Walsham le Willows

News Updates

August 26th 2010

Priory Room

Presentation of the Original Plans of the Priory Room

On 30th June 2010 Richard Hey, on behalf of St Mary's Parochial Church Council, received the original plans of the Priory Room from Hugh Nunn. Hugh, now resident in Worcestershire, is a descendant of Harry Nunn whose firm erected many Martineau buildings in Walsham. The plans were beautifully drawn up in 1901 by the London Architect Edward Henry Nunn, cousin to Walsham benefactor John Martineau. It was Edward Henry's last commision, for he died in 1902 shortly before the building was completed. This is recorded on a rather inaccesible inscription on the external south wall. Inside the Priory Room the plans can be seen, handsomely framed by Hugh in Walsham oak.

.

A photograph showing a man on the right handing a framed set of plans to a bearded man on the left.
Hugh handing over the framed plans to Richard.

August 12th 2010

“Pieces Of Cake”

Cake recipes and tales from the Coffee Shop at the Walsham le WillowsVillage Memorial Hall

“It was a bad day in 2003 when Walsham le Willows Post Office closed, until eventually a Satellite Post Office was set up in the Village Memorial Hall on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Rob Barber then set up a Coffee Shop to run jointly with the Post Office from August 5th 2004..”

The Coffee Shop is run entirely by volunteers who take their favourite homebaked cakes, biscuits etc. to serve along with coffee, tea or a cold drink for a very modest £1.00. This booklet gives the public the opportunity to share those recipes and it is a very welcome addition to the various booklets published by the Community Council. Any profits accrued will help to fund the Village Memorial Hall Restoration Fund project.

Copies are available from the Coffee Shop or from Rob Barber on 01359 259689, at the cost of just £4.00

August 10th 2010

The Hanging Baskets Competition 2010

A photograph showing a ceramic square house with a 'thatched roof', there is also wording painted onto the house.
The hanging basket trophy.

The Annual Hanging Baskets competition was once again judged during the last few days of July and this year the decision relating to the winner turned out to be a little easier than in previous years. In the recent past we have found that the first three or four places tended to be divided between the same few residents but now, at last, this year saw three different residents filling these three positions. However it must be noted that the 2010 winner has always been in contention during the previous years and it is therefore very encouraging to see that persistent effort can finally pay off.

A photograph showing a man handing a trophy to a woman in front of a bungalow showing baskets of flowers.
Bob Bell handing the trophy to Janet Walt.

This year saw the display at number 22, Townhouse Road win the competition for Mr. & Mrs. Walt, although Mr. Walt was insistent that it was totally the work and dedication of his wife Janet, that actually turned those baskets into the winning display!. The second position was awarded to Mr. & Mrs. Carr at Nelsons Cottage in Wattisfield Road, where apparently all of the credit must also be given to the lady of the house, Debbie. And to complete the dominance of the ladies in this years competition, the third position went to Barbara Wills at Pound Farm Cottage in Palmer Street, and this of course was also at the insistence of her husband!

It was noted that there appeared to be slightly fewer baskets on display this year, no doubt due to the less than perfect weather that we have all experienced and which therefore makes these winning displays even more of a credit to the three ladies!. A mention must also be made regarding the display at Cullum House in the Elmside Development - it was very gratifying to see such a lovely display in this new addition to our village and I would hope to see even more such displays in future years. Once again our thanks must go to all of the residents who help to give such a colouful display to our village - whatever the weather!

For those people from outside of our village who are kindly viewing our website; I would like to point out that the winner of each competition becomes the judge for the following year, that the displays must be visible from the road, and that Commercial Premises are not included in the judging. I hope that helps to clarify the rather simple “ rules ” of our competition!

July 31st 2010

Horticultural Society Annual Show

The 2010 Annual show of the Walsham le Willows Horticultural Society took place on July 31st in the Village Hall. where, in spite of the vagaries of this years weather our local gardeners had managed to produce another range of excellent 'products'. As is not unusual in village events this is another instance where the first prizes tend to find their way around a comparitively small number of competitors. Due to the aforementioned weather the general feel of the show was slightly different to the previous year, however the village hall was once again alive with everyone enjoying and admiring the efforts that had obviously been made by all of the competitors to achieve yet another fine show.

The Best in Show was Margaret Moore with the Best Flower going to Dene Ellis. The Best Vegetable went to Roger Harvey and the Best in the Domestic Class was won by Carole Donaghy. And finally, the winner of the Photographic competition was James Turner. Here comes a quote from the report of last years show, “and it will be interesting in the coming years to see some of the newer, - taking part in this annual show. ”, and this was in fact achieved by Roger Harvey who is one of those newer residents!

A photograph showing people admiring the flowers displayed on a wooden table in the village hall. A photograph showing people admiring the fruit displayed on a wooden table in the village hall.
Viewing of the exhibits during the 2009 show.

Thursday July 22nd 2010

AUDREY McLAUGHLIN

A photograph showing a lady in a mauve jumper looking towards the left of the picture.
Audrey Mc Laughlin

Walking the claylands of Walsham le Willows after autumn ploughing in a search for fragments of ancient pottery was considered a somewhat eccentric occupation for people in the 1970’s & 1980’s with an interest in history, particularly when you made your way back to a metalled highway after a couple of hours plodding across fields, your aching limbs dragging feet heavy with tenacious clay.

Yet here was the origin of Audrey McLaughlin’s deep and lasting interest in Walsham’s past. She helped to map the location of scores of Roman and Medieval homesteads to reveal a village layout quite different to our present village. This corroborated Sir Nicholas Bacon’s survey of 1577 in The Field Book of Walsham which had already been transcribed and edited by Kenneth Dodd. But Audrey taught herself to read and transcribe the documents, wills, inventories, surveys, accounts, court rolls and to understand the evolution of timber framed buildings. Thus, over a period of twenty years she came to know and understand Walsham's past, to identify an earlier landscape from the fragments which remain today and to appreciate something of the lives of its inhabitants.

Along the way she enthused others to work with, alongside, or independently of her but always wanting the knowledge and understanding gained to be accessible to the general public. For some years static displays and informative exhibitions were staged in the Scullery of The Priory, in The Guildhall and later in St Mary’s Church. A programme of lectures and informative walks was instituted. From 1997 Audrey edited items of research for publication in The Walsham Village Museum Quarterly Reviews; number 54 was published this month. The culmination of her work was the publication of The East Anglian Archaeology Report number 85 " Towards a Landscape History of Walsham" and written jointly with Stanley West. But other publications followed documenting yet more of our village history.

On moving to Halesworth, this rigorous and indefatigable researcher embarked on the more difficult project to uncover something of the history of the group of parishes making up South Elmham, onetime seat of Anglo Saxon Bishops and her own chosen final resting place. Here in Walsham she leaves a fine legacy of research and education. She was inspirational.

Friday June 18th 2010

COUNTY MULCH. Stanton

The following are notes extracted from the last meeting of representatives from local Parish Councils etc where discussions took place regarding current problems relating to the operation of the County Mulch site at Stanton.

John Stebbing (Walsham PC) expressed concern that there had been over capacity on the site and that some of the tonnage had been moved to Lackford or landfill. He explained that there had been a lot of talk within Walsham that therre had been an increase in the amount of lorry movements through the village. Jeremy Bradburne.from County Mulch replied that the tonnage had been reduced in accordance with the Company's agreement with the EA (Environment Agency). Mr Stebbing then asked if that was because of enforcement from the EA, but Mr Bradburne denied that there was any enforcement, the Company had agreed to reduce their tonnage over a six month period and this had gradually taken place.

There was then a lengthy discussion regarding the routes taken by the various lorries that were transferring the materials and the Company explained that they specified the route to be taken by these lorries but that it was not their responsibility to police this; it was the job of the relevant authorities. Mr Paul Fenton, the Senior Development Control Officer, Minerals and & Waste Development Team, Scrutinity and Monitoring, Suffolk CC. mentioned the restriction on the A1088. There is currently only provision for local acces by heavy vehicles if necessary but this is being reviewed as there are lorries being allowed to use that particular road.

The Clerk received an email from Mr Bradburne in relation to the above after the meeting which reads " The data I have is that on 04.01.2010 4990 tonnes were on site. On 04.02.2010 2204 tonnes were on site. This shows that during January 2010 2781 tonnes were removed from the site and this was accomplished as a gradual reduction throughout the month. These tonnages have been verified by agency officers and I confirm that there was no 'panic' to remove 10,000 tonnes from the site in January".

COUNTY MULCH'S UPDATE ON ODOURS, FLIES AND MONITORING OF COMPLAINTS

1. Flies –There are a minimum of three sprays each week. Nigel Steward from County Mulch said that in his opinion NBC Pest Control is a much more efficient company than the company previously used, they monitor the situation regularly and if more sprays are needed they will be done. There is a contract in place with NBC to carry out fly spraying at the site. From April–September there is a minimum of three sprays per week. From October to March two sprays per week. In the event that the fly count increases above an agreed limit the contractor carries out further sprays.

2. Odour – Mr Steward said that the Odour Management Plan had now been completed. However the situation is constantly reviewed and a new task list is being created. He said that he would let the Clerk have a copy of that to be circulated with the notes.

Mr Steward summarised what had been seen on the previous site visit.

It takes approximately five minutes for a lorry to unload. Twelve lorries have been rejected in the last three months for having unsatisfactory loads.

Andy Harrington and Nigel Steward are working closely together to ensure that the management system now in place is strictly adhered to.

Mr Steward informed the meeting that he had reported a vile smell to the EA which was coming from the Suffolk Mushroom plant next door. He was concerned that CM would get the blame. The odours had been noticeable since the beginning of the year. The EA responded saying that complaints regarding Suffolk Mushrooms are dealt with by Environmental Health and Housing Services (Ann Ashby) at SEBC but that any reports of odour to the EA in respect of Suffolk Mushrooms are passed to her. CM confirmed they have no connection whatsoever with Suffolk Mushrooms. He said that when a complaint is received they will endeavour to attend the location from where it was reported but it was often too late as the odour will have passed. Sometimes CM does not get complaints from the EA until 3-4 hours later, or even days later and so it is unable to substantiate a complaint.

The odour specialist will be attending the site again shortly and will check that his original recommendations have been done and that the impact has improved the situation.

It was reported that the site is running at a loss and the CM cannot continue to support the site if it cannot increase the 2,300 tonne limit. John Harrison noted that CM has applied to a variation to increase their tonnage stored on site to 6,500. The Company would like to continue to invest in the site. It would like to cover much more of the site, particularly with the introduction of anaerobic digestion– something actively supported by the Government and by Suffolk County Council. However there was no prospect of further investment with the site only able to operate at current levels. Jobs were now at risk.

FEEDBACK FROM COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVES OF OTHER STATUTORY BODIES

The EA reported that since the last meeting they had received 54 complaints of odour. There had been 8 odour assessments, of which 7 been in breach of their odour permit. There had been three site inspections. CM are still in breach of the permit on odour. The EA are doing weekly site visits.

John Stebbing asked EA what do CM have to do to prove they are eligible for 6,500 storage increase.

Mr Harrison said for them to have no objection they would need to be satisfied that there would be no further breaches . He continued that they did not believe that to be the case at the moment. He informed the meeting that CM had failed today on that count.

Mr Stebbing expressed surprise along with others. He asked whether the smell coming from Suffolk Mushrooms had been taken into account. Mr Harrison said he was certain that it was from CM and that it was coming from the Mat Bay although he acknowledged that the operations at Suffolk Mushrooms had not been taken into account on this or earlier assessments.

After the meeting Ian Hill and John Harrison returned to the Suffolk Mushrooms site. A skip ouside the front premises had rotting mushrooms in it which was giving off a strong ammonical odour but this was restricted to around the area around the skip. The mushroom processing plant did not appear to be giving off any noticeable odours.

Mr Hill said that 1st of April was the end of the odour plan. There have now been four options which have been put to senior figures and they are:

Each option has benefits and disadvantages.

We need to take further odour assessments around the site during May. It could take another month to come to a decision. However this is independant of the licence issue which is being determined by a national team. The company has agreed to a new determination date of 27th May 2010 while they provide further informatioin to the team.

FEEDBACK FROM COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVES

It was unanimously agreed that great improvements had been made to the site and CM was to be congradulated.

Geoff Waide said that at their Parish Meeting (Wattisfield PC) a month ago there was a member of the public concerned about flies and another saying he could smell CM. He was impressed with what he had seen on the day but he could not see how the smells could be entirely removed.

Mr Stebbing remarked that if Ann Ashby couldn't be present at the meeting perhaps she could send a replacement or a report to be read. He was impressed by what he had heard from the EA and was encouraged by CM.

NEXT STEPS

The chairman, David Ray, thanked the company for progress made and was pleased to hear that they had further improvements planned.

The complaints reported at this meeting had been in the period when the Odour improvement plan was still being implemented and it was now important to assess the complaint level in the period after implementation. The next meeting will be scheduled accordingly.

Friday January 15th 2010

The annual Christmas Lights Competition

A photograph showing Ronnie Baker handing the Christmas Lights trophy to Ralph Hubbard, standing in front of Ralphs garden.
Handing over the Trophy

The 2009 Christmas Lights Competition was judged way back in December last year ! The final decision as to the eventual winner was once again very difficult as there were several displays that attracted the attention of this years judge. The choice from this years displays was once again the front garden in Wattisfield Road belonging to Ralph & Janet Hubbard. Ralph has always presented a huge display of lights, a panorama showing the well known scene of the manger etc. and the usual Father Christmas, reindeer and other populat festive figures, however for various personal reasons the 2009 display was just a little more restrained but it still managed to achieve the first 'prize'. The runner up was the display in Finningham Road on Cherry Tree Cottage put on by Mr. & Mrs. Shears, and finally the third place went to Mr. & Mrs. Mayhew in Townhouse Road.

It was particularly nice to be able to encourage other people apart from the Walsham 'regulars' and also to see these displays in different areas of the village. It was also noticeable that for various reasons, not necessarily connected with the atrocious economic climate, the number of displays appeared to be slightly less than in previous years, however there were several others that merited a mention, namely the lights in the gardens at Sideways, and others in both Wattisfield and Townhouse Roads, Staple Close, Oak Tree Cottages, Rookery Lane and Upper Meadow.

The 'rules' of these Community Council competitions mean that the winners of both the Christmas Lights and The Hanging Baskets become the judges for the following year, which of course opens up these competitions to a much wider field of competitors. Once again we look forward to some healthy competition in this current year, meanwhile we extend our thanks to everyone who helps to promote the beauty of our village.

Saturday October 31st 2009

The annual Pumpkin Competition

Once again the annual Pumpkin competition took place at mid-day in the grounds of the Six Bells.

A photograph of the trophy, a ceramic yellow pumpkin on top of a wooden plinth which has brass plaques on the two sides facing the viewer.
The Trophy

Luckily the weather, which had earlier in the day looked very dodgy, turned out to be dry and reasonably warm allowing a number of local children to carve what has become the "essential" faces in their pumpkins. Meanwhile the grown-ups were able to enjoy the odd glass of refreshment whilst they cast their expert eyes over the 2009 home grown pumpkins.

Our genial host Gordon, fired up his barbecue and with his willing helpers he continued serving up the ever popular Sausage and Onion Baps until around 1.15pm when the traditional weigh-in took place. This year saw a total of 8 pumpkins to be weighed before finally announcing the evential winner. It soon became obvious that this years pumpkins were in general smaller and consequently lighter than those of previous years although the size did not always indicate the weight of the pumpkin - who knows what goes on inside that fascinating exterior ?!

A photograph showing a man in a butchers apron carrying one of the larger pumpkins in his arms.
Isn't it heavy!

Here are the weights in the order in which they were weighed! First was a worthy effort by Kathy Smart which weighed in at 42lbs, quickly followed by Gordons at 30½lbs, next was Carole Donaghy who was last years winner, with this year a 39½ pounder. Then we saw 2 pumpkins from Jenny Farrow, one being 49½ and the second 49¾, these were then followed by Jenny Blackburn with 43½ and then came the big 'uns, first Paul Farrow with 75lbs and then his wife Yolandi with 84¼lbs ! OK, not in the over 110's as in previous years but still a very worthy winner, and then keeping it in the family, with Paul in second place! Let's face it, we didn't really have the best weather conditions for pumpkin growing this year did we?

A photograph showing a man handing the trophy to a lady.
Bob Bell hands the trophy to Yolande Farrow

It was then the turn of Bob Bell, Chairman of the sponsors of this competition, the Community Council to present the trophy to Yolandi, followed by choccy bars for the children. And so ended another one of Walshams regular annual events, next will be tha judging of the Christmas lights - See you then!

March 23 2009

Victorian Walsham – A reflection of 19th Century Life in a Suffolk Village

The Walsham History Group is pleased to announce the publication of a new book by James Turner. This is the second of two accounts of life in Walsham during the 19th century (the first, which appeared one year ago, covered the years 1800 – 1850, and is still available, price £3.50).

This new booklet, of 57 pages, is illustrated with Victorian photographs. Like the earlier booklet, it is based on contempory press reports, in this instance from the 1850s to the end of Victoria's reign. Victorian Walsham is available for £3.50 tel:01359 258535.

Donation to the Memorial Village Hall. We are also pleased to announce a further donation of £500 to the Memorial Hall for the refurbishment programme. In total the History Group has donated £1,000 to the hall fund. This has been raised by sales of publications by James Turner and Audrey McLaughlin who asked for the proceeds to go to the Memorial Hall.

November 12th 2008

The Walsham le Willows Hedgerow Survey

Over the last two or three years there has been a hedgerow survey carried out across Suffolk by various Parish Councils - it should be realised that all Parish Councils (And perhaps also Town Councils!) were invited to participate. In our own parish this was undertaken on behalf of the Walsham Parish Council by Mareen Turner, who then encouraged a small team of local residents to assist her in this task, who were then usually working in ' teams' of just two people. It must be appreciated that this survey could only logically take place during the late spring to early autumn period as leaves are a pretty important factor when identifying various hedge plants!

The Walsham survey has now been completed and the results have been duly passed to the Chairman of the Suffolk Hedgerow Survey and here is a quote from his letter of appreciation, " Your master map is clear and accurate and immediately tells the story of the parish, that is, one of a predominance of species rich hedgerows right across the parish, from East to West and an exceptionally low distribution of low count species hedgerows, (only 5 in total)". And here he makes a simple analysis of what that actually means!

Species category Number Age (%) Normal (%)
4 and less species 5 2.1 17.8
5, 6 and 7 species 66 27.5 31.7
8 and above species 169 70.4 50.4
No hedge 79

He then goes on to say " As can be seen, your parish has a very high incidence of species rich hedgerows, way above the 'norm' for the statistical 'average parish" so far recorded. This is influenced by the very low incidence of low species count hedgerows and the mid range balances between, with only a 4.2% variation, which is nothing. I have not kept a running total of 'no hedge' results but your status is in the order of 79 out of a total of 319 boundaries or 25%, which is high. This may well be due to the Whitehall agricultural policy of the 60's and 70's when so many hedgrows were demolished and ditches filled in to facilitate the use of larger machinery. Larger field sizes are in evidence on your map to possibly illustrate this theory."

"I think that your survey has been conducted very professionally and accurately and I have to give my grateful thanks for all of your hard work....... and the contribution that they have made to the heritage and inheritance of the landscape hedgerows in the parish. This is what the Rio ethos is all about and they hopefully enjoyed the exercise and experience of getting round the entire parish which is normally a pleasurable experience." He did note, "It is a pity that you were denied access to the eastern area north of the Finningham Road but, judging by the results of hedgerows surveyed south of this road, the distribution of species rich hedgerows could well be mirrored in the north."

The above shows only the relevant extracts from the letter already mentioned, as to reveal the whole of the text would only really relate to those people who actually undertook the survey, all of whom already have copies of the whole letter.

March 22nd 2008

"A Story of Walsham Folk" - 1800-1850

This booklet is yet another publication from the pen of James Turner. This time he has recorded various items about some 145 people who were living in Walsham le Willows during this 50 year period or else their family were here during that time. These snippets of information have either been gathered from Bury Record Office Archives, from the Walsham Quarterly Reviews published by our own History Group,contemporary maps and press accounts. From page 1, which reports an order of bastardy against a Walsham farmer, to the final pages about a local burglar transported in 1848, it shows the village to have been a lively, sometimes lawless, place. It was by no means miserable; public festivities at young Victoria’s accession show that folk knew how to enjoy themselves.

The fascinating information in this book also includes items relating to the social climate of the period and here I will quote just one example taken at random; "Among village tradesmen were 4 butchers, 4 boot/shoe makers, 12 carpenters, 4 blacksmiths, 5 dressmakers, 5 beer sellers, 2 rope makers, 1 cutter/grinder, and one watch and gun maker. Those working on the land totalled 157 and a further 99 worked as servants. There were 114 with the name John."

Thank you James, we look forward to the sequel to this book, could it be 1851-1900?

The price of this most interesting book is a mere £3.00 (introductory offer until the end of May 2008). Copies are available from the Coffee Shop or by telephone from 01359 258535. £1.00 from each copy sold will be donated to the restoration of the Village Memorial Hall.

October 2009

The Housing Developmentby Hopkins Homes.

There is currently a development site in Finningham road where Hopkins Homes are in the process of building over 50 houses, which will also include a number of "Affordable Homes". Details of this development can be seen in the Amenities/Aaccommodation pages.

Village Memorial Hall Restoration Fund 100 Club

For only £12.00 per year anyone can become a "Friend of the Memorial Hall" and they then become eligible to be entered into the monthly draw to win:-

The first draw took place in January 2007. The number of Friends are strictly limited to 100, hence the "100 Club". Anyone wishing to join should contact Mike Wills on 01359 258982

All profits will go towards the restoration of the Village Memorial Hall.

Jump to top