The Reverend David Ireland After the Family Service we were invited into the Rectory garden for a celebration drink and to bask in the hottest sun we have had in our area for many a long time – just the right day! It was a very happy occasion! Since becoming our parish priest in 2005 David has been our church leader and has been involved in many activities: chaplain to Box Hill School (until recently), deputy chairman of the governors of our own St. Michael’s School where he takes assembly every Monday morning, and, of course, helping people in our parish whether churchgoers or not. I think we all agree that he is a great wit and finds something amusing on many different occasions! I thought I would try to find out more about his past, starting from his birth in Rochford, Essex on the 18th May 1945 when his father was Vicar of St Augustine’s in Thorpe Bay. He was educated at Rossall School, Lancashire and later at Merton College, Oxford and Cuddesdon Theological College, Oxford. He was a full-time clergyman in Chapel Allerton, Harpenden and Clifton during the years 1969-1984. And then he was appointed Chief Executive for the Markfield Project and Appeals Director for Trinity Hospice, in Clapham, and Seeability in Leatherhead and held this position until 2004. During this period of 20 years he was the Non-Stipendiary minister at St. Mark’s Tattenham Corner from 1991 – 2000 and then with us here as a Non- stipendiary until 2004. After leaving Seeability he joined us here as a non-stipendiary parish priest. He has three sons and one daughter and four grandchildren of whom he is very proud. I understand his hobbies are travel, gardening, and music. So David has had a varied life in the ministry of the church and we are fortunate that he is our priest and although now 65 years of age, we are delighted to learn that he expects to be with us for sometime yet, together with Angela who is a great help to him and all of us. Jack Richardson Next Kneelers Meeting - Saturday 3rd
July, Mickleham Village Hall 9.30am Tea@3 - Monday 26th July The Rectory, 3pm - No meeting in August Christian Aid The recent collection for Christian Aid raised £1,100.78 A big thank you to everyone who gave so generously and to all who helped collect. Marianne Sunter Heritage Open Days This
year we will be opening the doors at St Michael’s
Church, Mickleham and Westhumble Chapel as part of the
Heritage Open Days on: Reburial of Post-Medieval Remains
At two o’clock on Wednesday 26th May a small
congregation gathered for a short service and interment
of the remains found during excavation work for the new
vestry. The plaque on the coffin reads MAY THE SOULS OF
THE FAITHFUL DEPARTED THROUGH THE MERCY OF GOD REST IN
PEACE Confirmation in St Barnabas, Ranmore If you can’t be confirmed in your own village church, the next best thing is to join with others in a service for several village churches combined. This is what happened for Liz Absalom and James Swallow from St Michael’s, Mickleham, one Sunday recently. Thirteen candidates from the four parishes of Ranmore, Mickleham, Newdigate and Ockley, Okewood and Forest Green came together in St Barnabas, Ranmore, for a Confirmation service which was taken by Bishop Christopher Herbert, the former Archdeacon of Dorking and Bishop of St Albans. This was a historic event for Ranmore church in that it was the first ever Confirmation service to take place in the church since it was built 150 years ago. The small Ranmore church choir sought reinforcements from the other participating churches, and each church provided 3 – 5 singers. The combined choir was made very welcome by the Ranmore folk and by the organist, and made a splendid sound to lead the worship. Wine and nibbles followed what had been a heart-warming demonstration of Christian co-operation and fellowship. I hope that Liz and James felt we had given them a good start on the next stage of their Christian lives. Elizabeth Moughton An enormous THANK YOU This time last year there were several people really wishing that they had learned to say ‘NO’ to Jo Brown, but she is a very persuasive person and so there we were spending the summer learning our lines for North and South. Those of you who came to the village hall on one of those evenings in November may remember that we were raising money for two projects, The Oddar Meanchey Hospitals in Cambodia, and Candlelight Ministries in Thailand. In the June edition of this magazine Emma shared with you photos and a list of equipment illustrating the result of your generosity to the hospital. I have just received an email from Jan Yawan at Candlelight Ministries in Thailand and would like to share some of it with you. The vehicle arrived on May 1st and I managed to get some pictures of it still on the car of the man who made the cart for us… I had hoped to take pictures of some of the mums and young children that come to the early intervention group each Tuesday morning but when I got over there the two children had just left to go home. So I took pictures of the vocational training girls and three of the staff. The vehicle is proving to be really useful already. We were assured that the motor cycle would be strong enough for the cart but in use it is obvious that it would be better with a larger sized disc that takes the chain (not sure what that is called in English) and heavy-duty tyres. These are on order and we have a motor cycle mechanic right opposite Please pass on our great thanks to Anne and all your fellow team who worked so hard to raise all the support so we could purchase this vehicle. We don’t really have anywhere to store this vehicle – had thought we may be able to take it through the main door and store it inside temporarily but it turned out to be about 2 inches too wide! So now we are just about to start to construct a storage area that can take this 3-wheeler, the other 2 motor cycles and have some extra area to store some of the wheel chairs and other equipment that needs repair or is awaiting an owner. We have a little money from our maintenance/upgrading account and another gift from a youth group who visited last year that we had already allocated to building upgrade so it means we can go ahead with this project now. Sand and cement arrived yesterday and the builder will start on Monday. From this you can understand just how useful our donation has been, £1,200 goes much further in Thailand than it does here. Thank you once again for your generosity; it has made a tremendous difference to the lives of a lot of very poor families and the people who care for them. Anne Weaver Becky Weaver adds ... This morning Candlelight Ministries came to visit our church here (ICB – International Church of Bangkok) and Jan Yawan gave the sermon – talking about how her visit to ICB last year culminated in a small and committed community in the UK working very hard to raise some funds for them, and how amazing that a small community in the UK has made such a difference to a small organisation on the Thai Burma border! Not Whit Camp Despite a damp Tuesday when we put up the tents, Thursday 3rd June dawned bright and sunny as St Michael’s Crew leaders and six Inters set off once again for Not Whit Camp in Waverley Woods, near Farnham. This camp has been run by and for the West Surrey Urban Saints groups (formerly Crusaders) for the past 14 years during the latter part of the Whit half term week. It is an opportunity for about a hundred young people and forty leaders to spend a few days away from the hurly burly of work and school life, without intrusion from electronic gadgets, computers and phones, and 24-hour rolling news reports of horrible events around the world. There is plenty to do for leaders and young people alike: despite the absolutely glorious weather throughout there was no time to sit and sunbathe as there is a packed programme of activities, craft, individual challenges and team games, with evening campfires and night manoeuvres through the woods in the dark. Each morning there is a meeting with excellent Bible teaching and praise: this year the theme was ‘Green but keen’ which could be interpreted in a number of ways (and was, when it came to finding a fancy dress outfit for the special green-themed meal…) but which essentially looked at the parable of the Sower in Mark Chapter 4 and the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians. In the Intermediate group (for school years 7–9, approximate ages 11–14 years) we had a very exuberant leader called Josh who challenged us to think about what things influenced us (aforementioned electronic gadgets featured highly) and how we could be receptive to the seed of God’s word and encourage that seed to grow and yield the fruits of the Spirit. Josh had lots of visual aids to make what he was saying as memorable as possible and taught us a very catchy song with actions about the fruits of the Spirit which is still going round in my head as I write this! The intrepid leaders this year included
Amanda Wadsworth who writes: In fact I had a great time, ‘full on‘ but really enjoyable. Our youths were a pleasure to be with; they joined in all the activities, talks and huddles (tent cleaning for some was a challenge!); Alison was an experienced Not Whit camper, showed me the ropes and was fun to be with too. The organisers of the camp do a fantastic job – I want to go again!... even though Amber made me stand in front of everyone and enter a competition to eat marshmallows: fortunately mine were coated in marmalade and chocolate, not mustard as my fellow contender had! Probably my just desserts for making our group do a silly skit on the entertainment evening. As in previous years, Jonathan Blake did sterling service, if not silver service, in the mess tent, and Sarah Blake ran the Seniors programme for the 15–18 year olds. If any adult is interested in joining us to help at camp next year or with the Junior, Inter or Senior Crew groups during the year, we should be very pleased to hear from them. I think we all get as much out of our involvement with Crew as the young people do, and certainly Not Whit Camp is a fantastic example of what can be achieved by a group of committed people working together for a common goal, sharing and living the gospel message for a few days in a clearing in the woods under a blue sky – without the rest of the 21st century intruding. Plus it’s an excuse to chuck wet sponges around and play other silly games. Alison Wood St Michael’s Community Nursery The children of St Michael’s Community Nursery have much to look forward to in the final weeks of the school year. As an end of term treat, they will be visiting Ladyland Farm near Horley. Known as ‘The Living Classroom’ the venue provides unique insight into rural life, as it is a working farm which offers restricted access primarily to school and community groups. The outing will allow the children to interact with cute and cuddly creatures and the food production aspect of the farm will serve to reinforce the healthy eating theme that the class have explored this term. Farm animals take the lead in the summer play at Nursery. The children have been practising their ‘huffing and puffing’ and howling in preparation for ‘The Three Little Pigs’ to be staged on 6th July. Knowing the enthusiasm of the children and the dedication of Hilary and her staff, the parents are awaiting yet another first-class performance. Parental pride will also be given vent on 21st July when the children display their athletic prowess. Sports day at St Michael’s Community Nursery is always a day of much fun and some mild competition for the children and their families. We just hope that the weather is also in sporting mood! Work on the re-design of the Nursery garden has been progressing. The existing outdoor play space is to be used to extend the Village Hall car park. The Village Hall Committee has been most generous in their undertaking to cover the essential costs of fencing, groundwork and moving equipment to the new garden area. Additionally, the Nursery sees the relocation of the garden as an opportunity to update and upgrade the play possibilities offered by the garden. We have been successfully fundraising over the past months and had hoped to also secure some educational grants to help provide these improvements. However, due to unavailability of local government funding, we are now seeking sponsorship from corporate and community sources. The outdoor focus of the Nursery and the quality of the garden area has always been a priority for new and existing families - it would be wonderful if we could surpass expectations with this redevelopment. We would welcome any expressions of financial support in achieving this goal. At this time of year, we must reflect on the outstanding contribution of Hilary and her staff. All at the Nursery are highly appreciative of their care, dedication and enthusiasm. Sadly, at the end of the term, we are saying farewell to a key figure in the success of the Nursery. Heidi Donnegan has inspired, educated and won the hearts of the children of St Michael’s Community Nursery for the past 11 years, as well as providing vital support in her role as Deputy. Heidi’s smile and her cheeky humour will be much missed at the Nursery. We thank her for her contribution and wish her deserved success in her new position. We are delighted to announce that the St Michael’s Community Nursery web site is live. Please visit http://www.stmichaelscommunitynursery.co.uk/ to see the features that our wonderful Nursery has to offer. Michaela Tsangari from the June 2010 magazine from the May 2010 magazine from the May 2010 magazine from the May 2010 magazine The additional donation to the Buildings Fund has enabled us to complete the Vestry extension and other major projects. Expenditure on projects in 2009 has totalled just over £228,000. Of this total, £176,820 has been spent on the Vestry extension and related works. Other major items of expenditure were £18,873 spent on investigations of and improvements to drainage, £14,045 for the coffee cupboard, table, and associated works, and £9,288 for works at the Chapel of Ease. An additional £7,631 has been paid in 2010 for completion of the carpentry works in the Vestry. Income from planned giving, collections, tax recovered, and the wall safe, totalled £53,425 – an increase of about £4,000 over the previous year. Fund raising on events such as ‘Love Hurts’, the Summer Party, the Sheree Valentine Daines Masterclass, and the Remembrance Sunday Concert, totalled £9,474. The other main source of income this year has been net Parochial fees totalling £8,599, and including the fees for the 14 weddings (and blessings) celebrated in the course of 2009. ‘Unrestricted Fund’ income for
the year (including income from the Parish Magazine)
totalled £82,415. The year-end balance carried forward on
the Unrestricted Fund, including the balance on the
Parish Magazine Account, was £62,039. The year-end
balance carried forward on the restricted Buildings Fund
was £57,522. The capital on the Expendable Endowment
Fund remains intact. from the May 2010 magazine St Michael’s Crew Dates for
the Summer Term: from the May 2010 magazine
Now nearly two years later I can’t remember which version of the Psalm I found (and there are a few), but in my mind it connected with the picture I had just made – something about shadows and the presence of evil in the world and the faith and strength to face it – and I worked with the words to find something that would fit with the picture. I didn’t want it to be obvious lettering with the message staring you in the face and overwhelming the visual elements of the picture. So that’s how it came to be as it is – the meaning is not at first obvious but nor is it too complicated – and with a little application you can work it out for yourself. I took great joy from watching people at an exhibition up here in Fakenham as they puzzled with this picture and then suddenly had a lift as they got the message. from the May 2010 magazine from the April 2010 magazine
For me, music and Christianity are inextricably linked. I became a Christian in 1967 solely as a result of my involvement as organist. I have subsequently done other Christian things, such as being on General Synod and chairing The Church of England Newspaper; and I have done other music things such as playing in a dance band and in orchestras. But at the organ, these two important aspects of my life come together. Being an organist is the best job in the church. Everyone loves music. It reaches the soul in a way that words alone do not. The church is said to be ‘holy’. That means set apart from God. For this reason, the church has its own style of music. This is really several different styles rolled into one, and is still evolving. It combines both the vast wealth of traditional forms with the relevance of the new styles. My own background is from the evangelical end of the churchmanship spectrum, where well-performed styles of holy music are always needed. Being a dance band pianist means I have few hang-ups about the more modern forms of church music. Yet curiously, I found Mickleham very conservative in its musical tastes for such a populist church. The church choir is one of the most pleasant groups I have worked with. It is good to see them now confidently singing everything from Palestrina to modern worship songs. David Ireland also ranks as one of the most easy-going and accommodating clergy I have known. I was surprised when David suggested that I introduce the anthems myself. Yet the feedback I have received about this has been positive. It is most welcome to share some of the stories behind our church music, and to show its relevance in our worship. Yes, there are things that could be better. For example, the organ needs attention. Such concerns are always with us. They should be attended to, but not allowed to blind us to the good things that are happening. The spiritual life is a journey which we travel with others for various periods before moving on. I have no regrets at having travelled with you for the last three years. I shall remember my time at Mickleham with affection. I wish you all every blessing and happiness as you continue your own spiritual journeys. Robert Leach from the April 2010 magazine In due course Mickleham Easy-Peasy Anthem Book 2 followed with more suitable anthems for all occasions. Robert introduced the anthem from the chancel steps, always telling the congregation the composer and date, sometimes telling an anecdote about the composer and often linking the anthem to a reading or the sermon. Robert was a strict timekeeper and expected us all to be ready to start choir practice at 9 a.m. prompt. This gave us time to rehearse the hymns for the day as well as the anthems for the following few Sundays. The early arrivals in the congregation got used to hearing our final run-through of the anthem for the day – perhaps they even came early so that they could enjoy it! He also took 10 members of the choir to a Choral Festival day at Guildford Cathedral. Morning and afternoon rehearsals culminated in a fine Choral Evensong with choirs from all over the Diocese – an exhausting but inspiring day. Robert worked us hard, but I like to think he felt we were worth the effort. We wish him well in his ‘retirement’. We will miss him. Elizabeth Moughton, Choir Fixer from the April 2010 magazine
Here we are three years and two months later celebrating the completion of this most ambitious programme. To mark the occasion a Service of Dedication and Thanksgiving by The Rt Revd Ian Brackley was held on 28th February. The guests of honour were Jean and Geoff Suckling whose fantastically generous donations through their Ranmore Charitable Trust made it possible to achieve so much in a relatively short time. The new vestry will be known as The Ranmore Room in their honour. It is inevitable that major building works on an ancient building will reveal surprises. During the work ceramic tiles were found behind the oak panelling in the chancel and 17th century tombstones under the floor. The greatest surprise was the discovery of skeletons during the excavations for the new vestry. Work was delayed for several weeks while an archaeological survey was carried out. The service was the culmination of years of planning and fundraising by many members of the parish, but the prime movers were Rose Spence and John Banfield. Many thanks to them and to David and the PCC for all their vision, hard work and dedication. Sue Tatham from the April 2010 magazine - a total of 17 inhumations were
identified, two of which constituted a double burial
(adult/juvenile). Seven were present as one complex
group. All of the burials were oriented east/west. Most
had been damaged by more recent intrusions. The depth of
burials was shallow (0.4 - 0.8m) reflecting previous
levelling for the former Victorian vestry footprint. Some
of the burials had associated iron coffin grips/nails,
and iron and copper shroud /upholstery pins. One of the issues for the re-burial process is the avoidance of encountering further remains. The Surrey County archaeologists will require a watching brief on further excavations. A staged approach is planned. Stage 1, a ground radar survey, was completed on 26th February. This was a non-intrusive survey of a type which will be familiar to watchers of Time Team. The radar, which looks like a lawnmower with a computer and screen passes over the defined areas and records underlying structures (eg vaults, coffins, disturbed ground etc). The method is depth specific and reaches about 4m. It does not give 100% assurance over negatives, but will identify clear ‘high-risk’ areas. The report is awaited but the field evidence indicated a high density of burials over much of the area to the front of the church extending up to the boundary with Old London Road, as expected. It is known that many stones were removed in about 1948 and used to build the churchyard wall to the east of the gate to the old Rectory. Dates and other inscriptions can be seen in places. Burial depths ranged to 2m plus. Current guidance on burial depths is for at least 0.75m (2ft 6in). It may therefore be possible to re-bury at shallow depth above suspected but unidentified former burials, without disturbance. For example, the radar showed what appears to be a large vault just SW of the Bennett grave, but at a depth of 2.3m. There was only one apparently clear area: in the extreme SW of the churchyard close to the Lych Gate. This may be appropriate. More to follow. Mark Day from the Mar 2010 magazine from the Mar 2010 magazine from the Mar 2010 magazine from the Mar 2010 magazine The Junior section of St Michael’s Crew which caters for school years 3 – 6 (approximately 8 – 11 year olds) is thriving under the capable guidance of Jo Elrick, Eric Flint and Caroline Jones with parents helping on a rota basis and David Ireland regularly in attendance to keep all on the right path. Lots of fun and active games are ably organised by our helpers Imogen Adshead and Kerry Mason who have bags of energy and imagination, and there is usually a themed craft activity each week – recently everyone made and decorated a gingerbread man whilst learning about Unicef’s work with children overseas. Another highlight this term was a torchlit, and moonlit, walk over the downs. The Intermediate group is for those at secondary school in Years 7 – 9 and this group has been growing steadily since it was relaunched a little over a year ago. However, the Seniors, Years 10 upwards, have mostly moved on to other things (mainly exam related, unfortunately for them) and cannot commit to coming regularly. It has been decided therefore to combine Inters and Seniors this year and to offer a session in the Village Hall every other week, alternating with a discussion group for Year 8 and above in the Ranmore Room at the church. This arrangement has worked well as the smaller space is good for quieter conversation, whilst the more energetic activities such as pancake making and team games are more suited to the village hall. We are planning to take a group of Inters to Not Whit Camp in the summer half term again, and have lots of other outdoor activities in mind for when the weather warms up, so if you would like to join us on a Friday evening, please give one of us a call to check the venue. You will be very welcome. If you are interested in coming along, or in helping then please call S Parfitt on 07767 891772. from the Mar 2010 magazine The magazine continues to thrive and we have had very few staff changes over the past year. Many thanks to everyone for their continued support. Special thanks to Charlotte Daruwalla, who edited half the issues, to Stephanie Randall our expert proof reader and to all the other members of the editorial panel – Val Selwood, Sue Timms, and Liz Weller. We welcome Mark Day who has joined the panel recently. We are always looking for new writers and additional help with magazine production. We would especially like to hear from anyone who would like to develop desktop publishing skills. Magazine finances are sound with advertising income covering the cost of printing. A big thank you to Kate Warren who looks after the advertising accounts. Other costs are covered by drawing from reserves which have accrued over the years. We raised £150 from the MPM ‘Christmas card’ which we have given to St Michael’s Crew to buy sports equipment. Sue Tatham, Editor Charlotte Daruwalla writes: from the Feb 10 magazine The welcoming of the new priest was introduced by the Rural Dean when representatives of the parish and community came forward in turn to welcome Graham, including David Ireland, on behalf of the Ministry Team, and St Michael’s School’s headteacher, Anne Hossack, on behalf of all schools in Leatherhead and Mickleham. The augmented choir, including members of our choir, led the singing, accompanied by our organist Robert Leach, and St. Mary’s was filled with the sound of the praising of God in music. The whole congregation went to the parish hall for an excellent and enormous supply of ‘bits and pieces’ to go with our drinks to celebrate the uplifting evening. Graham has since preached and officiated at services here at St Michael’s and we are very pleased he has joined us. Jack Richardson from the Feb 10 magazine from the Feb 10 magazine Oddar Meanchay is the name of the province of which Samrong is the capital. Samrong is a quiet backwater ‘city’ – more of a small town if truth be told – near the Thai border. It’s about three hours (double in the rainy season when the roads flood) north-west of Siem Reap. Samrong is a sleepy place, with nothing there but a lake full of reeds; a few restaurants serving a mixture of Khmer and Thai food; a Buddhist temple with some alarming Bosch-esque depictions of hell; and a market with all the food imported from Thailand. Thai baht is the preferred currency. (The confusion of converting between pounds, US and Singapore dollars, baht, Cambodian rial and Vietnamese dong led us to be ripped off – but in the most charming way – at least twice on our trip, well twice that we noticed anyway). In fact Samrong is, in the words of Lonely Planet, ‘nowhere’. And when even Lonely Planet says a place is nowhere, you better believe it. The local economy is rice – and more rice. The land is flat. Paddy fields stretch to the horizon in all directions. A few banana, coconut and other palm trees break up the view of paddy, but there is no industry here, not even tourism. Em does have a lovely large house overlooking the lake, for which the rent is $250 a month. Sounds nothing, but on her VSO salary it’s a lot; she is presently sharing with two German girls, also volunteers, one a midwife, the other a development officer. Our hotel cost $7 a night (negotiated down from $20 by Em in Khmer), and was good value for the money, with most mod cons, including en-suite bathroom and satellite TV, though not toilet paper. There is not a lot to do in Samrong, and that’s putting it mildly. You can walk or run round the lake; watch TV and pirated DVDs; and that’s about it. Even walking has its risks. There are several species of venomous snake, and between 3 and 6 million active land mines still in Cambodia, a legacy of the years of war that only ended 10 years ago. The Samrong area has, proportionate to its size, the highest number of active landmines in Cambodia, according to Lonely Planet. The hospital is – well, basic. We have seen less well equipped hospitals in rural China and Nepal, but not many. It’s all on one floor, so in the wet season the wards flood and the clinical waste incinerator can’t be used. It is in great need of modernisation, and your kind support has already greatly helped. Em has her hands full training nurses, trying to enforce hygiene procedures and generally managing the place. The Cambodian management team whom she advises does not always take her advice. Example; told there was a budget to hire a specialist, Em advised getting an obstetrician for the overloaded maternity ward; the hospital chose to hire a traumatologist. Despite the clear frustrations Em is cheerful, and she is spending your money carefully and well. We travelled up from Siem Reap in a taxi full of new waste bins that she had bought there. She has also bought baby scales, ladders, clinical waste disposal systems and other basics that we in the West take for granted. She is looking at funding a pump for clean water, new toilets and even mattresses for the beds. Em also spends time at the An Long Veng hospital, 80 km away on dirt roads, which has a major waste disposal issue, and where she is thinking of installing an incinerator for clinical waste. Although Em has some Khmer, the language barrier is an issue, as is the culture barrier. Patients don’t always feel comfortable confiding in foreigners, so a translator is needed. Nursing staff seem to have a relaxed view of the importance of sticking to working hours such that there is 24/7 nursing cover. And – importantly for Em in spending your money – capital projects have to be assiduously planned and receive all sorts of approvals even if funded by outside money. Delightful though Samrong is for a short stay, its quiet would drive you mad pretty soon. For R & R, Em and her housemates head once a month or so to Siem Reap, packed eight in a Toyota Camry taxi at $6 a head. I have to confess that on the way back Will and I treated ourselves to a whole taxi for $35. Siem Reap, right by the world-famous archaeological sites of Angkor, has a wide range of accommodation from 5-star hotels at $500+ a night and backpackers’ dives at $3. We found – actually Em found for us – a wonderful hotel called the Terrasse des Elephants – $75 for a suite half the size of a football pitch, air con, double bath with jacuzzi, two showers and a lotus flower pond (into which Will fell after a long lunch), complete with eight-foot high waterfall sculptures. Much has been written about Angkor, so I won’t repeat it here. It is stunning, but is also full of noisy Korean, Japanese and Chinese tour groups traipsing round in crocodiles and hung with Nikons. There is an art in knowing what times of day these groups arrive at which sites, and getting there yourself at other times. Get it right and you will have some of the most beautiful ancient sites in the world to yourself. Sadly, the Cambodian authorities pay only lip service to conservation, and are more interested in the mighty dollar. Tourists are allowed to climb all over the monuments, and they do. There won’t be much left of them 25 years hence if this is allowed to continue. Siem Reap also has thriving tourist markets and bars, even a street called Pub Street. There are many massage establishments, some respectable, some not. Including some where you dip your feet in a tank of fish that nibble away at the dry skin.... Will assures me that the massage places he found were legit but, come to think of it, he did seem to have an awful lot of shoulder pain requiring repeated massages. On a serious note, sex tourism and even child sex tourism are major problems in Cambodia. We are, embarrassingly, the nation that gave the world Gary Glitter. On the other hand we didn’t colonise Cambodia like the French did, bomb it to bits like the Americans did, or invade it like the Vietnamese did. Nor did we slaughter millions of ordinary Cambodians, as the Khmer Rouge did to their own people. The US dropped more tonnage of bombs on Cambodia in the ‘60s and ‘70s than were dropped by all the combatants in World War II put together. Despite its recent violent history Cambodia is a charming place, and its people overwhelmingly friendly and courteous. Em is well known in Siem Reap - walk down Pub Street and ask for ‘Em-mar’ and they will tell you where she is, probably busily getting outside an Angkor Beer or three. She even has her own tuk-tuk driver on tap, Yuth, who for $20 a day drove us everywhere. A tuk-tuk, basically a sofa on wheels stuck on the back of a motor bike, is a remarkably comfortable way of getting around, particularly useful at Angkor as the sites cover over 150 square km, and in Phnom Penh where crossing the road on foot is an act of faith. VSO could clearly be more supportive of its volunteer workers out in the back of beyond in places like Samrong. The administrators tend to stay in Phnom Penh and have no idea what life is like in the sticks. As a result, most volunteers don’t last their time. It’s a shame, and one wonders if the attitude is that they don’t care if the old ones leave early, as there will be plenty more where they came from. Em will have done 21 months by May, when she presently plans to leave. It’s a very long time in a place like Samrong. We salute Em and her co-volunteers for going there and doing their much-needed good works. Em would certainly welcome more visitors, so book your flights now. Albeit that Samrong is not somewhere to spend more than a couple of nights, you can easily combine it with visits to Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand and Laos. Loan of guide books (mainly pirated editions from the market in Siem Reap), free travel advice and, most importantly, Yuth’s phone number, are all available from Dennis Holidays (motto We Serve You Right). Annie Dennis from Dec09/Jan10 magazine Oliver’s family found the bugle in a shop selling ‘bric a brac’ in Rye. It was old, dull and dusty. They bought it, of course! They took it to Kneller Hall, the Military School of Music, where there is a museum of military instruments. The Staff Sergeant told them that it was probably French, as the main part is copper with brass trim. If it had been English, it would have been brass with copper trim. He was also able to tell them that it was hand made and is at least 100 years old. It was duly taken to be ‘done up’ and they got it back only on Friday before Remembrance Sunday. It sounded wonderful - it was played brilliantly. We heard the sound again in the evening as Oliver played The Last Post and Reveille to open the Choral Society Concert for Remembrance Sunday (you can read about that further on). Thank you, Oliver and very well done. Val Selwood from Dec09/Jan10 magazine The driving weights, over a hundredweight in the case of the strike, are suspended on wire cables. Wire is more reliable that rope but notwithstanding this, as the drop is over the store/broom cupboard to the left of the entrance porch I hope the brooms are insured. I was interested to note in the churchyard (during one of my idle contemplations) the grave of a famous London clockmaker, Justin Theodore Vulliamy who was senior warden of the Clockmaker’s Company from 1820 to 1823. He was part of a fine clockmaking family, his grandfather and father were both eminent makers and his brother Benjamin Lewis Vulliamy was clockmaker to King George IV. There are still many clocks made by him in the Royal Collection at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle. Justin’s grave is on the north side of the churchyard between the church and the rectory. He died in August 1870 but was obviously living in the area before 1863 as his wife died in that year and is buried beside him. It would be interesting to know whether he was living in Mickleham in 1850, the date of the clock, as he may have advised on its purchase. Of course, the manufactured date of our clock may not be the date it was installed as it may have been donated or purchased second hand. Someone in the village might know and the churchwardens’ accounts would almost certainly have some details on this and also on any earlier clock. I really ought to look at the churchwardens’ account but you see, it is a question of time. Mike has now added the following: Allowing for a few leap years, and if my arithmetic is right, in the last 25 years our clock has ticked more than 525 million times and the strike hammer has struck the bell over 1.4 million times. However, all this noble activity faithfully marking the passing of the hours in the village would not have been possible without a Partner in Time. Each tick and each strike has the effect of slightly lowering the heavy weights which need to be raised again every week: approx. 27 turns on the crank key on the going train weight and 57 turns on the strike train. The extra turns on the strike train are required due to the gearing needed to raise well over 50 kilos of weight. Before my time the muscle was provided by verger Don Haynes and his son Colin. After I retired the ‘Keeper of the Key’ and provider of TLC and occasional oil went to Roy Stevens then Stan Spence, Mark Day and now John Winn. Our clock is still a youngster in turret clock terms, so as long as the weights continue to be raised, it will continue to be a useful member of the community. The last 25 years and the next 25 years are only a moment in the life of a clock. from the November 2009 magazine The conductor was Katherine Dienes-Williams, Organist & Master of the Choristers at Guildford Cathedral and a truly inspirational musician. Katherine started off with warm ups and a short masterclass on voice production which even the experienced choral singers found helpful. The rest of the rehearsal time was spent on hymns, choral responses, a psalm and three anthems. The day culminated with the Festival Service at 5 p.m. when we were joined by some of the cathedral choristers. We all wore our own choir-robes and as we lined up for the procession, it was interesting to see the many colours and different styles, ranging from monk-like habits with hoods and rope girdles to tailored cassocks with large multi-pointed white collars. Some of us had not sung in a cathedral before and it was quite a challenge getting used to how the sound reverberates in such a large space. Generally the music had to be slowed down so that the words could be heard despite the echo. It was a wonderful experience being part of a large choir and making such a lovely sound, thanks in part to the beautifully clear high notes sung by the younger voices. We all agreed that we would go again next year and publicise it a bit more so that members of our congregation could come to the Festival Service and enjoy the music. Sue Tatham from the November 2009 magazine The shining sun outside reflected the mood and pleasure of all who attended and their joy at being associated with such a worthwhile example of ‘the art of wordsmiths’ was evidenced by their animated conversation. We all enjoyed partaking of the superb canapés and fulsome quantities of the harvest of the vine. This being another sign of the magazine’s success by the healthy state of its finances – though please obliterate this comment from your minds if/when sometime in the future Sue calls for more donations – as she said ‘voluntary raising of funds’ never subscriptions. Sue looking radiant in a fine blue suit (no doubt husband Ben was pleased to see that not for her any change of colour like the recent one by that ‘organ of the press’ that also resembles that day’s outside weather conditions) addressed her ‘constituents’ generously thanking all and reminding us that 600 copies a month and a mailing list reflects the fact that this is a magazine of the community not just those who attend our church. In my judgement it is that fact and as Sue said its larger format that is one of the reasons for the magazine’s success. The celebrations were enhanced further by the presence of F N (Colly) Colwell, the 95-year-old designer of our striking cover. It was under his tutelage that Sue began illustrating the copy. Colly recalled one evening when Sue emerged from Byttom Cottage well after midnight, reeking of Cowgum. David Ireland spoke to thank Sue on behalf of all including those who sadly could not be present and pointed out that she had never allowed the magazine to become political or religious. The former is indeed to her credit but I found the latter a little curious not to say downright unlikely for the official local magazine of the Church of England. Perhaps in fairness he meant prejudice in those two aspects. But this was Sue and her staff’s day and it was like a ‘Silver Wedding’ celebration of a wonderful long and happy bond between the Magazine ‘the wife’ and the Readers ‘her husband’. However for me one thing was missing – there should have been a toast to Sue and her staff. So let me ask all readers to raise their glasses to the Editor and Staff and the continued quality and success of the Mickleham (and Westhumble) Parish magazine. Stephen Lloyd. Editor’s note: Everyone invited to the party had at some time or other contributed to the magazine either by writing articles or in the production and distribution process. The invitation list included over 270 names and even then some people were omitted. Many apologies to anyone we missed. We would appreciate any support you can provide by searching or shopping on these sites for the benefit of the nursery. Michaela Tsangari from the October 2009 magazine Those gathered in the same marquees on the evening of Monday 24th August had something else to celebrate: England had won the Ashes. And John Batt was about to have his own personal celebration– a portrait to be painted by our famous, local artist Sherree ETHEL Valentine Daines. Sherree Valentine Daines (we’ll drop the Ethel) was born in Effingham, Surrey and studied at Epsom School of Art. Sherree’s distinctive society scenes and timeless images of childhood have established her international reputation as one of the finest figurative artists of her generation. Among those who have sat for Sherree are Michael Parkinson, Joanna Lumley, Jonny Wilkinson, and Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen. But on that evening our own VIP, John Batt, was going to be painted during a Masterclass given by Sherree. You may remember that John was very visible on TV and in the press a few years ago when he came to the aid of Sally Clark. His book, A Mother’s Fight for Justice – Stolen Innocence, The Authorised Story of Sally Clark tells of his fight to find justice for Sally and of his success in Sally’s acquittal. The evening began with a delicious buffet provided by Hugh Frayling from Box Hill School – I really liked the apple pie! Then the lights were dimmed, John was positioned behind the brown canvas and Sherree began. The audience were spellbound as an image slowly began to to appear on the canvas. It was fascinating to watch how Sherree used colour to bring up John’s likeness. A touch of black on the eyebrows, white on the neck, and John’s image began to emerge. All this was done, while she entertained us with stories and anecdotes from her career. I particularly like the story of the inside-out clothes at Waitrose! John was equally entertaining with stories from his successful career. His voice had the melodious tones of Clement Freud, but Sherree was kind enough not to say, ‘Just A Minute’. Yes, I am old enough to remember the piece of music he composed to introduce the ITN news! Finally the portrait was finished, (Sherree said that once she starts fiddling with a picture it is time to stop!). And John was allowed to see himself in paint! I know we all marvelled at Sherree’s skill and John was delighted with the portrait. David Ireland was, as usual, a superb master of ceremonies. Sallie Beer and Val Selwood did a great job selling raffle tickets. The top prize was generously donated by Sherree herself, one of her beautiful pictures. Thanks to Stan Spence for running the bar. For those who like their facts, he told us that 13 tables had been sold to 130 people and that the white wine was so popular that it was sold out! The Masterclass was initiated by Rose Spence, a brilliant idea for the last of her many fundraisers for the church before she and Stan move to Bournemouth. Thanks to Rose, Angela Ireland, Mary Banfield, Val Selwood, Jo Brown and Amanda Wadsworth for organising the whole event and to their many helpers. AND of course many thanks to Annie and Will Dennis for the use of the wedding marquee. Last and most importantly, thank you to
Sherree for giving her time and expertise. She can paint
me anytime, even though I live in Westhumble!
The biggest of her many ‘hats’ was associated with St Michael’s Church, first as church warden and latterly as parish administrator. When it came time to re-allocate her many church-related tasks, the list covered two sides of an A4 sheet and more than twenty people have volunteered/been recruited to cover these responsibilities. Besides being very organised, one of Rose’s greatest strengths is that she is a champion delegator. This was summed up recently by a friend who observed ‘one minute I was standing next to Rose and the next I had a bag of magazines in my hand to deliver to Leatherhead!’ With all her experience Rose can easily identify things that need to be done, and she is often the first to offer support. She was one of the friends I asked to help to collate my first parish magazine twenty-five years ago. Rose, being Rose, got a friend to donate a case of champagne for the launch party. It is Rose’s talent as an initiator which stands out most of all. She sees opportunities and makes things happen. Much of her energy has been directed towards raising money for St Michael’s Church. Over the years various events masterminded by Rose have made upwards of £100,000 for the church. Years ago when various government buildings in London, described as ‘Pearls along the Thames’, were being opened to the public, Rose organised a coach party to visit them. This outing was such a success that other visits followed and so the ‘Cultured Pearls’ came into being, with the group metamorphosing into the ‘Rough Diamonds’ when they go greyhound racing. (We were pleased to hear that Rose intends to continue organising Cultured Pearls trips via email – the first destination is likely to be Bournemouth.) Stan, too has made his mark in the parish and not only as Lady Mickleham’s consort. He has served on the parish council, looked after the church clock and provided, assembled and taken down countless marquees in his time. At frequent intervals from his office (the garden shed) have appeared tickets, posters and programmes for various community events. For many years Stan was Mr Fix-it at the village hall and, like Rose, it was only when he retired that we realised how much he did. There is no doubt Rose and Stan’s move to Bournemouth will leave a very big hole in the community, but it is not only for all the things they have done that we shall miss them. Most of all we shall miss them as very dear friends and we wish them much happiness in their new home. Sue Tatham A thank you from Rose and Stan
… I first moved to Westhumble in 1970 where my two daughters were born and lived in three different houses there before moving to Mickleham in 1991. Stan is very much a late comer only arriving in the village in 1995 and he says he married me to get permission to live here! He has been my rock and a great help in all my parish work which I could not have done without him. They do say you have to move otherwise nobody else will take on your voluntary work and it has proved to be quite true. Offers of help have now come thick and fast and very able volunteers are now in full swing. We have been so lucky to live in this parish – it is quite unique. For our move we originally looked for a house in a village with a good church and pub, but perhaps it is as well we were not successful as we would find ourselves making comparisons. Our new house is within three minutes’ walk (a bit longer for Stan!) of the sea and as it is close to our daughters and grandchildren, we know the area well. We do hope you will find time to come and see us. We were quite overcome with the generosity of your gift and will let you know how it is spent – thank you all so very much. We must also thank Jenny Hudlass for all the hard work she did in organising the ‘surprise’ party and many thanks to all her volunteers for such a magnificent spread. John and Mary Banfield provided the excellent, picturesque venue and for this and their very generous contribution towards the evening we owe them many thanks. We had a marvellous evening. from the October 2009 magazine As with most things, if you suggest doing something you find yourself doing it. And so, with the support of the Mickleham Parochial Church Council (PCC) I set about finding a team of helpers. Asking people to do just one small task each month or three times a year seemed to work well. Many friends offered their services; Harry Sowden would compile the crosswords, Sayda Cole would type the copy and the Bebbingtons at Juniper Hall offered us the use of their reprographic room. Over 40 people were lined up to write, type, print, collate, distribute or deliver magazines. For the cover I enlisted the help of local artist, Colly Colwell, who lived in Byttom Stables. We came up with a design which depicts the two villages divided by a river, railway line and a dual carriageway, but united by the parish church. Money from the advertisements covered the cost of printing the covers. The inside pages were run off on a duplicator by Anne Bebbington. We printed 450 copies of the first magazine at the total cost of £30. Magazines were delivered to every household in the parish and we asked for donations to help with future production costs. The response was very encouraging £750 and we haven’t looked back since. I thank all of the many people who have helped/are helping me in so many ways. Significant milestones over the past 25
years include: By the time the Bebbingtons left Juniper Hall in 2004 our income from advertising was such that we could afford to have the whole magazine printed professionally. After twenty years of carrying boxes of paper, dealing with paper jams in the copy printer and walking around tables everyone was mightily relieved. However, I am sure there are lots of happy memories of these working parties as well. Today the printing cost of £470 per issue is covered by advertising revenue. We print 600 copies which are delivered free to every household in the parish. In addition we have over 30 mailing list subscribers and copies are available in St Michael’s and in St Mary’s Leatherhead. All the hard work of producing the magazine would have been wasted if we had not been able to produce interesting and informative copy. Over the years we have enjoyed articles on an amazing range of subjects by very talented writers, some experts in their field, others putting pen to paper for the first time. Often I have bemoaned the fact that I have nothing for the next magazine only to have a most interesting piece drop through the letter box, or more recently, arrive by email. It is wonderful how something always turns up and I am most grateful to all contributors. Collecting community news and getting reports on local events takes up quite a bit of time, not only the finding of someone to do it but also the checking of the facts and, in some cases, obtaining permission. Luckily, to date we have had to print only a few corrections and have been threatened with libel action only once. It is such a help when people send us information or let us know about what is happening in their area. Today’s editorial panel includes Charlotte Daruwalla, Stephanie Randall, Val Selwood, Sue Timms and Liz Weller. We would welcome offers of help with the content and/or the production of the magazine. One of the bonuses of new technology is that now we can include photographs in the magazine. After our competition success in 1994 we took pictures of the whole team. Here is a selection from that record [see photos in hard copy of magazine]. Sue Tatham from the October 2009 magazine from the September magazine Pandora Fleming-Smith has written the following tribute to Jess: I am writing this at 9.45 on Tuesday evening, but for Jess Archer it will be 6.45 on Wednesday morning. It just makes you realise how far away Australia is! Jess, and her two lovely children Freya (6) & Finley (4), have moved back to Sydney, where they were living before she returned to Westhumble two years ago. The Ozzy lifestyle and weather never really left her heart. For the past two years Jess has been an active and much loved part of this community. She has helped run Sunday Club and also helped out at the workshops held at the school. Jess took an active part in the school and would often be seen helping there. Jess was very popular, and was always there to have a laugh and a good old gossip with! We wish her the best of British luck in Australia and hope it is a great success. She will be greatly missed, but with technology nowadays the world just gets smaller and so hopefully she will not seem so far away. from the September magazine
St Michael’s Community
Nursery - Summer Holiday Fun We said goodbye to 18 children last term. On their last day at Nursery, they had sausages with potatoes and carrots grown in our garden. Delicious! We hope that the transition to their new schools is smooth. St. Michael's also farewelled the ever-smiling Fay, one of our much cherished Nursery Assistants. She has taken a full-time post locally and we wish her well in the role. In a new initiative at the Nursery, a programme of summer get-togethers was arranged to provide continuity and cohesiveness (not to mention the chance of a cuppa and a chat for the parents) through the holidays. On Wednesdays during July and August, we enjoyed play sessions at the Nursery, pond-dipping on Abinger Common, trampolining at Max's house and splashing in the sunshine at Becca's house. All agreed that it was a lot of fun and a welcome mid-week event in the long days of the summer hols. So, roll on the winter term. We return to
St. Michael's refreshed and in anticipation of fun and
stimulating experiences to be shared anew. from the Jul/Aug 2009 magazine from the Jul/Aug 2009 magazine The setting for the camp is absolutely beautiful, a circular clearing in a pine wood near Farnham, well off the road so the kids can wander and play among the towering Scots pine and emerging green shoots of bracken, and we were blessed with the most perfect weather; blue and sunny for all four days but never impossibly hot. Because the camp has been running for so long and many of the other groups have attended many times, there is a very established feel to it – everyone seemed to know what to do and when, and we just fitted in and learnt the ropes as we went along. This is a Christian camp and there is a morning meeting with teaching on a theme – this time it was ‘Heroes of Faith’ so we looked at Abraham, Esther, Moses and David - but it also exists to provide us all with some time and space outside our normal daily routines to slow down and think and enjoy one another’s company doing lots of activities and silly games. No electronic games or gadgets allowed, and amazingly we all survived and did not miss them at all! Chris said: ‘I liked the huddles because it was interesting to hear what other people thought about the teaching. I liked the big wooden puzzles and the hydro Olympics because we got soaked and were allowed to throw wet sponges at people. The food was great – thanks Jonathan’. Isabel said: ‘Not Whit Camp was a first in many ways for me. I had never been camping before and this was the first time we as a group had sat down with lots of other people like us and discussed exactly what we thought about the Bible, the people in it, ourselves and many other things. I think I viewed it all from a slightly different angle to a lot of people there, as although it was a Christian camp, I am not actually Christian myself. However I did want to find out more as well as have some fun with the rest of the group, and everyone there was incredibly welcoming and anyone was welcome. The range of things to do was brilliant, and although everyone had their jobs to do, nothing felt overwhelming. I would definitely go back next year!’ Caroline and I would like to thank the parents for lending us their lovely children for a few days. We are new to running a group like this and were not at all sure how we would cope with four days camping with a hundred children and thirty or so leaders we had barely met, but it was a fantastically positive experience. Our young people were brilliant; they got on well together and with everyone else, coped with the adversity of no showers and spiders in the tents, shared their ideas and tried new things. They even won first prize for the tidiest tents over the three days! We hope to go again next year, and if anyone reading this is in Years 7 – 9 at school and would like to join us on a Friday evening, please contact either of us for more information. A Wood 01372 376443 from the Jul/Aug 2009 magazine from the Jul/Aug 2009 magazine He uncovered eight skeletons, including that of a child, under the floor and at the time of going to press at least eleven more under the part of the path that will be enclosed by the new north wall of the vestry. Many of these are in a common grave, suggesting an epidemic or some other sort of local catastrophe. Stuart believes that most of the burials took place in medieval times. However, three of the bodies had been buried in coffins indicating more recent interment. Although the wood has perished, the coffin handles have survived and their style will give an indication of their dates. The book written by P F Robinson, the architect who supervised the church’s restoration in 1823, includes a plan showing a vestry on the present site. This suggests that these burials took place before that date. We await Stuart’s full report after he has completed his examination of the site. from the June 2009 magazine from the June 2009 magazine So, there we were in a packed church, including the balcony, anticipating what we knew would be a musical feast. The church looked magnificent, with candles lighting every nook and sill and the new lighting system revealing hitherto obscure features – the restored ceiling with newly gilded bosses, the majestic Norman arches and the smaller ones in the chancel, the now uncovered marble pillars above the altar and the lovely roundel window, with the serene lily arrangements setting it all off. Seeing Oscar standing on the chancel steps ready to play, resplendent in his new concert tails, made me think back 11 years to when he stood as a boy of eight in the same place with his half-size violin, taking part in the pre-Christmas children’s concerts arranged by Barbara Steadman-Allen and Juliet Hornby. We had a good inkling then where Oscar’s musical talents were going to lead him. He started playing the violin in the Yehudi Menuhin School’s external ‘Young Strings’ programme at the age of five. He won a place at the Yehudi Menuhin School when he was eight and, during his 10 years there, played at many major venues throughout the country, including the Festival Hall (in his first year) and latterly giving solo performance at the Wigmore Hall. Oscar is also a composer and in 2002, aged 11, he won the ‘BBC/Guardian Young Composer of the Year’ with his string quartet, The Twin Towers, written in response to the terrible events of 11th September 2001, receiving its London première at the Wigmore Hall in July 2002. Ayaka was born in Hiroshima, Japan in 1990 and began studying the piano at the age of five with her mother. She won prizes in several competitions around the world and gained a place at the Yehudi Menuhin School in 2004. Since then, she has taken part in many concerts at numerous venues in this country, both as a soloist and chamber musician. Ayaka will be studying music at the University of Berlin from next September. She has played piano many times with Oscar on violin and they greatly enjoy performing together, complementing each other perfectly. Ayaka and Oscar chose four pieces: Subito for Violin and Piano by Lutoslawski, a Polish composer (1913-1994). As the title suggests, its character was indeed very ‘sudden’. This was a very fast, passionate showpiece performed with masterly skill. Märchenbilder, Opus 113 for Piano and Viola written by Schumann just before he went into an asylum. In his musical fantasy world, he described it as ‘childish trifles’. Anything less applicable is hard to imagine! It was a very complicated work whose character ranged between extreme passion and slow, melodious peacefulness, requiring extremely nimble fingers. This was the first solo performance played on Oscar’s brand new viola made especially for him by Tony Padday, a Luthier from Somerset. Its rich tones were a delight to the ear. Thème et Variations for Violin and Piano by Messiaen who was extremely religious. In his introduction, Oscar drew a parallel between the dominant F sharp and God! This music contained rich and very dense harmonies, conveying intense fury in places! As a surprise bonus, we were treated to an encore – the second movement of Beethoven’s Sonato No. 6, completing a very special musical evening of great enjoyment. There were probably other people who, like me, had not heard any of the music before. Nevertheless, the rapt attention of the audience was palpable. We were all captured by the seemingly effortless skill of these two young musicians, the standard of whose performance and mature musical interpretation was breathtaking. We wish them well and look forward to future opportunities to hear their extraordinary musical talents. Through their initiative, the Oddar Meanchey Hospital will receive the magnificent sum of £1,176 which will go much further in Cambodia than it would here in providing much-needed basic equipment and improved medical conditions. Liz Weller from the May 2009 magazine Firstly in January Katherine Dienes-Williams was appointed as the Organist and Master of Choristers, this was the first time a female has held this role in an Anglican Cathedral. The Cathedral is very young by comparison to many in England yet after some 45 years the West Windows had failed to keep out the elements letting in copious amounts of rainwater damaging brickwork and plaster. Following extensive restoration which included removing every pane of the handmade glass and re-installation the project was completed on schedule and scaffolding removed in time for the Easter Services. At the annual Cathedral Links Meeting the Founder of The Seeds of Hope Children’s Garden, Caroline Jay gave a talk on the purpose and establishment of this project. The garden opened on the 1st May is a unique garden designed to help children and young people explore feelings of loss of all kinds with the support of their families, teachers and carers. The loss may be as a result of many different things including death, divorce, adoption, separation, a change of school, because a best friend has moved away or a treasured possession has been lost. Caroline stated: ‘Our aim is to provide a resource to help children and young people explore the feelings they may feel unable to articulate and to ensure their friends and classmates to learn more about what they might be going through in order that no young person ends up feeling isolated’ A parishioner in Westhumble contacted me in June enquiring of the dates of the Carol Concert and special services in the Cathedral at Christmas as they were having visitors from overseas and wished to include attending an event or service at that time. Fortunately I had early knowledge of the John Rutter Carol Concert and reserved a number of tickets for what were a most festive and memorable concert attended by several members of the church. Special thanks to Rose Spence who organised a minibus and fish and chip supper after the concert. Paul Quinnell from the May 2009 magazine from the April 2009 magazine Magazine finances are sound. Printing costs have gone up, but so has the number of requests for advertising space. Consequently we have increased the number of pages in the magazine so that we can cover printing costs, but maintain about the same ratio of copy to advertising. Many thanks to Kate Warren for all her help with the advertising and to Mary Banfield for her diligent work on the accounts. Again I must thank all those who help with the magazine distribution, including Mary Venning and Sue Timms who count the magazine into bags, and David Kennington, Mark Day and Ray Wilson who distribute the bags to the deliverers. Derrick Skinner has retired from the delivery team and Debbie Cameron has taken over his Pilgrims Way deliveries. Again, many thanks to all the deliverers, with an added thank you to those who arrange their own substitutes for when they go away. Each month we post over 35 copies of the magazine to our mailing-list subscribers, most of whom are former residents. I am most grateful to Peter and Agnes Boag who have taken over from Sayda and Brian Cole who organized the mailing list for many years. Sadly Brian and Sayda have had to retire. I must pay special tribute to Sayda who has been involved with the magazine since its inception. She was our first typist and amazingly accurate she was too. When we changed over to computers Sayda helped by organising the distribution in Westhumble and readily stood in for deliverers when they were away. Many thanks, Sayda for all your help over the years. Speaking of years, the parish magazine in its present form will celebrate its 25th birthday in September 2009. We shall have a party! Sue Tatham, Editor from the April 2009 magazine The evening started with the Mozart Quintet for piano and wind, a classic piece of chamber music that Mozart was very proud of - he described it in a letter to his father in 1784 as ‘the best I have written in my entire life’. We were encouraged to listen for the distinctive ‘voice’ of each instrument in this lively composition. The next piece, Malcolm Arnold’s Sea Shanties for wind quintet was particularly enjoyed by the audience. Arnold, who composed music for films such as Bridge on the River Kwai, wrote these humorous variations on familiar sea shanty tunes in 1943. The second half of the evening had a French theme, starting with Saint-Saëns. Caprice sur des airs danois et russes for piano and wind trio is an intertwining of Danish and Russian folk songs including a sparkling piano part reminiscent of his piano concertos. The highlight of the concert was Debussy’s Syrinx for solo flute played to perfection by David Jewell, our very own architect. A short piece, but delightful to hear. David introduced the Syrinx by suggesting that this and the perhaps Debussy’s more-familiar Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune, were the forerunners of modern music. The light and quick-witted Sextet by Poulenc, first performed in Paris in 1940, completed this most enjoyable evening. Many thanks to the musicians and Dorking Chamber Orchestra for presenting this concert which raised about £250 for the St Michael’s Church vestry extension. Jack Richardson 13 Feb 2009 War Memorial link added to our
website: Our webmaster does the same job for the
Leatherhead & District Local History Society. Frank
has for some time edited a website about the war
memorials in Leatherhead. We now have one for our war
memorial at St Michael's. from the Nov 2008
magazine Bishop Ian, Bishop of Dorking, presided at the service of thanksgiving and dedication at St Michael’s in the morning. He reminded us that, whatever our current financial woes, there are many others whose troubles make ours pale into insignificance. Among the hymns was one with words written specially for the occasion by our resident poet Stanley Lovell. The choir sang Bruckner’s motet Locus iste, which as organist Barry Williams (standing in for Robert Leach, celebrating a family marriage elsewhere) reminded us, was in fact very difficult, notwithstanding its inclusion in The Oxford Book of Easy Anthems! We hope we did it justice. In the evening, a packed audience in the church was treated to A Musical Evening in Celebration, expertly and enthusiastically organised by Tracy Kennington and Juliet Hornby. St Michael’s School Year 3 Choir began proceedings by encouraging us … To Teach the World to Sing. What followed was a real feast of musical talent and virtuosity, with performances of works ranging from Pergolesi to Irving Berlin. The piano was put through its paces, by (among others) Ursula Perks, who once more amazed us with her youthful talent and great poise in playing a set of Beethoven variations. Emily Heuvel’s crystal voice gave way to Fiona Harrison’s lyrical and dexterous guitar playing. Jenny Eum (flute) and Adam Stanworth (piano), from Box Hill School, performed a lilting Caplet waltz. Suzie Wood showed us what an accomplished clarinettist she is becoming. Jazz pianist J P Sutcliffe reminded us of the versatility of the piano in playing a number by The Police aka Sting. The ladies of the Kennington and Lowes families starred in many of the performances. Georgie K’s rendition of Honeysuckle Rose, accompanied by J P, was one of the highlights of the evening. Sophia L showed us the full vocal range of the clarinet in playing a movement from Spohr’s clarinet concerto, and then turned her talented hands to Albeniz, on the piano. Clare K gave a stunning performance of an Andalucian Romance by Sarastre on her magnificent 17th century violin. Tracy played a Chopin Mazurka, demonstrating the piano’s rich tones. Juliet sang Schubert’s Ode to the Piano, and, accompanied by Tracy, brought the concert to a close with a witty performance of Berlin’s I love a piano. A splendid concert – we look forward to many more to come. Richard Siberry from the Nov 2008
magazine It is difficult not to come to the conclusion that this is the attitude of our Government which, after entering into two dubious wars, seems not too keen to reveal the true price, not just in money, but in the physical and mental destruction that the conflicts are costing. According to reports on 21st September, the Ministry of Defence is covering the true cost of the war in Afghanistan by hiding away soldiers who have been injured there. The MOD always avers that it is defending soldiers from ‘media intrusion’. The Press believe this to be a shabby lie. They say we are told when soldiers are killed, but not when they have lost arms and legs or have face or brain injuries. Our army medical teams are now so good that many of the wounded, who would have died a few years ago now survive, but need long-term care. Many young soldiers return home physically uninjured but gradually their mental anguish, torments and psychological injuries become manifest. This is known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Those affected cannot adjust to normal life because of the scars to their minds. When they leave the army they often seek solace in drink or drugs. Therefore many end up in prison or homeless on the streets of our major cities. At the moment one in ten of those living rough on the streets of London are ex-servicemen. The number of them ending up in prison is rising. They have done their duty for our country and would now seem to be disposable. It is a drain on the Exchequer to deal with these young men and it is an embarrassment to the Government to acknowledge the extent of the problem. As we deal with life’s difficulties we must not pass by but stop, think and reflect on the terrible price these young men and women have paid while serving their and our country. They could be seen as the forgotten ones. However these soldiers are not forgotten by most good people or by the Royal British Legion. Buying poppies is not to remember only those who fell in the two World Wars but also those who have died since 1945. Perhaps most important at the moment are those who are the casualties of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The number of ex-servicemen and their dependants, who seek help from the Legion, increases each year, so that the need for even greater generosity from the general public grows. Theodore Roosevelt wrote: ‘a man who is good enough to shed blood for his country is good enough to be given a square deal afterwards’. Well, whether this happens at the moment to our forces is debatable. However the generosity of the people of Mickleham and Westhumble has consistently been praiseworthy and as always the Royal British Legion is most grateful. So as the season of Remembrance comes around once again we shall wear our poppies with pride. Robert Bowley from the October 2008 magazine The history of the chapel is shrouded in mystery. It lies on the boundary between the manors of Polesden and Westhumble but which one owned it is unclear. Likewise, the founder, the foundation date and its ultimate fate are all unknown. With this dearth of hard facts to go on, I decided to ask some different questions. Firstly, what was going on in the wider world during this period, which would have influenced the building of chapels; secondly, what would our chapel have looked like: and finally what was its fate? Apart from a few perambulations, I have used Ronnie Shepperd’s books on Mickleham and Westhumble and Early Medieval Surrey by John Blair, which is very good indeed. Firstly then, a very brief summary of the development of churches in Surrey. By the middle of the 8th century most of the English kingdoms had started to establish minster churches which in turn administered networks of parochiae covering up to around 15 of our modern parishes. Before 700 AD, Surrey, which was then something of an economic backwater, had minsters at Chertsey, Farnham, Woking and Bermondsey. In the 10th century these were joined by Godstone, Kingston and Croydon and in the 11th by Leatherhead, Guildford, Godalming and Southwark. The most developed areas in this period were along the Thames and in the strip of good agricultural land along the dip slope of the Downs (you can still get a sense of the regular spacing of these Saxon settlements as you drive along the A246 from Leatherhead to Guildford). The Weald to the south was very sparsely populated and Mickleham and Dorking would have been at the very edge of the ‘developed’ world. By the start of the 11th century, strong kings and improved governance had lead to a significant increase in prosperity. The shire counties as we know them today had been set out and property rights and the rule of law enabled the accumulation of wealth. One of the ways in which the newly emerging local aristocracy were able to display their status was in the founding of local churches, including St Michael’s, a small part of which is Saxon. The Norman invasion of 1066, while removing the Anglo-Saxon aristocracy almost entirely, actually enhanced the process of church-building. The Normans' feudal structure produced a network of manorial holdings, most of which would initially have had a local landowner keen to impress the local peasantry with his importance - and what better way to do this than to found a church? In 1086, Domesday Book lists 61 churches in Surrey and by 1200 this had increased to around 130. In addition to new churches, existing ones were rebuilt or enhanced. Both St Michael’s and Westhumble Chapel fall into this period. The nave and tower of St Michael’s were built around 1140 and the chancel added in 1180. Westhumble Chapel probably dates from around 1150. At this time the whole area was owned by the De Micklem family, so rather than building the chapel to enhance family status, we can assume that it was founded to serve the spiritual needs of the villagers who would have been cut off from Mickleham when the Mole flooded. The process of constructing chapels to serve local communities was replicated across Surrey. The effect of this foundation of churches and chapels under lay ownership was the decay of the minster system and a loss of central ecclesiastical control. While the establishment of churches and chapels was undoubtedly driven by spiritual motives, the churches were able to control a large part of the financial resources of a community through tithes. The reimposition of ecclesiastical authority from around 1100 was brought about through the growth of the monasteries, as the barons and the lower aristocracy endowed monasteries with parts of their estate. This ranged from small grants of land up to entire manors, and rights to church tithes and even churches themselves. In this way, the manor of Polesden was granted to Merton Priory in 1203 and that of Westhumble to Reigate Priory in 1253, and our chapel would have gone to one of them. Between 1087 and 1180, Merton acquired 14 churches around Surrey, with Southwark Priory gaining a further 12 and Lewes seven. Chertsey minster had retained most of north-west Surrey as its estate, while the Bishop of Winchester held all the land around Farnham. So by the end of the 12th century, most of Surrey’s churches were safely back within the fold. This allowed the churches to be peeled away from manorial structure, resulting in the parishes we still have today. So what would Westhumble chapel have looked like in its prime? Fortunately there are several surviving churches from this period with roughly similar dimensions (about 5m x 15m) which give us a good idea of its probable appearance. One of the earliest is Farleigh, founded around 1083 and located on the downs south of Croydon. Closer to us is Wisley, another single aisle church founded in the mid 12th century. Both still have many of their original features and even amidst the bustle of 21st century Surrey, retain an air of detached tranquillity. Lastly, why did our chapel fall into ruin? The fate of chapels across Surrey is a matter of considerable conjecture; John Blair’s book lists around 30 chapels in Surrey known to have been founded between 1087 and 1291, but he thinks that a significantly larger number will simply have disappeared without trace. Our chapel’s demise might have resulted from the imposition of parochial control mentioned above under which the burials, baptisms and the collection of tithes were only allowed at parish churches, thus diminishing a chapel’s status. (The discovery of human remains near the chapel during the 1937 excavation suggests that burials had been performed at one time, but later disallowed). Another reason could have been a fall in population – there is evidence of occupation in the fields near the chapel, but at some point habitation is this location came to an end. Derrick – apologies for the rather slow response. I hope this is useful and you are not too disappointed by the lack of hard facts. Chris Budleigh from the October 2008 magazine It is for the service element that we
need your help. If you personally have a ‘need’
or know someone who does, we would love to hear from you.
The ‘need’ might be: If you would like a sixth former from
the school to come and help you with your need, we would
love to hear from you. Either ring the school and leave a
message for A Hobbs or speak to David Ireland. from the September 2008 magazine
from the September 2008 magazine I trawled the internet, visited Dorking library and phoned numerous friends. Thankfully a eureka moment came and I remembered something that I did at my son’s school fête, 25 years ago. JELLYFISH BALLOONS. I set about making a prototype to refresh my memory. What exactly did I need? The balloon was the easy part. I also needed two eyes and lips. It is interesting what comes up in Google when you type in ‘luscious lips’. Having resourced the parts it was amazing how it all came together with double sided sticky tape. The day of the fête arrived and along with my helpers, my husband Eric and daughter Kate, we ferried all the bits to the rectory garden to our allocated spot opposite the entrance gate. The fête opened; I heard the music from the North Wood Morris Men and immediately abandoned my stall leaving my two helpers to hold the fort. The Morris Men were excellent and helped set the mood for the rest of the afternoon. I had my photograph taken with the bear. By this time ‘little customers’ started to visit our stall and the fun really began. The children were very creative. The standard Jellyfish went out of the window. We had a Dracula Jellyfish with blood, fangs and evil eyes, a Barbie Jellyfish, all glam, pink and lipstick to a multi-eyed, multi-lipped ‘monster’. What fun. It was great. We ended up making about 80 jellyfish and it was worth the effort to see so many smiling faces. We all took time out from the stall to enjoy a Pimms, a few slices of excellent cake, the country dancing and all the other fun activities on offer. Being our first Mickleham fête we were impressed as to how good it was. Everyone worked so hard and all the stalls were buzzing with activity. I even wona lovely hanging basket in the raffle. It was a wonderful day. Mary Flint Ailsa’s Stall When the day of the Village Fête finally came, I was awake really early because I was so excited. We still had macaroons to finish and lots of wrapping to do and labels to fix on. Luckily I didn’t have to do all of this by myself as I had my friend Anabelle Davis come and help me so it was lots of fun. We got to the Rectory early and set up our stall. It took a while to place all the sweets in the right places but then we felt ready. It looked like a lot of sweets and I was wondering whether we’d sell many and how much money we could raise for safe drinking water for villages in Africa. It started slowly but we ended up selling out all our homemade macaroons, rocky road, treacle toffee, fudge, lollipops and nougat. I want to thank everyone who bought our sweets. You helped to raise a total of £177.60 which will pay for everything needed to have safe water for 125 people in Africa plus a solar powered pump and filter which can be used in a very remote area and also three additional water filters. I am very grateful to David Ireland for making announcements at the fête to get people to come and see my sweets. Thank you to the two people who gave me big donations, that made it very exciting as well as raising more than I ever thought we could. I think the fête was really fun and I hope everyone enjoyed it. Ailsa McNaughton ... a resounding success! from the Jul/Aug 2008 magazine On the morning of Friday 6th June,
three men arrived at the church and very expertly brought
the long-awaited piano into the church. There was a
slightly tense moment when they couldn’t get it on
to the wheeled ‘A’ frame easily, with all of us
knowing that we had to be out of the church pronto
because there were two services scheduled for the day.
What seemed like an age was really only a few minutes and
then there it was, looking as if it has always been
there. The piano is beautiful and we owe a huge thank you
to the Frasers for such a generous gift. I can’t
wait to open the lid and let the sound of the piano fill
the entire church. Sorry I am getting carried away! It
really will enhance the musical life of our parish and
various musical events will take place from September.
How exciting! from the June 2008 magazine Magazine finances are sound. The 6% increase in advertising charges resulted in the loss of very few ads, and the advertising revenue now covers printing costs. Many thanks to Kate Warren for all her help with the advertising and to Mary Banfield for her diligent work on the accounts. In the autumn we completed the archiving and now have three complete sets of all magazines produced since October 1984. One set of eleven box files has been placed in the newly-built Mickleham Archive cupboard at the National Trust’s Warren Farm Barns. Our next task is cataloguing the magazine contents. Again I must thank all those who help with the magazine distribution , including Mary Venning and Sue Timms who count the magazine into bags. Geoff Knight who had distributed the Mickleham bags for many years, retired in April – many thanks for all your help, Geoff. I am extremely grateful to David Kennington for taking on this task and to Mark Day and Ray Wilson who also help with the distribution of the bags. Thankfully the delivery team is unchanged. Again, many thanks to them, especially for arranging their own substitutes for when they go away. And last, but not least, a big thank you to Sayda and Brian Cole who organise the mailing list. Sue Tatham Editor Extra special thanks must also go to
Sue, who works so hard to keep the magazine on the road.
She encourages all the volunteers; she makes sure that
all events are reported and sends her chief photographer
(Ben) out to take paparazzi photos in all weathers. The
whole community benefits from the availability of such an
informative magazine, and we are all grateful to her for
this. Thanks, too, to all contributors, regular and
irregular, who help to make the magazine a good read. from the June 2008 magazine Well, what a wonderful job that must have been, running the King’s sweetshop. Of course, all that time ago, things would have been very different to what they are today. Snickers would have been called Marathons, Starbursts would have been Opal Fruits. There would even have been Spangles. I decided to dig a little deeper… Peter Delahay would have worked in the court of Charles II who reigned from 1660 to 1685. The court was nothing if not lavish, comprising around 350 officers each with his (very rarely her) own area of responsibility, plus a huge supporting retinue who did the actual work. A large part of this team was involved with eating and drinking and the following extract from a recent book on court officers of the period give some idea of the various roles: ‘The work of cooking for the court was performed by a series of master cooks, yeomen, grooms and children, supported by menial servants such as turnbroaches, pankeepers and scourers. Next in importance came the cellar, headed by a gentleman and responsible for keeping the monarch’s wines. The buttery stored and delivered liquors other than wine. The poultry was responsible for providing fruit, greens, butter and eggs for the royal tables. The acatry procured meat, fish, bacon and other goods and delivered them to the larder, where they were stored prior to delivery to the kitchens. The scalding house prepared fowl for dressing by the cooks. The bakehouse baked the court’s bread and delivered it to the pantry. The confectionery prepared fruit desserts, the pastry bakemeats, pies and tarts. The spicery delivered spices, candles and goods supplied by the grocer and oilman. The ewry and laundry were responsible for the royal table linen (the former for provision and storage, the latter for cleaning), the scullery for royal plate and pewter. The woodyard provided the court’s fuel.’ So our Peter Delahay was responsible for getting fruit desserts onto the royal table. He gradually worked his way up, starting as Groom of the Confectionery in 1668, becoming Second Yeoman of Confectionery two years later and First Yeoman in 1678. The fact that there were three levels of officer responsible for preparing fruit desserts gives us a clue as to just how padded out with hangers-on the court must have been. Delahay was a man of substance in his own right, to the extent that he had a street named in London after him. Delahay Street was slightly north of where Bow Street now runs. (Probably not quite as salubrious as this part of the West End is today – the next street along was called Thieving Alley). So what linked Peter Delahay to
Mickleham? There is a clue a few feet further along the
aisle in the next floor slab – that of James Tooth.
Now, Delahay had married Joanna Tooth at St Martin’s
in the Fields in 1668, when she was about 28 and he was a
widower of 48. The Tooths (I really want to write Teeth
here) were a prominent Mickleham family and I came across
the following deed of surrender dated 2 December 1682. So a few interesting points here. The manor of Mickleham was split into two parts – Littleburgh around where the village is now and High Ashurst up on the hill. We know more or less where ‘Swansworth’ is, so the seven acres must have been in the same area. And maybe this James Tooth, buried beneath the aisle in 1719 aged 74, was Joanna’s brother? Joanna and Peter had five daughters who seem to have done well for themselves; Mary, who married Sir John St. Aubin of Clowance, Cornwall; Martha; Lady Elizabeth Glanville; Judith, who married a John Langley; and Eleanor, who married Thomas Morice. (Something here for the extreme genealogists amongst you). So we can assume that after many years
of ensuring that His Majesties’ apple turnovers and
rhubarb crumbles were just right, Peter Delahay retired
to the countryside to spend his twilight years in the
bosom of his wife’s family. I am sure the puddings
were awfully good. from the May 2008 magazine In 1880 Sabine Baring-Gould inherited the 3,000 acre family estate of Lewtrenchard and became the ‘Squarson’, that is Squire and Parson of that parish in 1881. Stories of his eccentricity record that, while he was at Hurstpierpoint College in Sussex, he was known to have taught his pupils with a tame bat on his shoulder. When he was 34 years old and curate of Horbury in Yorkshire, he met an untutored 16-year-old mill girl, Grace Taylor, whom he sent away to be educated. On her return two years later he then married her. They were wed for 48 years and had 15 children. At a children’s party one day he asked a young child: ‘Whose little girl are you?’. Bursting into tears the girl sobbed; ‘I’m yours, Daddy’. It is said that this extraordinary liaison with his wife inspired his friend George Benard Shaw to write Pygmalion which subsequently was turned into the musical My Fair Lady. John Betjeman was moved to write of him: ‘What curate in an industrial parish in the North today would dare to single out a mill girl and have her sent to a place where she could learn to speak in an educated style and then marry her’. Sabine Baring-Gould was a prolific writer and was said to be the tenth most popular novelist of his day. At one point in his life there were more books listed under his name in the British Museum Library than any other English writer. He is credited with 211 publications excluding any magazine articles. He also taught himself Icelandic and translated Norse sagas into English. In 1881 he began a mission to collect the folksongs of Devon and Cornwall before the old people, who were believed to be the principal carriers, were dead. He was to become one of the pioneers of the folksong revival. Subsequent distinguished followers of this cause were Gustav Holst and Ralph Vaughan Williams. Sabine Baring-Gould wrote Onward Christian Soldiers while he was at Horbury in Yorkshire and was amazed at its popularity. He was said to have dashed the words off in no more than 10 minutes as an occasional piece for the procession of school children from his parish church to another church nearby. The hymn was originally entitled Hymn for Procession with Cross and Banners. In popular culture Onward Christian Soldiers has been sung during the films Mrs Miniver, M.A.S.H., Taps, Striptease, Major Barbara and A Canterbury Tale and amazingly in the T.V. series Little House on the Prairie, The Simpsons and Dad’s Army. The music for Onward Christian
Soldiers was originally for Sullivan’s piece
entitled the Festival of Te Deum, which was the
first name for his 1872 composition Te Deum Laudamus
written to celebrate the recovery of Albert Edward (later
King Edward VII) from typhoid fever. Our editor has
informed me that the opening phrase of Onward
Christian Soldiers is a recurring theme in the work.
Some of you will have been lucky enough to have heard it
at the Leith Hill Musical Festival on 11th April. Indeed
it was a fanfare which accompanied by the stirring words
of Sabine Baring-Gould’s Onward Christian
Soldier that heralded the advent of the Edwardian
Age. from the May 2008 magazine The proposed extension will house an accessible toilet and a small room for clergy. The lobby between the two also gives access to the choir vestry which will become one room with the removal of the present very thick dividing wall. Besides providing accommodation for the choir and storage cupboards this new room would provide accommodation for various small group activities. The outside wall of the proposed extension will be of flint to match the existing east wall. The height of the new single story vestry will preserve the light to the lancet window in the north wall of the chancel and the window over the altar in the Norbury Chapel. Details of the planning application can be viewed at the Council offices at Pippbrook or on its website: www.mole-valley.gov.uk The planning reference number for this application is MO/2008/0461. You can comment on any current
application by letter to MVDC, through the website or by
email: planning@molevalley.gov.uk from the May 2008 magazine How old are the bosses? - The Domesday Book (1086) records the presence of a church in Mickleham. Possibly this was a timber structure built by Anglo-Saxon Christians before the Conquest. The age of the present stone building is not clear. Some historians suggest that the oldest part, the north tower, dates from c1140, but Robinson [see below] argues that ‘the building was erected about the time of the Conquest or perhaps a few years earlier’. It would seem that very few structural changes were made to the building until the early 19th century. With the population expanding and everyone in a village expected to go to church, the need for additional seating became evident. Initially building more pews and extending the gallery was planned, but a closer examination of the building revealed that the north wall was in a dangerous state and the roof and the other walls were nearly as bad. In 1822, the architect PF Robinson was engaged to undertake the design and supervision of the restoration/reconstruction. In 1824, when the work was completed, Robinson published a book entitled An attempt to ascertain the age of the church of Mickleham, Surrey with remarks on the architecture of that building. This volume included a wonderful collection of his line drawings of details of the church after it was restored. The 1823 renovation included raising the roof in order to accommodate a gallery over the south aisle. The ceiling of the nave in Robinson’s drawings looks just as it does today. However it seems that the design and the bosses are much older. Robinson writes: The inside of the ancient roof was boarded and divided into panels by moulded ribs, with bosses at each intersection. In constructing the new roof the same style of finishing has been preserved. The whole of the wood work throughout the church is painted in imitation of dark oak, in two shades, the mouldings being darker than the flat surfaces. The bosses in the ceiling are gilt, and the effect when the sun shines is extremely rich. It may be observed that the voice of the minister is heard particularly well in all parts of the church in consequence of this boarding. One of the plates in Robinson’s
book shows line drawings of six of the Antient [sic]
carved oak bosses in the ceiling. During the present
project the craftsmen who restored the bosses reported
that only one – that of a Tudor rose – was
carved wood, the others are moulded plaster. When were
these replaced? from the April 2008 magazine Soon after work started, rot was found in the wood under the choir stalls on the organ side of the chancel. When the boards and joists were removed two tombstones were revealed. Their inscriptions are obscured at the edges by concrete. The picture [in the paper magazine] on the left shows the position of the stones (the organ is top left). The stone nearest the altar is that of John Bonwicke and his wife Dorothea. The incumbent board on the wall at the back of the church confirms that John Bonwicke was Rector of Mickleham from 1669 to 1698. The other stone is that of Thomas Traps, whose mother had been a ‘Stedolfe’. According to Ronnie Shepperd’s history of Mickleham, the Stydolph family dominated the parish in the 16th and 17th centuries and for a time owned all three manors of Mickleham, Westhumble and Norbury. More research is needed to establish the dates for Thomas Traps. It is most likely that these stones were concreted in and boarded over during the 1872 reconstructions when the present organ was installed in the chancel. from the March 2008 magazine At the moment, HM Revenue and Customs sends 28p tax back for every pound donated under Gift Aid. That figure is about to go down to 25p. For that reason all who make regular charitable donations are urged to consider raising their level of giving to compensate. The change may sound small, but where budgets run into hundreds of thousands of pounds the impact could potentially be enormous on churches and other charities. As a result dioceses up and down England are making sure regular Gift Aid donors are made aware of its likely impact so that we can all avoid the kind of shortfalls in planned giving which can bring excellent work to a standstill. For example, a regular gift of £5 will need to rise by 12p to £5.12. A £20 gift will need to go up to £20.48 to keep pace. To extrapolate this upwards is to start to understand the level of possible impact. If you have any queries about Gift Aid donations to St Michael’s Church, please consult Richard Siberry or Frank Warren. from the March 2008 magazine Much anger was expressed about the proposed post office closure which, it was widely felt, would be a serious loss to the community and a threat to the viability of Mickleham’s only shop. The proposed alternative (Leatherhead or Dorking Offices) were regarded as quite unsatisfactory, and not just for those who were old or infirm. All who share this view are urged to write in protest, before 10th March as described alongside by Ben Tatham. Letters of support have been sent by MP Sir Paul Beresford and District Councillor Ben Tatham, and of course by this Parish Council. If enough people write letters of support for our post office (including residents of Westhumble - as well as those who live or work in Mickleham), this was thought to offer the best chance of its reprieve. The meeting then discussed at length a planning application from an unnamed (‘confidential’) representative of Animarcas S.A. (believed to be a Panamanian entity), c/o Cherkley Court, for the proposed demolition of all ten allegedly ‘poor quality dwellings’ (the charming Mickleham Downs stables) and their replacement by 10 new houses 26% bigger than before and with added car parking. It was widely felt that this proposal was completely unacceptable for many reasons. (One was that access was planned to be via Byttom Hill rather than - as now - off the A24 at Mickleham Drive, 700 metres south of the Givons Grove roundabout; the next day I was told this was an error in the application which would be amended to reflect existing arrangements). There were far too many issues to discuss in detail and it was agreed that a further meeting of concerned local residents should be held within the next few days. Details of Planning Application MO/2008/0183 are available at Pippbrook and on the MVDC website. If you oppose this application, you should write before 6th March, quoting the above reference number, to: Planning Department, Mole Valley District Council, Pippbrook, Dorking RH4 1SJ (or email: planning@molevalley.gov.uk). The formal meeting of the Parish Council followed. The PC agreed to write a further letter opposing the proposed closure of the post office. The PC also shared the concerns which had been expressed regarding the proposals for Mickleham Downs, and strongly opposed them, but would defer writing to MVDC until the meeting of residents had taken place. Other matters discussed included:
repairs to the bus stop seat; repairs to the Rec gate;
replacement of the Rec picnic table; the proposed new
signage at Burford Bridge Hotel (the PC feels it is far
too intrusive); and parish finances (which remain sound).
The meeting ended at 10.15 p.m!). from the March 2008 magazine An uninformative leaflet about this is
available at Mickleham post office. 10th March is the
last date for the receipt of comments so PLEASE WRITE to I suggest that you do both just in case your letter is lost in the post! The only reason given for proposing to close the Mickleham branch is that it is slightly less than 3 miles from the post offices in Leatherhead and Dorking. Post Office Ltd has a target for 95% of the population to be less than three miles from a post office branch. The existence of one step up to enter
the shop at Mickleham also seems to count against it.
Post Office Ltd has not presented any business case to
justify the closure. Both the number and the
persuasiveness of the letters are important. Points which
you might like to consider mentioning include: I am sure that you can think of other
convincing points. Many people will be aware that in 1995
a number of local people came together to form Mickleham
Village Shop Ltd and raised the money to buy half the
freehold of Roses Stores including the living
accommodation. This is let at a low rental to the owners
(Serena and Gary) of the other half who run the shop and
post office. Closure of the post office will damage the
viability of the shop and will put at risk this community
effort to maintain the village facilities. Christmas Collections 120 years
ago No less that thirty-one of our village children have, this winter, taken “Robin Dinner” collecting-papers from house-to-house, and it is gratifying to know that the kind-hearted efforts of the young folks have been very successful. They raised altogether £6 15s.8d. This sum was made up of nearly three hundred separate contributions, and thus illustrates the truth of an old Scotch proverb, “ Mony a mickle makes a muckle”. The cost of a Robin Dinner being 6d. per head, it follows that 270 more or less destitute boys and girls, in London or some other large town, will be treated to a good dinner of roast beef and plum pudding, and will be pleasantly entertained with music, magic lantern, etc., etc. “Robin” returns hearty thanks to his kind friends in Mickleham. Church Improvements On
Tuesday 5th February we began a three-month project to
almost completely redecorate the interior of the church.
The programme includes: This work is going to create a good deal of mess and will require extensive scaffolding. There will inevitably be disruption to normal church activities. From 5th February the main activity will be in the nave, gallery and Norbury Chapel. Scaffolding will be erected along the nave and while there will be access to the pews there will inevitably be some inconvenience during services. There will also be some minor disruption in the chancel while work to remedy the damp is completed. This phase will be completed no later than Palm Sunday. After Easter the main activity will move to the chancel. There will be scaffolding around the walls and across the chancel arch. During the week the chancel will be closed off by plastic sheeting but at weekends there will be limited access from the vestry to the nave. The pulpit and lectern should be accessible though with some difficulty but the organ will be out of action. The altar and piano will be relocated to the foot of the chancel steps for 10am services. The 8am services will probably be taken in the Norbury Chapel. Sunday services from 5th February to
9th March will be affected by scaffolding in the nave.
From 30th March to 27th April when the chancel is closed,
the disruption will be more noticeable and there will be
a sense of holding services in a building site. However
none of this will detract from the quality of worship. Photos of the church for our website No doubt some lucky folk will be getting a super duper new camera for Christmas. Why not take some photos (landscape format) so that these can be used on the parish website: www.leatherheadweb.org.uk/mickleham . Contact website editor Frank Haslam via the website for more details. Helping Hands FORMERLY GOOD
NEIGHBOURS - A service for all residents of Mickleham and
Westhumble A Concert for Remembrance Sunday Rather like buying a book, if the first words grab you. And so it was, on the first strike of six o’clock, on Sunday 11th November, Director of Music, Juliet Hornby took the stand, raised her right hand and there was instant hush in a packed St. Michael’s Church. A single note on the organ sounded and the first chord from the many voices, a perfectly pitched, pianissimo D Minor ‘Requiem…’ told us that we were in for a musical treat. The choirs of the Church, Box Hill School and Mickleham Choral Society combined to make over 80 singers occupying every nook and cranny of the chancel, stalls and pulpit. Dressed in black and white, slashed with red poppies, they engaged every ear with their faultless performance of Monsieur Fauré’s much loved creation. Martin Cox gave a magnificent interpretation of Libera Me; Pie Jesu - normally sung by a boy - interpreted by Natalie Mackworth-Praed, was pure, vibrant and plaintive, just as the composer intended. The choir’s rendering of this enduring version of the Eucharist was a compelling and moving act of remembrance. The first half of this annual music feast ended all too soon. Our interval chatter was brought to an abrupt halt by Barbara Steadman-Allen’s clarion trumpet call: The Last Post. A varied programme of light and shade, soft and forte, instrumental and choral, followed, to fascinate and engage all tastes. Cathy Fisher and Tracy Kennington duetted us delightfully through Purcell’s Sound the Trumpet . To the joy of all fans of Arthur Sullivan, the choir gave a majestic performance of his Te Deum Laudamus. The combination of the genius of Dorking’s composer son, Ralph Vaughan Williams, and the gentle voices of the sopranos and altos of the choir, brought great emotional impact to his Dirge for Fidele. Noah Rho and Vincent Hsu, of the younger generation, presented us with an ethereal, unaccompanied violin duet: John Stanley’s Sicillianna and Allegro. One of my first introductions to classical music, Debussy’s Golliwog’s Cakewalk, was amusingly and skilfully interpreted by accomplished young pianist Nanami Koyanagi. The nine voices making up the ensemble from the Choral Society, who so wowed the judges at The Leith Hill Music Festival, repeated their lovely performance of Stanford’s Heraclitus. One sometimes has to make allowances when the very young perform but not when Ursula Perks takes her seat at the grand piano, as we discovered last year, when she was only 9. Beautiful, blond locks falling over the soft violet of her long dress, her poise, confidence and technical mastery of Mozart’s Andante and Rondo K545 were amazing; a concert pianist in the making! My first memory of Clare Kennington was when she auditioned for St Michael’s choir, aged 7. With her back to the piano, I asked her which of two notes I played was the higher. Without hesitation she said ‘The E flat’. Even at that tender age she had perfect pitch. What is it about Clare and the violin? The sound they make together reminds one of falling in love. The choir seated and standing behind her as she began John Williams Theme from Schindler’s List, made a tableau of rapt concentration. Her soulful, lingering, low notes, especially, evoked poignant memories of the human tragedies depicted in that film. The world of today’s popular music may think it has a handle on the theme of love but it cannot hold a candle to Brahms’ arrangement of the traditional Love Farewell. Georgina Kennington and Neil Mackay made it a real love song backed by gentle, hummed harmonies from the choir. Their Hamisha Asar by Flory Jagoda, an exciting recollection of Spanish children going from house to house with many different fruits, had us tapping our toes as if to a Paso Doble on Strictly Come Dancing. The cascading notes of Juliet Hornby’s sumptuous arrangement of Bridge Over Trouble Water, with gorgeous soprano solos from Georgina, Natalie and Emily brought the concert to a magnificent crescendo. Geoffrey Harvey’s organ playing was, as always, beyond peer. The piano accompaniments were in the ultra skilful hands of Linda Chang. And it was difficult to believe that the programme could have been so delicately and aptly designed by one so young as Anna Darnell. Juliet Hornby’s magic weaves all
through this event, from the fascination of her running
commentary, to the way in which her elegant hands coax
such enchanting music from what is in reality a scratch
choir. As David Ireland put it: ’It is astonishing
that so small a village has such a wealth of musical
talent and that it can all congregate under one roof, at
least once a year, in remembrance of those who gave so
much that we might survive in freedom and peace’. from the November 2007 Mickleham magazine
I doubt if we will ever see such wording on a tomb
ever again. from the November 2007 Mickleham magazine from the November Mickleham magazine There will be scope for many more musical functions involving a wider village community. There will be the possibility of hiring out the venue for concerts and thereby generating additional income for the church. The provision of a concert quality grand piano will reflect the wide musical talent we have in the parish which I think is quite special (I might be biased) for our size. There is also the potential for establishing an even greater musical tradition for our community. Because of the extensive repairs and refurbishment work to the interior fabric of St Michael’s scheduled for this autumn and winter, we will not instal the piano until these are complete. The aim is to have the piano in place by May 2008. There is talk that we would celebrate its arrival by having a Mickleham Music Festival with many different events throughout the summer season. As you can imagine, I am so excited by this and can see a whole musical life opening up. David Ireland will be shooing me out! I feel that so many opportunities for all sorts of performing will be possible from choirs to pupils’ recitals to soloists coming from the outside. Of course this is going to cost money. The price of a piano of the professional performing standard we require is between £6,000 and £7,000. The choice of instrument will depend on how well it will tolerate the cold conditions; older re-conditioned pianos will not do. Extremes of heat and damp can crack a piano’s wooden soundboard. The more modern Yamaha and Kawaii pianos have a fantastic reputation for being great pianos for studios, churches etc. Many local churches such as St Paul’s and St Martin’s in Dorking do have grand pianos, which are well looked after and well used. Our new instrument will be positioned at the front of the church on the right and when it is not in use it will be covered and locked. If you would like to make a donation, whatever amount, towards this exciting venture please contact me on 01372 362309 or R Spence on 01372 377201 for more information. T Kennington The Marriage of David and
Angela Afterwards everyone went to the Rectory for a celebratory drink, or two, and delicious nibbles before leaving David and Angela in peace with their families and guests. It had been a very jolly occasion and we all wish David and Angela much happiness. Upon leaving the Rectory garden we discovered that Old London Road was totally gridlocked, with all A24 traffic being re-directed through the village due to an accident. Many of us retired to The Running Horses to wait until the road cleared an hour or so later ... from the
June 2007 magazine Rose Spence nobly combined her many duties as parish administrator with those of churchwarden last year when Ron Morton moved to Wales. We are most grateful to her for all she does for St Michael’s and the whole parish. Fortunately for us Rose is continuing as parish administrator. We welcome our two new churchwardens: Jenny Hudlass and Jack Richardson. Val McLean and Tim Mathieson have retired from the Parochial Church Council (PCC): There are now 13 members: John Banfield, Jenny Hudlass, Elizabeth Moughton, Carolann Patterson, Stephanie Randall, Jack Richardson, Richard Siberry, Rose Spence, Geoffrey Suckling, Frank Warren, Amanda Wadsworth, Simon Ward and Becky Weaver. Farewell to Tim and Tristan We bid Godspeed to Tim Mathieson and son Tristan who have gone to Shanghai for three years. They have both been active members of our church family and we shall miss them. However, Tim has promised an occasional ‘letter from Shanghai’ for the parish magazine – watch this space. Reports from the Annual
Parochial Church Meeting A sub committee of the PCC has
developed a detailed programme of work for the next few
years the main elements of which are listed below. Repairs to the external stonework of the Church have been completed. The possible extension to the Church is under discussion with the Diocese and it will be some considerable time before we make much progress. The other projects are in various stages of detailed planning. We are grateful to all those who help in looking after both Church and Chapel in particular Mick Hallet and Tony Holland for their work in and around the Chapel and to Kate Warren for the beautiful display of naturalised flowers in the overflow churchyard. Rose Spence, John Banfield Parish Finances - Extract from the Treasurer’s Report - In 2006, we continued to build on the firm foundations laid in 2005 as a result, in particular, of the very positive and encouraging response of the Parish to the stewardship appeal. 2006 was the first full year following that appeal. Planned giving increased by about 24% over the 2005 figure and tax recovered on regular giving and gift aid-envelopes almost doubled. We have agreed to commit about 5% of our income from these sources to outward giving. Taking all the above into account, we have more than achieved our initial objective of ensuring that at least the Parish Share is covered by planned giving and collections at services. In 2006 we covered also the other expenses of worship and mission from these sources and from other ‘unrestricted donations’. Fund raising remains very important, both from a financial perspective, as it continues to make (at least) a major contribution to regular ‘church running expenses’ (insurance, utilities bills, churchyard maintenance, etc.), and because of the community spirit it engenders, helping to promote our goal of putting the Church at the heart of our community here in Mickleham and Westhumble. Our outward giving for 2006 included a special donation to St Michael’s School and a number of charities, including the Church Housing Trust, the Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf (for the work of the Anglican Church in Baghdad), and Haydon Hall in India. At year end the balance in our restoration and repairs fund, boosted by a £5,000 donation and recovered tax, was £28,810, and overall, our accounts for 2006 showed an excess of receipts over expenditure of £15,488, and our bank balances at the year end stood at £51,102. In January 2007, we received an
exceptionally generous donation of £200,000 towards our
restoration and repairs fund, from the Ranmore Trust,
which was founded and 100% financed by Geoffrey Suckling.
This puts us in the happy position of being able to move
forward with confidence in carrying out whatever projects
are ultimately approved by the PCC and the Diocese (and,
so far as necessary, the Planning Authorities). We are
immensely grateful for this donation. from the June 2007 magazine from the May 2007 magazine We have learned that printing costs will go up in April (the first increase since we started having the magazine printed professionally). We shall be increasing the cost of advertisements to keep pace with this. Thanks to Kate Warren who has again overseen the advertising with great efficiency. Nearly half the year’s magazines were edited by Charlotte Daruwalla to whom I am extremely grateful. This arrangement works very well and it is a great relief to be able to leave things in her capable hands. Recently I was asked who makes up the independent editorial committee referred to on page one of the magazine. Members this year included Charlotte Daruwalla, Mary Venning, Sue Timms, Stephanie Randall, newly-retired Liz Weller and myself. We try to meet each month to discuss the previous issue and plan for future editions. We are always on the look-out for copy or ideas we can explore. David Ireland sees every issue before it goes to press. Our distribution and delivery network, which involves about 40 people each month, continues to work well, with little change in personnel over the past year. Many thanks to Doug Hammond who looked after the Burford Lodge deliveries for many years. After his retirement, Caroline Hampson took on this route for a while, and now Mike Calvert is the bag man. Another longstanding helper, Jean Speirs, also moved away and Angela Parfitt now delivers to part of Old London Road. We have nearly 40 names on the mailing list which Sayda and Brian Cole organise each month. We continue to send a selection of articles and items from each issue to update our part of the United Benefice of Leatherhead & Mickleham website. Many thanks to everyone who is involved
in any way with the magazine; your help is much
appreciated. from April 2007 issue from Feb 2007 from Dec 06/Jan 07 from Dec 06/Jan 07 from Dec 06/Jan 07 A sub committee of the PCC has presented a preliminary report outlining a detailed programme of work for the next few years. Most of the proposals will require Diocesan approval and one will need planning consent. Both of these approvals require a period of public consultation so there will be an opportunity for everyone to express their views on individual projects. The main elements of the programme are listed here.
The cost of this programme will be significant. Some money has been very generously given through a number of recent fundraising events but as these projects develop more fundraising will be required. John Banfield from Dec 06/Jan 07 The evening’s performance took place in two parts with a strong and poignant message at its heart: that there is life after death. The first part of the programme was devoted to the Requiem to remember the dead and those that grieve for them. The second half of the evening was about rebirth and new beginnings and featured young (and young at heart) soloists from the community and from Box Hill School performing more modern music. Juliet Hornby has been the conductor of Mickleham Choral Society for a year and in that time it has grown in size and the quality of its singing. She, like David Ireland and Mark Eagers, the Headmaster at Box Hill School, share a passion for music and the wish to bring more music to the community as part of a regular programme. The timely arrival of Aya Yuasa, the new musical director at Box Hill, has allowed them all to come together to accomplish this. At the same time, such programmes as Mozart’s Requiem offer the students and members of the community a platform on which to perform. Singing or performing with a ‘backing’ choir is an amazing experience for anyone who loves music, whether they are a young student or a seasoned performer. Three students and teachers from Box Hill School performed major solo parts in the Requiem and elsewhere throughout the programme – Aya Yuasa and Chihiro Kaneko, a year 13 student, performed a beautiful flute duet of Jean Racine’s Cantique; Vincent Hsu performed a lively violin solo of Shostakovich’s Fruhlingswaltzer; Dan Rodriguez sang the solo bass part of the Tuba Mirum quartet; and Nick Heuvel, an IT teacher at Box Hill School, had solo parts in both the Tuba Mirum and Domine Jesu. There is clearly a great deal of talent in this community as many individuals contributed to the performance…Only nine years old, the amazingly clever Ursula Perks, took us all by surprise as she performed Beethoven’s Sonata in G Major Op. 49. A very upbeat Spanish Dance by Moszkowski was flawlessly performed by Tracy Kennington and Lynda Chang. A spiritual arrangement of Walk in Jerusalem featured a soulful Peter Creasy singing the solo parts along side the choir. Emily Heuvel sang a very pretty duet with Laura Stephenson from The Vivaldi Gloria. The evening’s resounding finale featured Georgina Kennington singing a powerful and moving solo in Bridge over Troubled Water. We are grateful to Laura Stephenson, a friend of Juliet’s and an experienced Mozart soloist from London who joined us for the evening. This was the first time for many years a concert of this size has taken place in St Michael’s and it was a glowing success, quite literally, as the candles lent so much to the warmth of the setting. Following the performance Juliet commented that she ‘felt the whole evening had a lovely glow to it. The audience was so receptive, the choir looked radiant and I was so proud of the way they performed. Lynda is such a huge support to me – I couldn’t do it without her – we are very lucky to have such a wonderful pianist.’ Young and old alike, talented members of the Mickleham Choral Society and students from Box Hill School rehearsed weekly since September in preparation for the performance. Our thanks go to all of them and to Juliet for bringing such a brilliant, uplifting performance to us all. Mary and John Banfield and Stan Spence also deserve a
special thanks for their seamless organisation of the
evening which even without Lady Mickleham there went off
without a glitch. According to our sources ‘not a
drop of wine was spilt’ despite the complications of
moving trays along the aisles, across pews around columns
to over 200 people! A full house indeed. Carolann
Patterson St Michael's Crew news (formerly Crusaders) - see Young people September 2006 magazine The top secret family recipe for those delectable ‘light-white-and-dark chocolate’ brownies came from Sarah McNaughton, who with her family baked all fourteen cakes the night before. For those of us who have trouble baking one cake in fourteen years, fourteen in one night is truly impressive. September 2006 magazine No coronation chicken this time (marriage saved for another year), but Kathy Ramsey’s Food For Thought did us proud, except for the absence of horseradish sauce with the smoked trout. Thanks to Mr Aarvold aka Disappointed of Foxbury for pointing this out. The champagne fountain was decorative but, your correspondent can report, when you lean back and slurp from it you get warm flat champagne down your front, and it’s worse when they put the chocolate in it (unless you have a dark brown DJ of course). Re: music, see last year’s article, delete Joanna Batt, Martin Cox and Polly, insert Ronnie Page (coloratura extraordinaire), serve warm, da capo al fine. The picky might have wanted some music played faster than 10 bars to the minute. Jiving geriatrics we were not, but of course the prime purpose of these events is to smooch with someone else’s wife/husband or, in a few cases the envy of the rest of us, your own new trophy wife/husband. You know who you are. Turned down by all the women who had previously danced with him, and by all the rest who had been warned by them, your correspondent devoted the evening to researching the fashion scene in Mickleham & Westhumble. Dress of the evening was Rose Spence’s lime green number from the Buckingham Palace shop. A close second was Kate Cox’s diaphanous turquoise creation from when she danced in Les Sylphides. Hairstyle honours go to mine hostess Suzy Clarke for the white plume stolen from a cavalry officer. Footwear award to John Batt for the eco-unfriendly co-respondent’s crocodile brown and purple jobbies. Booby prize in all departments to Mark ‘Colonel Sanders’ Day, particularly when he put on the said plume and danced with an eminent former supermarket mogul (male), whom our libel reader says we cannot name. You know who you are, too. Thanks to the band, the singers, the caterers, the raffle prize donors and above all Suzy for the splendid marquee. Thanks also to the organising committee. Around £3,500 was raised for the church. Please do it again next year, if you have started speaking to each other again by then. Will Dennis September 2006 magazine In Mickleham and Westhumble, we are lucky to live in a relatively prosperous and peaceful area where the strong sense of community and good neighbourliness ensure that people in need are generally quickly offered assistance. Already many good deeds are being done in our parish perhaps best epitomised by the excellent Food for Friends scheme, but including many other regular or spontaneous acts of kindness between individuals - that offer help to those in need. Nonetheless, there are always cases of need in any community that are not fully met, or go unrecognised. To ensure that we can respond in an effective and co-ordinated way to all cases where assistance is required, therefore, a group from the community have now set up a Good Neighbours scheme. This initiative, which is supported by St. Michael’s Church, is open to all who live in Mickleham, Westhumble or surrounding areas. We need now to gather a full list of volunteers, who are willing to contribute towards the work of the Good Neighbours. The kind of tasks that we anticipate
needing help for are: If you are interested in playing a part in this scheme please use the form that was in the magazine to indicate the areas in which you may be able to assist: these details will then be added to our database. In order to comply with the best practice guidelines for voluntary organisations, volunteers will in due course be asked to apply for Criminal Records Bureau clearance; this is easy to do, but we will nonetheless endeavour generally to keep administrative issues to a minimum. In addition, we need to hear from you if you are aware of anybody living in the parish who you think might be in need of some form of assistance that it might be appropriate for Good Neighbours to provide. We may well get additional requests from official organisations, such as SCC Social Services, but the intention is that this should be first and foremost an initiative driven by the needs and resources of our local communities. We hope that you will support this initiative. For further information, please contact M Banfield on 01372 373912 or Tim Mathieson on TimothyMathiesonATaol.com (replace AT with @ before sending). Although our excellent Parish Magazine recorded a loss of some £1,250 for 2005, the PCC’s bank balances look healthy at present, and we have built up a reserve in our restoration and repairs fund. Given the high cost of any work on the church, continued fund raising efforts will be required, not only to cater for the requirements of next year’s Quinquennial Inspection, but also to implement any recommendations of the PCC Buildings Committee following the Parish Survey and other consultations. But I feel sure, given the experience of the last few years, that the Parish is equal to any challenge, with continuing faith in God and his purpose.Richard Siberry, Hon Treasurer from the May 2006 magazine The aim of the survey was to look at three specific
areas: We have received some excellent ideas and have been able to identify certain issues which reflect a broader consensus. Firstly, it was gratifying to note that the majority
of worshippers are generally satisfied with the current
arrangement of the main services in respect both of
timing and content. The 10 o’clock start for our
main act of worship each week, while it clearly does not
suit everyone’s needs, is the clear favourite. However, the survey does reveal a desire for a greater variety of services, particularly among those who attend less regularly. Based on the comments received, we are implementing immediately several changes, which we hope will meet with approval. The first is that the Family Service, held on the first Sunday of each month, will have a more varied and informal format, and perhaps a specific theme on occasion. In addition, we are introducing a monthly evening service, which will include a pattern of youth services, choral/musical services, meditative worship (such as used by the Taizé community) and traditional Evensong. The first in this new series of evening services will be a Youth Praise service on Sunday June 11th at 8pm The survey also flagged up the need for greater use of the Westhumble Chapel and we will be asking the Parochial Church Council to look into the options to make this under-utilised asset into a more attractive venue for services and possibly meetings. There are also some useful suggestions that we received for improvements to the facilities provided at St Michael’s church – the most common, not surprisingly, being the provision of toilet facilities. Any decisions requiring major expenditure will need to be balanced against the other demands on the parish’s resources, but we do now have some good ideas of priority areas prompted by your responses. Members of the PCC Worship Committee (Emma Blackmore, Jenny Hudlass, David Ireland, Tim Mathieson, Elizabeth Moughton) will be considering further changes in the future and would ask for your continued support for this process, particularly in the form of any feedback that you can give. Of course, it will be impossible to accommodate every preference or suggestion and unfortunately we have not yet found a way of getting David to be in two places at the same time. However, we believe that with your support we can develop the worship in the parish in a way that responds best to your needs and wishes. Come along to the new services and then keep on giving us your comments. Tim Mathieson from Dec 2005/Jan 2006 magazine Briony’s final service will be the 10.30am communion at Leatherhead on 15th January This will be followed by a farewell reception. I am inviting donations towards a presentation to Briony and contributions may be passed to myself or one of the churchwardens at Leatherhead. Since January we have been joined by Mrs Mary Cruddas who is in training for ordination on a newly conceived Mixed Mode Training Course. This course lasts for four years and is partly tutored at Theological College and partly in the parish, in this case our United Benefice. Mary will be made deacon after her second year and priested after her third year. In this sense she is an ordinand/curate all at the same time. The mainstay of the ordained ministry in the United Benefice will continue to be held by The Revd David Ireland and myself. David will be mainly based in Mickleham and I will be mainly based at Leatherhead but we will exchange duties on Sundays on a regular basis and continue to use the ministry of locum priests from time to time. David Eaton – Incumbent Lighten our darkness… and defend us from
all perils and dangers of this night… Piggy Racing at the Harvest Supper 2005 Ready for starters orders, and they are off. There’s a howl of disappointment from an owner whose pig’s tail gets tangled in the starting gate and I noticed a distinct prod from one of the ‘stewards’ as ‘Bacon’s End’ appeared to be heading for the side rail. Is that allowed, I hear punters cry? Summon the Clerk of the Course! The course happened to be just 3m long and was balanced on one of the village hall’s best tables. The going was very firm as the turf, noted by many, was actually painted mdf and listed slightly to starboard. Runners progressed chaotically as punters shouted encouragement. Finally, number five ‘Willis Wonder’ managed to reach the winning post. His jubilant owner was presented with a bottle of bubbly by the races’s sponsors. Any objections as to the state of the course fell on deaf ears, especially after the winnings for the first race were announced. Piggies were duly shuffled and owners’ colours swapped from pig to pig for the next race, but it seemed to have little effect. In the Watson Fillies Race, ‘Mark’owned by Sarah Day, (again wearing number five) veered a little to the right, cut-up ‘Rasher’ and won by a good snout. Once, piggy three (‘Och aye the Noo’ owned by Stan Spence, of course) had a clear run down the middle and went on to win, but in nearly every other race piggies one and two had a contretemps and decided tohave a conference about the interference during the race; not best practice if they wanted to win. Nevertheless it was great fun and a novel entertainment to accompany our Harvest Supper on Friday 30th September. This was the first big community event to be held in the hall after its grand opening following refurbishment, and the first time the Ladies of the Kitchen had been let loose with the new cooker. After a few teething problems with the sausages (perhaps that could have been phrased better), dinner was served and discussions about the state of the course transferred to the topic of the best mashed potato. Butter and hot milk added, and definitely no lumps. What is all this nonsense about food needing texture? So the menu was, what else? Bangers and mash. No ordinary bangers, I hasten to add, as I helped to place in baking trays wonderful fare from organic farms, as well as those with epicurean additions of herbs and spices. These were served with Peter Curran’s excellent onion gravy. I would like to say that the vegetable accompaniment had been gently simmered for hours; beans do take a while, but I had caught sight of the huge empty baked bean tins. Well, there were a lot of people to feed so we had to save time somewhere. If the entrée was not enough we were then treated to a Mickleham parish special; a fantastic array of puddings made by the ladies (note, I say ladies, where, may I ask, are all the budding Jamie Olivers in the parish?). The evening raised £1,200 of much needed funds for the church and as ever we have to thank Rose and Stan for all their hard work, Bernard Salsbury for bringing the pigs and running the tote and Paul Brown for so ably assisting. Then we must thank the Ladies of the Kitchen, the Gentleman of the Bar and all those who donated raffle prizes. We would especially like to thank the generous people who sponsored pigs and races. Stephanie Randall Thoughts on Keswick 2005 Mary Huggins’
fifth visit to the Keswick Convention prompted these
thoughts: Jennifer Louis
volunteered as a steward: We began with a health and safety talk and security measures. The main tent seats 3,300 and we were responsible should evacuation be necessary. We wore name tags and bright yellow tabards. Everyone was needed to help at the two large meetings with prayer and song in the main tent each day, and we also had a rota for smaller meetings held in different churches and halls throughout Keswick. I loved the ushering, helping the wheelchair visitors, and those with guide dogs or pushchairs. The speakers and their subjects were, as before, so good that it was hard to choose where to be when, and stewards had to rush about really fast if they wanted to hear a particular talk between duty times. Sharing meals upstairs with the speakers, musicians and admin people and their families, and the other stewards too was a real bonus. When people asked where I came from I was glad to show off my Mickleham and Westhumble T-shirt. It sounds ridiculous to have been there for a whole week and not to have taken a single walk. Some managed it, but not me. I just lived the Convention and found my time filled with all that was on offer. I revelled in knowing that almost everyone there was following their own pilgrim path and had a story to tell of how it began for them and of amazing occurrences that had strengthened their faith. Christopher Wood (aged 8 ¾): Three Faiths Forum Sitting in the garden on a beautiful sunny Saturday morning, reading about the bombing atrocities in London, it was quite difficult not to be overwhelmed with despair, anger and frustration, as well the cold chill of fear for all those who work in London on a daily basis including friends and immediate family. What on Earth could be done? I then remembered that I had been discussing an organisation called the Three Faiths Forum with some friends. So I thought that this might be a good place to start. The Three Faiths Forum aims to: Looking on their website I discovered that the next day, the Surrey Branch was organising a visit to a mosque, a church and a synagogue in the Regent’s Park area of London. It seemed like a good thing to join in with in the circumstances. About 50 people of mixed religious backgrounds met up to take part in this event, during which a rabbi of the Liberal Jewish Synagogue in St John’s Wood Road, the Vicar of St John’s Wood Parish Church and the Director of the Regents Park Islamic Cultural Centre made presentations to the group explaining practices and beliefs. We were welcomed warmly at each place of worship and the expression of united support was much appreciated especially in the Islamic Centre, where the importance of developing greater understanding and awareness was poignantly expressed. John Ayres Progressive Christian Network - you can visit the website on www.pcnbritain.org.uk Judith and John Ayres Advice from a former Mickleham Time Lord Way back in the mists of time past I was the ‘Keeper of the Clock’, so I can sympathise with Mark Day on his new appointment (article in the June magazine). There are not many jobs that advertise when things may not be going perfectly from forty feet up in the middle of the village. I do not know what method Stan Spence
used in setting the clock right when you cannot see the
results of your adjustment, but for what it is worth, the
method I used was as follows: Keeping a Victorian weight-driven turret clock showing time, to the tolerances expected in the 21st century, should not be taken for granted by parishioners. Stan Spence should be thanked, and recognition given, for his horological labours over many years, now that he is handing on the clock key. Mike Boyle New Time Lords in Mickleham Many will know that the church clock has been in the tender care of Mr Stan Spence for a considerable time. However, it was clearly wrong for a 96 year old [a slight exaggeration. Ed] to have to clamber up to the tower every week. I do not know why I volunteered for this thankless task – indeed, I have no recollection of doing so – but somehow I ended up with the keys. My first task was to recruit a deputy. Despite a successful career at a high corporate level, I was amazed that John Banfield was so gullible. I think it must have a linear connection with volumes of Young’s Bitter. We are looking to recruit a deputy-deputy Time Lord to cover holidays etc. Stan continues in a consultancy role (i.e. he shouts at us from the ground floor). The clock dates from 1853, and has to be wound approximately weekly. Winding it involves two functions – 30 winds for the clock and 55-60 for the chimes, both with winding handles approximately one foot long. Mickleham could shortly be the first church with a digital clock and mobile-phone-type chimes. Since taking on the task, we have been amazed at the Mickleham grapevine. The number of messages alleging that the clock is one or two minutes slow or fast, has been substantial. Getting digital accuracy with a four-inch spanner and a ¼ inch nut, which has to be adjusted backwards, from a blind position inside the tower, while covered in bat droppings and perspiration, is simply not possible. We will do our best. In the meantime, should there be any serious fault/discrepancy which comes to your notice, the TIME LORD contact numbers are: Mark Day 01372 373594 John Banfield 01372 373912. Mark R Day from the April Magazine 2004 It was very fitting that the October 2004 magazine was the first to be professionally printed. This edition was greeted with enthusiastic approval, not only by our hard-worked copy printers and collation teams, but also by all our readers for its improved appearance and neat stapling. The ability to include photographs is an added bonus. The quality of the print has enabled us to condense the content without losing legibility so that the size of the magazine has been reduced from 40 to 28 pages (including covers), thus keeping printing costs to an affordable level. Advertising charges have been adjusted and when the cover ads are renewed in January 2005 advertising revenue will cover printing costs. Again many thanks to Mary Banfield for keeping all the accounts in order and to Kate Warren who has overseen the advertising with great efficiency. Thanks also to our retired printers: Charlotte Daruwalla, Frank Warren, Mary Venning and Jean Douglas; and collation team organisers: Rose Spence, Alison Wood, Annie Dennis, Val Hallett, Ray Wilson and Helen Croxford and all their helpers, for their many hours spent on the most tedious tasks of the production line - often made worse by malfunctioning printers and staplers. Mary Venning now takes delivery of the magazines and bags them up, ready for Geoff Knight and Ray Wilson to distribute to deliverers in Mickleham and Westhumble. Spare copies go to St Michael’s Church and also to St Mary’s, Leatherhead. Sayda and Brian Cole send copies to the 39 people on our mailing list. (Another benefit of the smaller magazine is that it is cheaper to post.) We continue to provide a selection of articles and items from each issue to update our website. Charlotte Daruwalla and Stephanie Randall again provided terrific support to me in so many ways. I am very grateful to everyone mentioned above and to our readers for their interest and help too. Again this year we did not ask for donations towards our running costs as the magazine account is quite healthy. We have had to cover the advertising revenue shortfall for the first three printed editions. Part of our reserves will be used for binding the three sets of archive copies we have been assembling. Work on preparing the indexes for these volumes is progressing slowly. The magazine indexes provide an amazing list of topics included over the twenty years. They also show how many people have written articles. Some names, such as Harry Sowden mentioned above, recur frequently. Lately the most prolific contributors have been Ken Kilburn, John Ayres, Chris Budleigh, Bob Bowley, Ann Sankey, Mary Huggins and Richard Roberts-Miller who compiles the crosswords. We would welcome anyone who would like to join the editorial team. We are especially interested to hear from anyone who has desktop publishing experience, or would like to develop these skills. We are always grateful for suggestions and welcome contributions from readers. Many thanks to everyone who is involved
in any way with the magazine; your help is much
appreciated. PASTORAL ASSISTANTS A reminder, especially relevant during the interregnum, that we have two pastoral assistants in the parish. Kate Morton's role includes marriage preparation; baptism visiting and followup visits after both of these and funerals. Kate is the first point of contact regarding other visits within the parish. Mary Huggins's role is the development and delivery of small group life in the parish and to be to be the first point of contact for the Incumbent with regard to other GUILDFORD CATHEDRAL CAN YOU HELP? We are in desperate need of helpers in the Cathedral, as Guides, and in the Book Shop and Gift Shop. A number of our helpers are getting too old to continue and it is essential that we find volunteers to replace them. I can assure you it is an interesting and worthwhile way to spend a couple of hours a week, a fortnight or even once a month. Whatever time you could spare would be very thankfully received. Please contact me on 01306 880593 for further information. Joan Carter - Cathedral Link The Churchyard Just a reminder: St Michael’s churchyard is maintained by the church on behalf of the whole community. Churchyards are public grounds, and as such we have to maintain a certain uniformity of appearance. No plot is ever ‘bought’: it always belongs to the church and is subject to national regulations which we also have to administer. It is natural for us to want to
remember the individuals we have loved and lost in
personally meaningful ways, but not everything relatives
want to do can be done. We try to be pastorally sensitive
in all cases, but occasionally have to represent the law.
We do not enjoy asking those of you who have loved ones
interred in the churchyard to change things, but
sometimes we have to. It would be helpful if we could do
this without unfair judgment falling on the church. All
we need to do is to be aware of the nature of the
churchyard as a public space and not several private
spots. Thank you for all your understanding. Wills and Legacies What did Shakespeare do that seven out of ten people fail to do? Apart from writing 36 works of genius, he also drew up a will. In it, he left his second-best bed to his wife, Anne Hathaway. It is wise for everyone, young or old, to make a will. This shows our love and concern for our family and friends. If you already have a will, you will need to keep it up to date or replace it with a new one from time to time. Leaving a legacy to the church is also an act of love and concern - and an act of thanksgiving to God. You can specify a particular value, or give what remains after other gifts have been deducted. As you make provision for those around you, also remember St Michael’s Church – working to combine a local historic tradition with a contemporary voice and worshipping Jesus Christ in all generations. Pastoral Assistants Commissioning Service On 29th February our 10am service at St Michael’s was led by Kate Morton and Mary Huggins. Both have completed the course of training as Pastoral Assistants and been authorised by the Bishop of Guildford to serve in this capacity in our parish. During the service Rev. Barbara Steadman-Allen commissioned them to their work. Kate is to help with preparation for marriage and baptism, and bereavement visiting, in addition to her existing post as Child Protection Officer. Mary is to encourage the formation of small groups, and other visiting as required. Pastoral Assistants are lay men and women who have been trained by the diocese to assist the clergy in ministering to the people in their parish. They are not ordained, nor licensed like lay readers, but are appointed to provide practical help and advice to those seeking to develop their understanding of our Christian faith. We pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as they commence their extended ministry. Tea with the
oldest working Steeplejack in the country Although much of his work has involved churches he seems to have worked on just about every type of building, specialising, of course, on the high ones! The tallest one was a transmitting mast which was an incredible 1,200 feet, that’s quite a climb up and an even trickier time climbing down. He has worked on factory chimneys, cooling towers, tall buildings and many, many church towers, spires and steeples. The best way to get to the top of a church steeple, he told us, was to start off by fixing a short ladder to the wall of the church, climbing up and fixing another short ladder above that and so on until one got to the top, then across the roof (apparently this was the easy bit!) and then a bit more short ladder work to get up to the top of the spire. There he would make a platform with scaffolding and boards and that would form the base for his work. Back in the summer many of us will remember Peter and his colleague working on the roof of our Church swinging around sitting in their bosun’s cradles suspended from a very flimsy looking structure at the very top of the steeple. Apparently steeples can have their secrets because it is an old trade tradition for steeplejacks to leave messages or mementoes, wrapped up in an envelope made out of a piece of lead sheet, for the next steeplejack to find and this can be a generation or two later. It was sad to hear that these traditional skills are now in decline. The cost of insurance and Health and Safety requirements mean that in the future most, if not all, of this type of work will be done by men working from scaffolding, the net result of this being a great increase in expense. We have been fortunate in
having had the benefit of Peter’s skilful work on
our Church and the unique opportunity to hear from him a
bit about himself and his craft. Our thanks to him for
coming back to Mickleham again to talk to us and also our
thanks to Rose Spence and her colleagues who prepared and
organised the tea and cake auction with which the
afternoon concluded. The Ten
Commandments St Michael's
Community Nursery Mickleham Village Hall, Dell Close As many of our children tend to move on to St Michael’s, this makes the transition as easy and painless as possible. The Nursery uses complementary teaching methods to those of the School such as the same hand writing styles and phonics method of learning to read. Children also meet the school staff and pupils, go over to the school for stories and special events like the nativity play and generally get to be known at the school before their admission. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday 9.15am - 12.15pm (term time) Maximum 24 children per session. We offer an excellent range of pre-school activities for 21/2- to 5-year-olds where they can learn through play in an informal, friendly atmosphere. For more information about admissions telephone L Reid on 01306 879796 Junior Choir sings at the 10am Family Service on the first Sunday of the month during term time. Junior Choir for ages 7+ now meets in the the Rectory on Tuesdays from 3.30 to 4pm and in the vestry at 9.15am before the Family Service. Help wanted at Guildford
Cathedral If you enjoy meeting people and have a
few hours to spare why not help out by becoming a
Cathedral Guide or Welcomer, or working in one of the
Cathedral's shops. Please call: Crusaders The New Altar Frontal Worshippers who attended Christmas services at St Michael's were the first to see the splendid new altar frontal. It was designed by Jan Collins, a local artist who lives and worships in Dorking, and created by members of the congregation of St Michael's. All the elements of the very clever design: the central cross, the crown of thorns and the rainbow-coloured rays, are composed of simple isosceles triangles, which are place on a white background in with rows of delicate stitching bringing the design together. The gold cross is Celtic in style, each of the arms being equal length, and matches other crosses around the church. The crown of thorns is a radiant halo. The other triangles are in the colours of the rainbow, the sign of God's covenant with Noah. The eucharist celebrates the 'new' covenant God makes with those who trust the death of Jesus. The rescue of Noah was God's way of showing how He would save people from a world due for utter destruction - a rescue offered to all. The coloured triangles can be interpreted in two ways: either they can be seen as moving in towards the central focus, the cross, reminding us that in Christ all things hold together (Colossians 1:7) and that God intends to bring everything together under the authority of Christ (Ephesians 1:10); or they can be seen as radiating out from the cross, so that, as we leave the church building, we go with the message of God's love across the world (John 3:16). In the first two centuries of the Christian era it is unlikely that the table at which the eucharist (communion) was celebrated was regarded as a permanent feature. By the third century, rooms in larger houses were permanently arranged and altar tables were looked upon as the focal point of Christian worship. A cloth of silk, damask or brocade was placed over the table, and as time went by this cloth was decorated with embroidered emblems and jewels. In the fourth century, John Chrysostom warned that too much attention was being paid to this so a 'fair, linen cloth' was spread over the decorated one. In the latter part of the Middle Ages, when altars tended to be against the wall, the throw-over cloth was abandoned for a 'frontal' one, which was suspended on the side of the altar visible to the congregation. With the increasing recognition and appreciation of the eucharist as a community activity where all gather around a table, the altar was pulled away from the wall once again, but the 'front' cloth still prevailed. In today's church services, the frontal cloth is changed when the season demands. Purple is used for the reflective periods of Advent and Lent in preparation for Christmas and Easter, respectively, which are celebrated with white and gold. Red is used to symbolise the blood of the martyrs and the fire of the Holy Sprit at Pentecost and on Palm Sunday. Green is used at all other times, and the priest wears a 'stole' around his or her neck that matches the seasonal colour. Our Common Worship service book brings together Cranmer's ancient service with the other services but written in modern language. Our hymnody acknowledges the Holy Spirit's inspiration of words and music over millennia, so now we want to contribute to the worshipping life of this church, as past generations have done with our own voice. It is intended that the new altar frontal should be in place unless there are other appropriate festival colours. We hope that it will enliven and enrich your understanding of God and enable your worship of Him at St Michael's. RSCM 1927-75 2002 The Royal School of Church Music, which since 1996 has been based at Cleveland Lodge, Westhumble, former home of the organist Susi Jeans, has been celebrating its 75th anniversary. The school was founded in 1927 by Sir Sydney Nicholson, organist of Westminster Abbey, to provide support for church musicians. Although originally established as an Anglican organisation, the net gradually widened and the RSCM now helps musicians from all Christian denominations. This was much in evidence at the special service held in Westminster Cathedral on 6th December, when a massed choir from affiliated churches sang a wide variety of music, including an anthem by Ian McKinley in which the singing gave way to carefully organised speech in different languages. As the Church Times reported: 'At 75, the RSCM speaks in tongues'. Also taking part were the Cathedral's own choristers, who sang the Kyries from Britten's Missa Brevis; and the large congregation included HRH the Duchess of Gloucester, the Lord Mayor of Westminster and the Chairman of Mole Valley District Council. As Professor John Harper, the Director General, has said: 'This anniversary is an opportunity for the RSCM to affirm its commitment to the best use of music in the central mission of the Church in the world.' Penny Neary Open Air Service and Village
Picnic - Sunday 7th July 2002 The theme of joyful songs began with a traditional hymn Praise my soul the King of Heaven - a rousing introduction, which was followed by a Prayer Song. Other hymns included Praise to the Lord, Amazing Grace - and how sweet were the sounds that floated across the recreation ground that afternoon. All Over the World was sung by three members of the Junior Choir, accompanied by Barbara Steadman-Allen on the guitar. We are marching in the light of God was sung with much enthusiasm and was very much a 'joyful song' of praise. Indeed, Barbara was in good form and as enthusiastic as ever. With tennis racquet held high and references to Wimbledon fortnight much to the fore, she reminded us that we are not playing or working alone; 'singles' is not the operative word. God is with us and, in that sense, we play 'doubles' with him. And there was more! All participated in Hillside Story: a short play about blades of grass and the Roman soldiers who guarded the tomb of Jesus. David excelled in his role of a sergeant-major type officer. And the blades of grass? Well, perhaps they should not expect stardom too soon. However, never underestimate a blade of grass. The soldiers might not have known how a body 'escaped', but the grass knew. As the narrator so aptly said, But I don't suppose anybody thought to ask the grass. Think about it! And, no, rain did not stop play! This was an excellent service - joyful, relaxed, fun and, as ever, thought provoking. Following the open air service on the Rec, those of the congregation brave enough to cope with threatening rain and a few newcomers settled down to games and a picnic. The younger children enjoyed a game of duck fishing and the dogs lapped up the water in the duckpond. Dogs were a very important part of the fun. Not only did they share in the food, compete for a place under the chairs or on the blankets, but also insisted in taking part in the game of rounders (all ages from 2 to 80) which followed the food and drink. One of the teams was helped by Candy, a
courageous little poodle. Candy was the best catcher in
the field. The trouble was that she would not let go of
the ball and at times both teams were trying to retrieve
this from her. It all added to the pleasure and the
confusion of the final score. In view of the help and
hindrance of the audience a draw was declared. Just
before the rain really came down we all departed with the
memory of a pleasant and shared occasion. Frankincense & Myrrh - The Gift of
Kings These most prized aromatics, frankincense and myrrh, were carried along well travelled trade paths that became known as the Incense Route. Frankincense achieved the status of incense par excellence, sometimes mixed with other fragrant ingredients, and used by the Romans in enormous quantities; it burns with a pure white smoke, ideal for sending messages to the gods, or so the Romans and the Ancient Egyptians believed. Our modern term 'perfume' comes from the Latin perfumer (by, or through, smoke). Natural frankincense is a resin obtained from art unlikely looking scrubby, gnarled tree (Boswellia sacra), that grows in the Dhofar province of southern Oman. To the untrained eye the trees appear to grow wild, showing little sign of cultivation. But make no mistake; each has an owner, many of whom will have inherited their visually unprepossessing shrubs from proud desert ancestors. The best quality frankincense became known as the 'silver incense'; Pliny the Elder, the 1st Century Roman scholar, described it as 'brilliant white, gathered at dawn in drops of tears in the shape of pearls'. Frankincense resin is obtained by slashing the bark- of the tree with a short, razor-sharp knife known as a mingaf. The horizontal wound is then allowed to ooze and the resin given time to crystallise. The product of the first cut is always discarded. Some weeks later, a second cut is inflicted over the first. However, the resin produced from the second wound is still fairly poor quality. It is the third cut that provides the best quality and highly prized frankincense. The gathering season begins in winter, reaching its peak in spring and ending with their summer monsoons. The shrub flowers in September. The gathering of myrrh takes place in the same season as that of frankincense, by cutting the bark of another shrubby tree (Commiphera mjyrha). The most valued myrrh resin has always been that which oozes spontaneously from the tree. It falls to the ground in dark, reddish brown lumps. Frankincense has a fresh, resinous, balsamic fragrance, highly prized in modern perfumery. In the Arab world, the 'tears' are sucked as a cure for a sore throat or as a rriouth freshener. Myrrh has been used as a perfume ingredient, and in embalming, since before the 5th century BC. It has a fresh, sweet, warm, spicy odour and a slightly bitter taste. When mixed with wine, it induces a pleasant, trance-like state. At the height of the trade, around the time of the birth of Christ, some 3,000 tons of incense a year were exported from the Dhofar region to points around the globe. Collection of frankincense is now a couple of tons a year, still allowing its uses to flourish in today's Middle East. Many families use it, as Omanis have for centuries, to perfume newly washed clothes, which are hung out to dry on beehive shaped baskets over a smouldering frankincense burner. Yemeni Jews incorporate the burning of frankincense as an act of purification when preparing a bride for her wedding night. Frequently, the older women will allow the scent to waft up their skirts, thus, according to popular superstition, helping thern regain their purity. Frankincense also lives on in modern day Arabic proverbs. It is customary to light frankincense at the end of a celebration or a dinner, providing a discreet signal to the guests that, it is time to leave. This popular custom lies behind the Arabic proverb: 'Once the incense is passed, there is no sitting on'. My thanks go to my colleague, Rhona
Wells, President of the British Society of Perfumers, for
providing source material. Mickleham Village Hall China &
Cutlery for Hire FUN Aquitaine Rules OK? Rose Spence writes [July/Aug 2003] : Stan and I have just come back from a holiday in the Dordogne during which we called to have lunch with Nicole and Nigel Lashmar who moved there from Mickleham. As Nigel was a churchwarden of St Michael's and he is interested in the local churches, he gave me a copy of the Chaplaincy of Aquitaine Newsletter. I thought you might enjoy
the following rules which will make you laugh and think: Anniversary Choral Evensong October 2003 Apart from the hymns and psalm, all the music was written by myself, including the first performance of the antiphonal introit ‘Let the words of my mouth’ and the powerful anthem ‘He can move mountains’. Very special thanks to Bernadette Coote who played for the service and accompanied the choir brilliantly; to Barbara Steadman-Allen who, as guest speaker, gave a thought-provoking address; and finally to the representative from the RSCM and joined us to sing tenor. The choir was a delight for me to conduct. Mickleham is blessed with very fine singers, and as one ‘United Benefice Choir’ I really think our two choirs complement each other exceedingly well. I know that my choir enjoyed the experience very much, and I hope Bernadette and your choir did too. I look forward very much to being able to work together again soon; it’s our turn to come to you! Let’s do it. Photographs of the service can be seen by visiting our website at http://www.parishchurch.leatherheadweb.org.uk/music/ and going to the news page. David Oliver, Director
of Music Mickleham hits the National Press! On 7th February the Daily Telegraph published an article on lichens; not on any lichens but on our own special ones. Frank Dobson is the author of Lichens: an Illustrated Field Guide to British and Irish Species. A former publisher, he became interested in lichens as he became involved in church architecture. The connection? Lichens, which are not one type of organism but a mixture of a fungus and an alga, grow on a variety of substrates, including stones. In lowland Britain, churches and churchyards are often the only places where there is a reasonable amount of exposed stone. There are very many different types of lichen, both in growth form and in the fungal and algal partners. Some, especially the more foliose ones, are extremely sensitive to sulphate pollution. It was the loss of many species that alerted scientists in the 1960s and 1970s to the effects of sulphur dioxide from fossil fuels. Now, with the sulphur content removed from effluents, the air is much cleaner and lichens are once again re-colonising areas. The reporter met Frank Dobson on Box Hill to look at a lichen which grows on the leaves of box trees, which as the author states, has been spotted on the trees for the first time in 50 years. The lichen is called Fellhanera bouteillei. In fact it was Lalage Creasey and myself who made this discovery when we were looking at the mosses and liverworts which, unusually, grow on the leaves of box. Why is this unusual? These tiny organisms need several years to reach maturity. Thus, whatever it is that they grow on must be in place for at least this length of time. The leaves of most trees, including evergreens, are shed on a regular basis and do not therefore last long enough. Another factor is the leaf surface which must not be too smooth nor too acid. Box leaves, which stay on the plant for perhaps five years, are ideal. But these mosses and liverworts also require a moist environment, which is why one does not find them on box everywhere. The deep, moist valleys on Box Hill were the places where we found them. Unfortunately, these are exactly the same places where the disease box blight is really taking hold and killing the trees. One of the effects of this blight is that it causes leaf drop. It is ironic that as the air became clean enough for the lichen to grow on box leaves, a disease, perhaps introduced from abroad, should remove the very substrate on which it grows. I have not searched the trees to see if it is still there, for fear of spreading the disease. I have also found the lichen on box in Norbury Park but for the same reason, I have not been to check on its current status. After examining the variety of lichens on an elder bush, the reporter and Frank Dobson then moved ‘down the hill to the little village of Mickleham, where the Norman church of St Michael’s and its churchyard has more than 100 types of lichen, an unusually high concentration.’ At one time, Mickleham held the record for the greatest number of lichens recorded in a churchyard, due in part to nearby Juniper Hall attracting visiting specialists. Some churchyards in the West Country now have a higher recorded total but Mickleham churchyard remains important. Churches and churchyards are important for lichens as they provide a range of unchanging habitats – churches have usually been around for a long time and some of the gravestones are no youngsters either! Lichens are extremely sensitive to changes in their habitat. The gravestones have also provided information about the growth rates of lichens. By measuring the circumference of a crustose lichen and comparing it with the date on the gravestone, it has been possible to estimate the growth rate of these lichens. ‘St Michael’s tombstones are largely grey limestone or brown sandstone, each attracting different lichens. The former are favoured by a pretty egg-yellow species Candelariella medians. ‘When it’s dry, it has this white frosting like the bloom of a grape’, says Dobson. ‘They are actually crystals to stop it getting too wet.’ The sandstone ones favour a range of greys and greens. Above the chapel door, patches of a powdery lime green look rather fetching. ‘It is called Psilolechia lucida because it likes to grow on the inscriptions on tombs and elucidates the lettering.’ Above the lych gate, a brilliant orange one with a fan-like pattern, Xanthoria parietina catches the eye. ‘It is in that position because birds perch on the roof and it feeds off the nutrients in their droppings.’ What they do not mention is that the hard shiny granite or marble tombstones support hardly any lichens. Seen close up, especially with a lens, lichens are fascinating organisms with an aesthetic appeal. Apparently some people join Frank Dobson’s lichen courses at Juniper Hall and other Field Studies Council Centres just so that they can paint, embroider or just photograph them. ‘It is clear that the charm of churches and churchyards owes much to the rich patina of colours and textures that lichens bring to the surfaces.’ The British Lichen Society
carries out surveys of churchyard lichens, an important
task in this safety-conscious age. They are worried that
current safety measures are leading to the destruction of
many lichen habitats. ‘If you move stone to what you
think is a similar spot, chances are that the lichen will
not think so and will die’, says Dobson.
‘Surely these little-appreciated but remarkable
organisms, which can live for hundreds of years, are
deserving of a little more respect?’ |
