication, sharing, understanding and reporting.

For further information contact your local Essex Watch Liaison Officer using the Police 101 non–emergency telephone number.

October 18, 2014October 18, 2014

History Group Autumn Update

St. John's church,Mount Bures — Picture from Wikipedia – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Bures

Summer into Autumn for History Group

The village History Group has an active calendar of events throughout the year as instanced by this recent update.

In June the group visited Mount Bures where they were shown round the church and ‘up the Mount’.

July’s trip was to Boxted. First visiting the Church then a walking tour around the old village. Most of the houses have false fronts but behind are ancient rooms and layouts. Some of the properties still show signs of trades that took part in past village life.

In August the group visited Bradwell juxta Coggeshall Church and September saw the return to the Orpen Hall with a talk by Roger Green on ‘Green Men’.

The group meets every second Wednesday, except December, in the Orpen Hall starting at 7.30pm. Do come along and give them a try! Members of the group have been instrumental in compiling lots of the local history on this website.

The History Group’s small WW1 exhibition at St. Mary’s Old Chuch has been a success. It will now be on display for the next few months – so get along there and see it!

For more information about the group contact Bernard Colbron on 240297.

July 14, 2014December 4, 2014

Exhibitions at St Mary’s Old Church

Bluebells Pre-School contributions to the Exhibition — Bluebells Pre-School contributions to the Art Exhibition

St Mary’s are hosting 2 exhibitions in the coming month, one of art by local artists and another staged by the local History Group.

Art Exhibition

Currently being exhibited, are some large paintings which were painted by village resident, John Newman. They were displayed in St. Mary’s Church in New Church Road during West Bergholt’s Open Gardens weekend. The paintings feature gardens that were mentioned in the Bible including the Garden of Eden and the Garden of Gethsemane. Appropriate verses from the Bible and information about these gardens are displayed alongside the paintings.

There is also some art work created by the children at Bluebells Pre-School. This exhibition will be displayed in the church for the next two weeks.

History Exhibition

The second exhibition is being staged by the West Bergholt History Group to commemorate the 100 year anniversary of the start of WW1. This will be a small display from 2nd – 9th August.

April 20, 2014April 20, 2014

Battle of the Ages

Colchester Castle re-opens on 2nd May following major renovation, and to celebrate they are holding a major event between 11am – 1pm on 7th June – the Battle of the Ages. There will also be a medieval festival in Castle Park where you will be able to roam amongst historic market traders, see live archery and watch a variety of displays.

Battle of the Ages

Six teams, sponsored by local businesses, will be taking part in the ultimate Battle of the Ages to find out which era will take the castle! Roman vs Iceni, Saxon vs Norman and Cavalier vs Roundhead will go head to head racing chariots around the castle bailey. There will be 3 rounds, each with two competing teams. There will then be the final between the three conquering teams of the previous rounds.

Design a Chariot

They are also running a competition (open to schools, community groups and individuals) to design one of the chariots. Romans by schools, Saxons by community groups and the remainder by individuals. This is your chance to look back in history, learn about different eras of Colchester’s past and create a design for one of six chariots. The winning designs will be used in the race and the winner will receive a prize worth up to £500.

Find out more on their website at http://battleoftheages.co.uk/.

Medieval Festival

Previously known as the Oyster Fayre, this festival runs over the weekend of 7th – 8th June between 10am – 5pm in Lower Castle Park. As well as historic market traders and archery competitons, there wi be falconry, mummers & puppets, combat & tourney displays, music & dance, storytelling and general ‘foolery’.

Find out more on their website at http://www.oysterfayre.magix.net/public/index.html.

March 19, 2014June 25, 2021

Deanna Walker BEM & other news online

The latest Village Bulletin is now on-line and available for download/reading on-line on the Village Bulletin page. News updates not previously reported here include:

Deanna Walker BEM

A West Bergholt woman has been recognised in the New Year’s Honours awards for her services to Higher Education. Deanna Walker has been awarded the BEM (British Empire Medal) for her work at the University of Essex where she is administrator in the Registry Department. She joined the university staff 25 years ago in the Admissions Department working in several administrative roles before reaching her present position as Senior Academic Officer. Her work has included mentoring junior colleagues which, she believes, also contributed to colleagues recommending her for the award.

Deanna is modest about her achievements. She says:

The award came out of the blue. When the letter came notifying me, I couldn’t understand why I was chosen as I just do an ordinary working job.

[More… in the Bulletin]

Concert Band’s Christmas Concert raises £1,500 for St Helena Hospice

The Concert Band’s 2013 Christmas Concert was a huge success, as one audience member commented:

the most enjoyable Christmas Concert I’ve been to in many, many years.

The report continues to tell how they have raised nearly £30,000 in recent years and about their plans for 2014.

[More… in the Bulletin]

Voluntary Group & Club Updates

Well, there were quite a few including:

Friends of St Mary’s Old Church;
Hillhouse Wood;
Care Network;
Friendship Club;
Women’s Institute;
History Group;
Bergholt Heath YFC;
Workers’ Educational Association;
Gardeners;
Indoor Bowls;
First responders;
Allotments;
Badminton;
Churches; and
Orpen Players.

[More… in the Bulletin]

Last, but not least, the weather

As if we needed reminding, 2013 was pretty much the wettest we can recall – the following chart tells you just how wet West Bergholt was:

September 10, 2013September 15, 2013

Simon of Sudbury – the French Connection

Simon of Sudbury will be the subject of a talk by Roger Green to the West Bergholt History Group on Wednesday 11th September 2013. Being held at the Orpen Memorial Hall, West Bergholt the meeting starts at 8pm; the cost to members is £1 with non-members £3, and includes refreshments.

Simon of Sudbury makes a fascinating subject to learn about. Well travelled and educated, a confidant of royalty & pope alike, and yet beheaded by commoners, why, how?

Simon Sudbury, also called Simon Theobald of Sudbury and Simon of Sudbury was Bishop of London from 1361 to 1375, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1375 until his death, and in the last year of his life Lord Chancellor of England. Wikipedia