Next Meeting
A reminder that our next meeting is on Friday 20th November 2015 in Kineton Village Hall at 7.30pm, when David Fisher will be talking about “Kineton’s soldiers from Bridge Street, during and after the First World War.”

Future Meetings
Our Christmas meeting is on Friday 11th December 2015 when Richard and Elizabeth York will present “Drive the Cold Winter Away” – Seasonal Music and Stories from History and Tradition. This will be followed by mulled wine, soft drinks and mince pies.
The first meeting of 2016 is on Friday 15 January 2016 when our president, Dr. Robert Bearman will talk about “Stratford upon Avon’s Historic Spine”

Two Extracts from the Autumn/Winter 2015 Newsletter of
Southam Heritage…..

Battle of Edgehill Exhibition: Southam has strong links with the English Civil War era, and the Battle of Southam was the first sizeable encounter between Royalist and Parliamentarian troops in August 1642. King Charles I stayed in Southam two days before the Battle of Edgehill and on October 21st 1642 issued a proclamation from our Manor House (now Southam Pharmacy).

About 10 miles away from Southam, in the pretty village of Radway, near Edgehill, there is now a permanent exhibition about the Battle of Edgehill, showing the types of weapons used, the clothes worn, and giving insights into the impact of the War and the Battle on the local populace. The display is located in St Peter’s Church which is open daily from dawn ‘til dusk. For more information visit this website: www.battleofedgehillexhibitionradway.org.uk

Spring 2016 Exhibition: “Keep the Home Fires burning”
Our new exhibition, scheduled to open on 5th January 2016, takes its title from the popular 1914 Ivor Novello song. The exhibition aims to show how the families of soldiers lived and coped with the separation from their loved ones, who were fighting in the battlefields of World War 1.
The exhibition curator, Val Brodie, is seeking additional domestic artefacts, clothes and memorabilia from this era and photographs showing how people lived on the home front as they waited anxiously for news of their menfolk. If you have anything suitable that you would be prepared to loan to us for this exhibition, please do get in touch with Val on 01926 812179, or call in to Vivian House for a chat any Tuesday morning between 10am and 12 noon.

An extract from The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust Website……
Illuminating Shakespeare Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights from 26 Nov – 19 Dec 2015 from 4.00pm – 6.00pm.

Get an immersive glimpse of Shakespeare’s early life with this winter’s all new light show, free to enjoy in Stratford-upon-Avon town centre. See through the walls of Shakespeare’s Birthplace as it morphs into a treasure trove of wonders, the very place that inspired Shakespeare’s wonderful words!
We invite you to take control and choose which room to explore, opening the Birthplace up like a doll’s house of delights. Witness young William finding words and moments that will shape his future writing. After the show, wander into the garden to experience magical interactive illuminations based on Shakespeare’s works. See fireflies dancing through the trees, silhouettes gracing the walls and letters tumbling down paths. Share your first memories of Shakespeare in a recording on our digital memory box, which will feature in a very special event to launch 2016.
Best of all, Illuminating Shakespeare is completely free to enjoy! So head to Henley Street from 4-6pm on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights from 26 Nov – 19 Dec.

An Exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum in Broadway…..
Remembering the Great War 1914–1918
Exhibition closes on 17th January 2016
This exhibition showcases rarely seen prints, drawings and watercolours revealing the effects of war on soldiers and civilians through the eyes of contemporary artists.
Dramatic depictions of diving bombers, devastated landscapes and action in the trenches, contrasted with scenes of life on the Home Front, make this a moving and educational display.
The selection includes work by Augustus John, Frank Brangwyn, Eric Kennington and Christopher Nevision. The exhibition contrasts officially sanctioned propaganda with images produced independently.

An extract from the Newsletter of Chipping Campden History Society concerning one of their ongoing projects….. Campden’s Changing Landscape
How has Campden’s landscape changed over the centuries? How did our forebears farm the land and what effect did this have on land and buildings and the people themselves?
CCHS has a project group which is, for example, mapping “ridge and furrow” fields, the extent and effect of enclosures in general and the Campden Inclosure Act and Award in particular.
Workshop – What has been done and what to do in the future?
Ten CCHS members attended this workshop on 15th July 2013 and, together with our President, Professor Christopher Dyer, University of Leicester, we heard about the work that has been done so far by the project group and discussed what our priorities should be for the future with the expert guidance of Prof. Dyer.
Jill Wilson took us through a whistlestop tour of the geology of the area and how this affected the settlement. This neatly led us on to the origins of the introduction of sheep and the development of the wool industry and the effect this had on the landscape.
Ridge and Furrow – The main focus of work recently has been mapping the existence of ridge and furrow in the fields around Campden. This involves physically walking the fields and noting which still have visible ridge and furrow, but also studying aerial photographs taken just after the Second World War and held in the National Photographic Archive. This work continues.

Ilona Sekacz  12 November 2015