Thursday 13th June 2019 WILTON HOUSE
A trip to Wilton House was just the tonic on an overcast, rainy day in June. Wilton House has been the seat of the Herbert family since 1544 when the estate was granted to Sir William Herbert by Henry VIII. It was built on the site of Wilton Abbey until its dissolution in 1539. Successive generations of the family made alterations to the house to make it what it is today. In the 17th century, Inigo Jones designed the State Rooms including the single cube and double cube rooms – magnificent Palladian rooms with ornate decorations including painted ceilings with various narrative scenes. In the 19th century, James Wyatt redesigned the house, adding cloisters round the quadrangle to allow easy access to all the principal rooms and moving the main entrance to the first floor. After an introductory film with the late Anna Massey, we were free to wonder around the house and marvel at the wonderful pictures in each of the rooms. Wilton House is renowned for its art collection which includes works by van Dyck, Pieter Brueghel, Rembrant van Rijn and Richard Wilson.
The grounds of Wilton House are a mixture of flower beds and parkland with some splendid trees and the attractive River Nadder as one of its borders. The sight of martins and swifts swooping over the River Nadder catching insects was an added bonus to the enjoyment of the visit. The Palladian bridge over the River Nadder was the first built in this country, to be followed by one each at Prior Park and Stowe.
The town of Wilton dates back to the Anglo Saxons in 8th century AD. Until the 11th century, it was the capital of “Wiltunscire”, a shire of the Kingdom of Wessex. Wilton Abbey was founded in AD771. In AD 871 Alfred the Great lost an important battle against the Danish armies. Wilton remained a prosperous town until Salisbury Cathedral was built and the new town of Salisbury grew and became the capital of the county. In later years, Wilton was famous for its carpets and for being a garrison town. It continues to be an attractive town to visit.
Buffy Freeman
The grounds of Wilton House are a mixture of flower beds and parkland with some splendid trees and the attractive River Nadder as one of its borders. The sight of martins and swifts swooping over the River Nadder catching insects was an added bonus to the enjoyment of the visit. The Palladian bridge over the River Nadder was the first built in this country, to be followed by one each at Prior Park and Stowe.
The town of Wilton dates back to the Anglo Saxons in 8th century AD. Until the 11th century, it was the capital of “Wiltunscire”, a shire of the Kingdom of Wessex. Wilton Abbey was founded in AD771. In AD 871 Alfred the Great lost an important battle against the Danish armies. Wilton remained a prosperous town until Salisbury Cathedral was built and the new town of Salisbury grew and became the capital of the county. In later years, Wilton was famous for its carpets and for being a garrison town. It continues to be an attractive town to visit.
Buffy Freeman
History Trail Sunday 4th August 2019
Lost Village of BOXFIELDS AND RUDLOE
We enjoyed a unique chance to discover Rudloe and the lost village of Boxfields, Box Highlands School and the Thorny Pits Estate, once used to house workers in the underground factories in 1941-42 and in 1956 for Hungarian refugees. We found the site of Rudloe Firs and Brewer’s Yard, then to Rudloe Towers, built by the Pictor quarry-owning family. Our route then followed the edge of Clift Quarry, before looking at the 20th century site of Burlington Bunker and the Ark Data estate where much of the country’s worldwide web information is stored (known to you and me as The Cloud even though it’s underground.
Lost Village of BOXFIELDS AND RUDLOE
We enjoyed a unique chance to discover Rudloe and the lost village of Boxfields, Box Highlands School and the Thorny Pits Estate, once used to house workers in the underground factories in 1941-42 and in 1956 for Hungarian refugees. We found the site of Rudloe Firs and Brewer’s Yard, then to Rudloe Towers, built by the Pictor quarry-owning family. Our route then followed the edge of Clift Quarry, before looking at the 20th century site of Burlington Bunker and the Ark Data estate where much of the country’s worldwide web information is stored (known to you and me as The Cloud even though it’s underground.
Wednesday 14th August 2019 SLIMBRIDGE WETLAND CENTRE
|
Originally known as the Slimbridge Wildfowl Trust, the centre was founded in 1946 by the famous naturalist, broadcaster and artist , Peter Scott. As a lover of wildlife from an early age, Scott’s vision was to protect the birds and other wetland animals and their habitats in this important and historic wetland area of the upper reaches of the Severn estuary. To this end he set up what was to become the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, the first of nine such areas around the UK, as a centre for science and conservation , opening it to all who wanted to get close to nature. Slimbridge has developed hugely since its inception and it is now possible to see birds from all around the world, some passing through on migration, some full-time residents and some as part of important breeding and conservation programmes. There is a large Visitor Centre which includes an Observation Tower, Conservation Resource Library, Discovery Centre for children and the all-important shop and Restaurant.
We were able to roam the site at will with the aid of the Centre Map, some choosing to explore the many wildlife lakes and others to sit quietly in any one of the many hides and to observe the latest bird activity. There are helpful information boards throughout which aid bird identification and it was always interesting to tap into the knowledge of other visiting enthusiasts. While some of us spent time watching the coming and going of a pair of magnificent kingfishers in the river bank feeding their second brood of the season, others were able to watch the otter family and listen to a talk about those entertaining creatures. There were groups of elegant and colourful flamingos from different parts of the globe; waders of all sorts in different stages of plumage were to be seen; canoe safaris for the intrepid were available when water voles and other water wildlife could be spotted. While it is impossible to see everything in one visit and though we saw some of the many resident wild-fowl and summer visitors, each time of year offers a huge variety of bird life and a change of season will bring fresh interest. The constant abundance of wild-life warrants many further visits to this important resource which gives us such a strong connection to the natural world. Margaret Wakefield |
Bust of Peter Scott
Avocet on Rushy Pen
|
Caribbean Flamingoes
|
Sunday 12th May 2019 VICE PRESIDENT'S OUTING: Box NATS Adventured North Our 50th Anniversary Outing lived up to its reputation. Led by Vice-President, John Chandler, we went up into strange lands in the West Midlands. We knew we were going outside our normal comfort zone when we came across villages with names like Tiddlewink and Cock-a-dilly with the coach balancing on the edge of the Vale of Berkley as we followed the River Severn northwards to see inland ports on the River at Bewdley and Stourport. Our first stop was at the magnificent church of St Michael and All Angels, Great Witley, on the edge of the Malvern Hills. It was up a pot-holed farm track, still an active parish church but almost completely bereft of a village or local community. It came as a complete surprise - the most splendidly-ornate Italianate church in England according to Nikolas Pevsner. Not sparing any expense, the Foley family set out for their local church to out-do any other English parish, which they eventually completed in 1735. The most imposing aspects of the church are the richly-decorated walls and the magnificent ceiling paintings but there is much more to enjoy with the finest eighteenth-century glass windows in England. We also enjoyed a Baroque concert practice and toured the museum now installed in the church’s crypt. If you don’t know about the church do visit if you are in the area. |
|
Bewdley is an inland-port, once a trading centre for iron, timber, coal goods. Its river-fronted warehouses are on one bank of the Severn only, magnificent Georgian buildings, shops and residences. The town was clearly fabulously wealthy in the late 1700s and the authorities commissioned a new stone bridge to be built by Thomas Telford in 1795 to replace an older medieval river crossing. But suddenly, it lost its trade when a new port was built further up the Severn at Stourport, leaving Bewdley now as a historic, tourist destination, trapped in time. Worthy of note is the outdoor museum and park in the centre of the town. The area was once a butcher’s shambles and featured aspects of the town’s history including ropemaking and a brass foundary.
Our coach party set off again for Stourport, near Kidderminster. The town is on a hive of canals, canal basins and wharfs. It served as an early terminus for trade between Staffordshire and Worcestershire as the Industrial Revolution developed manufacturing in the Black Country and became a junction point for the Birmingham Canal. From a humble village in 1771, it developed into a substantial town within thirty years with grand buildings such as the Tontine Hotel. But then further transport changes led to the development of a direct canal between Birmingham and Worcester in 1816 and its great days were over. And our wonderful day out also came to an end as we returned home.
Alan Payne
Our coach party set off again for Stourport, near Kidderminster. The town is on a hive of canals, canal basins and wharfs. It served as an early terminus for trade between Staffordshire and Worcestershire as the Industrial Revolution developed manufacturing in the Black Country and became a junction point for the Birmingham Canal. From a humble village in 1771, it developed into a substantial town within thirty years with grand buildings such as the Tontine Hotel. But then further transport changes led to the development of a direct canal between Birmingham and Worcester in 1816 and its great days were over. And our wonderful day out also came to an end as we returned home.
Alan Payne
