Harvington AD 2007 A year in the life of a village in the Vale of Evesham 92 1 Published by Bramley Barn Publications Harvington, WR11 8NL, United Kingdom. Copyright © Bramley Barn Publications 2008 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the written prior permission of the publishers. Jess and Dick Fairs in St James’ Church with the sixteenth century pew tops. The publishers wish to thank all the many contributors to this book for their time and generosity in providing material. Some years ago these pew tops were found, abandoned and forgotten, in the bell tower of St James’ Church, Harvington. They all bore hand-carved The publishers also wish to thank Fran Battin for her considerable names and inscriptions and were believed to be very old. After research and expert examination it was established that they dated back to the sixteenth century. contribution to this publication in so generously providing many of the photographs used herein. Dick Fairs, a marine engineer by profession and one of whose hobbies was working with wood, decided that he would clean and restore the pew tops to their former glory so that they may be conserved and better appreciated. After his labour of love these historic church artefacts were temporarily mounted and displayed within the church for which they had been originally carved. It is hoped that eventually a faculty will be granted so that they may be kept on permanent display. 2 91 Chris Haynes established the first Harvington website (www.harvington.org.uk) Contents some years ago. This gives a brief history of, and introduction to, the village and has links to the individual websites of some village clubs, societies and organisations. Foreword 5 Keith Davies, another of Harvington’s computer experts, set up the other village Facts and Figures 6 website (www.harvington.net) some while later to host and link to some local sites, Village News 7 - 9 as well as setting up a local business directory. In 2008 sites for the Ellenden Farm Shop, St James’ Church and Parish Council are being added. Civic Affairs: Thus, our village is no longer distant from the rest of the world as it would have The Village Hall 9 - 12 been eight hundred years ago. Then it would have been a long walk to the nearest On being Chairman of the Parish Council 13 - 14 towns — Evesham and Stratford — and at least a day’s journey to Worcester. Now it On becoming a parish councillor 15 - 16 can be instantly ‘accessed’ by means of computer from the Australian outback or the A County & District Councillor's view 16 depths of the Amazonian jungle. Those who have never heard of it before can find out something of Harvington’s geography and people at the press of a few keys... or Organisations & Interest Groups: the click of a mouse! HATS 17 - 18 And there’s no reason to think that such ‘technological miracles’ won’t increase Art Group 18 - 19 into the future. Harvington may be a relatively small and intimate community but it Cricket Club 19 - 20 also stands ready to take its place on the global scene. Horticultural Society 21 Tony Grey Harvington Singers 22 - 23 Women’s Institute 24 - 25 Harvington Wheelers 25 Cameo Teas 26 Cotswold Ways & Beyond 26 - 27 Epilogue St James’ Handbell Ringers 28 - 29 Senior Residents’ Club 29 - 30 My dictionary defines a village as ‘(1) A small group of houses in a country setting Women’s Network 30 larger than a hamlet’, and ‘(2) The inhabitants of such a community collectively’. It Rainbows 30 - 31 has been wonderful to have an early look at this snapshot of life in Harvington AD 1st Harvington Brownie Pack 31 - 32 2007 (certainly larger than a hamlet) and Jess and Tony are to be congratulated for all their hard work. But of course the book wouldn’t have been possible without the Service Providers: co-operation of so many villagers – our collective community. Post Office 32 - 33 The village started to expand after the Second World War. It is nice to know that Ferndale Garage 33 - 34 so many ‘incomers’ have settled here and their skills and enthusiasm have helped to The Coach & Horses 34 - 35 contribute to the active and friendly village that is Harvington. I hope that Pam The Golden Cross 35 Walden and Sheila Hemming will agree with me that, although ‘original’ villagers The shop on Leys Road 36 have sometimes had difficulty in adapting to change, it is change and growth that stop a village dying. Education in Harvington: Now it’s the middle of 2008 and many of the schemes written about are coming to Harvington Pre-School 37 fruition, particularly in the three main centres of village life, the Village Hall, Harvington Church of England School 38 - 40 St James’ Church and the Baptist Church, and the revival of the Village Plan. On being a school governor 40 Long may Harvington continue to thrive. On being chairman of the P.T.F.A. 41 Sue Coley Memories of Harvington school 42 - 43 Avon Tales 43 - 50 90 3 Village People and their activities: others, having undertaken the task herself of setting up the Easter garden. She had put Harvington Playing Field 50 - 51 on weight and was obviously very tired and in great discomfort, but was bending over The Bawns 51 - 52 and tenderly putting the small figures into their setting when she realised I was The Lengthsman 53 watching. She turned her bare head and smiled up at me with a radiant face and said, On becoming a churchwarden 53 - 54 ‘I can’t tell you how glad I am that they asked me to do this again this year. I’ve Manor Farm Leisure 54 - 55 always loved this job. Isn’t it lovely to know that He’s risen again.’ Litter Picks 55 - 56 Bob was kind enough to agree to my writing about Jane in this way. He was Making Music 56 - 58 generous with his time and his confidence and I was glad of an opportunity to get to ‘Let us run…’ 58 - 59 know him better. I explained to him that my wish was to write something about Reverend Richard’s adventure 60 Jane’s death and to let all that is woven into this one unhappy experience represent all Candle Cottage 60 - 62 the other losses felt by families in the village during this year – indeed, not just this Keith Seager 62 - 64 year but at any time. Jane happened to be well-known; there are others whose deaths have not affected the community in quite the same way, but each passing has brought Notable Events: grief and loneliness to those who were most nearly touched by it. The Village Fete 64 - 65 In remembering Jane and grieving for those who have been most sorely affected by Auction of Promises 65 her death, let us remember all others of our community whose final days in this The Flower Festival 66 - 68 particular year will have left a space which cannot be filled. New Year’s Eve Party 68 Jess Fairs Church Matters: The organisation of St James’ church 69 - 71 The Repair & Rejuvenation Fund 71 - 72 —- Harvington into the future? —- Licensed as an Assistant Priest 72 Sunday Group? Sunday School?... 73 Harvington Bells 74 - 75 Baptisms & Marriages 75 - 76 Harvington on the Web Baptist church - from the floorboards 76 - 78 Baptist Church 78 - 79 In the Foreword to this book mention was made of Robert de Harvington Youth Project 79 - 81 Clypston, the first priest of the parish of Harvington to have his name recorded for posterity. In thinking back those eight hundred Comings and Goings years one wonders what sort of community existed here in those Home thoughts from a newcomer 81 - 82 distant days. It must have been very small and, one supposes, quite Ellenden Farm Shop 82 - 83 primitive. When you walk around the village today and look at its New faces at The Grange 83 - 84 oldest buildings, made of wattle and daub and roofed with thatch, Pam Walden 85 - 86 it is well to remember that they came several centuries later when A family comes… and (nearly) goes 86 - 87 the times in which de Clypston lived were already seen as ancient history. In Memoriam — Jane Parry 88 - 89 In these early years of the twenty-first century we may feel ourselves even further removed from the lives of those who came before us all those years ago, but can, Harvington into the Future? perhaps, make some sort of reasonable guess about what life will be like in the future; Harvington on the Web 89 - 90 a life where there will be an even greater reliance upon technological developments. Epilogue 90 And Harvington has not been backward in taking advantage of present-day tech- nology; not only is it on the World Wide Web… it has two village websites! It is now possible, with a computer and access to the Internet, to find out something about what goes on in this village... no matter where one happens to be in the world! 4 89 In Memoriam Foreword On 22nd February in 2007 Jane Parry died and the news of her death, though This book was the brainchild of Jess and Dick Fairs, well-known to many in the expected, brought sadness to the village. The lives of many people in the community village of Harvington where they have lived for 20 years.