Editorial policy Roundabout aims to promote local events, groups and businesses and to keep everyone informed of anything that affects our community. We avoid lending support (in the form of articles) to any social, political or religious causes, and we reserve the right to amend or leave out any items submitted. The final decision rests with the editors. While Roundabout is supported by Woodhouse Parish Council, we rely on advertisements to pay production costs, and we accept adverts for local businesses as well as those that publicise charitable and fundraising events. Brief notification of events in the ‘What’s on’ schedule is free. Copyright in any articles published is negotiable but normally rests with Roundabout. We apologise for any errors that might occur during production and will try to make amends in the following issue. Roundabout needs your input. For guidelines on submission, please see inside the back cover. Management and production Roundabout is managed on behalf of the community and published by the editorial and production team comprising Roger Berkeley, Amanda Garland, Andrew Garland, Neil Robinson, Grahame Sibson and Andy Thomson. Editor for this issue: Janine Ainscow Cover: Spring in the garden by Neil Robinson Advertising managers: Amanda and Andrew Garland Distribution managers: Mary and Peter Cheney Desktop publishing (page layout) for this issue: Roger Berkeley Printing: Loughborough University Printing Services Roundabout is available to download from the parish council website at www.woodhouseparishcouncil.org.uk/roundabout.html Distribution: Roundabout is delivered by volunteers to every address within the parish boundary – just under 1,000 households and businesses, including all the surrounding farms. Please let us know if any house or business in Woodhouse Parish is not receiving Roundabout, or if you can help out with deliveries.
2 Roundabout May 2017 Contents
Page
Editor’s note 5
Parish council news 5
News in brief 7
Annual Parish Meeting 2017 13
Woodhouse Parish Council and King George’s Field Charity Annual Report 2016/17 13
Charnwood Roots Heritage Festival – 21st May 16
A demented tale of tangled memories 19
Woodhouse Eaves Home Guard 21
When you've got to go: The privy (part one) 23
The search for Bosworth battlefield 25
The art of the lace bobbin 27
May in the cottage garden 30
Codeword 33
The last word 34
Contributions to Roundabout Inside back cover
What’s on in May Back cover
Deadline for submissions to the June 2017 issue: Wednesday, 10th May Email to [email protected]
Editor for June 2017 issue: Janine Ainscow
Roundabout May 2017 3 4 Roundabout May 2017 Editor’s note May is my favourite month of the year for many reasons. To name but a few of the great things about May, there are two Bank Holidays and a school half term; spring is well and truly established and the countryside is bursting with new growth and life; the weather is usually settled: all traces of winter have gone and there is the promise of summer ahead. This is a great time of year to get outdoors exploring the footpaths and trails that we are so fortunate to have on our doorsteps. On 1st May I will be taking part in my first ever Woodhouse May Day Challenge… and for a number of reasons it will be a challenge! Seeing my family at the finish line will be all the incentive needed to reach the end. We are so fortunate to have our litter-picking team keeping the countryside as free from litter as possible, enabling us to enjoy our parish to its best potential. Pam Crankshaw has written a note of thanks for the special efforts made by the team on p.11 On p.21 of this issue is Roger Kirby’s second instalment about his experiences of the Second World War and the Home Guard in Woodhouse Eaves. This May marks 72 years since Victory in Europe Day was announced. On behalf of Roundabout, we are honoured and grateful to be able to share Roger’s recollections. Mark Temple has the first of a two-part instalment about privies, p.23. Bathrooms and toilets have changed a lot in the intervening years but they ultimately still serve the same purpose! The Charnwood Roots heritage festival promises to be a very interesting day out for all. An article on p.16 by Joseph Hall hints at some of the historical finds that will be on display later in the month at Beaumanor Hall. Janine Ainscow Parish council news Help in emergencies The council was happy to learn of St Paul’s Primary School’s outstanding Ofsted success, and pleased to help with its emergency plan by providing the staff with access to the village hall. Later this year, the council will work with other interested parties to produce a parish emergency plan. Typically, these answer such questions as who, what, how and where help can be found in emergencies such as serious flooding and extra heavy snow, when vulnerable people might need help and others might need access to food and shelter. More details will follow in another issue. Elsewhere in this issue
Roundabout May 2017 5 (see p.7) is news of more defibrillator and CPR training for both villages, and a new device will be sited in Old Woodhouse. Police cars are also being fitted; ambulances already have them; and fire engines and firefighters are being trained to help too. New notice board in play area – What’s on in the community Martin Hynard (now trading as Fox Property Services) erected the replacement board at the end of March, ably assisted by John Plowright who attached it to concrete posts, which will not rot for many decades. Martin kindly offered to maintain the board for as long as he lives here, and also donated the header board and plaque. Anyone is welcome to pin a poster there, but please do not use a staple gun. Friends of Charnwood Forest notice board The new glazed board on the front wall of the village hall on Main Street was, as the new slate plaque states, the result of a kind donation by the Charnwood Forest Friends group, which meets inside monthly. They donated the funds so that their map of the forest could be displayed for all to see. This board is locked to prevent an overdose of posters. Annexe accessibility The annexe now has a specially crafted disabled access ramp made by John Bindley, who, with wife Linda, shares the Beacon Players’ set building duty. The ramp is stored just inside and is heavy and robust. It needs both front doors open so if you need to use it, just ask caretaker Jean for the other door to be unlocked. Sports facilities – upgrades Female cricket and football fans watching matches no longer need to walk through the changing room (!) to use the toilet – a new door has been created with access from the main interior. League players of both games will also benefit from the newly created room for their referees to consider
6 Roundabout May 2017 the matches and players quietly by themselves. Thanks to Mick Bell for doing these jobs. Sunday cricket this year will be friendly, non-league cricket for anyone to join in so if interested, come along and see. Ann Irving, clerk to the Woodhouse Parish Council News in brief Two free training events to save a life Training in basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED) will be offered for free in two events this month. The training will be held on Wednesday, 17th May from 7.15– 8.45pm in the Woodhouse Eaves Village Hall Annexe (no prior booking necessary), and Wednesday, 24th May in St Mary’s Church, Woodhouse from 4–5pm. Places for this second event must be booked by ringing Ann Irving on (01509) 890 050. There are around 60,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the UK each year. Half of these are witnessed by family or bystanders but only 22–29 per cent of the population are comfortable performing CPR. This results in a very low survival figure of 7–9 per cent; other countries with improved community training programmes have much better survival figures. The knowledge of the ‘Chain of Survival’, i.e. early recognition of a cardiac arrest, chest compressions and ventilation, defibrillation and post- resuscitation care in hospital, can improve poor survival figures. A Leicester charity, Heartwize, is currently training all Year Ten school children in Leicestershire and Rutland. The charity has now extended to businesses and sports clubs. Hopefully with this increased training more members of the public will be able to manage a cardiac arrest. Please come on either of the above dates to learn or improve on these vital skills. Sue Tyler Lighting up the issue of carbon reduction Free energy-saving lightbulbs are being given to more than 500 new tenants by Charnwood Borough Council to raise awareness of the need to reduce carbon emissions. According to the Energy Saving Trust, lighting accounts for 18 per cent of a typical household’s electricity bill. There are two types of energy efficient lightbulbs: Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) and Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs). CFLs are a cost-effective option for most general lighting Roundabout May 2017 7 requirements. Replacing a traditional light bulb with a CFL of the same brightness will save you about £5 per year, or £70 over the lifetime of the bulb. The Energy Saving Trust advises: • Always turn lights out when leaving a room, regardless of how long for. • Be conscious of how many lights you have on and whether they all need to be in use. • If possible, arrange light switches so that it’s convenient to turn them off i.e. place switches at top and bottom of stairs, each end of a hallway and each door to a room. • Use a sensor and timer on external lights so they are only in use when they need to be. • Use appropriate lightings i.e. a low background light while watching television and a bright, concentrated light for reading. Having a range of lights in a room with separate switches will make this easier. The Council has pledged to cut its energy consumption and reduce its carbon footprint by 15 per cent by 2020. More efficient heating systems have been installed at Charnwood Museum and at Woodgate Chambers in Loughborough. It has started using more electric vehicles and plans to introduce energy-saving LED lighting at its properties. If all the Council’s energy-saving schemes are introduced, it is estimated the Council could save £85,000 a year by 2020. For more information, please visit www.charnwood.gov.uk/2020_carbon_pledge Communications team, Charnwood Borough Council #RecycleRight in Charnwood A new campaign is urging Charnwood residents to #RecycleRight and help not only the environment but also taxpayers’ pockets. Charnwood Borough Council says more than 700 tonnes of clothes and other textiles are being put into the green wheelie bins it collects every year. But the big issue is that the council can’t recycle them. Instead, the clothes, bedding, duvets, and even cuddly toys, are being incinerated to create energy, a process that costs Charnwood council taxpayers £73,000 a year. The Council has now launched the #RecycleRight campaign to urge residents to put the right items into the right bins. Councillor Hilary Fryer, Lead Member for Cleansing, said, ‘We recycle 17,000 tonnes of materials a year but we still have too much of what we call contaminated waste – the wrong items in the green recycling bins. I would encourage people as part 8 Roundabout May 2017 of our #RecycleRight campaign to think before they put their recycling in the green bins. Our website can tell you exactly what can and cannot go in the green bins and we’ve refreshed the information to make it as easy as possible to understand. ‘Recycling clothes and textiles is not a service we can offer and there are other #RecycleRight, some of the main items that should not go into the green bin. fairly easy options – take textiles to a recycling bank (details of the 24 sites are on the #RecycleRight website), give them to charity, upcycle them if you can. Whatever you do, please do not put clothes in the green wheelie bins.’ For more information, visit www.charnwood.gov.uk/recycleright Caroline Pook Half a year of help in the community The Good Neighbour Scheme is now six months old! We are really pleased with how things are going and feel we are making a difference to people in our community. Our number of volunteers is steadily increasing as well as the number of people who have been helped by the scheme: up until the end of March we have completed 70 jobs. The most popular requests have been for lifts to medical and other appointments, followed by companionship. This has been a growing area for the Good Neighbour Scheme and we have been really grateful for the help of Cherrie and Denise in joining the steering group as companionship co-ordinators who have volunteered to take on the task of organising rotas for our companions and matching requests with the appropriate volunteer. Could a volunteer help you with anything? Do you need some short-term help with dog walking or caring for other pets? Do you have some forms or paperwork to fill in, but keep putting it off because you don’t feel able to tackle it alone? Are you looking out at your garden feeling overwhelmed by the task of taming it? Don’t feel that you’re on your own: the Good Neighbour Scheme can help! Just call us on 07561 890100 and have a chat to us about how we can help. Jo Atkinson
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10 Roundabout May 2017 Unwanted Spectacles For many years thoughtful members of our villages have collected spectacles for the ‘Fight for Sight’ charity. The charity has now changed over to ‘Vision Aid Overseas’ and we have been informed that the spectacles are recycled and the proceeds raised are used to help those overseas with sight problems. Our pharmacy has agreed to continue collecting spectacles for this worthwhile charity. Thank you to all those who have made an effort to help others less fortunate. Our total so far is 137. Eric Allsop The Great British Spring Clean Earlier this year Keep Britain Tidy launched the Great British Spring Clean campaign, urging volunteer groups to turn out over the weekend of 4th and 5th March to clear litter from our roads and public spaces across the country. The Woodhouse and Woodhouse Eaves litter picking volunteers responded by turning out in force during the few days before and after those dates to clear miles of roadside verges, bridleways and footpaths around our two villages and further afield into the Charnwood Forest area. Literally dozens of sacks of rubbish were collected. The areas cleared were Forest Road between Woodhouse and Woodhouse Eaves, Swithland Road from Swithland Triangle to Roecliffe crossroads, Joe Moores Lane, Priory Lane, Polly Bott’s Lane, the bridleway from Meadow Lane, School Lane and the footpath beyond the playing fields. Of course, the volunteers also turn out regularly throughout the year to clear the roadside verges and footpaths around our two villages – a never-ending job! With many thanks to the volunteers who took part in the Great British Spring Clean – Liz, Janet, Corrinne, Roger, Penny, David, Ann, Vincent and Joan, and for their continuing efforts week by week throughout the year. Pam Crankshaw, Volunteer Litter Warden
Friends of Charnwood Forest and Kingfisher’s Pool Vineyard There was an audience of over 70 members and guests attending the Friends of Charnwood Forest 36th Annual General Meeting on Monday, 20th March. Following the AGM, members and visitors heard a fascinating talk by Liz Robson from Kingfisher’s Pool Vineyard, Rothley, about English wine and the Rothley vineyard. Liz explained how she first became
Roundabout May 2017 11 interested in viniculture and having taken over a five-acre property in Rothley, she planted the first six rows of vines in 2008. A selection of samples was available for tasting, including an excellent sparkling wine and King Richard, the vineyard’s best-selling white wine. Other wine samples were King Henry, Battle Royal and Fearless. Liz welcomes visitors, by arrangement, and her wines are readily available at David North. Peter Bertram Further to cafes in Woodhouse Eaves During the mid1930s several bus companies from Leicester and Nottingham used to run mystery trips on the weekends. One of the destinations was the Bull’s Head. On Sunday afternoons, Mrs Kathleen Kirby would put on teas for busloads of passengers. They would dine in a large, open, zinc-roofed shed situated in what is now the car park off Main Street. The food was home-grown next to the zinc shed and included lettuce, tomatoes, cold potato salad, hard-boiled eggs, sliced ham, potted tongue and a homemade salad dressing. With the help of Mrs Rose and Mrs Frisby the ladies would serve food for up to 60 people. There was also homemade ice cream to be enjoyed. Cream from Stockwell’s Farm across the road from the Bull’s Head was freshly churned on Sunday mornings in one of the stables in the back yard of the Bull’s Head by John Brooks senior. The ice cream was sold under a gaily green striped tent in front of the pub – it sold out in short order! Roger Kirby Village celebrations – were you there? Woodhouse Eaves has a history of whacky events. For example, on June 6th, 1977, the Queen’s Silver Jubilee celebrations included a trolley race, a pram rally and a fancy-dress procession, while a Carnival on 12th September 1998 involved a bed race. Do you remember any of these events? Did you take part? Do you have photographs recording the celebrations? If so, Roundabout would love to hear from you so that we can share your memories with readers who know nothing about such jollities, some now banned for health and safety considerations. If you can help, please contact Roundabout at [email protected], or get in touch with me directly at [email protected] or on (01509) 891 319. Evelyn Brown 12 Roundabout May 2017 Annual Parish Meeting 2017 The Chair of Woodhouse Parish Council, Mrs Jane Martin DL, invites all parish electors to the Annual Parish Meeting on Monday, 8th May at 7pm in the village hall, Main Street, Woodhouse Eaves. This is a meeting of, and for electors, not a meeting of the council, and is required by law. It is also an opportunity to present the Parish Council’s Annual Report for 2016/17. This year it will again be a simple, short meeting but if you would like to bring a display before the meeting, the hall will be open for you. The event will give you the opportunity to discuss issues, ask questions, raise concerns, express views, or tell others about your group’s activity. The event will be followed by the normal monthly meeting of the council, at around 7.30pm and you are welcome to attend this. Its agenda will be published a week before. Woodhouse Parish Council and King George’s Field Charity Annual Report 2016/17 Parish council members and staff have again worked tirelessly all year to improve the parish, premises and recreation facilities. Members were helped by many volunteers, local contractors, shops, and by borough and county staff and services to help to make this part of Charnwood Forest a lovely place to live and work. We thank everyone for their contributions. Although we try to ensure that brief reports appear in every issue of the community magazine Roundabout thanks to the kindness of the production team, there is never enough space to report everything – the minutes provide the full picture. These are posted on our notice board and website soon after meetings; and anyone can request a copy from the clerk. This annual report is also only a summary of the past financial year’s work. Parish improvements We decided to exchange our old parish-owned sodium lighting for more efficient LED lights – the white lights that the county council has installed on its lights around the parish. We will pay for the conversions over four years and then derive financial benefit from reduced energy costs. Speeding on approach roads to villages has been a long-standing problem and we were delighted to be chosen as one of seven pilots for average speed cameras, the only such parish in Charnwood. The 12-month trial due to start in summer 2017 will be assessed by highways staff who will report on any future plans. The highways agency will meet the parish council in May to discuss the details. Six other districts within the county will each Roundabout May 2017 13 14 Roundabout May 2017 have one pilot location to provide a mixture of urban and rural, large and small settlements. Surrounded as we are by roadside hedges and grass verges, and with many of the Charnwood beauty spots on our doorstep, we have been kept informed by county highways of their plans to devolve some work to parishes, following significant budget reductions. We expected to have to start this before now, but instead, will have to wait for the end of pilot projects in the autumn before we will know which jobs they want us to take over. If we do, we aim to collaborate with neighbouring parishes to share tendering and sub-contracting. By the end of next year, county highways budget will have shrunk from £11 million to £5 million. Premises improvements Two new notice boards, fresh gravel chippings, new door handles, new cooker – all were added to the hall on Main Street during the year. A lot of ‘fixing’ jobs were also carried out, including continued leaks from the flat roof over the stage. With public toilets, three halls and the pavilion, there is always something to do. The pavilion now has a referee’s room and access to a toilet for females. The new hall has sound-absorbing wall panels, an electric screen and a ceiling-mounted projector, moved over from the main hall when its screen and projector was upgraded to improve the village film shows. Because this area attracts so many visitors, our facilities suffer more wear and tear than many others, for example this year we had to replace the old monkey bars in the children’s play area. Cutting costs We have worked hard to increase everything except administration costs, so carried on streamlining, e.g. we make almost all payments now either by direct debit or BACS, and staff salary payments are outsourced. Next steps include online premises bookings and payments. Finances are in good shape again and when we have made the final loan repayment, which we needed to complete the new hall, the year-end balance next year will be much improved. The halls have been well used and funds raised through bookings help to pay for their maintenance. We depend on grants and donations and are most grateful for those received. During 2016/17, council income was £79,000 mainly from the amount Charnwood Borough Council allows us from residents’ council tax (the precept) and allotment rents. King George’s Field Charity income was around £42,000 from lettings, grants and donations. Expenditure for both council and charity was around £65,000 so we nearly balanced the books for the year, showing that finances continue to be well managed.
Roundabout May 2017 15 Campaigning We tried to respond to most of the requests for consultation. This can be so time-consuming when the documents to study are often very long, but the council feels strongly that a parish council should represent the concerns of small villages, so we try to have a voice. We put brief details on our website and invite all of you to send comments. Planning applications arrive every week and we aim to comment on all of them. Communicating Our website is a key element in the way we try to engage with parishioners. We also have regular news in Roundabout, posters and notices. We at help or attend events in both villages and ‘manage by driving around’ – the latter being perhaps the best tactic for finding fly tipped litter, meeting people, and listening to local concerns. The councillors and staff are here for everyone and will always try to give you their best. With a full complement of nine council members, a very large portfolio of assets, and a thriving and lively community whose size ebbs and flows as visitors come and go, there is always much to do and plenty to learn. All electors are entitled to ask for a copy of our accounts, agendas and minutes. Council account details have to be published and are sent to Government-appointed external auditors. Charity accounts have to be audited and sent to the Charity Commission. Under Open Government Guidelines we try to publish as much as possible and to supply as much as people wish to see. Councillors are expected to attend 23 meetings a year – ten each for the council and charity, and three joint council/charity finance committee meetings. They too are all volunteers. All staff work beyond their contracts. All contractors give us their best work. This parish is well served. Further information can be found at www.woodhouseparishcouncil.org.uk or telephone Ann Irving on (01509) 890 050. Charnwood Roots Heritage Festival – 21st May Charnwood Roots is an initiative of the Leicestershire Victoria County History (VCH) Trust, and is part of a national drive to research and write a reference history of every town, village and hamlet in England. These histories are published by the VCH, with the most recent being the history of Castle Donington. With Leicestershire being one of the few counties where this history is incomplete, the Charnwood Roots project has been gathering the raw historical data, which will enable the book of Charnwood Forest and its environs to finally be written. 16 Roundabout May 2017 Four years of research For the past four years Charnwood Roots has explored the rich history of Charnwood Forest. So far, over 600 local community volunteers have donated more than 2,700 days to the project: from archival research in the Record Office, to recording oral histories, to archaeological test-pitting in Anstey, Rothley and Whitwick. To celebrate the close of the project’s research phase, and to showcase some of the work of our fantastic volunteers, Charnwood Roots will be hosting a large heritage event at Beaumanor Hall on Sunday, 21st May. There will be talks by experts (pre-booking required), heritage films and a ‘village zone’ where local history and heritage groups will be displaying their research and signing up new members. An archaeology area will also allow visitors to try object handling, view archaeological illustration first- Found in Woodhouse, a silver hand, and bring along any interesting artefact penny of Henry VII, minted at they have uncovered for identification. The Durham under Bishop Richard centrepiece of the day will be a large exhibition Fox (1494–1501). © Portable showcasing a selection the project’s research. Antiquities Scheme. A focus on the lives of everyday people The exhibition will focus on the lives of the everyday people who have lived in Charnwood Forest over the past thousand years. By concentrating on the stories of local residents we hope to create a more personal exhibition, which directly connects present-day residents of Charnwood to their past. Visitors to the exhibition will still learn of the region’s history, but it will be presented via the stories of those who lived it. Our databank of research contains thousands of entries, with many documenting the lives of Brooch found in Woodhouse ordinary people. For example, our documents dated AD 1100–1500, made allow us to travel back to Woodhouse in 1564, of silver, 16mm in diameter. and see that the labourer Nicholas Grene owned Its expense would mean that a ‘hatchett’, a ‘pykforke’, and a wonderfully it would possibly be worn by named ‘wymbell’ – an implement for boring into a wealthy merchant, or even soft ground. In 1600 we can see a hundred of a well-to-do peasant. © Portable Antiquities Scheme. Henry Branson’s sheep grazing in the woodland around the village, and the winter corn, peas, Roundabout May 2017 17 and barley planted in the grounds of William Rawlins’ house. We can also see the lime pits dotting the property of George Heyne, in which he processed hides into leather in 1633. Down the road from Heyne, in Woodhouse Eaves, we can also see the contents of Richard Ives’ house, and wonder at the Psalter book he owned in spite of the likelihood that he could not read. Our databank entries from a 1794 Visitation Book can even take us into the church at Woodhouse, as Andrew Burnaby, Archdeacon of Leicester, strolled the aisles writing his report. (He recommended that weather boards be fitted to protect belfry windows, and suggested that the clerk’s salary be raised, although two years later he was still waiting for his pay rise.) Another record from 1836 has the new Archdeacon, Thomas Kayes Bonney, write that the church’s roof and fence needed repairing. He also recommended a new prayer book to replace the battered, 78-year-old 1754 edition. Apprenticeships Documents from the late 19th century also allow us to watch the young men and women of Woodhouse making their way in the world. Apprenticeship Indentures on our databank show that some stayed in Woodhouse, such as Henry Hull, who became apprenticed to the tailor Samuel Turner, or George Stockwell, who was apprenticed to James Tebbut, a joiner at Beaumanor estate. Some however, moved far from their village homes. William Clarke relocated to Coventry from Woodhouse Eaves to learn the trade of cabinet making in 1852, and not long afterwards Charles Squire moved to Chesterfield to become apprenticed to a wheelwright. Fascinating insights While these few snippets relate to Woodhouse, the exhibition will tell the stories of men and women from all over Charnwood. Such as the wayward brothers of Ulverscroft Priory, whose behaviour shocked the bishop during his visit in 1448, or the farmhands who worked alongside German and Italian POWs in Charnwood’s fields during World 18 Roundabout May 2017 War Two. Even if you have researched the region’s history, we are sure you will still find some new and fascinating insights. The exhibition is a one-day event, and is free to all. But it is only the first event in Charnwood Roots’ week-long heritage festival, so to keep updated on what we will be doing and where, go to www.charnwoodroots.org and join the mailing list. As residents of Woodhouse, at the very heart of Charnwood Forest, we would love to see you all there. Joseph Hall – Heritage Interpretation & Outreach Officer, Charnwood Roots
A demented tale of tangled memories Dementia Awareness Week is from 14th to 20th May. Ed. Dementia is a syndrome (a group of symptoms) associated with a decline in the brain’s ability to carry out certain functions. It is a condition commonly affecting people over the age of 65, where two thirds of the sufferers are women. There are many types of dementia, which can be categorised into the following: Alzheimer’s disease This type of dementia affects five main areas of function – memory, speech, cognitive ability, spatial awareness and insight. In order to compensate for this, individuals will rely on routine and a reluctance to deviate from the aspects of life that they are familiar with. This type of dementia is normally progressive. Vascular dementia This type of dementia is caused by lots of small strokes causing pockets of cell damage to the brain. Therefore this condition can often follow a path of deterioration, followed by an improvement in the symptoms. For those with Alzheimer’s disease the memory can be particularly affected. However, in vascular dementia a person is more likely to struggle with language and communication. A combination of Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia can occur, known as mixed dementia. Frontotemporal dementia This type of dementia affects the frontal region of the brain, where it mostly affects behaviour and personality. It largely, but not exclusively, affects people aged 45 to 65, and can lead to social disinhibition and inappropriate behaviour in public. Another symptom is a change to dietary patterns resulting in binge eating. Frontotemporal dementia is relatively uncommon and it can be difficult to differentiate the symptoms from conditions such as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, psychosis and depression.
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20 Roundabout May 2017 People with dementia will suffer from a range of symptoms: some people may become apathetic, losing interest in their daily and social activities, often seeming depressed and frustrated. People may have marked changes to their personalities, as well as exhibiting a lack of empathy, losing a sense of the here and now and they can even experience hallucinations. The importance of an early diagnosis It is important to receive an early diagnosis, as there are several treatments available that can slow disease progression and improve symptoms, allowing the continuation of a fulfilling and independent life. There are many societies such as Alzheimer’s Society and Dementia Friends that provide valuable support and information for both sufferers and carers. Being a carer can be an incredibly difficult task, particularly when caring for a loved one whose precious memories are affected. Carers, friends and family are vital for implementing coping strategies, helping with tasks such as decision making and organising daily life in order to maintain a sense of familiarity and independence. So, when we next watch the antics of the two old ladies on an old episode of Harry Enfield, please take a moment to reflect on their plight and the role that dementia undoubtedly had to play in their unorthodox behaviours. Zainab Master Woodhouse Eaves Home Guard Following the warm reception to Roger Kirby’s article in the February issue of Roundabout, this is the second instalment of recollections from The Second World War, typed with the help of his daughter, Claire. Ed. Equipping the Home Guard The weapons eventually arrived and were stored in a locked wooden shed behind the village hall. Weapons included a Lee-Enfield .303 calibre bolt- action rifle with five-round charger clips and an 18-inch bayonet, Sten guns, a 32 round automatic and an anti-tank gun, called the Northover Projector. The Northover was tripod mounted and consisted of a 12-foot length of steel-like drainpipe with a breach block, which when opened allowed the projectile to be inserted. This was followed by a firing charge, which was ignited by a firing cap. The projectile was a glass bottle filled with phosphorous and other liquid flammables. It had to be handled very carefully being glass. It had a nasty habit of exploding in the barrel as it was fired, causing serious burns to its handling crew. Luckily this didn’t happen to the Woodhouse Eaves Home Guard.
Roundabout May 2017 21 The men were fitted in uniforms made of a khaki green rough wool material, and included bomber style jacket and pants. Six-inch spats covered the tops of black boots. Ammunition would have been readily available as the whole of the countryside around the Outwoods area was one massive storage area for small arms ammunition as well as grenades and small shells. It was stored Northover gun in use by the Home Guard in under tree cover up Nanpantan 1941. Malindine (Lt) War Office official Road and adjacent areas. It was photographer. Imperial War Museums under Nissen style huts with a photograph H 11843. canvas cover at either end. Civilian wardens patrolled the area on bicycles. Weapons training As part of the war effort two tennis courts were dug up at the back of the Bull’s Head. John Brooks senior had been digging and believed that someone had stolen his wool sweater, which he had hung on a post. The thief was one of the bullocks. Looking in the animal’s mouth there were woollen fibres stuck between its teeth – he had eaten it! The pre-dawn peace of the Bull’s Head was shattered by the starting of Corporal Kirby’s 1932 James motorcycle. A Northover gun was mounted on its side flatbed; its tripod mount was securely fastened to it. Behind the gun on a low wooden box was the gunner Arthur Tyler, held securely in place with belts and straps. They roared out the backyard of the Bulls Head across Beacon Road, then down Brook Road through the brook, bound to do battle with the enemy. They bounced down Brook Road, (it was not paved back then) turning left between the two spinneys above the game keeper’s cottage. The road from there was a rough, stone-filled cart road. Through the first gate they turned right on to a field, which although fallow was very bumpy. The gunner loaded a projectile from a padded box of nine, into the Northover gun. They headed toward a pile of old pallets: ‘the enemy’. ‘Hold it steady Jack,’ said Arthur, as he tried to bring the gun to bear on the target. Bang! went the gun and off went the projectile, exploding in a mass of flame, covering and burning the pallets. A successful shot!
22 Roundabout May 2017 They proceeded to the slate pit and pond on the field-side of the golf course. There was an outline of a tank, German of course, on the cliff face with a Swastika painted on it. The Home Guard had no firing range, so they fired the guns into targets in the slate pit. By making a U-turn from the path into the pit, the tank image was directly in front of them. Arthur fired the gun, hitting the tank image. The ensuing conflagration splattering over the cliff Lee-Enfield .303 gun. Console A (Capt.) face, setting fire to anything and War Office official photographer. Imperial everything flammable. This included War Museums photograph H 1917. the dry grass growing down the face of the cliff. Every effort was made to put out the fire. There were no roots to the grass – it had grown down the cliff face over many years. The flames were put out and the grass was left smouldering. Two or three days later the Loughborough fire brigade was called to extinguish the smouldering grass as it had started to migrate below the surface of the fairway. The durable combustible nature of the fluid in the Northover projectile was apparent as a week later we boys scuffed below the surface where it had exploded and, to our surprise, it started to burn again, setting fire to our Wellingtons. It was very hard to extinguish! After they fired various weapons into the pit, I was allowed to fire a Sten gun – an exciting, body-shaking and ear-splitting experience for a young boy of eight or nine years old. Roger Kirby When you've got to go: The privy (part one) Several years back my mother, a district nurse working on the edge of the fens around Coningsby, Lincolnshire, mentioned to me that one of her patients was descended from George Jennings. Who? I hear you ask. He was the pioneer plumber who, in 1852, patented a design for a flush toilet. In Jennings’ own words it was, ‘An improved construction of water-closet, in which the pan and trap are constructed in the same piece, and so formed that there shall always be a certain quantity of water retained in the pan itself, in addition to that in the trap which forms the water-joint.’ Other improvements followed including, in 1858, the Jennings and Lovegroove Patent Plunger Closet. In the downstairs toilet, my mother’s patient proudly Roundabout May 2017 23 showed off an original Jennings pedestal toilet bowl, still in everyday use, decorated inside and out with garlands of blue and white peonies. Choices of sanitary ware These days we are more self-conscious about our sanitary ware. The avocado or pampas suites of the 1970s would be considered rather passé these days and brilliant white is considered by the design fraternity to be the only acceptable colour for domestic use. Looking back a couple of generations, what facilities did our forefathers have in which to perform their daily ablutions? The middle classes may have had their porcelain or even enamelled sanitary suites but members of the working class, both in town and country, did not have the luxury of a plumbed system. Perhaps there was a tin bath hung on the wall that was fetched down every Friday to be put in front of the kitchen fire, but the toilet was still firmly outside and for many it meant a nightly trek down the garden to the privy. About twenty years ago my mother attended a talk at the local Women’s Institute given by Mollie Harris, who was known by many as ‘Martha Woodford’ in The Archers and presenter of Radio 4’s The Countryside in the Seasons. She talked about the many books on country life she had written, but her latest work at the time was a collection An example of a privy. of the amusing tales and anecdotes she had amassed over the years surrounding privies and earth closets. In her book, Privies Galore, she traced the history of the dry closet and looked at privies through the ages, from medieval monasteries through various ‘bucket’ and ‘box’ contraptions to the services of the lavender cart men in the early 20th century. There are stories about and pictures of privy survivals in gardens around the country. Included are the humorous reminiscences of a bucketeer whose skill was to empty dry closets that had no cesspool, without spillage. Alternative words for ‘the privy’ Mollie offers the most comprehensive list of alternative words for the privy I have ever read. Some of the terms I recognised: the necessary, the convenience, dunny, the jampot, the shants, the John and the Jericho. 24 Roundabout May 2017 Others were new to me, such as: the chuggie, the honk, the duffs, the hoojy-boo, the porcelain pony, the old Bombay and the Sammy. Phrases for what went on in these places are also included: having a Jimmy, going to pick daisies, a place to repose, going to see my aunts, and stacking the tools. Some choice Victorian graffiti and ‘privy poems’ are also reproduced by Mollie Harris, including a delightful ditty called Down the Garden Path by Forest of Dean poet Joyce Latham. Coust thee remember, owd ‘un, when we all had WCs Away down in the garden where we used to take our ease? ‘Twere like a palace wi’ some matting on the floor, Thic seat were scrubbed as white as snow, and hung behind the door Upon a large and sturdy nail, in pieces cut to size, All threaded on a piece of string, unheeding of the flies. Thee’d vind a yup o’ newspaper-its paper plain to see, In them days proper toilet rolls seemed awful posh to me Carbolic and Jeyes Fluid seemed to ooze dru’ every crack And though there weren’t no chain to pull, we never felt the lack A candle in a jamjar were our only bit o’ light; It came in very handy when old nature came at night! To add to the excitement as you sat there in the dark A large fat hairy spider on some errand might embark; He’d swing about quite gaily clinging to his silken thread As hypnotised you watched and prayed, ‘Please, don’t fall on me yud.’ Ay, many were the pleasant hours spent there in reverie, Gone now, but no forgotten – That old outside WC. Part two next issue – you will just have to wait! Mark Temple The search for Bosworth battlefield The subject of Darren Harris’ informative talk in March to the Woodhouse and Woodhouse Eaves Local History Society was entitled The Search for Bosworth Battlefield. Before 2009 only three of the battle sites of the Wars of the Roses had been securely located. Most had at least two alternative sites. Barnet had three; Hexham and Bosworth had four. The alternate sites at Northampton and Tewkesbury were less than one kilometre apart but the
Roundabout May 2017 25 Bosworth sites were scattered over six kilometres of the Leicestershire landscape, creating a logistical nightmare in establishing the actual site. Various interpretations The traditional interpretation as presented by Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre until 2009 placed the battle on the slopes of Ambion Hill. This was based on the work of various historians and partly based on old maps. However, according to maps, the battlefield had migrated by the 1760s from the known site in 1576. In 1973 Leicestershire County Council created a visitors’ centre based on research by Danny Williams who took the traditional and erroneous view that the battle had taken place on the slopes of Ambion Hill. In 1985 this traditional view was challenged. Colin Richmond discovered that the dead were buried at Dadlington after being dug up from battlefield graves. Documents showed that the battlefield was within Dadlington parish. In 1985 David Starkey & Michael Jones proposed the Atherstone site theory based on local place names – King Dick’s Hole, Royal Meadow, Bloody Bank, Derby Spinney and a burial mound (later shown to be Bronze Age).
26 Roundabout May 2017 Four competing theories By 2004 there were four competing theories. The key to finding the actual site was to find the marsh mentioned in contemporary sources. A four- pronged approach was taken. 1. Examine medieval ridge and furrow, and areas of alluvium (flowing water). Anything else (white areas) could possibly be marsh in 1485. This ruled out the slopes of Ambion Hill. 2. Look at place names for evidence of a marsh – Fen Hole, Fenn Lane, Fomers, etc, suggested marshy area. Brown Heath was a Welsh source name for the Battle of Bosworth. 3. Terrain map – take core samples of peat deposits. 4. Systematic metal detecting using GPS plotting. The metal detectorists found medieval belt fittings, gold rings, part of a sword hilt, spur rowels, a Yorkist sun in splendour badge, dagger guards, harness pendants, two badges (a silver eagle and serpent), and a silver gilt boar. Also 34 lead roundshot (stone or iron core encased in lead) of varying sizes were discovered. In 2009, using the combined evidence, the battle site was finally confirmed near Fenn Lane Farm, several miles from Ambion Hill. Darren finally explained what all the evidence put together tells us about the battle. He explained the journeys the combatants took to the battlefield, the sequence of events, the traditional stories and myths, and how these compare to the evidence such as the scatter of finds, terrain maps and the wounds inflicted upon King Richard’s skeletal remains. Mark Temple The art of the lace bobbin The inheritance of a collection of mainly 19th century antique lace bobbins from my mother-in-law (an expert lace maker) in 1983 inspired me 33 years later to find out more about the history and skills of bobbin making and to present the findings at the April meeting of the Woodhouse and Woodhouse Eaves Local History Group. Although bobbin lace was made widely in Italy, Spain, France and the Low Countries during the 16th century, it was barely practised in England. However, extreme persecution of Protestants in the Low Countries by their Spanish Catholic ruler in the 1560s, the massacre of French Calvinist Huguenots in France in 1572, and the revoking in 1685 of the 1598 Edict of Nantes (which had promised the Huguenots religious tolerance), brought Roundabout May 2017 27
28 Roundabout May 2017 waves of emigrants to England. These included lace makers who made their way to Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire, and westwards to Wiltshire and Devon. Enter the bobbin makers The rise of bobbin lace making in the South Midlands and West Country brought a need for bobbin makers. People already engaged in wood turning had both the skills and the tools to fill the niche, with the bobbin makers of the South Midlands turning their new trade into an art form. Their most common materials were drawn from cheap domestic sources: the thick- walled bones of beef cattle and close-grained, mainly dark woods such as plum, cherry and damson. The basic bobbins were turned on a lathe and then decorated using a variety of techniques. The simplest decoration involved incising grooves to form rings round the thick shank of the bobbin, left plain or, in the case of bone bobbins, coloured using dyes applied with a quill. Other bobbin makers dipped the entire bobbin in a dye and then, when it was dry, returned the bobbin to the lathe, lightly turning it to remove the dye from the surface of Bone bobbin bound with brass wire and decorated with indented the shank and spots in a right-hand spiral. leave the colour only in the grooves and on the thin neck of the bobbin. A small hand-held drill could be used to make a domino Bone ‘leopard’ bobbin with pewter spots. pattern of dots, subsequently also dyed in different colours. The most common dyes were red, derived from either the crushed cochineal beetle or from lichens, and green, which may have come from the copper arsenate mineral, olivenite. Higher-order skills Some bobbins were incised with a spiral groove, running either to the right or the left down the shank, while others had brass wire wound round wide grooves to form coils. Molten pewter (a tin and lead alloy) was also used in decoration, sometimes filling holes drilled through the bobbin to produce a
Roundabout May 2017 29 spotted effect (leopard bobbins), or filling wide grooves via a mould to create pewter rings (tiger bobbins). Some bobbins were even partly hollowed out to allow the insertion of a miniature bobbin, viewed through window-shaped openings in the outer layer of the bobbin (church-window or mother-and-babe bobbins). The full depth of the bobbin makers’ art can only be appreciated by handling the bobbins to look at them in detail, and there was plenty of opportunity for this as most of the bobbins shown on-screen were also on display for people to examine afterwards. Evelyn Brown May in the cottage garden For many reasons May is by far my favourite month of the year, not least for fecundity of nature. You can almost hear the garden growing around you! But it is the colour green that makes my heart sing at this time – the vivid acid green of new shoots and unfurling leaves, all of which bears the promise of much to come. Not that there is time to stop and enjoy this wonderful natural productivity: for the gardener this is the busiest of times! In the flower garden Spring shrubs such as forsythia, which have given their best, can now be pruned to keep them compact. Climbers such as honeysuckle, clematis and wisteria are growing at a rate of knots, and delicate new shoots will need to be tied in to their supports to prevent them breaking. Gaps in borders can be used to sow annuals such as cornflowers and Californian poppies straight into the soil (this can be done right up to August). Now is the time I turn my attention to my dahlias. Like many gardeners, years ago I would not have entertained the inclusion of these showy giants in the flower borders, but times and tastes change and the dahlia now has a place well outside its traditional home on the allotment. Its many colours and varieties, as well as long flowering period, make it the ideal companion in a perennial border. There are a number of methods in keeping and planting dahlias. The traditional method is to lift the tubers in autumn, dry and store them in a dry place ready to plant out again at this time in spring. I prefer to plant my dahlia tubers earlier in spring in large pots in the greenhouse. In May when the new shoots have appeared and the plants have been hardened off, I leave them in their pots, which I place in gaps made for them in the flower beds. I find that in this way I mainly avoid the nuisance of slugs and snails, which adore tasty new dahlia shoots, and the pots quickly become hidden among the growing foliage of the perennial beds. Lastly, if you are confident 30 Roundabout May 2017 the threat of frost is past, it is time to put up that hanging basket you have been growing in the greenhouse. The vegetable garden Vegetables are also growing up a treat at this time of year. Potato shoots need earthing-up to prevent new tubers from growing and turning green, which are poisonous and encourage more potatoes to form from the buried shoots. Runner bean and climbing bean plants I have grown up in the greenhouse can now be planted outside up sturdy supports made from canes or hazel. You can also plant the seeds directly into the ground now if you have not got a greenhouse. May is also the time to start enjoying the delicious stems of rhubarb. Many of the older generation of gardeners have fond memories of dipping washed stems into a bowl of sugar and eating them raw, but rhubarb is just as yummy stewed with a little yoghurt, in crumbles, cooked to accompany mackerel or beef dishes, or made into a delicious tipple when infused with vodka! The only downside of all this lush growth in the vegetable garden is the explosion in slug and snail populations! There is simply nothing more frustrating than returning to a carefully nurtured row of seedlings planted outside for the first time the previous day, only to find nothing left but a few stripped stalks! It is a constant task to find the most effective way of keeping these voracious eaters at bay, especially if you want to garden organically. I do not have the definitive answer but employ a number of methods including going on evening hunts, especially when the weather is damp – a snail’s favourite conditions! Cutting gardens This year I have given over one bed in the vegetable garden to growing species of annual cut flowers. Cutting flowers from the flower borders is all well and good but these flowers are meant to give a show in the garden rather than in a vase and having a place set aside purely to harvest summer blooms is a treat. Prepare the soil much as you would do for vegetables. You can buy hardy annual seedlings from most garden centres if you do not want to grow your own, or sow seeds directly into the ground. I have sown a number of seeds in the greenhouse and now is the time to plant out seedlings. I have picked plants for a number of reasons – prolific flowering varieties, those that are easy to grow, and varieties for scent. Sown in rows I have Ammi majus, an umbellifer much like a delicate cow parsley, scented stocks, mixed coloured cornflowers, calendula or marigold, sweet Williams and a beautiful bronze variety of small sunflower. Fingers crossed I should have vases of fresh flowers around the house throughout the summer! Jo Poultney Roundabout May 2017 31 32 Roundabout May 2017 Codeword A codeword is like a crossword puzzle, but the letters in the grid have been replaced by numbers. Each number represents a letter of the alphabet and all 26 letters are present. As in any crossword, the words used can include proper nouns and even common phrases. Can you solve the puzzle? We have given you some letters to help you get started. The solution can be found inside the back cover. (Andy Thomson)
Roundabout May 2017 33 The last word Eats shoots and leaves A panda walks into a café. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and fires two shots in the air. ‘Why?’ asks the confused waiter, as the panda makes towards the exit. The panda produces a badly punctuated wildlife manual and tosses it over his shoulder. ‘I’m The new release of Lego women a panda,’ he says, at the door. ‘Look it up.’ The waiter turns to the Lego has been criticized for a lack of female role models. In 2014, relevant entry and, sure enough, seven-year-old Charlotte Benjamin finds an explanation. ‘Panda. Large wrote to the company: ‘All the girls black-and-white bear-like mammal, did was sit at home, go to bed and native to China. Eats, shoots and shop, and they had no jobs, but the leaves.’ boys went on adventures, worked, From the back cover of Eats, Shoots and saved people,’ she wrote in a letter Leaves by Lynne Truss that quickly went viral. One giant leap for womankind Telegraph, 2nd March 2017 Lego is to make a set of figures Houses by the wood’s edge celebrating female astronauts, engineers and scientists at NASA. The Charnwood Roots project writes that the first documented The Danish toy company says that reference to Woodhouse, spelled the new set will feature five figures. ‘Wodehuses’, comes from around The design was the brainchild of AD 1225. The name itself derives Maia Weinstock, an American from the Old English wudu (wood), science writer, who won the Lego and hus (house), and meant the Ideas competition. The figures will houses by or in the wood. The first include Nancy Grace Roman, an reference to Woodhouse Eaves is astronomer who worked on the from 1481, where it is called ‘Lez giant space telescope, Sally Ride, a Eaves’ – ‘Lez’ being a variant physicist who was the first American spelling of the Norman French ‘the’. woman in space, and Mae Jemison The word Eves is Middle English who became the first African- though, and means an edge or American woman in space when border. Woodhouse Eaves therefore she joined a Space Shuttle mission refers to a place at the edge or in 1992. border of the houses by the wood.
34 Roundabout May 2017 Contributions to Roundabout We publish items of interest to the communities of Woodhouse and Woodhouse Eaves, such as news of local events, groups and businesses in accordance with the editorial policy (see inside front cover). We can write up people’s stories for those who prefer to talk, rather than write. We do not publish notices of births, deaths or marriages. We aim to keep most articles under 800 words. Format: electronic copy in ‘Word’, using ‘Arial’ font, is most useful, although we accept handwritten items that are legible. Pictures are welcome: digital if you have them, otherwise prints. What’s on: brief notification of events in the ‘What’s on’ schedule is free. Send event details to Roundabout at the email address below. Please note that we normally include only ‘in parish’ events, may abbreviate the details and are not obliged to include all items submitted. Adverts: requests for further publicity, even for charities, incur a charge per issue of £9.50 for a quarter page or £22.00 for a half page. We do not normally accept full-page adverts. Contact the advertising managers, Amanda and Andrew Garland, on (01509) 890 839 or via the Roundabout email address given below. Copy deadline: Submissions to the June 2017 issue should be sent in by Wednesday, 10th May. Send any material for Roundabout via email to [email protected] or via a member of the editorial and production team.
Codeword Solution
Roundabout May 2017 35 What’s on in May Mon 1st 8.30 Woodhouse May Day Challenge. 13.5 Village Hall. walk mile run / walk and 5 mile walk. 13.5 mile route 9.30 run www.woodhouse-may-day- £18 (£22 on 10.30 challenge.co.uk/ day). 5.0 mile family route £4pp or walk £15 family Mon 1st 11.00 Lisa and Meg’s Big Tour. To Old John. Wheatsheaf Six miles. www.dogstrust.org.uk/news- Inn. Adults events/blog/lisa-and-meg-s-big-tour suggested £10 Tue 2nd 11.00 To Swithland reservoir and village. donation to Five miles charity, kids Wed 3rd 10.00 Beacon Hill. Six miles and dogs free Thur 4th 10.30 To Newtown Linford via Old John. Seven miles Mon 8th 7.30 Local History Group: ‘Vanishing Methodist windmills’, Mark Temple. Church hall, £3 Refreshments provided visitors Wed 10th 7.30 Leics. & Rutland Wildlife Trust: ‘Not Village Hall, another Wildlife Quiz!’ Refreshments £2.50, £3 provided or BYO visitors Sun 14th 10.00 Leics. Footpath Assoc: ‘Leicestershire Sponsored Round and Hound walk’. walk, section 1 www.leicesteranimalaid.org.uk through parish Sun 14th From Alex's Wish Charity: ‘Charnwood Rothley, entry 8.30 Forest cycle ride’. 10, 20, 50 mile from £10 routes. www.alexswish.co.uk Wed 17th 7.30 Women’s Institute: ‘Resolutions for Village Hall, NFWI AGM and social evening.’ members only Wed 17th 7.15– Training: basic cardiopulmonary Village Hall 8.45 resuscitation and the use of an Annexe, free automated external defibrillator Sun 21st 10–4 Charnwood Roots Heritage Festival. Beaumanor www.charnwoodroots.org Hall, free Wed 24th 4–5 Training: Basic CPR and use of an St Mary’s AED. Booking req’d, call Ann Irving Church, free (01509) 890 050 Sun 28th 5 The Leicestershire Chorale concert, St Paul’s raffle and refreshments Church, £7.50 Check for more local event details on www.woodhouse-eaves.co.uk and www.woodhouseparishcouncil.org.uk/local-events.html