A message from Mark Wheatland

Responses to my previous missive in the last Bulletin, about a possible visit to Brampton Bryan Hall, have been low. If this is a visit that would interest you could you please contact me, Mark Wheatland, at your earliest convenience on 01544 230691 or email mark@mwheatland.freeserve.co.uk to confirm said interest. The Harleys have requested a minimum group of 30 participants. Should we reach this number I will immediately attempt to get our visit booked for March next year. Cost will be £15, all proceeds going to local charities.

August, 2013

A walk around the development of Knighton

Led by John Davis on Sunday 30^th June

They say the sun shines on the righteous and on a beautiful Sunday afternoon the righteous were duly shone upon. Ably led by John Davis, Knighton resident and local historian, fourteen Society members and some charming ladies from Lyonshall were led on a short walk around the history of Knighton.

The true origins of Knighton are yet to be discovered and even its entry in the Doomsday Book left a gap, waiting for details that never came. Like most border towns Offas Dyke plays a major part in Knighton’s history but what came first, the Dyke or the town, is still unclear. What records do exist show a settlement constantly under stress from the typical burning and pillaging of border marauders to the Great Plague of 1350. But resilient Knighton survived those early disasters due primarily to its location as a market town for sheep and wool. Although much changed over the years John was able to show us what evidence remains of an early town plan from about 1150, although we were warned that the ‘eye of faith’ was needed. Apart from the church tower nothing survives prior to 1400 but the town does have a good selection of early 17^th century, Tudor buildings surviving. During the Napoleonic war period the town thrived with the price of meat and wool soaring. But following Waterloo this prosperity waned. And then came the Victorians and in the space of 40 years the town was transformed with much of its historical core destroyed. It has to be said that John was not too complimentary about the Victorian input. On the whole, like many towns of similar size, the fortunes of Knighton have ebbed and flowed but through all its adversity Knighton still survives as the border market town we see today. The walk concluded at John’s lovely riverside house where a sumptuous, and the word can only be sumptuous, cream tea was served. And as the sun set on John’s and his wife Margaret’s peaceful garden we happy explorers reflected on a very pleasant afternoons enlightenment.    Mark Wheatland

September Talk: The ‘History of Cider’

by Penny Platts

Penny Platts is well known to the Society having given talks to us in the past. This time Penny will present her ‘History of Cider’ talk. The illustrated talk will cover the history of cider-making, particularly in Herefordshire and refer specifically to Viscount Scudamore and the famous Redstreak cider apple and the very high quality of Herefordshire cider in the 17^th century. She will also talk about the 19^th century foundation of the Weston’s and Bulmer’s cider companies.  The talk will then explore the development of particular varieties of cider apples and perry pears to make the drinks as full of flavour as possible. The process of cider and perry making will also be covered from the old stone horse-driven mills to modern mechanised methods used today.

The talk concludes with a short film, made by Penny and her husband, John, showing the various processes from collecting the fruit to bottling of the final product. It is quite possible that tasting samples will be available for your enjoyment too. In October we will visit the Orgasmic Cider Company at Great Parton, Eardisley and will be able to see first-hand the processes Penny has described.  This will be our first talk after the summer recess and those who can are encouraged to come and support Penny.   Mark Wheatland

Dates for your Diary.

IMPORTANT!

Sunday 14^th July; Duncan James will lead a guided walk around Pembridge. On this walk we will discover and discuss the construction of some of the buildings Duncan mentioned in his April talk to the Society.    Members are requested to meet at 2 p.m. at the Market Hall, next to The New Inn

Friday 20^th September 7:30pm at Kington Junior School talk by Penny Platts.   (See above).

The Hay and Kington Tramways

A Guided Walk led by Geoff Mitchell

Saturday 11th May at 2:30pm.

Meet at Lyonshall Memorial Hall (SO333561)

As a follow-up to Geoff’s talk to the Society in March, he will lead a walk along part of the tramway route as it skirts Lyonshall. Geoff informs me that in 2 to 2½ hours we will see lengths of trackbed, an embankment, a wharf house, a line of stone blocks (on which the track was laid), and the vestiges of a tunnel. In passing we will also see remains of the standard-gauge Kington and Eardisley Railway, Offa’s Dyke, and Lyonshall Castle. The route is mainly flat but due to recent inclement weather may still be a little muddy in places. Stout shoes or boots are recommended, together with wet-weather gear if appropriate. Maps: Explorer 201 and Landranger 148.

This will be our first trip this year and the walk will be a fascinating complement to Geoff’s March talk. With luck the weather will be kind to us so all are encouraged to come and see the Tramway and it would appear a few other Lyonshall attractions.

Pembridge by Duncan James

Pembridge was isolated from Kington in the early 700s A.D. by the Rowe Ditch, but was acquired later by St Guthlacs in Hereford, prior to Domesday, and its oldest buildings still present are the Church with its timber framed bell tower of the 1200s, and a moated mound (not a castle but a manorial bury), next to the Churchyard.

An old road from Hereford curved into the present West Street, probably the site of an early market, where the buildings are still set well back from the roadway.

After being inherited by the Mortimers in the 1200s, a market charter was granted in 1246, and it much later became part of the Yorkist estate.

The timber framed buildings for which it is well known date from the early 1400s, and show the development of building styles, starting with the traditional Hall house, acquiring cross wings, service and solar at either end, later being built with, or acquiring decorative jetties, later to be underbuilt, and even later, the two storied house either from new, or adapted after 1500 from the hall house, by the insertion of a ceiling in the hall, with or without raising the roof line.

The present market hall (earliest dendro-date 1502) was always a single storey structure, with possibly storage space in an attic, but the roof has been redesigned. Facing it is the Court House, successor to the moated bury, and adjoining it, ChurchHouse – exactly that, of 1484, used for parish events, including the provision of Church Ales, with jetties facing both the market and the Churchyard. Opposite, flanked by Rose Cottage (a hall house). The Old Stores, of the late 1500s, possibly once Booth Hall for the market, but subsequently internally rearrange, and later acquiring a Victorian brick façade. The Olde Steppes shop, next to the Churchyard was originally the Rectory, with jetties in front and at one side, to be noticed as you passed by on your way to church.

On the third side of the market place is the New Inn (neither New in the 1400s, nor an Inn at first) with a central Hall flanked by jettied bays, presenting an enigma as to its original function.

In East Street is the Kings House, lavishly decorated with jetties fore and aft, all with fancy brackets (of the early 1500s), but in West Street are much earlier buildings such as West End Farm, with its subsequently acquired jetties, and others, showing reuse of timbers – quite early in many cases, as exposed joints reveal the smoke blackening characteristics of the hall and its open fire, while in others, the assembly marks of the carpenter laying out the woodwork prior to construction, are still evident.

The particular decoration of roof timbers as seen from within, reveals the existence of a local style peculiar to Pembridge only.

In Bridge Street, No. 2 of 1502 on, shows the replacement now of the open hall style by new two storied houses, while Glan Arrow Cottages, further down, with its 2 floors (date 1523) is similar, while Bridge Cottage, next to the river seems to be aligned to a ford which may have preceded the bridge crossing. Worthy of note is the fact that these buildings in Bridge Street are all much later than those previously seen.

This flurry of new building, of the 1400s onwards raises questions about what happened to previously built houses for instance during the Glendower campaigns, but the survival of the Church Bell Tower (favourites for Glendowers destructive instincts) suggests other possibilities. The succession of the House of York, following the death of the last Mortimer in the 1420s, may have provided an impetus for improvements, but the disturbance of the Wars of the Roses, during which many other Yorkist towns (including Ludlow) were attacked may have made comparisons with similarities elsewhere less obvious.

The Society will have the opportunity to visit Pembridge accompanied by Duncan James on Sunday July 14th, and to sample local fare of more recent origin. Review by JR.

Dates for your diary

Sunday 30th June; John Davis, a resident of Knighton, will take us on a guided walk around this ancient border town. This one finishes with a cream tea in John’s lovely riverside garden.

Sunday 14th July; Duncan James will lead a guided walk around Pembridge. On this walk we will discover and discuss the construction of some of the buildings Duncan mentioned in his April talk to the Society.

Editor: Vera Harrison