Newsletter 3

April 2007

David Middleton, one of the four website editors
David Middleton, one of the four website editors
Neil Fortey, Project Coordinator, Jack Latimer, Community Sites, Norman Robinson, Website Administrator, Jerry Webber, Museums, Libraries and Archives, East Midlands.
Neil Fortey, Project Coordinator, Jack Latimer, Community Sites, Norman Robinson, Website Administrator, Jerry Webber, Museums, Libraries and Archives, East Midlands.
PC Arthur Bradshaw in 1929
PC Arthur Bradshaw in 1929
"Field View", High Street, Bottesford
Brickyard Workers c. 1910
Brickyard Workers c. 1910
Queen Street Cottage, now demolished, decorated for the coronation of George V
Queen Street Cottage, now demolished, decorated for the coronation of George V
I.T. Training. Left to right: Denys Cave, Betty Woodburn, Angela Marsh, Kate Pugh, Dorothy Baines, Tony Taffs, Peggy Topps, Carole Cathro
I.T. Training. Left to right: Denys Cave, Betty Woodburn, Angela Marsh, Kate Pugh, Dorothy Baines, Tony Taffs, Peggy Topps, Carole Cathro

LIVING HISTORY

The Newsletter of the Bottesford ‘Living History’ Community Heritage Project.

Issue 3. April 2007

The project has now accumulated a wealth of material, much of which will be featured in our exhibition in the Fuller Room, 5 -7th  May, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Before that, the next project meeting is on  Monday April 23rd at 7.00 p.m. in the Fuller Room. See you there!

 

Website Launch – Bottesford’s Heritage is on the World-Wide Web

www.bottesfordhistory.org.uk

The project passed its first important milestone on April 19th when our website went public. It already features a variety of articles, from an account of Roger Manners, 5th Earl of Rutland, one of the suggested alternative authors of Shakespeare’s plays, to a description of 1977 Jubilee celebrations and photographs of Bottesford from the 1860s to April 2007. You can also follow a ‘First Time Visitors Tour’.

Like the Living History Project itself, this website aims to be interactive, and has been designed to help you add your memories and knowledge, or your comments and criticisms! You can write an entire article, create a photo gallery, or add comments to one of the existing pages. This will make it a true community site, building up a shared record of village history.

To add comments, simply type into the section headed ‘Add a comment about this page’. To add your own articles and photographs just register a username and password, and you’ll be guided by simple on-screen instructions. If you don’t have internet access, you can view the site on the Library’s internet connection. We are also in the process of downloading all the material so that it can be read in a folder which will be placed in the library.

We are grateful to Jack Latimer, of Community Sites, and Jerry Weber of Museums, Libraries and Archives East Midlands, without whom this exciting development would not have been possible.

 

And from Australia…

The internet has already put us in touch with old Bottesfordians. Mr Michael Bradshaw, Adelaide, sent us this splendid photograph of his father, Police Sergeant Bradshaw, who first came to Bottesford in 1929 as a trainee and lodged at the Six Bells with Mrs. Ada Bond’s family, the Batesons.

We have also received a delightful and informative letter from Mr. Eddie Houghton-Ward, from Banora Point NSW, describing his happy memories of Bottesford and asking to be remembered to old friends. He and his sisters, Heather Treacy and Valerie Brittain, lived in Bottesford from 1939 until 1980, when his mother sold The Thatch. With Mr. Houghton-Ward’s permission, we will be publishing his recollections on the website too.

Brickmaking in Bottesford

We were delighted to be contacted by Mrs. Jean Round of Allington about her fascinating photographs showing traditional hand brick-making in Bottesford. The sequence of photographs shows the whole process, from raw clay to the firing clamp. Mrs Round’s grandfather, or great grandfather, worked in the brick yard and she believes he was one of the last people to know the secret of the ‘Bottesford Blue’ tiles. We hope the full sequence will be on display at our exhibition.

House History  – Fire and Witchcraft in High Street.

Field View on High Street has been home to Sue and Dave Middleton since the 1970s. It is an elegantly symmetrical Georgian building with a distinctive course of stringer bricks. Sue Middleton’s research reveals that its small, rosy coloured bricks date the house to some time before 1784. Until that date, bricks were taxed by size. The façade hides evidence of an older building. Parts of the rear contain remnants of earlier mud and ironstone construction. Recent renovations uncovered further evidence of Field View’s past. Shards of a Bellarmine jar, which may have been a ‘witch bottle’, were found under one of the hearths and burnt debris under the floor suggests a fire, which may have prompted the owners to invest in the fire insurance advertised by the ‘Yorkshire 1824’ fire mark on the front wall. Sue and Dave were also delighted to discover a hand-sawn Ancaster stone floor to match the house’s other original features, which include boxed beams, reed and plaster floors and Georgian doors, architraves and alcoves. Sue and Dave have placed time capsules recording their occupancy of the house.

Oral History

Mrs. Dorothy Beedham has generously allowed us to record memories of her childhood and life in Bottesford before and during WW2. In addition to this account, she also recalled the shops and other businesses that were in the village then.

Mr Brian Silverwood has also recorded details of his childhood in this cottage on Queen Street, where his grandmother ran the fish and chip shop.

Mr William Roberts interview with Peter Topps was recorded on video by Peggy Topps. Mr Roberts recalled his early years in Bottesford as a joiner and wheelwright and his later years as the village’s largest employer.

Angela Marsh has recorded her own and her family’s history of  farming in Bottesford with the other members of the Farming group, Barbara Pizzey and Peggy Topps.

Lol Picken has shared his memories with Neil Fortey, including  the story of Arthur Marsden and Ted.

I.T. Training

Members of the team have enjoyed acquiring new skills using a range of software under the expert guidance of Carole Cathro. Their new-found skills are already being put to use in contributions to the project.

Exhibition Plans

Plans for the Gala Week-End exhibition are well under way. The exhibition will include sections on maps, deeds, the Friendly Society and Shops and Trades. There will also be an exhibition of  old farm implements, videos and pages from the website to view, as well as Ted Rayson’s collection of photographs and many other old  photographs. We look forward to meeting you there.

This page was added on 30/05/2007.

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