ASTON TIRROLD UNITED REFORMED CHURCH ASTON TIRROLD UNITED SPRING LANE, ASTON TIRROLD, DIDCOT, OXFORDSHIRE OX11 9EJ REFORMED CHURCH Minister: Revd Ulrike Bell 26 Rectory Road, Great Haseley, OX44 7JQ 01844 279772 [email protected] Secretary: Julian Gallop 16a New Road, East Hagbourne OX11 9JU 01235 813599 [email protected] Treasurer John Spencer (until mid-December 2012) Springdale House, Springdale, Wallingford 01491 839193 OX10 0HQ. [email protected] Serving Elders John Garvey 01235 771027 Ann Morton 01491 832350 John Spencer 01491 839193 Sheila Conacher 01491 598307 Elke Asmus 01189 665557 NEWSLETTER Ruth Smith 01235 210359 Julie Young 01189 722097 Please feel free to contact any Elder at any time AUGUST, SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER 2012 Centre Co-ordinator & Bookings Secretary Hester Wilk 01235 850423 [email protected] -1- Dear friends, In June, the congregation here experienced a service led by Andrew McBirnie and James Shearer and supported by the music group. James reflected on the Welcome to the Aston Tirrold URC newsletter for August to October. Reformed tradition that led us to where we are today and Andrew described the background and people behind the words and music that we sang. On 2 I write this at about halfway point in the Olympic Games in London. Margaret September, in the afternoon, there will be a service of celebration followed by and I have been at the roadside for one of the events and seen the men's a party, which Ulrike Bell, Elke Asmus and Tessa Mayhew have been planning. peloton ride by. Because this is a time when the sports come together, I find myself absorbing the mysteries of sports I was previously only aware of. I appreciate the respectful bows that the competitors make before they begin to As I believe all readers of this newsletter now know, our friend and minister attempt to throw each other on the floor and hold each other in an impossible for 28 years (1967 to 1995) Gordon Harris died in June. At the service of grip. Competitors have talked about their dreams and what has happened to thanksgiving in Oxford, there were moving recollections from colleague those dreams. Stephen Haine, from his son John and from Rev Ulrike Bell. I recall his talents, his insight, his power and his vulnerability. I am sure that the prayers of our If you are observant, you will have noticed that this newsletter is for 3 months readers are with Jean and the family at this time. instead of the previous practice of every two. A small group has met to plan how we do our publicity within the church and it realised that, when planned Your friend and church secretary, events change, the newsletter has not been issued often enough to reflect that change. We are also concerned about posting and printing costs. So the Julian Gallop church is starting a monthly bulletin, single sided with the events for the coming month. This will be distributed electronically where possible and printed for those regular attenders who do not use email. Doing this will allow the newsletter to be every three months; it will continue to be reflective and I am sure you are noticing a few changes in this issue. We would also like to distribute the newsletter electronically where possible. The editor Julie Young Four-day fencing competition – en garde ! Or in garden! does appreciate hearing from you about the newsletter, whether in praise or telling her of something that could be improved, and I do encourage you to give The wooden fence running from the wall beside the vestry to the end of the her feedback. children's playground has been completely replaced, over three days in late This year Aston Tirrold URC is reflecting on its origins in the upheaval in June, inevitably dodging in and out of rain showers. political and religious life in 1662. Where the C of E is commemorating the Book of Common Prayer in that same year, the URC commemorates the Church volunteers did the initial site preparation, involving: • founding of a network of congregations, gathering in response to Acts of taking apart a compost heap adjacent to the existing fence and piling the Parliament that made activities of religious dissent illegal and welcoming compost on a couple of ground sheets, for later reinstatement. This kept ministers who had been ejected from their living. It is a time for reflecting on John Roddan and James happy for hours, John reverting to his earlier that tradition and for thinking more deeply where we are now. farming life with gusto. -3- -2- removing the old fence panels – which proved to be much easier than expected, since in many cases it just meant leaning against them, after a Following advice, James demolished the upper part of the Leaning Pillar and bit of preliminary work with a jemmy. Peg and Julian led the way on this then cleared fallen material from the edge of the remaining wall and leaned one, and soon had a substantial pile of redundant material ready for two flagstones against it to give it support. Later Charlton and Alan added removal to the tip. This included a considerable quantity of ivy, for it some concrete to keep it in place. transpired that the easiest way to remove ivy from a fence was by taking • The real work of the day, fence erection, now proceeded apace, with post the fence panel down! holes dug, fence posts inserted and concreted in, stringers inserted, and • Removing the fence panels revealed the rather sorry state of the end of the gravel boards installed. Then a start was made on fastening the overlapping wall behind the fence – the Leaning Pillar of Aston, very unstable. James panel strips. made plans to stabilise it the next day. Finally came Friday, again with a 7am start. • removing the old fence posts followed – again an easier than expected task, • Charlton used the chain saw to remove some old stumps and branches that except that some of the posts were attached to very substantial concrete we had not been able to get at from the Centre side of the fence. posts, and it was quite difficult to separate them. But John and Julian with • Charlton and Alan fixed the remaining panels to the fence, and then added jemmy, heavy hammer and enthusiasm got them apart and soon more the capping rails, providing a firm and solid structure. waste wood had joined the pile. • James worked further on the Centre side of the wall, installing two more • carrying the new fence materials – posts, stringers, panel strips, capping flagstones to hold the bank back beside the shed. rails, gravel boards, support strips etc – down to the site filled in the rest of • Gerald and Georgina worked tirelessly with their chain saw to cut up the the day. branches in the car park. In the end they had two trailer-loads for fuel to Then we were ready for the contractor. dispose of! • John and James rebuilt the compost heap container, and added the top half Contractors start early – at 7am - This was the beginning of a full and very busy of the compost to it so it could rot further. The rest is available for use by day. The contractors (Charlton and Alan) began by checking the site with us, Sue as it is well rotted already. and discussing with our neighbour Sue Wilcox about overhanging tree issues • John and James had a smashing time demolishing the remaining old and other matters. Then to work: concrete fence post supports, and cutting out the reinforcing rods. • Charlton and Alan started removing overhanging branches from some of the After a clean up, all that could be done then had been done, and everyone trees, and then cutting down completely one very rotten cedar tree and one congratulated themselves and each other on a job well done. misshapen and fence-nudging leylandi. • Meantime all sorts of people arrived and started trundling the old fence And a surprise: in tidying up by the damson tree and shed, we unearthed a debris to the contractor's trailer. We also added the cut-off branches, while previously unknown sewage inspection cover! A labelled flagstone is now placed removing the substantial parts of the cut-down trees to the car park. By the over it and there is a note pinned to the shed. We hope we never need to get end of the day the trailer was piled about 2 metres high with waste material. access, but now at least we can. Many thanks to all concerned. James & Peg Shearer -4- -5- The Three Hares In this country there are numerous examples, dating mainly from the 15 th century. It is known from floor tiles in Chester Cathedral and from bosses in St David’s Cathedral and Selby Abbey. I have seen another example of a roof-boss in the little parish church of St Pancras at Widecombe-in-the-Moor in Devon. Some link it with the tin-miners of the West Country, but it is found in many other places, not least in Fareham. My own favourite is in a mediaeval glass window above the north door of the Great Church of the Holy Trinity at Long Melford in Suffolk, one of the finest parish churches in the country. This dates In the June/July edition of the newsletter, the Minister wrote of the Three Hares from the late 15 th century. as a symbol of the Trinity, not knowing its origin. I offer some information. The origin of this symbol of Three Hares cannot be precisely defined, as it could The earliest known example is in a Buddhist cage temple near Dunhuang in be from a number of different sources.