Andrea at the Village Shop
Our local Member of Parliament, Andrea Leadsom, holds regular local “surgeries”. Andrea says: “If you can’t make it to one of my monthly advice surgeries but would really like to meet in person, please come along to one of my ‘drop in’ surgeries. No appointment is necessary and I will be happy to discuss with you whatever is on your mind.”
A great deal is now known about the Castle Hill Ancient Monument in Sulgrave, especially during the period of its transition from a Saxon Hall to a Norman Castle, about 1000 years ago. The Sulgrave Castle Archaeological Group has been working towards the sharing of this information with a wider public. To this end, a set of School Cards has been prepared for use by visiting school children, enabling them by question and answer to appreciate and enjoy the history of the site. The Group is proposing to hold a trial run in the use of the cards by holding an interactive history event on Sunday 27th April. By kind permission of the owners of the site, Peter and Clare Pollak, all those interested in the history of this unique ancient monument, especially parents and children, will be welcome at the hill to take part in this trial
The illustration above is just one of the twenty pages of maps and photos which will be available. It shows three of the remarkable 1000 year old items found on the site. Villagers of a romantic disposition will perhaps imagine a Saxon lady having her hair dressed with the comb and scissors whilst being serenaded on the bone flute….
See here for full information on the Castle Hill Project.
More information on this event will be available on this website and in the Village Newsletter at a later date.
Sophie and Brendan perform the Charleston to ‘Rock It For Me’ by Caravan Palace
Villagers will remember Hywel and Ingram’s daughter Angharad’s lovely wedding in April 2011. Angaharad is part of the BBC production team responsible for “Strictly Come Dancing” and writes as follows:
“Strictly Come Dancing has been nominated for a National Television Award, seeing first hand just how much effort and hard work goes into making such a sparkling show, I would be so grateful if the Sulgrave Strictly fans ( of which I know there are many, especially Shrimp) would take time to vote on the link below.
So if Sulgrave had a ball watching the Ballroom, loved the glitter, sequins and have enjoyed a twirl into 2014 then please can we post the link on the village website
If Mark Benton’s MC Hammer routine made you laugh out loud and grin from ear to ear, Dave Myers being “Chuffed as Nuts” on the dance floor, Sophie and Brendon’s waltz gave you goosebumps or Abbey’s sheer delight at winning made you leap out of your chair, then please Sulgrave take the time to vote.
We loved working on the show, we’re all still recovering but to pop an award on the mantle piece to prove it would be magical.”
http://www.nationaltvawards.com/vote/
This is your chance to show your appreciation!
24th January: Angharad emails that they won! See next page.
Sharon Halleron-Kerr is the new full time manager of the Village Community Shop. Sharon lives at Fenny Compton and is looking forward to working with the many voluntary shop assistants and bakers. Further volunteers to supplement the current team are always welcome, even for a few hours a week. No previous experience necessary!
Read latest village shop report.
Peter Mackness sent in this picture a few years ago and a good deal of correspondence followed, which can be seen here.
Ken Robson, who was involved in the design of these machines, has recently emailed with the following additional information:
Your last correspondent has confirmed the machine and its maker. Manufactured soon after the end of the 2nd World War, this machine shows the ingenuity of its inventor, Arthur Clifford Howard, CBE, and exemplifies the shortage of raw materials available at that time to UK manufacturers. A “bog standard” Fordson agricultural tractor (Cost price in 1943 £180 plus £10 delivery) was stripped of its “spadelug” rear wheels and replaced by a “rotaped” track system in order to give the machine a lower ground bearing pressure and improved traction. The trencher wheel would have been driven direct from the traction unit via a propshaft and the whole machine would have been used to lay “tile drains” at a much faster rate than that achieved by manual means. The Howard Trencher was significantly improved during the 50s through to the 70s and the later units carried laser direction control systems. Many of the machines were based on a Ford skid unit, made by County Tractors, Kent, on the same popular Rotaped system on your photograph. Arthur Clifford Howard was of Australian descent. He settled in England around the mid 1930s and from his first factory at West Horndon, manufactured a range of rotary cultivators, bearing the brilliant trade name “Rotavator”, which you will observe, has the same spelling, whether forwards or back. The company used to trade heavily on this brand name, many advertisements bearing the slogan, “If it isn’t a Howard, it isn’t a Rotavator”. The “Chief” as he was affectionately known, died in 1971. His funeral at Upminster was attended by hundreds from all over the world. As one of his ex-apprenticed draughtsman, I am happy to be able to fill in some of the history relating to your picture.
Ken Robson
Carol singers tune up outside the community shop
On a very windy but fortunately dry night, carol singers toured the village, singing in a number of strategic places whilst the children collected money for charity. A few days previously, volunteers met to collect the traditional holly and ivy from the churchyard, to make Christmas garlands with which to decorate many telephone poles around the village. 
More pictures of these activities can be seen on the following pages, and excerpts from several of the carols can be heard. Read the rest of this entry »
According to the weather forecast it will be a fairly mild evening for December but quite windy with the possibility of some rain. Everyone is advised to bring appropriate clothing and a torch.
The evening will include an event at the Pocket Park.
Supported by Groundwork UK.
On Friday 6th December the Star Inn was packed out with villagers wishing to say goodbye to David Bolton, retiring after serving as the Manager of the Village Community Shop for almost ten years. Shop volunteers and customers alike crowded into the restaurant and overflowed into the bar, snug and corridors. David was presented with various momentos, including a photograph album featuring most of those involved in the shop since 2004. Photos of the presentation and a link to the album can be seen on the following pages.
BEFORE CONTINUING PLEASE NOTE THAT THE SHOP WILL CLOSE ON DECEMBER 24TH AT 1.00 PM AND RE-OPEN ON DECEMBER 27TH AT 8.00 AM.
The government has published a hybrid bill to pave the way for the high-speed rail line between London and Birmingham.
The bill, effectively the planning application for the scheme, allows those affected by the proposed line to petition Parliament both for and against the proposals and have their case heard by a committee of MPs. An Environmental Statement for Phase One of the scheme has also been published. The bill and supporting material stretches to nearly 50,000 pages.
The Department for Transport has said that the bill should achieve Royal Assent by the end of the current Parliament in 2015, allowing construction of Phase One to begin in 2016 or 2017. This initial London to Birmingham section of the route is currently scheduled for completion in 2026.
The government is seeking comments on all the documents forming the environmental statement through the HS2 Phase One environmental statement consultation open between 25 November 2013 and 24 January 2014.
See following pages for relevant extracts from the Environmental Statement and other documents dealing with the section of the line nearest to Sulgrave.
