Croydon U3A Magazine Summer 2016 The Third Age Trust (Operating as the University of the Third Age) Croydon U3A Reg. Charity No. 102946612 Website address www.u3asites.org.uk/croydon Available for purchase at General Meetings for £1 Table of Contents Editorial 1 Chairman’s message 2 Austrian Lakes and Tyrol 3 - 6 Study Morning: History of Crystal Palace 6 - 8 Visit to Mottisfont 9 - 10 Reports from General Meetings: Cheeses 11 - 12 Wandering in Flanders Fields 12 - 13 The Tower of London and the Crown Jewels 13 - 16 Groups: Architecture 16 - 19 History of London 3 19 - 20 Wildflowers 20 Painting for Pleasure 20 - 21 Looking at London (Central) 21 Maths 22 Creative Writing: One Day 22 - 23 Creation of Bangladesh 23 - 25 My Croydon 25 - 26 Rocket Propulsion Establishment 27 - 28 Croydon Art Collection 28 Remembering 1916 29 Rhyming monarchs 30 Cover Picture – Statue of Archbishop Whitgift in Founders Garden, Whitgift School Members who receive the Magazine online may on occasion wish to obtain a 'hard copy'. The Committee has therefore decided to have some copies available at General Meetings which online recipients can buy for £1. This is subject to sufficient copies being available. Editorial I wonder how many members are familiar with the Judas Tree (Cercis siliquastrum)? It has now finished showing off its splendid magenta-coloured flowers. The name derives from the legend that Judas hanged himself from such a tree. They are not all that common. One grew near to where I live in Coulsdon, but new occupants of the house chopped it down – when it was not in flower. A few stems, with flowers, survived. There is one near the top of Plough Lane on the right hand side as you ascend from Purley; and one in the Queen’ s Garden, opposite the Town Hall. There is one in Wettern Tree Garden, Purley Oaks Road. If you know of other Judas Trees which can be seen from the road, you might like to let me know. The Crystal Palace study morning is featured in this issue. In the present café in the Park is a delightful mural: Crystal Palace Past and Present by ‘Vince and Julie’. But it may not be there much longer, as the café is to be rebuilt. If it disappears, it will be a shame. The geographical range of this issue is wide: from Croydon to Hampshire, Flanders, Austria, Bangladesh. Thank you to all our contributors. I’ll welcome contributions for the Autumn issue by 12 October. As you’ll see from this issue, they don’t have to be about U3A activities. Gordon Thynne Picture: Wettern Tree Garden (with Judas tree in background) by Barbara Lister 1 Chairman's Message Croydon U3A continues to grow and flourish, with our number of members exceeding 700, despite all the challenges we have had to overcome. We have made changes to the Annual Subscription to reflect the higher cost of postal communication, which will be reviewed annually. The new venues for General Meetings continue to provide us, quite literally, with an ‘uplifting’ experience and we greatly appreciate the improved resources and facilities. However the membership will be asked to vote later in the year for their preferred, future ‘permanent’ venue, which will give us more stability and no changes. Our lively, varied social programme is one of our strengths. Inviting new members to join us for coffee mornings is always worthwhile, and this year we will show our appreciation for the valuable contribution made by our Group Leaders and Volunteers by inviting them to lunch at Coombe Lodge. Monthly visits and outings continue to be very popular, and a recent holiday to Austria was very successful. We are looking forward to a varied programme of Summer Activities where you can sit back and listen to talks; learn about technology and social issues; experience different kinds of exercise or even be competitive in a quiz or board games – all for an entry fee of £1. Looking to the future, there will be compulsory changes of office for some Committee members in October 2017, and we would like to make this part of our forward-planning so that it can be a smooth transition. If you are interested or can help in any way, please contact us. I wish you all the very best for summer 2016. Brenda Kidd 2 Austrian Lakes and the Tyrol The Croydon U3A holiday in May to the Austrian Lakes and the Tyrol exceeded my expectations of the scenic beauty promised by the Company, One Traveller. Twenty of us met very early at Gatwick on May 21st and arrived for lunch at the comfortable hotel in the picturesque village of St Johann im Pongau, in Salzburgerland. Some of us had never been on a U3A holiday and did not know anyone else in the group, but by the end of our holiday we seemed like old friends. Our guide, Jill, hailed from Lancashire but now lives with her family on the slopes of skiing country near Kitzbühel in the Tyrol. She was a wonderful guide, and she entertained us with anecdotes about coming to Austria to work, and her family. However she didn't let us off the hook, as we were given some German and Czech phrases to learn on the coach as we set off each morning. Winston, our excellent driver, was from the Czech Republic. One advantage of an early start meant that after a buffet lunch we visited the Liechenstein Gorge. The Grossarl mountain stream cascades through the 300m rocky gorge patterned with grey, sandstone and marbled rocks. 3 The paths, bridges and tunnel were about 1km long, ending in a glade. As well as the rushing water there was welcome birdsong and shafts of sunlight, a sharp contrast to the paths hewn in the rocks. The walk involved walking under a waterfall as well as crossing the chasm. Some of us took advantage of the special price of the Murmeltier Salbe (Marmot ointment) which is said to help joint and muscle pain, arthritis and bruises. On Sunday we enjoyed our first taster of the Austrian lakes when we visited the Unesco World Heritage site of Hallstatt, starting with a boat trip on the Hallstatter See, listed as one of Europe’s ten most beautiful lakes. Hallstatt’s wealth was founded on salt production. The world’s first salt mine dates from the early Iron Age 800-450 BC, with evidence of Celtic occupation and trade with the Romans. Hallstatt itself is a beautiful medieval village perched on the steep slopes where the salt deposits were found. On the way back, we were able to walk round Lake Gosau through the dappled shade of the deciduous and pine woods, occasionally opening into the sunlight. 4 There were some intrepid rock climbers rappelling up the sheer walls up from the side of the lake. There were various flowers along the path including primroses, wild strawberries, clover and blue flowers. The next day we went to Hohenwerfen castle, an imposing sight, built by Archbishop Gebhard in 1075 to defend the pass along the Salzach valley against Henry VI. The following day we travelled past meadows full of wild flowers, with farmers cutting hay, to Salzburg (Salt Fortress). It was largely undamaged in WWII and the old town is Baroque and Rococco. We had a local guide, aided by audio tapes which meant that we did not have to crowd around her. The cathedral had five organs, four around the central dome. As well as the old town, we saw the theatre where the Von Trapp family sang to raise money before the war. Some of us visited the Mozart museum and birthplace. It was amazing to see his first violin and pianoforte and to read about his parents and his work. In the evening we were entertained to a local folklore show: dancers in traditional dress and lederhosen, accompanied by an accordion and multi- purpose instrument. We sat on the covered patio, wrapped up in blankets while the rain poured down. It was a colourful show and some children joined in the accompaniment using drum and rattle stick, usually in time with the music. Another evening we enjoyed a Mozart dinner concert in the candlelit baroque salon of St Peter’s Abbey in Salzburg. The soloists and string quartet were in traditional costume and sang arias from Don Giovanni, Le Nozze de Figaro and Die Zauberflöte, as well as playing the serenade from Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. On our trip along the toll road into the Postalm mountain plateau (a famous ski area) we were able to stop to admire the view of the snow-topped mountains, glaciers, and alpine flowers. This is the second largest highest massif plateau and area of continuous high pasture in Europe. We continued to the spa town of Bad Ischl and the beautiful Kaiserville, which the Archduchess We also visited Kitzbühel. The view of snow-capped mountains from the top of the ski-lift was wonderful. After a taste of the mountain air we enjoyed fabulous tea and cakes in the Grand Hotel in the town. 5 We also visited Kitzbühel. The view of snow-capped mountains from the top of the ski-lift was wonderful. After a taste of the mountain air we enjoyed fabulous tea and cakes in the Grand Hotel in the town. Jill dispelled many of the myths in the Sound of Music. If the family had escaped over the mountain they would have gone straight into the Nazi-occupied Germany. The musical is not very popular in Austria but provides a busy tourist trail.