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Little Malvern
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Of Interest A VISIT TO THE
NATIONAL MEMORIAL ARBORETUM Just
over a week ago, a group of us met up in the church car park for our visit to
The National Memorial Arboretum.
Eric was driving the minibus, and we all clambered aboard. We arrived at
the Arboretum in good time for the short church service It
was a very moving service, the chapel was full and there were many young
servicemen and recruits outside where the service was being broadcast.. The
chapel is simple and beautiful in its own way and has a truly religious
atmosphere. One of the most lasting memories is the prayer written by a 13year
old girl which is prominently displayed on a board outside the chapel. Inside
there are many beautiful Carvings
created by the Essex Woodcarvers and it is a place where you could spend a long
time discovering new things. The
scale of the Arboretum is overwhelming with over 150 memorial gardens. Although
it is primarily a military or services memorial it also includes allied forces
and other organisations such as the police and fire services. A very moving
garden is one for new born babies, which I am sure must give comfort to the
parents of these babies. A
few of us decided to go round in a little open-sided train. It took us slowly
around the different gardens and we were given a commentary on each service it
depicted. At
the main memorial we left the train to toil up the many steps (there is a gently
sloping ramp around
the base of the memorial to facilitate the easy use of motorised buggies
and wheel chairs). This was the saddest memorial that Mike and I have seen, twin
walls each consisting of four curved
pieces forming two broken circles, one inside the other and coloured white.
These were carved with the names of
every serviceman and woman who have
been killed in action since the second world war. There has not been one year
since 1945 when a serviceman/ woman has
not been killed on active service. After
this we walked to the memorials that we hadn't visited on the train , and were
personal to us. On the way back to the centre we visited the Basra wall, which
was another very moving moment, and I think more so because it was surrounded by
young soldiers. The
restaurant was a warm and welcoming place and provided food to suit all tastes. At
four o’clock we all assembled together and Eric drove us safely home. In
spite of it being a very emotional day it was a place of great peace and calm
and one which we will all remember. Anne & Mike Pollard Prayer for the Third Millennium Dear
Lord our heavenly Father, at the dawn of a new millennium, In
a word of darkness, give us your light. In
lands of war and prejudice , grant us peace. In
a world of despair, give us hope. In
a world of sadness and tears, show us your joy. In
a world of hatred, show us your love. In
a world of arrogance, give us humility. In
a world of disbelief, give us faith. Give
us courage to face the challenges of feeding the hungry, Clothing
the naked, housing the homeless and healing the sick. Give
us the power to make a difference in your world, and protect your creation. Through
Jesus Christ, Our Lord, Amen. This prayer, written
by Anna Compton aged 13, was selected as the
Celebration 2000 Millennium prayer.
FEATHER WATCH “Dare we hope? We
dare. Can we hope? We can. Should we hope? We
must, because to do otherwise is
to waste the most precious gifts, given so freely by God to all of us. So when we do die, it
will be with hope and it will be easy And our hearts will
not be broken.”
Andy Ripley (1947-2010)
British Lions Rugby star. It’s
“all change” for our birds, with migration south now taking over as food
supplies dwindle. The swifts, which have given us all so much pleasure this
summer, are well on their way to South Africa. Redstarts, with flashing red
tails, can be seen moving through our fields and
in your garden at this time of the year. Ring ouzel, with white crescent
at the throat and dark plumage are rare and are with us until October, as are
the swallows and house martins. High
summer wild flowers are still blooming, in spite of the signs of an early
autumn. The light blue flowers of the harebells are easy to see as you walk
higher up on the Hills. ‘Witches’ thimbles’ is one of the old country
names for them. Because
of the way the seasons seem to be changing, it’s important to delay
late-summer tidying up and cutting back of undergrowth until way into autumn.
Birds that forage in hedges will benefit from this, as will the small
tortoiseshells, red admirals and peacock butterflies. It’s really only common
sense. Things will only get better for wildlife if we all show consideration. When
was the last time you saw a hedgehog? By putting up a few bird boxes and leaving
a bundle on birch cuttings, a patch of stinging nettles and a few brambles in a
corner of the garden, we will create shelter for many creatures as we move on
into the winter months. Remember—- EVERY LITTLE HELPS. Philip Kedward A
Morning in Uganda The sun shone on a morning in Uganda, Along the jewelled lake The ripples grew and crept asunder; The world was new awake! And now the girls, with waterpots on shoulders Creep in winding file To draw one jar between the timeless boulders Out of the mighty Nile. And through the dawn, the softly steaming cattle Move with gentle tread. The Herdsmen’s spears that never knew a battle Are tipped in red. Patient, slow moving as she was created Africa is awake! The little ripples crept, and met and mated Along the jewelled lake. This is a poem written by Moses Kiza who
was completing his last year of primary school in Uganda in 1982. It comes from
the daughter of my very special friend, Ruth. I find it very poignant in the light of
the huge difficulties “Africa” has experienced since that time, and
particularly now, when water is so scarce in so many parts of that vast
continent. I wonder what has happened to Moses Kiza
now? It makes me grateful for our education
system in this country, and also for plentiful, clean water being available
here, just by turning on a tap. Margaret Palmer . Last year Peter
Garner very kindly did a plant count for us and found 73 different wild flowers
in the churchyard and a further 13 in the car park.
Using this information, Roger Smith has now prepared a magnificent folder
with tables showing the flowering and fruiting season for each plant and
providing a page for each (in monthly order) with a coloured illustration so
that we know what to look out for as the year progresses. The folder is in the church porch and is well worth studying. We are most grateful to him.
Jocelyn
Bailey Monk’s path?
Britain is covered in the vestiges of these ancient roadways. Some are absorbed into our modern roads and others have disappeared completely. In wandering around our local footpaths, I question why these paths are where they are. The line of the old railway from Malvern to Upton via Malvern Wells is a more obvious route but what about the old track on Fruitlands that goes from Peachfield Road behind the houses in Walnut Crescent to emerge near Cherry Tree Drive? It links the bridleway that goes under the railway and across the golf course to the club house at what was Wood Farm. From here it crosses a field and you can pick up the route again near the Corner of Green Lane. You can follow this path southwards to join another path that comes out in Assarts Lane and with not too much imagination it would continue along the field boundary hedges on 19th century maps straight towards Little Malvern Priory. Was this the route of an ancient Monk’s Path? There are parallel paths above and below this one along which travellers could vary the route according to the season. Trade and communication was by foot or horse-back with goods being carried by mules and pack-horses along these ancient routes. If you trace the route back towards Great Malvern it goes across Malvern Wells Common into College Road and along modern day Abbey Road or Priory Road to Great Malvern Priory, built some 40 years after the building of Little Malvern Priory. Was it a Monk’s Path? Returning to Little Malvern Priory, there are roads, paths and tracks radiating outwards leading to Deerhurst,Gloucester, Winchcombe, Tewkesbury Evesham, Pershore and Worcester. These places had something in common– they all had Benedictine Priories, sadly there are few remains. They were mainly founded in the 12th century and were dissolved by King Henry VIII in the 1530’s. Great Malvern Priory was built for around thirty monks and the Church, Pool and Abbey Gateway are remnants of this bygone era. Little Malvern Priory was built for a community of around a dozen monks in 1125 and was originally known as St Giles Priory. (is this how the Church at Hanley Swan got its name?) It was built as an annex to the Church Of Worcester with Worcester's Prior having the right to remove monks from Little Malvern and indeed being able to choose the Prior of Little Malvern. There is a list of priors with their dates inside Little Malvern Priory. The earliest Priors are not recorded but there is a reference to one ‘William of Broadway being appointed in 1269. There was a ‘John of Dumbleton’ (appointed 1299) who resigned after one year.Henry Staunton took over in 1360 and died 9 years later. In 1378 Richard of Wenlock became Priory until 1392. Henry Morton was the Prior in 1480 and it was during his time that the remaining monks were sent to Gloucester Abbey whilst Little Malvern Priory was refurbished. They were able to return two years later. It was at this time that a Refectory known as the ‘Prior’s Hall’ was built there . Thomas Colman came next (1484) then there is a gap until John Bristowe is recorded as the Prior in 1529. On August 31st 1534, Prior John Bristowe and his remaining six monks were required to surrender the buildings and their lands with the dissolution of Little Malvern Priory (probably the smallest Priory in the land) as part of King Henry’s programme. In 1536, John Bristowe was awarded a pension and the Monastery buildings were already beginning to fall into disrepair. This land was purchased by the Berington family shortly after the dissolution of the monasteries. They had Little Malvern Court built around the ‘Prior’s Hall’ and also on the site of the Monastic Cloisters. The ten acres now surrounding the Court (the house and gardens are open to the public on certain days) used to be part of the monastic grounds. Over the next three centuries the Priory Church deteriorated to a point where the barrel vault roof caved in and the Berington family had this repaired in 1864. Since then there have been a number of refurbishments and the remaining Priory Church and nearby ruins are listed as an ancient monument. In 1954, The Society of Friends of Little Malvern Priory was formed and since then nearly a quarter of a million pounds has been raised towards various projects to maintain the building for all those who call by to visit or to worship at the regular services ( at least once a week, often more) held in this very special Priory Church. As for Little Malvern Priory itself, it is just beyond the Parish of Malvern Wells but those who live there cannot help but feel that it is a very special place. If you have never been inside it is definitely worth a peep. If you are interested in its detailed history there is an excellent little book for sale in the entrance to the Priory Church. There are examples of 14th century tiles in Little Malvern Priory that were made in the Grounds of Great Malvern Priory. Were these transported by horse and cart through the Parish of Malvern Wells along the old Monk’s Path mentioned here? Malvern tiles can be found in many local Churches and Cathedrals and as far away a St. David’s Cathedral in Pembrokeshire. This is further evidence of how far goods were transported along these ancient trackways. When you are out and about walking the local footpaths and country lanes, spare a thought for all those who have gone before you and wonder, as I have done, why these tracks are where they are. Glynis Dray (2009)
Reflections on Salisbury Cathedral I
was recently in Salisbury Cathedral and was surprised by the extra people
around. It was an exhibition of sculpture mostly of life sized (and larger than
life) people in all sorts of situations by Sean Henry. The
sculptures were in all sorts of places, in niches, in the cloister, on the floor
of the nave etc. The
one that caught my eye and moved me most was a man lying on top of one of the
grand tombstones in the Cathedral. (Many of the others had Knights and Ladies or
Bishops etc on them). He was a modern man in a formal suit, with no shoes or
socks on and with his head on a briefcase (instead of the posh pillows that the
knights had). He was clearly an effigy and dead, but wore a very worried
expression. I
was moved to consider how we would wish to be recorded for posterity ourselves.
Is mine a “life well lived”? And what do I mean by that? Is that in
conventional terms, or from a social viewpoint, or the viewpoint of God? I
think I would find it really difficult to know what is God’s viewpoint. How
can we say that anyone’s life isn’t well lived when we don’t know all the
intimate circumstances involved ? At
the Hospice many people question the value of their life as it draws to a close. Perhaps
we should all be thinking about that now, whatever our stage of life. We can do
it without fear, knowing that God is a God of love and forgiveness, and that the
results of our actions in the future may be surprisingly positive, when we
thought they would be disastrous. May
we all be blessed and live our lives well, however that is for each of us
individually. PS If
you want to see more of the sculptures look up Salisbury Cathedral Website on
the internet for a video clip. Anne Burge JUST A THOUGHT When
we talk about someone being enthusiastic or enthused, how often do we remember
that the origin of the word is “en Theos”, “in God”, and means possessed
by God. I
think we are all meant to be possessed by God in some ways, after all, we say at
the Eucharist “that we may evermore dwell in Him and He in us”. Surely this
means being possessed. Do
enjoy being enthusiastic !! Annie Burge 11.09.2011
Listen! On one of the seats in the churchyard is carved the word ‘Listen’. At least that’s what I thought it said when I first saw it. Then I wondered if it said ‘Lister’ and was the name of the man who had made it, but I prefer my first interpretation because it is exactly the right place to sit and take in all that is happening around —–- the call of a blackbird, the song of a robin, grass being mown, the cry of a buzzard overhead ........... all the sounds of country life. Why don’t you try it? Who knows, you might even hear the voice of God. Jocelyn Bailey
Which Way to Heaven?
Reverend
Billy Graham tells of a time early in his ministry when he arrived in a small
town to preach a sermon. Wanting to mail a letter, he asked a young boy where
the post office was. When the boy had told him, Dr. Graham thanked him and said,
"If you'll come to the Baptist Church this evening, you can hear me telling
everyone how to get to heaven." The boy replied, "I don't think I'll be there... .. …you don't even know your way to the post office." Well,
if it's that obvious to a child…
A man had a habit of grumbling at the
food his wife placed before him at family meals. Then he would ask the blessing. One day after his usual combination
complaint-prayer, his little girl asked, "Daddy, does God hear us when we
pray?" "Why, of course," he replied.
"He hears us every time we pray." She pauses on this a moment, and asked,
"Does he hear everything we say the rest of the time?" "Yes, dear, every word," he
replied, encouraged that he had inspired his daughter to be curious about
spiritual matters. However, his pride was quickly turned to
humility... "Then which does God believe?" Preaching
The preacher was wired for sound with a
lapel mike, and as he preached, he moved briskly about the platform, jerking the
mike cord as he went. Then he moved to one side, getting wound
up in the cord and nearly tripping before jerking it again. After several circles and jerks, a
little girl in the third pew leaned toward her mother and whispered, "If he gets loose, will
he hurt us?
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