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Orpington News Orpington News Website: u3asites.org.uk/orpington The University of the Third Age Registered Charity 1076544 Issue 130 August/September 2019 IN THIS ISSUE: U3A coffee morning General meetings & Chairman’s Letter P2 Committee contacts P3 On the Tuesday following the Groups news P3-6 General Meeting, members are invited to the BR6 café at Crossword and sudoku P6 Orpington College at 10.30 am to chat with other members and Travel & events P7 group leaders over a cup of coffee Notices P8 or tea and a pastry for £2.50. YOUR COMMITTEE NEEDS YOU Would you like to see first hand the working of our U3A Selling skills ? Committee? Why not join us to observe, and contribute on an informal basis at one of our monthly meetings? We are seeking a new committee member or members to help jointly. If you have suggestions and ideas, or would like to observe, please contact William Did you have a career in Advertising and Publicity in an earlier life? The help we require is much less strenuous but very important to our U3A. It is to raise awareness of our place and standing in the community and to give the opportunity to join our organisation. ££££ Could you spare a little time to help publicise with leaflets or posters in Churches, Doctors In the last newsletter William raised awareness of the surgeries, store notice boards etc? cost of sending paper copies of this newsletter to If you can help us in this way please phone members. William It is a very expensive exercise printing and posting six times a year and we do face rising costs. Our subscription is one of the lowest in London and we would like to keep it that way. Already one longstanding member has contacted us to say that they had mastered their printer so didn’t need a THOUGHT FOR THE MONTH paper version any more. If you would like to help us, environmentally and financially but need help with Some folks are wise and printing please contact William on 819698. If you don’t have a computer of course you can some are otherwise continue having a paper copy. ALL TELEPHONE NUMBERS quoted in the newsletter are as dialled from the Orpington (01689) Exchange THE LAST DAY FOR RECEIPT OF COPY FOR NEWSLETTER NO 131 IS TUESDAY 17TH SEPTEMBER 2019 Please send your contributions to Mrs Janet Tucker, 130 Repton Road, Orpington, BR6 9HX email: [email protected] MONTHLY GENERAL MEETINGS 2-4 p.m. in the Main Crofton Hall near Orpington Station August 19: Peter Thompson: You the Jury A light hearted look at the legal profession by a former barrister. September 16: Nick Dobson: The Great Fire of London An illustrated look at events leading up to, during and after the great fire of 1666. REPORTS FROM GENERAL MEETINGS June Ian Bevan’s talk was about legal London which now consists of four Inns of Court but once had many more. They were called inns because originally the barristers would actually lodge there and in some cases still do on a temporary basis. The Inner and Middle Temples were so called because they were on land originally owned by the Knights Templars. When the order fell into disgrace the property was given to the Knights of St.John but they did not need it so it was passed to the lawyers. This was very convenient for them as it was close to the city and, in the days when the easiest form of transport was by boat, the area’s proximity to the river made getting to the courts at Westminster very simple. Ian took us through the Inner and Middle Temples, Lincoln’s Inn and Gray’s Inn by means of photographs. Each inn has five major features; a library, treasury, hall, garden and chapel. Many of the buildings have been destroyed twice, once in the Great fire of 1666 and again in the blitz, but each time rebuilt to the same pattern. The oldest surviving building is the Middle Temple Hall which dates from 1573 and has one of the finest double hammer- beamed roof in the world. We also learned about some of the famous and/or interesting denizens, not all of them lawyers! A most insightful and well-presented talk. Beryl Derby July Odd Corners of London, by Jo Livingstone, lived up to its title. The Three Mills site is near the Olympic Park, a very wet area where three rivers meet. The water mill is driven by the tides and the Clock Mill is now TV studios which were used for the Olympics programming. Trinity Buoy Wharf has the only lighthouse in London, though its purpose was purely experimental and it is now an arts Centre. Trinity House still has a repair and maintenance workshop for buoys. Moving on to the City of London, Jo explained why the medieval street pattern still exists. After the Great Fire of London people soon moved back to the streets they knew and started to rebuild before Wren’s grand plan could be put into action. Some of these narrow alleyways can still be accessed unless gated. Many of the modern buildings have gardens on their roofs because they were built on land which was originally open space. There are many proper gardens as well, including St. Dunstan’s in the East and Postman’s Park. Too many quirky facts to mention here concluded with some of the famous blue plaques. At the end of this fascinating talk Jo thoughtfully provided handout lists of the places she mentioned, with details of how to find them. Gwen Jones CHAIRMAN’S LETTER I would like to thank those who have said they are happy to receive the newsletter etc by email, this enables considerable savings on postage, printing and paper. If you wish to join us by reading online please contact myself or any of the committee. I suppose like myself you are enjoying this sunny weather, alas our much heralded initial U3A picnic was a victim of the rain, those of us attended enjoyed a trip to the past with rounders, ball games and the presence of deer who were more interested in our sandwiches than the ethos of Orpington U3A. I enjoyed the event and hope it becomes a regular feature. We have just returned from Spain. While there we met up with the Chair of Javea U3A, this is a very vibrant U3A with 1400 members. If you are on holiday or staying for longer you are most welcome to join, it is €10 a year (£9) while away. There are U3As in all regions down this Mediterranean coastline. Pauline, our Vice Chair and I recently attended a seminar at the Civic Centre on Loneliness and its effects on society, which is a problem across all ages. If you have a friend or acquaintance who you feel would benefit by meeting with us and would like a change of environment please invite them to a Monday General Meeting. This is free initially; if they continue of course, they would be expected to join. The coffee morning at the café in BR6 (ground floor of Orpington College) continues to be a success. Why not join us, especially if you are a recent member, and discuss things on a friendly basis over a coffee and pastry at a special U3A price! I will conclude by thanking you all for making my tenure such a pleasant experience to date and in particular thanks to my fellow committee members who put in so much in to make it the success it is. If you feel you could make an input to our committee, have ideas on leading a group or any other suggestions please contact me on 07570110227. William 2 ORPINGTON U3A OFFICERS GROUP REPORTS COMMITTEE & CONTACTS Chairman William Sear Treasurer Mike Winder Membership Secretary Linda Haward Group Co-ordinators Sue Howe Janet Holmes Meetings Secretary Pauline Dawson Business Secretary Frank Rowe Industrial Archaeology Newsletter: Distribution Peter Richards At the end of May 19 members of the group visited the two defence forts that face each other across the Thames between Gravesend and Tilbury. The picture Editors Sybil Robinson shows us being introduced to the underground areas Janet Tucker of the New Tavern Fort in Gravesend. At the end of Database/Web Manager Steve Cooling the trip, 11 members of the group stayed on for a guided tour of the Cold War bunker in Gravesend Network Advisor Pauline Dawson which is maintained in its original condition and is periodically used for filming. Interest in our April Docklands trip far exceeded the number of people who could be accommodated at the Thames River Police Museum, so the trip was repeated in early June. There is an interest group list with this issue. Our annual five-day industrial heritage trip to Sue and Janet try to keep this updated twice a year but another part of the country will be from the 22 to 26 please would group leaders help to keep this accurate July. This year we will be touring the North East of by notifying changes to them as soon as possible. England, a wide range of places including railway and wagonway sites, mines, a historic furnace, a lighthouse and Cragside, the home of one of the greatest Victorian engineers, Sir William Armstrong. On Saturday August 17 we will be at the Weald and Downland Museum in West Sussex for a special event themed around horsepower – both mechanical and equine. GROUP VACANCIES For more information and/or to join our mailing list (email only) please contact Mike Wither: Mahjong 1 has vacancies.
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