The Rain Never Stops

Yet another miserable cold wet day that kept the visitors away from Witley Court. This morning a small party of elderly folk from Kidderminster, but apart from these few it was very bleak for all concerned. I managed a grand total of just two visitors in the church all afternoon. I shut-up-shop just after 4 p.m. and found that Gill had already done the same. Not a soul to be seen anywhere and I was "Billy-No-Mates" in the gathering gloom.

In Search of the Ward's - Ruth & David's tour of the Home Counties during late April

"It's all right for those who can afford it"! - Mrs. B. taking afternoon tea in the old dining room at Great Fosters, Egham, Surrey, a large Jacobean manor house owned by the second Earl of Dudley in Edwardian times and which these days is a very high-class hotel.

Ruth and I spent a few days in Surrey and Berkshire towards the end of April in search of clues as to the activities of the Ward family in this part of the world in times past and present. We visited a number of properties owned by the Ward's, the discovery of which gave us a fascinating insight into the life and times of this noble lineage. As is so often the case, all did not go exactly to plan, but nevertheless we had a splendid time, despite the rather mixed weather. A full report of our activities will appear soon in the pages section of this blog opposite.

St Swithuns Church, Worcester

Looking west towards the restored organ, box pews are plentiful, indicating that this was once a well-used church

The magnificent three-decker pulpit in the nave

Marble font with mahogany cover

A short visit to St Swithuns, Worcester, a Georgian church which finds itself in a rather cramped situation, squeezed in amongst the commercial property in the heart of the city. Easily overlooked, it opens occasionally for visitors, and is administered by the Churches Conservation Trust. In many ways it resembles that of Great Witley, though nowhere near as exuberant and decorative, but nevertheless well worth a visit, especially to see the magnificent three-decker pulpit which dominates the interior. The tower is representative of the church's medieval origins.

The History Centre, Trinity Street, Worcester - the end of an era

Reception desk on the right with the main research room in the background

Looking north along Trinity Street

Today was the penultimate day at the History Centre in Trinity Street before closure and the transfer of facilities to the "The Hive", a short distance away. The new building will bring together a number of functions all under one roof and is sceduled to open in the summer of this year. Looking forward to meeting the staff again soon at their new home.

Saturday 14th April 2012, The Hive in Worcester

The stark exterior facade of the new building. Apart from the dreadful architecture, this facility has been designed to blend in well with its surroundings, especilally with pedestrian links to the city centre and various transport services.

Facilities as yet incomplete on the first floor

The catering facilities appear to be the best part of the building at present

Today I had a preview of the inside of the new facilities in Worcester to be known as "The Hive". This brand-new multi-million pound building in the city centre has been built to incorporate a number of functions which were formerly dispersed across the city on several diverse sites; they include the public library, archaeology services, the family history centre and the county records office. Now all under one roof, these new facilities should be opening their doors to the public this summer coming. A full resume will follow in these pages once the new premises are fully open and functioning.

Easter, 6th -9th April 2012

Easter is upon us yet again, the most important time of the year in the church calendar. The weather was distinctly poor compared with the glorious March but this did not deter the visitors, with well over one hundred people through the door between 11.00 and 2.00 o'clock when Karen Bond took over from me as duty steward for the afternoon session, not including around fifty singers who had come to practise for the evening concert. This event was a "Come and Sing Day" featuring highlights from Handel's "Messiah" sung by the church choir and accompanied by:
 John Jenkin (Organ)
Elizabeth Ryder (Soprano)
Thomas Arnold-Haynes (Counter tenor)
Wilhelm Theunissen (Tenor)
Hedd Owen Griffiths (Bass)

Conductor: John Swindells

It was good to see a number of regular church folk in attendance, including Ian & Mary Holland,  Dr. Paul Johnson and Angela Snow, with whom I had lunch in the tearoom, helping to keep Gill and her husband George and their children and the staff going at full speed. I even had my photograph taken by Kate Roberts who kindly e-mailed me the shot. Dr. Johnson appraised me with regards to future plans for the church which I have to keep under my hat until things become official - watch this space.

Easter Sunday, 8th April.
A service at the church in the morning. The previous day I was in mid-Wales paying a visit to Ruth and returned to Great Witley today around lunchtime. Angela was already there and we shared the duties in the afternoon and in total there were over 260 visitors to the church on what was not a particularly good day weather-wise - but people kept us very busy, as was the case in the tearoom. The church was nicely decorated with spring flowers.

Himley Hall - Wolverhampton Archaeology Group

W.A.G. are currently undertaking an archaeological survey of a site very close to Himley Hall which is believed to be that of where the old parish church of Himley once stood. In the eighteenth century the whole area was completely reconfigured by Capability Brown on behalf of Viscount Dudley & Ward, who had the old village swept away and relocated nearby. It is early days in this project but a number of important discoveries have been found during excavations which indicate that the location is almost certainly correct. I am grateful to Martin and Jan Holland and the team for allowing me personal access to the dig-site and for my initiation into the world of field archaeology, albeit by way of a modest contribution in assisting with sifting through the material with a sieve ! We all have to start somewhere.