STEEP AND STROUD

NEWSLETTER

NO 555 OCTOBER 2017

You don’t have to be a Fish to

remember the hurricane thirty years

ago, although it helps. Michael of

that ilk achieved fame beyond his

dreams by assuring us that the

weather was set fair, and his error

brought him untold wealth as a TV

Celebrity, as an after dinner speaker

and as an opener of supermarkets.

Petersfield, along with much of

south east England, took a fearful

battering, the effects of which are

remembered to this day . Roofs blew

away, orchards were flattened, the

hangers became a prohibited zone

and many people were unable to get

to work due to fallen trees.

Some were without power for nearly

a month, and bathed with

neighbours who had solid fuel

boilers; electricity workers with

Welsh and Yorkshire accents were

shipped in to repair power lines.

Supplies of Calor Gas ran out. We

had to get used to living without

television and telephones.

THE HURRICANE

CONTENT

25 YEARS AGO page 3

DIARY DATES page 4

STEEP/STROUD NEWS page 9

CHURCH NEWS page 17

SERVICE TIMES page 20

2

3

Yet in the intervening years most of

the damage has been repaired, both

hard work and nature playing their

part. Many of the memories are less

of the hardships that many

undoubtedly suffered than the spirit

of comradeship that prevailed. We

invite readers to send us their

recollections of the hurricane and

its repercussions. For me drinking

my beer by candlelight by The

Harrow fire rates pretty high - and I

don’t blame poor old Michael Fish –

there wasn’t much we could have

done even if he’d got his forecast

right!

Rollo Wicksteed

Copyright. The content of the newsletter (excluding the ads) is the copy-

right of Steep PCC, unless otherwise indicated. If in doubt, contact the

editor.

FEEDBACK

The last issue with its striking colour images on the front and back covers

was clearly much appreciated, especially the outstanding picture of a

buzzard by Christopher Barkway. Alas, we haven’t the funds to have col-

our pictures every time, but when we can, we will.

In the meantime, we look forward to receiving more photographs from

our readers, and of course we welcome feedback.

David Dobson, Editor

25 YEARS AGO RUMPOLE IS COMING TO BEDALES

Bedales is privileged to announce that John

Mortimer, Gemma Jones and Joanna David have

generously offered an evening’s entertainment as

part of the Bedales Olivier Theatre Appeal

effort. ‘Mortimer’s Miscellany’ will take place

on Sunday …

4

STEEP PARISH COUNCIL Next meeting will be at 7.30 p.m. on

Monday, 2nd

October in the small

meeting room at Steep Village Hall.

BEDALES OLIVIER THEATRE

3 October Kala Chethena Kathakali

Company present the magical world

of South India using storytelling,

providing a gateway to the past and

a vision of the future.

5 October Femi Temowo with The

Engines Orchestra. Nigerian born

Femi will be exploring his unique

blend of afro, jazz and folk, joining

forces with the ground-breaking,

cross-genre ensemble Engines

Orchestra presenting The Music is

the Feeling

Bookings: bedalesevents.co.uk or

0333 666 3366

STEEP HARVEST BAR-B-Q Sunday 6th October at Lythe Farm.

For tickets (£5-£8) please contact

S e l i n a ( 2 6 3 6 4 1 ) , A n t h o n y

(261993), Susan (268346) and

Suzi (827743) or at Steep School

pick up.

STEEP HISTORY GROUP Tuesday 10th October Steep History

Group, all welcome. Contact Fran

Box tel 266284 if you would like to

join as a new member.

STROUD EVENING WI 10 October - What's The One Place

You Do Not Want To Put Your Head?

HM Customs and Border Force

stories - related by Commander

Chris Pratt MBE (Retd)

Steep Village Hall at 7.30 p.m.

Enquiries: Pauline Cook - 263406

WELCOME CLUB Thursday 12th October. Visit to

Secretts Farm Shop and Squires

Garden Centre, Milford with tea at

Eliza's Cafe. Meet at Steep Village

Hall at 2pm to car-share.

Thursday 26th October. Film -

"Paddington". 2.30pm - Steep

Village Hall. NOTE EARLIER START

TIME.

Heather Maybury -

hjmaybury@aol.com &

Judy Thompson - 267362

BONFIRE PREPARATIONS 15th, 22nd and 29th of October,

10.am - noon. See page 11

STROUD AFTERNOON WI 19 October - Alison Hall will talk on

The Waitrose Foundation. We meet

at 2.15pm at the Physic Garden Details Susan Kuruber 261351

DIARY DATES

5

STEEP FILM SOCIETY

Friday October 20th - THEIR FINEST

Drama/Comedy starring Bill Nighy

and Gemma Arterton. A former

secretary, newly appointed as a

scriptwriter for propaganda films,

joins the cast and crew of a major

production while the Blitz rages

around them.

Tickets will be available on the door

(no need to book in advance) and

will also be on sale at One Tree

Books for £6 per ticket.

Doors will open at 7.30pm, with the

film starting at 8.00pm. There will

be a bar and ice-creams for sale.

If you would like more information

and would like an email reminder

email: kateburke@mac.com

ASHFORD HANGERS

VOLUNTEER DAY

Sunday, 19th November from 10.00

a.m. until 12.00 noon - meet at

Ashford Farm – All very welcome!

SAVE THE CHILDREN GIFT FAIR

Churchers College will again provide

the venue for this popular annual

event. To be held over two days

there will be a wonderful selection

of new stalls offering a wide range

of items - jewellery, homeware and

decorative items, luxury fashion

goods, gifts for men, toys, art ware

and many other fabulous items you

simply won’t see in the High Street.

The fair will be open on Friday, 27th

October 10 a.m - 4p.m and Saturday

28th October 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Entrance £4 which includes a

beautiful hessian bag and a free

cup of coffee or tea. There will be

free car-parking.

Save the Children works in the U.K.

and abroad to save children's’ lives,

battle child poverty, help families in

need and delivers educational

programmes in homes and schools.

Do come along and support this

charity and get ahead with your

Christmas shopping and perhaps

buy something for yourself!!

COPY FOR THE NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER

not later than midday on Wednesday 18th October To David Dobson at Downgate Cottage, Steep Marsh, GU32 2BE

Or davidandjoanna@talktalk.net and storeycelia@gmail.com

FOR STROUD to Jeremy Mitchell at Fairlands, Finchmead Lane, Stroud

GU32 3PF or mitchjd@btinternet.com - tel 267214

6

TO SEE LOCAL PLANNING APPLICATIONS http://planningpublicaccess.southdowns.gov.uk/online-applications

For local planning authority put in your postcode.

Medical Herbalist

Jo Dunbar

(MSc. Dip Herbal Medicine)

Available for consultations in

London, Surrey and Stroud

Further information and

herbal workshops see

www.botanicamedica.co.uk

07932 764417

7

Steep to Petersfield Bus Service 71

Enquiries call 01962 846786

Wednesdays and Fridays at : Return

Steep, Bedales School 09:35 Petersfield Tesco 12:27

Petersfield Hospital 09:42 Petersfield Square 12:30

Petersfield Railway Station 09:45 Petersfield Railway Station 12:33

Petersfield Square 09:48 Petersfield Hospital 12:35

Petersfield Tesco 09.51 Steep, Bedales School 12:42

See Stroud buses on www.xelabus.info or phone 023 8064 4715

8

Convert your aga range cooker

to Electric Power

Reduce running costs up to 80%

Hobs and ovens controlled

independently

Rapid heat up time from cold

Hampshire Cookers Conversions

www.hcconversions.co.uk

Call Paul on 07730 988361

House and / Dog Sitting Service Dog Walking Non Smoker and CRB Check

Call Jennie for Enquiries

01730 268250 or 07824391363

9

PETERSFIELD CULTURAL

COURSES THIS AUTUMN AND

NEXT SPRING

The Petersfield branch of the Work-

ers’ Educational Association (WEA)

is offering the usual mix of cultural

courses this autumn. On Monday

afternoons tutor Neil Phillips is to

run a seven-week course on western

philosophy; Wednesday mornings

sees the return of Richard Lawrence

and the early operas of Benjamin

Britten and on Wednesday after-

noons historian Royston Doughty

will lecture on ‘The Rise and Fall of

the American Empire’.

Turning to the New Year, music ap-

preciation continues with Britten’s

later operas; popular local historian

Jennifer Goldsmith looks at Britain’s

1688 Revolution and its aftermath,

relating to Britain’s place in Europe;

and new tutor for us, Sandra Smith,

will introduce students to photog-

raphy as an art form.

Brochures giving details of times,

venues and fees can be found in the

library, community centre and other

places in the town and its vicinity.

Contact: Nan Biles at email

ntlworld.com.

STEEP AND STROUD NEWS

MESSAGE FROM THE FLOOD &

WATER MANAGEMENT TEAM:

Unfortunately it is fast becoming the

time of year when we need to think

about the state of Hampshire’s land

drainage network. As the rain begins

in earnest and leaves begin to fall, all

riparian owners (those who have

watercourses on or bordering their

properties) across Hampshire, and

beyond, should be looking at the

state of their drainage ditches,

culverts and other watercourses to

ensure the clear transference of rain

water and a reduced risk of localised

flooding. For more details see:

www.hants.gov.uk/landplanningand

environment/environment/flooding

Flood and Water Management Team

01962 846730 - fwm@hants.gov.uk

BONFIRE ON THE COMMON

The bonfire on the common has

taken place since 1977, the Queens

Jubilee. A few of the original crew are

still around but are getting slower at

building the bonfire. We are in

desperate need of the help of new,

energetic volunteers on the Sunday

mornings of 15th, 22nd and 29th of

October, 10.am - noon. Please come

and help to keep this wonderful

village celebration going.

Paul - 263641 or Terry - 263406

10

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11

STEEP FLOWER SHOW

Steep Flower Show seems to be one

of those immovable institutions,

whose origins are lost in the mists of

time and which will go on for ever,

but in fact, over the years it has

seen its share of changes and

difficulties. It was restarted after

the war in, we believe, 1947, which

means that this year was the 70th

anniversary. The moving forces

behind the restart were Colonel and

Mrs Glover, of Soal Farm, who are

commemorated in the Colonel

Glover Cup and The Mrs Glover Cup.

Their daughter Diana Sime,

presented the prizes at the show in

2008.

By the 1950s the chairman was

Lord Horder, and the show was

being held in July on Steep

Common, with a hired marquee

(£29.10s.0d, £29.50p in today’s

money; would they were that price

now!). Steep School was used for

teas and for the administrative

offices. There was a lot more

paperwork then in those pre-

computer days, and I doubt if the

secretary and assistants ever got

into the show tent. There was an

associated fête, with sports events

and sideshows, including bowling

for a (live) pig. The show was

obviously well supported at this

time, because in 1955 there had to

be an election to select committee

members!

In 1957 Mrs Newell-Watson (later

the donor of the children’s trophy)

was chair, and there was

considerable debate about the date

of the show, or whether it would go

ahead at all, as petrol rationing,

introduced because of the Suez

Crisis, was still in force. Happily the

show was held as planned.

In 1958 and 1959 the show was

held at Soal Farm, the home of the

Glovers, but the deaths of both

Colonel and Mrs Glover meant this

venue was not available for 1960,

and the show moved to the village

hall, where it stayed for two years.

This meant a much smaller space,

and the schedule was cut. The

three previous separate sections –

Cottagers in Steep, Professional

Gardeners in Steep, and Open, were

cut down to two, losing the

professional section. This explains

why in schedules in the 1970s and

1980s there was a section A and a

section C but no section B. It wasn’t

until 1997 that this was changed to

the format we now have, all classes

open to everyone, although the

committee discussed it in 1976.

The Mrs Hayward Cup, which had

been awarded to the winner of

section B was at this time

reallocated to the collection of

12

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13

vegetables; in 1997 The Colonel

Glover Cup, which had been for the

Open Section was reassigned to the

winner of the vegetable section, and

the Mrs Glover Cup, which had gone

to the Cottagers section winner, was

now allocated to the flower section.

In 1962 there was some question

whether the show should continue

at all, but it was agreed to ask

Bedales if the show could be held

there, thus beginning a long and

happy partnership which continues.

The show was held in “The Hall”,

presumably the Lupton Hall, as the

quad was not converted into a hall

until the 1970s. Mr Slack, the head,

wrote to the committee afterwards

expressing “pleasure at the choice

of the school for the show”. But the

show was having problems. The

1964 show was not well supported

by exhibitors or the public, and the

committee let things lapse, not even

holding an AGM. There was no show

in 1965, but in 1966 the rump of

the committee held a public

meeting, which was widely

advertised, and drew in a

respectable number of villagers. It

was agreed that the show should

be revived, at Bedales if possible,

and the chosen date was 17th

September, the last Saturday

before the start of term. Term dates

have changed rather a lot since

then. Also in the 1966 minutes we

find that it was decided “to invite

Mr C… to join in again and forget

the past”. I wonder what

happened, and whether he did.

From about 1976 the show

continued happily in Bedales Quad,

but in the 1990s there were a

couple of important changes. First,

Bedales term dates changed, and

at the school’s request, the show

moved to the Saturday of the Bank

Holiday weekend. It’s now hard to

imagine it on any other date.

Secondly, Bruce Moore, then bursar

of Bedales, and an enthusiastic

member of the Flower Show

Committee decided that a marquee

would be very useful to Bedales for

their events, and of course the

flower show would also have the

use of it. This made a tremendous

difference to the ambience of the

show - the great tent, the beautiful

grounds, with tea and cake

available and a chance to sit out or

take a stroll. This is the show as we

14

15

know it today, and, as is the way of

things, it has expanded to fill the

space available. We now have well

over a hundred classes, and in

2017 we had over a hundred

exhibitors and six hundred and sixty

exhibits, hardly recognisable from

the show of the 1940s and 50s.

But marquees do not last forever,

and when this one reached the end

of its working life, we feared we

might have to downsize and move

back into the quad. Happily,

Bedales has come to realise how

much Steep values the show, and

what it does for the relationship

between school and village. The

marquee and tables are hired in for

us at Bedales’ expense, and their

domestic and facilities staff give us

invaluable help with equipment and

installation. Without this four figure

financial outlay the show could not

continue in its present form, and,

like so many other village shows,

would probably wither and die.

This year’s show was I think one of

the best. We were of course helped

by the beautiful weather. Entries

were up, as were visitors on the day,

and people were happy to sit

around with their tea and cake

enjoying a lovely day out. The

judges were very complimentary,

both about the show and about the

lunch we gave them; one of them

said it is the best village show he

knows. (I think we’ll ask him back).

So where do we go from here? The

one thing certain is that the show

won’t stay unchanged. There are

always changes to the schedule.

Fashions come and go; we no longer

have classes for home-made beer

and wine, and the early exhibitors

would have been amazed at classes

for aubergines. Changing personnel

bring changes in ideas; we are

always on the lookout for new

committee members or people who

would like to be involved on the day.

And, of course, we are in the hands

of Bedales. The show has been

held at Bedales now for over fifty

years. Let’s hope the partnership

continues for another fifty years.

Kate Ford

ADVERTISING IN THIS NEWSLETTER AND VILLAGE WEBSITE If you would like to advertise please contact Ray Street on 892656 or

email steepweb@hotmail.co.uk

Village website: www.steepvillage.com

16

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17

CHURCH NEWS

HARVEST IS UPON US

The sound of tractors and combine

harvesters, the sunny but cold

mornings (I won’t mention the

torrential rain!) and the sight of

beautiful fields newly cut and

shining in the sun are surely the

signs that autumn has arrived and

Harvest Festival is upon us. In such

a rural area it is wonderful to have

this yearly celebration of the hard

work that our farmers and their

families do, and give thanks for the

food that is grown all around us.

Stroud will be celebrating the

Harvest on Sunday 24th

September, Steep on 1st October,

High Cross on Sunday 8th October.

This will give us a chance to do a

round robin of all the churches!

three fantastic teams of helpers will

be decorating the churches and we

welcome any donations during the

services – tins, packets and jars –

which will be given to the foodbank

to help those in need.

HARVEST LUNCH on Sunday 6th

October is a wonderful event for

families, friends and neighbours

and occurs every other year. hosted

kindly by the Littlejohns in the

perfect surroundings of Lythe Farm.

There will be an array of delicious

food – BBQ, salads and delectable

puddings (Steep should really

become famous for its pudding

makers) with acres of fields for

running around in and the

occasional hay bale to jump off! It

really is a wonderful opportunity for

a social gathering – and not limited

to church regulars!

For tickets (£5-£8) please contact

S e l i n a ( 2 6 3 6 4 1 ) , A n t h o n y

(261993), Susan (268346) and

Suzi (827743) or at Steep School

pick up.

IGNITE SERVICES

Ignite is back this Sunday, 17th

September - 11am @ High Cross

Village Hall - and the Ignite team

look forward to catching up with you

all.

A series of talks around ‘The

Psalms’ is planned for this term,

with the amazing musicians leading

us all in worship, and Sara and Sue

hosting ‘Generator’ for the

youngsters and 'The Balcony Gang'

for the ‘young people’ respectively.

As ever everyone of every age is

welcome, and we would love to

encourage you to bring a friend to

join in the fun - and of course eat a

doughnut!

18

077919 62327

New home no: 02392-042547

Mobile (as before): 07908-529318

New E-Mail mbicknell@sky.com

19

JUNIOR SIDESMAN

We are encouraging members (new

and old) of the Sunday School to

become our Junior Sidesmen for the

All age Services each month. This

gives them a chance to be more

involved in the running and set up

the services and to see at first hand

how everything works. Those who

have so far participated have very

much enjoyed being part of the

back office team!

SERVICE FOR THE DEPARTED

The All Souls’ service for the

departed takes place this year at All

Saints’ on Sunday 30th October at

4.00 pm when we remember in

prayer friends and relatives who

have died and we particularly pray

for local families in Steep and

Froxfield who have been bereaved

in the past year. The service is open

to all those who would like to

attend.

FROM THE REGISTER

FUNERALS

Francis Lowe – 16th August (age to

follow)

John Martin – 25th August aged 95

MEMORIALS

Elisabeth Robinson – 21st

September

COCKEREL BACK ON THE SPIRE

The Victorian cockerel on top of

Steep Church spire lost its head,

literally, last year, and had to be

removed by scaffolders. It has now

been restored to full health – Robin

Dimmock did the repair, and

Tankerdale did the regilding - and

replaced on the church spire. The

cost of the operation, a little under

£2000, came partly from the collec-

tion at Joy Clarke’s funeral, but the

bulk was borne by the Friends of

Steep Church, and pictured here are

Tony Struthers, chairman of the

Friends, together with Luke and Fe-

licity from Steep school –

plus cockerel!

20

Parish Communion Services are in modern language

Early Sunday Services are from the Book of Common Prayer

STEEP - Every Thursday: Silent Prayer 6.30pm; Holy Communion 7pm

Choir Practice: Saturdays before Parish Communion 9:30 am

Sunday School: During Parish Communion except during school holidays

Vicar: John Owen 264282 revjohnowen@gmail.com

Assistant Priest: Chris Prior-Jones 894040

Lay Pastoral Assistant: Lindsay Clegg, 827505 lindsay.clegg1@btinternet.com

Reader: Caroline Hilton 263460

Churchwarden: Suzi Openshaw 827743

Helen Muir-Davies 264039 or mobile 07831 267805

Church website: http://steepfroxfield.com

Sunday 1st October - The 16th Sunday after Trinity (Green)

8am Holy Communion, Steep

9.30am Parish Communion, High Cross

10.30am Harvest Festival Eucharist, Steep

Sunday 8th October - The 17th Sunday after Trinity (Green)

8.30am Holy Communion, Stroud

10am Harvest Festival Communion, High Cross

(followed by Harvest Bring and Share Lunch)

10.30am Parish Communion, Steep

Sunday 15th October - The 18th Sunday after Trinity (Green)

8am Holy Communion, Steep

9.30am Parish Communion, High Cross

11am Ignite, Froxfield Village Hall

Sunday 22nd October - The 19th Sunday after Trinity (Green)

8.30am Holy Communion, Stroud

9.30am Morning Prayer, Froxfield Green

10.30am Parish Communion, Steep

Sunday 29th October - The Last Sunday after Trinity (Green)

10am Benefice Communion, High Cross

(Guest Preacher, Revd Canon David Isaac)

4pm All Souls’ Service, Steep

CHURCH SERVICES IN STEEP, STROUD & FROXFIELD