KENN NEWS & VIEWS. Birthdays and Anniversaries. St. John the Evangelist, Kenn CHRISTIAN AID FROM KENN

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1 Birthdays and Anniversaries St. John the Evangelist, Kenn June 1 - Simon Pascoe 3 - Joshua Middleton 9 - Ruth Dyer Lois Webb 11 - Naomi Brain Wendy Papasolomontos 13 - Lynn Bye 18 - Ian Pascoe 21 - Tom Bye Heather Brain Dave Pugh 23 - Robin Mackay 26 - Lucy Baker 27 - Pip Jenkins Thought for the month Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm! CHRISTIAN AID FROM KENN Well done to everyone who donated to Christian Aid Week in Kenn and the surrounding area. We raised a magnificent 300 in cash. Special thanks to my trusty collectors, Margaret and John Ball, Cliff Edwards, John and Grace Griffin, Celia Andrews and Ray Naish. Julia Bush PS If you missed the collectors and want to make a donation, please get your envelope to Ray Naish, Thanx! Rogation-tide at Kenn Naish Notes I heard the cuckoo on Saturday 8 th May, I was in Wales at the time, but nevertheless, I have heard it!!! Congratulations to Sizzle and Stewart on the safe arrival of their new baby daughter Drew. Good luck to all our exam sitting youth, that last minute revision is always worth it!!! The Village Hall is looking very grand with our new kitchen area. Please don t forget that we still need funds, so any ideas for fundraising, especially if you can think of a new one, will be most welcome. Sheila. Rogation Sunday this year happened to fall on the third Sunday of the month when the Service of Evensong was held. This is an ancient custom of making special arrangements for the blessing of the growing crops. As is usual at Kenn Church, if the weather is fine, the second part of the service is held in the churchyard. It was a most beautiful evening, so it was a pleasure to keep our custom alive. Thirty-six members of choir and congregation processed to the Churchyard where prayers for the growing crops were read by the Vicar. The service concluded with the singing of an appropriate hymn about the countryside. Ray Naish

2 Kountry Kousins Kenn and Kingston Kombine To raise money for General Church Funds St. John s Altar Guild June Rota - Mrs Renee Bell and Mrs Margaret Ball. Kenn Village Hall & Field Saturday 3 rd July from 7 pm Superior Ploughman s Scarecrow Fancy Dress Competition Welly Throwing Outside Skittles Snail Racing Apple Bobbing Static Agricultural Machinery Display Bring your own drinks Passport Tickets available from late June at 5 per adult, children under 16 free. Kingston Seymour Sunday 4 th July Cream Teas pm Spinning and Quilting Displays Wood Carving Birds of Prey Meeting at John and Margaret Ball s home Thursday 3 rd June at 8.00 pm. If you have ideas, or are willing to help, please come along! Churchyard Spring Clean-up The evening of Thursday 10 th June has been selected and everyone is invited to come along and help prepare the churchyard for the Best Kept Village Competition. Meet from 6.30 bring your own tools and invite a friend or neighbour. PARISH COUNCIL NOTES Don t forget the Parish Council Meeting at 7.30 pm Monday 7 th June also June sees the start of the Best Kept Village Competition. Village Clean Up and Barbecue Saturday 5 th June. Summer Walk The next Summer Walk is arranged for Monday 14 th June. It is hoped that we shall be able to return to Tickenham Court and take a walk along the bank of the Land Yeo River. We meet at Cloverlea at 7.00 pm and everyone is welcome to join us. Ray Naish

3 Kenn Village Hall Drum & Monkey, Kenn What s on at the Drum? Tuesday 1 st June Village Lunch All welcome Every Wednesday Evening Snippets Welcome 9 - late The Drum Quiz 3 rd May, we flew our flag to welcome Chloe Louise, a daughter to Louise (nee Pugh) and Damon, a grand daughter for David and Sue Pugh. Congratulations 5 th May, we flew our flag to celebrate the Silver Wedding of Tom and Sarah Clarke of Manor Farm. 15 th May, the Coffee Morning raised 150 for Hall Funds. Sincere thanks to everyone who helped to make the morning so successful Everyone had the chance to inspect the new kitchen and cloakroom, which is a great improvement on the old one. In order to complete the job more funds are needed. Would any reader like to arrange a Fund Raising Event? Kenn Women s Institute 19 th May The Jumble Sale organised by members raised 89 for funds. Thanks to everyone who supported the evening. Keep Kenn Free of Litter Please keep up the good work and pick up the litter that others drop. Thank you. Kenn Women s Institute June 9 th Painting on Glass with Mrs. Howard Competition A Rose Non-members always welcome Ruth Dyer. Welcome 8 th May, we flew our flag to welcome Drew Christine, a daughter for Sizzle and Stewart Summerell. Don t argue with an idiot; people watching may not be able to tell the difference.

4 Dates for your Diary Drum and Monkey Tuesday 1 st June onwards Village Lunch Kenn Village Saturday 5 th June Wednesdays 9 th and 23 rd June At Your Garden Gate Recycling don t forget to put out your Green Box with bottles, paper and cans! Cloverlea, Kenn Street Monday 14 th June 7.00 pm, meet at Cloverlea, Kenn Street for the second Summer s Evening Walk with Ray Naish. Kenn Clean Up meet from am to Clean Up our Village barbecue from 4.00 pm Kenn Village Hall Monday 7 th June 7.30 pm Kenn Parish Council Meeting everyone welcome Clevedon Salerooms Thursday 17 th June a.m. Specialist Antique, Fine Art and Collectors Items Viewing Tuesday prior pm Wednesday prior pm Morning of Sale am ADVANCE DATES Kenn Village Hall Wednesday 9 th June 7.30 pm Kenn Women s Institute Painting on Glass speaker Mrs Howard Competition A Rose Everyone welcome St. John the Evangelist Church Thursday 10 th June from 6.30 p.m. Evening Working Party to prepare our Churchyard for the Best Kept Village Competition Come along and help tidy your family graves, or if you have none, help someone else. Bring your own tools The Social Event of the Year Kountry Kousins Kenn and Kingston Kombine For General Church Funds Kenn Village Hall & Field Saturday 3 rd July from 7 pm Superior Ploughman s Many attractions Passport Tickets available from late June at 5 per adult, children under 16 free. Kingston Seymour Sunday 4 th July Cream Teas pm Spinning and Quilting Displays Wood Carving Birds of Prey

5 Kenn Women s Institute Our hard-working Secretary, Irene Stowell, is becoming a little desperate: she cannot find a venue with a venue with a vacant evening so that we can have a friendly game of skittles. The winter has always proved a bit problematical but usually during the summer months in the past making a booking has been relatively easy; not now, though. The increasing popularity of a Summer League for the skittles teams throughout the area has meant that the alleys are as busy in the summer as the winter. However, Irene is like a terrier and she will not give up! Hopefully it will not be too long before we are able to have a social skittles evening: a very popular event with our members. We have participated in a Quiz at South Clevedon WI - we didn't win but were not bottom either! Our Jumble Sale on the 19th May was very successful and helped our funds. As to forthcoming events; we are having a Strawberry Tea at 3.00pm on the 17th July at Kenn Village Hall in aid of the South West Children's Hospice - tickets will be available and all support will be much appreciated. On the 15th June we are visiting Hestercombe Gardens - pray for us to have a fine day! The competition for May was a helpful hint for overcoming a phobia and gold went to Heather Saxby, silver Madeline Crawley, and green Ruth Dyer. Our speaker for May was Mr Sharman who told us about phobias and OCDs (obsessive compulsive disorders) and how to triumph over them. Phobias are almost limitless from the more widely known fears of flying, spiders, open spaces, and closed spaces, to fear of buttons and balloons - we humans are very complex creatures. Mr Sharman was in a bomb disposal team when one day a car backfired near him and traumatised him. Originally he combated the problem with the help of alcohol but quickly decided this was no answer and has now cured himself by facing up to his phobia. He helps with the local group of TOP (Triumph Over Phobia U.K. who meet in Clevedon at Marine Hill. There is a good book called "Living with Fear" by Professor I.M.Marks, and details of TOP U.K. can be obtained from Triumph Over Phobia (TOPUK), PO Box 344, Bristol BS34 8ZR (tel: ). Mr Sharman was a most interesting speaker who gave us a wonderful insight into the problems of phobia sufferers and how they can help themselves towards recovery. ROSEMARIE FORD If raising children was going to easy, it never would have started with something called LABOUR!

6 BIRD NEWS Young birds are appearing everywhere, there is a host of young sparrows chirping around this bungalow and the sheds around Stonehouse Farm have Robin, Wren and Swallow nests in them. All around noisy young Starling are making themselves heard, also young Magpies can be heard. There are young Moorhens on the pond near the Village Green. Miles Naish saw a Sheld Duck with her thirteen newly hatched duckling in Russ Lane. Sheld Ducks normally live on the mud flats on the estuary, only coming inland to lay and hatch their eggs. As soon as the young are out of the nest the mother bird starts getting them towards the sea via the ditches, rhynes and rivers. A Swan has hatched nine cygnets at Decoy Pool Farm, Kenn Moor. Also a Swan has hatched young on the pond near Portbury House Farm. This family is causing great interest. There are people taking photos there all day long. Cars are queuing to park there. I have heard that one man cycles down to see them every morning before work. He says it puts him in a good mood for the day. Black Caps and Pied Wagtails are nesting at Decoy Pool Farm, also a Pied Wagtail is sitting in the woodpile at the Old Chapel. I can never remember such a wonderful spring-time. The blossom on the bushes has been a sight to behold. The Cow Parsley on Claverham Drove has been so high and covered with flower that it has almost been like driving into a tunnel. The seed from the Pussy Willows that flowered earlier in the spring is hanging on the bushes like sheep s wool. I have never seen anything like it. Russ Rhyne is swarming with tadpoles you could scoop up bucketsful. Ray Naish I don t approve of political jokes. I ve seen too many of them get elected. A visit to Tickenham Court The evening of 10 May marked the first of this years Ray s Summer Walks with a fine turnout of around 40 assembling at Tickenham Court. The Court is tucked away behind Tickenham church and from the road there is little to suggest its existence although the fine green oak timber framed building being erected in the farmyard gave some clue of something special to come. We made our way to a small paved courtyard just outside the great hall where we were introduced to Stuart Plant whose family own the Court. Stuart explained that the Court was situated on a limestone ridge that extended from near The Star Inn and that man had inhabited this area since pre historic times. As evidence, he produced a fine flint blade that he had found in the fields when he was a lad. He proceeded to demonstrate its effectiveness by using it to cleanly cut paper. He also showed us a small Roman grindstone used for milling grain that had also been found on the site. Close by are the remains of a Roman villa.

7 The site would have been favoured for this early habitation by the abundance of springs and the availability of food such as fish and eels. Before taking us into the hall Stuart pointed out the location of the original kitchen and there is some evidence that this had been destroyed in a fire. He also mentioned that the base walls of the hall are original and around 1000 years old. In those very early years the whole village would have eaten and slept in the hall. Early records indicate that part of the tax on the village was to provide a man for the gatehouse at Chepstow. Inside the hall Stuart pointed out some of the main features including a fine Oriole arch, now a window, which would have been the entrance used by the lord of the manor. Originally this would have lead into the Oriole, a small room around 10 feet square which in turn would have lead into the lord s private quarters. In some examples of these halls a squint is provided at this end so that the lord of the manor could privately keep a watch over his villagers. At the opposite end of the hall are the main entrances and other doors that would have led to the kitchens. These would originally have been behind an oak screen and there would also have been a gallery. The sidewall contained the fine stone framed windows and as these are quite high up it is thought that they were originally dormer type windows, the roof having been raised higher at some time. Also in the sidewalls are two corbels the use of which is a mystery but Stuart believes they may have been used to support the lighting. Apparently the stone carvings around the doors and windows are unique to Tickenham Court, as the stonemasons never repeated the patterns between one hall and the next. Before leaving the hall Stuart mentioned that when he was a boy the hall was known as the cider hall, which reflected its use in the making of cider over the previous century. His mother who was an architect was responsible for starting the restoration of this historic building. Outside in the fine walled garden we marvelled at how quiet it was with none of the noise pollution we have all become accustomed to. Stuart indicated a number of external features, where the Oriole had been and where two bumps in the garden wall showed that originally there would have been a curving entrance drive. Walking round the garden to the main house he pointed to a large rectangular window which previous occupants had rashly opened up and which they subsequently had to infill to prevent collapse of the wall. At one stage the property had belonged to the Fitzhardings who were related to the Berkeley s. Around 1480 they had added a Solar at great expense. The house is unusual in that it was allowed to crumble and so retains original features that have been obliterated on similar properties subject to fashionable modernisations over the centuries.

8 Stuart completed our tour by showing us around the new buildings that are being created on the site using traditional timber frame construction techniques. These involve the cutting on site of huge green oak timbers, which are all carefully numbered and then assembled and secured with wooden pegs in a few days. A local company is responsible for resurrecting these traditional techniques. We could not leave without mention of the dedication of the church, which is to Saints Quiricus and Julietta a mother, and baby son who were persecuted and put to death in Persia by the Roman emperor Diacletion because they would not renounce the Christian faith. Ray pointed out that the tower is built in rose stone, which was quarried in Clapton in Gordano. In the churchyard we found a most unusual floral tribute in the shape a speed camera that marked the recent burial of I believe, a director of a company involved in their design and manufacture. The evening concluded with thanks to Ray and his son Jeff for organising this fascinating visit and with Monday 14 June agreed as the date of the next walk, venue to be decided. It was also agreed by all that in future we would contribute 50p each as fund raising for our village church. Finally Ray kindly invited those present to visit his magnificent orchard later that week to see the amazing display of blossom. Robert Down. I live in my own little world. But it s OK. They know me here. The Orchard at Stonehouse Farm The orchard at the rear of Stonehouse Farm has been a spectacular sight this May. Every tree (which are all apple trees) has been covered with the most wonderful covering of pink and white blossom. It was so beautiful down there that I thought it was a pity that only I was able to see it. So, after our first walk of the summer at Tickenham Court, I invited the walkers to come with me on the following few nights to take a walk through the orchard. I am pleased to say that over thirty people, mostly from Kenn and Kingston had a look around over two nights, just as the blossom was at its peak. I consider myself to be a very privileged person to be in possession of such a beautiful part of old England. It is only one of two orchards in Kenn that has been kept replanted, the other one is at Manor Farm. All the trees in this orchard, except six, have been planted in my lifetime. My late Father, Victor, was a very keen grower of apples, which he had made into cider on the farm. This was sold all over England. He replaced the dead trees year after year with specially grown standard young trees. These had to be at least six feet high in the stem before the branches. In those days his chief supplier of these trees were the Carpenter brothers who had a nursery near Bath.

9 I am pleased to say that I have been able to keep the dead trees replaced most years by the help of my nephew Benjamin Crossman who is an expert in apple growing and cider making. He planted six new trees for me about three months ago. Posh motor cars and new tractors mean nothing to me, but our orchard does. It is also a haven for wildlife. There are Badger setts down there, some of which have been there at least sixty years, these are used by badger, foxes and rabbits at the same time. The apples are now picked up by machine and the apples sold to Thatchers Cider at Sandford. If all goes well there should be a bumper crop this year. Long time residents of Kenn may remember a quaint little couple Bill and Nell Tozer who lived in Clevedon, who spent many autumns picking up apples in our orchards at Stonehouse Farm. Ray Naish There is a great amount of bird life in the orchard, especially in winter-time. There are warm spots down there where the cattle always sleep at night in winter-time. By the way, there were people from Kenn on the tour of the orchard who have lived here all their lives and had no idea it existed. Years ago, all the apples were picked up and bagged by hand. It was no trouble to get people to do this very boring and cold job. I remember when men were pleased to get a job picking up apples for 10d. per hour (about 4 pence in today s money), and how disappointed they were when the job was finished in early winter. There was no other work around at that time of year. About forty years ago Reg Montague and his wife who at one time lived at Rose Bungalow, Moor Road, picked up fifty tons of apples in one autumn at four pounds per ton. When they had finished, after several month s work and were paid the two hundred pounds owing to them, they thought they were millionaires! Bumper sticker of the year If you can read this, thank a teacher and since it s in English, thank a soldier July Issue of Kenn News and Views Margaret is away during June, so, please, please can regular and new contributors let her have copy on Monday 28 th June Thank you. Earlier in month please leave your contributions with Ray Naish, Fax or Margaret.john@btinternet.com

10 SERVICES FOR JUNE st Sunday 6 th TRINITY SUNDAY 08:00 Holy Communion Kenn 08:00 Holy Communion Claverham 09:30 Parish Communion Yatton 09:30 Holy Communion Cleeve 11:00 Family Service Kingston Seymour 18:00 Evensong Yatton 2nd Sunday 13 th FIRST SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY 08:00 Holy Communion Yatton 08:00 Holy Communion Kingston Seymour 09:30 Parish Communion Yatton Holy Communion Claverham 11:00 Family Service Cleeve Sung Communion Kenn 18:00 Patronal Team Evensong Claverham 3rd Sunday 20 th SECOND SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY 08:00 Holy Communion Claverham 09:30 Parish Communion Yatton Holy Communion Cleeve 11:00 Sung Communion Kingston Seymour Holy Baptism Yatton 18:00 Evensong Kenn 4th Sunday 27 th THIRD SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY 08:00 Holy Communion Yatton 08:00 Holy Communion Kingston Seymour 09:30 Parish Communion Yatton 09:30 Holy Communion Cleeve 10:00 Family Service Claverham 11:00 Family Service Kenn 18:00 Evensong Yatton HOLY DAYS IN JUNE: 10 th Corpus Christi Holy Communion Yatton 11 th St. Barnabas, Apostle Holy Communion Claverham 24 th Nativity of St. John the Baptist Holy Communion Yatton 29 th St, Peter, the Apostle Holy Communion Yatton WEEKDAY SERVICES Daily 08:30 Morning Prayer at Yatton (except Holy Days) Every Wednesday 10:00 Holy Communion Yatton 1st Wednesday in month 11:00 Holy Communion at Kingston Seymour 3rd Wednesday in month 16 th June 11:00 Holy Communion at Kenn 4th Wednesday in month 11:00 Holy Communion at Claverham Every Thursday 09:30 Holy Communion at Cleeve 19:30 Holy Communion at Yatton