Discovering Bingham
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Council’s areas had main get a bath and a sewers, with seven villages change of clothes! still relying on cesspools or The duties of an septic tanks. One of my first Discovering bingham Environmental memories of working for the Quarterly NEWSLETTER of the Health Officer at Council was the winter of 1963 www.binghamheritage.org.uk Registered Charity No: 1090475 Issue No.60 - June 2018 Bingham were - the coldest since 1740 - with wide-ranging, and BHTA: Increasing public awareness of our heritage in Architecture, Folk & Natural History, Archaeology & Geology temperatures as low as -20 as well as food degrees centigrade. The hygiene inspections Council’s lorry fleet, including and investigation of Cranmer Singers interspersed its refuse collection lorries and COMMEMORATION OF THE END OF W.W.1. all aspects of by readings from war diaries cesspool emptying vehicles, pollution (including were kept in the open air in and war poems. The first half noise) I was the staff car park at the back On 23rd April, ten BHTA members, led by will be a one act play about life involved in meat of the Council offices on the our Past Chairman Peter Allen, were in the Machine Gun Corps, inspection at four north-side of Market Place. I invited to the strip along the old A46 to be small written and presented by recall arriving at work on my given a tour of the test excavations by staff slaughterhouses. In Bingham Musical Theatre bike one particularly cold of Oxford Archaeology South (in yellow Hi those days the group. morning to find the only Vis) who were contracted by CgMs animals remaining petrol-engined Heritage to carry out the investigation of slaughtered were th refuse lorry towing a diesel the site prior to the new housing 3. On Saturday 10 November all sourced locally, refuse truck around the development. We now await the report and the programme theme will be and the meat was market square in a vain analysis of their findings with interest. of a consistently “Looking Forward” starting attempt to get it started. This very high quality. with musical items from The before anti-freeze diesel fuel Due to EU legislation and Stormy Weather Boys and The was common. went throughout the offices. rules, small slaughterhouses Other notable and long- Vale Singers. In the second In a similar vein, the cesspool like these closed down serving Council staff were: half the Toothill School Big emptying tankers kept because they couldn’t afford Bernard Whyley, Markham Band will play pieces from the overnight in the Council car the changes required. One Dawn, Alice Krupa, Stan park suffered. This time, complaint about noise Over the past four years, as and entry will be free. We are 1920s and 1930s and Bingham Morley, Rodney Newcombe, however, the major problem involved a dog kennel reported in last year’s June grateful to Bingham Town School of Dance will Cliff Harding, Sid Collings, was that the sewage outlet establishment. My boss Alec issue, our Parish Church bell Council, Borough and County demonstrate the Charleston David Bell and last, but not from the tankers froze Paterson and I visited to least, Cuthbert Smith the Pest ringers have rung a quarter Councillors for support. together with short readings overnight, and meant that the discuss the complaint with the Control Officer. He used to peal during every month that during the event. tanker was inoperable. The proprietor. Access was via a treat wasp nests with a has included the 100th 1. A two day exhibition will only remedy was to light a fire high and solid gate and he Cyanide based product called For the period up to November under the frozen outlet. The invited me to go first, an offer anniversary of the deaths of display the results of BHTA’s Cymag, (now strictly banned). th story goes that Lewis Squires I declined, so Alec duly the men of Bingham that gave lottery funded project to 11 The British Legion will be As a student I often helped was carrying out this on a opened the gate. Snarling and their lives in the Great War. explore and record Bingham’s displaying memorial poppies Cuthbert to treat difficult wasp tanker, which was still half-full menacing dogs emerged, they nests, and he always The last peal will be rung in part in the war. A series of around the town and on the from the previous day. Lewis ignored Alec and bit me!! cautioned me, “If you smell August for Pte. Walter Kirk displays will tell the stories of Saturday morning they will became aware that the sewage almonds I should move away th those who died and also some hold a special version of their was starting to flow from the The Council had its fair share who died, aged 26, on 17 sharpish!!” These are just a outlet pipe when, without of ‘characters’ not least of August 1918. of those who survived and traditional commemoration small sample of the memories warning, the pipe suddenly whom was the Clerk to the what they did following the event in the Market Place. that I have of my time at became free of ice, and poor Council, Henry Waring, a The commemoration will war. The displays will be Bingham - happy days. Lewis was “engulfed”. To his qualified lawyer who always continue by BHTA arranging, augmented with photographs chagrin, nobody volunteered to announced his presence by with the involvement of the and exhibitions of WW1 take him home so that he could singing loudly wherever he Royal British Legion and the military artefacts together CONTACTS Town Council, three events to with items representing the General e-mail: [email protected] mark the centenary of the end post war period. of the war. (Look out for the f www.facebook.com/binghamheritage logo on this page which will be 2. A concert on Friday evening CHAIRMAN: Geoff Ashton - 01949 875177 Non-members are welcome used in all the publicity.) 9th November, with the theme SECRETARY: David Mason - 01949 876635 to attend to hear These will be held on “Looking Back”, will include NEWSLETTER EDITOR}:Robin Aldworth - 01949 839991 presentations on our recent VICE CHAIRMAM} November 9th and 10th in the musical contributions from a work followed by wine, Thanks to Hammond Property Services for their Methodist Community Centre string quartet and the support by printing this issue of Discovering Bingham nibbles and chat. FOURTEENTH ANNUAL Adrian began by Bingham. This was probably POST-WAR BINGHAM so we want as many people as more than we can manage.” LECTURE SERIES COMPLETED pointing out that near Toothill – the ‘look-out This continues the item in our possible to see it in all its At the April Church Meeting: the county played hill’ – which was between the March issue of extracts from glory. It will be "new moon" “There followed a lengthy a special part in Fosse and Tithby Road (not Rector John Reay’s reports in time and the nights will be discussion as to whether we the war, as it the site of the present school) the Deanery Magazine dark enough, and the Church should retain the Church began with the will look beautiful indeed.” School on an aided basis, but the army no doubt spread In the mid-1949 edition the King raising his out over a wider area. Two In the last issue for the year having possessed it for over Rector comments: “This is the Reay reports, ”There was a royal standard cannon balls have been found season of outings, with which 100 years, or hand it over to outside along with numerous clay gathering of friends to say the Education Committee as a some of us must be content farewell to Mr. and Mrs. Nottingham pipes from this period. instead of a holiday. There controlled school. The feeling Castle in 1642 as Langford. The chair paid our of the meeting was for The nearest fighting to was a glorious run to the Wye tribute to Mr. Langford's a signal for loyal handing the school over Bingham took place just before Valley, thoroughly enjoyed by admirable service as local gentry to although our conscience is still the third and final siege of the W.I.” and later in the year stationmaster and citizen. The join him, and they: “...spent a very happy greatly concerned.” Newark when roundhead Church Hall itself will long ended with his day at Chester… and an troops attacked the small remain to remind us of his So, with the school building Tony Knight gave the second talk in this surrender to the afternoon tour stopping at garrisons. Shelford Manor was services as he, acting as the empty, the ‘Church Hall’ year’s series on his ‘Metal Detecting Parliamentary Southwell Minster with tea at sacked in a bloody engagement Hall Committee Secretary, became surplus to Adventure’ and brought along a large army at Newark the White Post Hotel, which resulted in 140 deaths, negotiated our purchase of requirement and was sold collection of his finds which attracted a lot of in 1646. Both Farnsfield then through including the governor Sir the Hall from the Crown at although, as yet, we have interest among his audience. Nottingham and farming country where acres £430.” The hall at the time is found no record of exactly Newark were Philip Stanhope. The troops of corn were being harvested, now the Studio next door to when this happened. A missed CAVALIERS & ROUNDHEADS sited at strategic then marched on Wiverton Hall through Sherwood Forest, crossing points of the River – almost certainly through the Wheatsheaf in Long Acre.