Netherfield

Netherfield Breakaway Club: The July meeting of the Club took place on Thursday 21st at the White Hart, Netherfield in the form of a summer lunch for members and guests. A very pleasant time was enjoyed by all in a very convivial atmosphere. The outing to Sissinghurst was confirmed for Thursday 15th September. As usual there was no meetings in August. A very pleasant, rather warm day dawned for our coach trip to Sissinghurst, always a most enjoyable place to visit with its beautiful gardens, moat, unique tower and wonderful views. The tower is well worth the climb to the top and there is an opportunity to look into the personal study of Vita Sackville-West, renowned writer and poet with an intriguing life story! She was also an avid gardener and spent hours designing, creating and working in the now world-famous garden. Her husband, Harold Nicolson, also a very keen gardener, adored her. They moved to Sissinghurst in 1932 and a superb photographic exhibition of their marriage and ensuing lives together is on display in one of the barns. Sissinghurst was originally a Saxon pig farm and within a few years had become a small moated manor house, lived in by a family who shared their name with the place; the de Saxingherstes. Nothing remains today of the original house except for part of the moat. By the late 16th century the site had been transformed by the affluent Baker family who built a magnificent Renaissance courtyard house, complete with vaulted gallery, 37 fireplaces and tower at its centre. Leased to the government during the Seven Years war (1756-1763), Sissinghurst was used as a prison camp for 3,000 captured French sailors who largely destroyed the house. It is from this period that Sissinghurst became known as Chateau de Sissingherst or Sissinghurst Castle. In 1796 the Parish of Cranbrook took out a lease on the Farm, creating a poor house where up to 100 men were offered housing, employment and food. By the 1800s it was home to the Mann Cornwallis family who repaired the remaining
By The Newsroom
Published 14th Oct 2016, 00:00 BST
Updated 25th Oct 2016, 19:06 BST

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Netherfield newsNetherfield news
Netherfield news

Netherfield Breakaway Club: NEW VENUE: Many of our members now come from Battle with only a few from the Netherfield area, and to make travelling, access, space and parking easier, especially for our group of ladies needing assistance, it has been decided to relocate to the Emmanuel Centre, Harrier Lane, Battle. There is a lift available and a large room with screen. Our October meeting on Thursday 20th – ‘Wing Standing’ with Vivienne Dalglish (who once worked at Shoreham Airport) will take place there. Harrier Lane is off Marley Lane, after the level crossing on the right if you are travelling down the High Street into Marley Lane, or on the left if you are coming up Marley Lane from the A21. Follow Harrier Lane until you reach the Centre on the left, which is clearly signposted. Our speaker for the November meeting on Thursday 17th will be local well known historian Geoff Hutchinson, speaking on Battle Abbey. We will also be taking numbers and giving out menus for our Christmas lunch at the Brickwall Hotel, at the October meeting.

New members and guests are always welcome. Juliette [email protected]

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Mountfield Village Hall: Bonfire night. To be held on Friday 28 October at the Bonfire Field, Solomon’s Lane. Gates open at 6 pm and entry is just £2 per head. There will be soup, a BBQ and refreshments. In case of inclement weather, and I can’t believe that would happen in “Blighty” please check the Mountfield Village Hall website at www.mountfieldvillagehall.org.uk.

Mountfield Horticulture Society: The AGM for this esteemed society will be held on 5 November at 3pm in the Mountfield Village Hall. Should go with a bang and produce a lot of fireworks over who has the best ACER.

St John Baptist Church: The Harvest lunch was held after the communion service on Sunday 25 September in the church for a total of 25 parishioners, who all said how much they had enjoyed the day. The church was decorated with seasonal flowers and the many gifts gathered together will be sent to the Family Support Group.

The Autumn Fair was held in the church last Saturday, 8th of October. The weather didn’t let us down too much. A bit gloomy at first but it soon cleared. The turnout was moderate, but those who came gave us their full support and had a really good time keeping the stalls busy. Margaret and John had a wonderful display for the gardens in their gazebo outside the main entrance. Many thanks to everyone who put in such a great effort to raise over £377, especially Richard Williams, who devised the treasure hunt and kept the young people on the move.

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We are already preparing for Santa’s Brunch on 3 December which is always popular. More news later, but we do have a problem. Our resident Santa is going on holiday to prepare himself for the big rush, so we need a stand-in for the day.on 3rd Decembe Any person who wants the job and also have a jolly good time, can get in touch with either Emma or myself, as we would be pleased to hear from you. We can’t let the children down. Many thanks. Gllian Slack 01424 838825.

East Sussex Hearing Resource Centre: The East Sussex Hearing Resource Centre is a registered charity and is a free service brought to Battle. It works in partnership with Adult Social Care to provide a no charge mobile information and advice service for Deaf, deafened and hard of hearing people living in East Sussex. The vehicle is equipped to offer demonstrations of assistive equipment and hearing screening tests. The mobile unit will be visiting Battle on Thursday 3rd November 2016, and will be in Market Square from 10.30am – 3.30pm.

The bus is accessible to wheelchair users and representatives from both the East Sussex Hearing Resource Centre and Adult Social Care will be available to provide individual information and advice on all aspects of hearing loss. For further information please contact: East Sussex Hearing Resource Centre, Tel: 01323 722505 (voice/text/fax) e-mail: [email protected]

Claverham Monday Badminton Club: I am asking yet again. Do you want to get fit? Do you like a racket sport? How about joining us for a game of badminton? The company is great and it spans all generations from 17 to 70. You can be a beginner or a champion. It is mainly doubles of any combination of the people who arrive on the night. There is no set pattern to the partnerships so you could be playing in one game with a County player and in the next with a novice. What you get is fun and fit. It starts at 20.00 (or 8.00 pm in old money) and goes on until 22.00 (or 10.00 pm). The cost is £5.00. That is £2.50 per hour for a good time. If you are interested ring Maurice 01424 838410 or email [email protected].

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Reflections on a garden: It is 6.30 in the evening and the winter darkness is covering the garden like an old utility woolen blanket. The cover of night gives ample scope to the soft pests of the summer to cause havoc to the last remnants of our Swiss Chard. As I traipse through the sadly depleted rows, the bright red, green and yellow leaves display the jagged edged gouges that have been munched and devoured by an army of hungry fat slugs. No, pellets are a no-no, as is beer and copper around the top of the sleepers that enclose our vegetable patch. I always hope that we have a regiment of marauding hedgehogs that await twilight before they emerge from the daily slumber, to munch, crunch and lunch on this brunch of invertebrates. They can’t be there though as the devastation has continued unabated.

Now is the time to start moving the perennials so my wife tells me. Iris, crocosmia and a host of blooms that entranced our friends and visitors, are now sadly a distant memory. Oh well, I will get my gaiters on, don the steel capped boots and leave a trail of string in case I get lost in the forest of failing flowers.

More next week......

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