HANLEY MATTERS Issue › 2018 › 01 › ... · 2018-01-16 · 19 January 2016 Talk by Enid Loynes...
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OFFICERS President Nick Lechmere Tel: 07771 644927 Chair Jenny McGowran Tel: 311820 Treasurer John Boardman Tel: 311748 Secretary & Newsletter Editor Malcolm Fare Tel: 311994 Programme Secretary David Thomas Tel: 310437 FORTHCOMING ACTIVITIES 19 January 2016 Talk by Enid Loynes on her childhood at Upton railway station - she was the daughter of the last station master; with a display of photographs and railway memorabilia. Village Hall, 7.30 pm 23 March 2018 The Story of Morris Dancing, a talk by Richard Hannah. Village Hall, 7.30 pm SOME OF HANLEY’S HISTORIC HOUSES Following the AGM in September, Malcolm Fare took members on a brisk metaphorical walk around the parish looking at some of the older houses and the people who have lived in them. His starting point was the Village Stores which began as a coaching inn in 1838 before being transformed by Sir Edmund Lechmere into a working men’s institute with accommodation for 32 single men. By 1881 it had been converted into a grocer’s shop, acquiring the role of post office in the 1890s. In the south-west corner of the parish lies Berry Lodge, built in 1832 by the farmer Thomas Berry and owned 40 years later by a former gamekeeper at Madresfield Court, William Burgess, who invented a humane vermin killer and an alarm gun for catching poachers. The route followed the footpath along Meerbrook and down Gilberts End past Hanley Hall, whose origins can be traced back to the 11th century, to the Regency villa still called The Villa, with its ornate cast- iron verandah, and then on a path past Lodge Farm, the centre of Hanley Park in medieval times, down to Castle Mill, which was last used by the Wheildon brothers in 1966. In the south-east corner of the parish is Pool House of 16th century origins but rebuilt as a farmhouse in the early 18th century. 100 years later it was the home of a vicar whose horse stumbled into a flooded sawpit one dark night, drowning both steed and rider. Moving up the road to Quay Lane, we reached Herberts Farm, rebuilt in the 17th century on earlier remains by the lawyer William Herbert. Bonner’s Cottage at the bottom of the lane is said to be the birthplace of Edmund Bonner, Bishop of London at the time of Queen Mary and notorious for persecuting protestants. Church End contains many 17th century or earlier cottages, including Glebe Cottage, which may have been used as a court room for enforcing forest law in medieval times, the Almshouses and Hobbits, which was the site of the Three Kings pub at the time of the 1795 enclosure act. Back on the main road, there are three houses where vicars of Hanley Castle used to live: The Old Vicarage, Whittemere and Pyndar House. But there is space here only to mention an occupant of one of these, William Moore, tenant farmer at The Cottage (now Whittemere) from 1845 to 1860. He bred prize- winning short-horn cattle and Shropshire Down sheep, designed a highly acclaimed silver medal for the Worcestershire Agricultural Society and introduced the first reaping machine in the county. Tragically struck down at the early age of 40 by heart disease, he was held in such high esteem that his friends raised 40 guineas (equivalent to around £4000 today) to install a stained glass window in his memory in the north aisle of St Mary's church. Many of the larger houses in Roberts End date from the first half of the 19th century when there was an influx of wealthy people seeking the health-giving qualities of Malvern spring water. These properties and their inhabitants will be included in a forthcoming book looking at Hanley’s historic houses. Issue No. 42 Winter 2017 HANLEY MATTERS the newsletter of The Hanleys’ Village Society
Transcript of HANLEY MATTERS Issue › 2018 › 01 › ... · 2018-01-16 · 19 January 2016 Talk by Enid Loynes...
OFFICERS
PresidentNick Lechmere
Tel: 07771 644927
ChairJenny McGowran
Tel: 311820
TreasurerJohn Boardman
Tel: 311748
Secretary & NewsletterEditor
Malcolm FareTel: 311994
Programme SecretaryDavid Thomas
Tel: 310437
FORTHCOMINGACTIVITIES
19 January 2016Talk by Enid Loynes onher childhood at Uptonrailway station - she wasthe daughter of the laststation master; with adisplay of photographsand railway memorabilia.Village Hall, 7.30 pm
23 March 2018The Story of MorrisDancing, a talk byRichard Hannah.Village Hall, 7.30 pm
SOME OF HANLEY’SHISTORIC HOUSES
Following the AGM in September,Malcolm Fare took members on abrisk metaphorical walk around theparish looking at some of the olderhouses and the people who havelived in them. His starting point wasthe Village Stores which began as acoaching inn in 1838 before beingtransformed by Sir EdmundLechmere into a working men’sinstitute with accommodation for 32single men. By 1881 it had beenconverted into a grocer’s shop,acquiring the role of post office inthe 1890s.
In the south-west corner of theparish lies Berry Lodge, built in 1832by the farmer Thomas Berry andowned 40 years later by a formergamekeeper at Madresfield Court,William Burgess, who invented ahumane vermin killer and an alarmgun for catching poachers.
The route followed the footpathalong Meerbrook and down GilbertsEnd past Hanley Hall, whose originscan be traced back to the 11thcentury, to the Regency villa stillcalled The Villa, with its ornate cast-iron verandah, and then on a pathpast Lodge Farm, the centre ofHanley Park in medieval times, downto Castle Mill, which was last usedby the Wheildon brothers in 1966.
In the south-east corner of theparish is Pool House of 16th centuryorigins but rebuilt as a farmhouse inthe early 18th century. 100 yearslater it was the home of a vicarwhose horse stumbled into a floodedsawpit one dark night, drowningboth steed and rider. Moving up theroad to Quay Lane, we reachedHerberts Farm, rebuilt in the 17th
century on earlier remains by thelawyer William Herbert. Bonner’sCottage at the bottom of the lane issaid to be the birthplace of EdmundBonner, Bishop of London at thetime of Queen Mary and notoriousfor persecuting protestants.
Church End contains many 17thcentury or earlier cottages, includingGlebe Cottage, which may havebeen used as a court room forenforcing forest law in medievaltimes, the Almshouses and Hobbits,which was the site of the ThreeKings pub at the time of the 1795enclosure act.
Back on the main road, there arethree houses where vicars ofHanley Castle used to live: The OldVicarage, Whittemere and PyndarHouse. But there is space here onlyto mention an occupant of one ofthese, William Moore, tenant farmerat The Cottage (now Whittemere)from 1845 to 1860. He bred prize-winning short-horn cattle andShropshire Down sheep, designed ahighly acclaimed silver medal for theWorcestershire Agricultural Societyand introduced the first reapingmachine in the county. Tragicallystruck down at the early age of 40 byheart disease, he was held in suchhigh esteem that his friends raised40 guineas (equivalent to around£4000 today) to install a stainedglass window in his memory in thenorth aisle of St Mary's church.
Many of the larger houses inRoberts End date from the first halfof the 19th century when there wasan influx of wealthy people seekingthe health-giving qualities of Malvernspring water. These properties andtheir inhabitants will be included in aforthcoming book looking atHanley’s historic houses.
Issue No. 42
Winter
2017
HANLEY MATTERSthe newsletter of
The Hanleys’ Village Society
STANBROOK ABBEY
In November Pamela Hurle talked to us about the history of thatwell-known local landmark, Stanbrook Abbey. First sheexplained that, although Stanbrook was only built as an abbeyin 1838, the Benedictine nuns who lived there until recentlybelonged to an order founded in 1625 in Cambrai, Flanders, by17-year-old Helen More, the great-great-granddaughter of SirThomas More.
The life of these nuns involved seven services a day, singing,reading and learning how to be economically independent. By thelate 18th century, they had become quite wealthy. But in 1793the French Revolution abolished abbeys and the 22 nuns wereimprisoned. They were joined by a group of Carmelite nuns whowere guillotined and a similar fate for the original communitywas only avoided when Robespierre was executed and thereign of terror came to an end. Supporters in England rescuedthem and in 1807 they settled in Salford Hall, Evesham.
In 1835 the Benedictine priest at Little Malvern, DomAugustine Lawson, bought an old manor house at Callow Endfor them and by 1838 it had been rebuilt as Stanbrook Abbey. Inthe late 19th century, a church, cloisters and chapel wereadded, designed by the half-brothers Edward and Peter Pugin,sons of the famous architect Augustus Pugin, who introducedthe neo-Gothic style.
The former Pugin church, now Callow Great Hall
Stanbrook became celebrated for its traditions of Gregorianchant, devotional literature and printing. The Stanbrook AbbeyPress, which started printing in 1876, was at one time the oldest
private press in England, andacquired an internationalreputation for fine printing.
One of its most influentialabbesses was DameLaurentia McLachlan (1866-1953), a pioneer in therestoration of the Gregorianchant in England and aleading authority on music andmedieval manuscripts. Herfriendship with Sir SydneyCockerell, curator of theFitzwilliam Museum inCambridge, and the playwrightGeorge Bernard Shaw wasthe subject of a play by HughWhitemore, The Best ofFriends, which was based ona book by Dame FelicitasCorrigan recording more than800 letters from such notablefigures as Siegfried Sassoon,Iris Murdoch and AlecGuinness. Shaw once said toher “You are an enclosed nunwith an unenclosed mind”.
Stanbrook Abbey was builtfor 100 nuns, but there wereonly 20 when they relocated toWass in the North Yorkshiremoors in 2009. In 2010 theGrade II-listed Callow Endproperty was sold to Clarencoand is now an events venueand 55-room hotel.
ACQUISITIONSRecent Society acquisitionsinclude an interesting vellumdocument dated 1774 wherebyEdmund Lechmere (1710-1805) received five shillingsand one pepper corn forleasing the lordship of themanor of Oxenton inGloucestershire for a year toJohn Parsons of Kemertonand John Darke of Bredon.Edmund had inherited theestate from his uncle, NicholasLechmere, Baron of Evesham.This is a 50-word summary ofwhat the document takes 1000words to say, but then lawyersused to be paid by the word.
