Our last summer outing of 2024 will be this FRIDAY, AUGUST 16th. Afternoon guided visit to STRATFORD GUILD CHAPEL meeting at 2.00pm in the chapel (CV37 6EP)
There are still places available on this trip, pay at the door, cost £5.00.
Stratford’s Guild of the Holy Cross was an essential element in the
medieval economic and social life of the town. In the 15th century
the increasingly rich and influential Guild built the almshouses,
the Guild Hall, the grammar school and the Guild Chapel.
The chapel we now see was built in the 15th century, and has
undergone many changes of use in the last half century.
It contains internationally important wall paintings, which were covered with whitewash less than a century after they were created. This event was recorded by John Shakespeare, the playwright’s father, in his role as Chamberlain of Stratford Corporation. Since 2022 the chapel has benefitted from Heritage Lottery Funding to conserve and interpret the surviving 15th century paintings, which constitute a rare scheme created at a single period as one programme. Although some parts have been destroyed or overlaid by later painting, and some are hidden behind wooden panelling, work continues to enhance and interpret this internationally significant series of images.
Report on the evening tour of LIGHTHORNE VILLAGE on 21st June
We had an enjoyable evening in benign weather, led by our member Colin Such, who until recently resided in Lighthorne and who has amassed a wealth of information about its history and characters. He gave us a brief illustrated introductory history of the village in the Village Hall, noting the prehistoric beginnings of the settlement and the nearby Roman activity.
We then went out to view the Old Post Office and the historic buildings at the adjacent cross roads, including the Old Forge and the (well-attended) Antelope Hotel pub. We then walked up Old School Lane, noting in passing a fine farmhouse, and a notorious establishment, before arriving at the Old School, now converted to domestic use.
When we returned to the crossroads your reporter reluctantly fell by the wayside suffering from a painful foot problem. Undaunted, Colin led the group up Church Lane to St Laurence’s church to view the church and its notable stained glass.
The church tower was built in the 1770s by Kineton mason Samuel
Eglington, who had been employed on the new house at Compton Verney. The main body of the church is 19th century, but there is some early glass incorporated in the windows. Although I missed this part of the tour Colin has written a detailed article about the stained glass based on the research of the late Peter Hinman and Aiden McRae Thomson (in the Lighthorne History Society Archive and available online here:
http://www.lighthornehistory.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/LH1342014.pdf).
Well worth a read.
Our thanks to Colin for giving us the benefit of just some of his encyclopaedic knowledge of Lighthorne’s past in such a calm and engaging fashion.
Report on Friday July19th afternoon guided tour of STANWAY HOUSE
Stanway House dates from the late 16th – early 17th century, and the gardens have been continually enhanced by successive generations of the Tracys. The family is still in residence. The day was the hottest of the year to date, and the golden coloured Cotswold stone buildings looked their best, but we were glad to be mainly indoors. Our guide Marie-Therese led us through the apartments open to the public, while the family, and the dogs, passed through us en route to the pool, judging by the evidence of their attire. A massive 17th century shove ha’penny table with a single huge oak top was a feature of the Hall – it might have been constructed in situ it was so enormous. The long winter evenings before the internet seem to have been occupied by sitting in chairs covered in original Morris fabrics, and flicking stamps attached to coins at the high ceiling, where a few stamps are still to be seen. Ilona admitted to having played this game too, although not at Stanway House. Possibly to counteract the effect of too many dinners we saw a rare Chippendale exercise chair, looking uncomfortably like an instrument of torture.
Up some steps, giving a glimpse of a servants’ passage, we came to the sitting room, containing two Chippendale settees, with elaborate canopies embellished with chinoiserie accessories,
including a pagoda and little bells. Here Marie-Therese pointed out the portraits of several 18th and 19th century ancestors who fatally drank or duelled themselves into contention for Darwin awards.
The next room was a smaller book-lined intimate room, with Edwardian photos of three beautiful sisters, one whose private life seemed to be intent on making up for the gene pool deficit racked up by her forebears.
Making our way into the sunshine through a servants’ back door we saw the remnants of the elegant landscape garden depicted in one of the 18th century paintings in the Hall. A little steepled building stood at the head of what had been a long cascade emptying into a raised canal. This is now the site of the spectacular 91-metre high fountain – the highest gravity-fed spout in the world. The fountain was turned on for us, and was truly remarkable.
Our thanks to Rosemary for arranging both these stimulating outings, enjoyed by all who joined us.
The Community Archive Colin and Carol have continued cataloguing the material in the archive. We
have taken delivery of 10 archive quality archive storage boxes donated by the Warwickshire County Record Office through the good offices of Colin.
The shelving is now installed, and Colin has catalogued and indexed all the paper archive, while Carol is organising the digital material.
David Beaumont has kindly donated a WWII child’s gas mask, from a
Kineton source. I never knew such objects existed and it looks fearsome if
necessary thing, but it brings home the reality of a war only a few can now
bear witness. It looks horribly like that Caravaggio painting of David With the Head of Goliath.
Forthcoming K&DLHG events
| Date | Speaker | Title |
| 16 August | Guided Outing 2pm | Guided tour of Guild Chapel, Stratford |
| 20 September | Maggie Wood | Mr Gaydon of Brailes, stories told through a collection of smocks |
| 18 October | David Morse | A Dive into Leamington’s Photographic Archive |
| 15 November | Roger Butler | William James – Stratford’s Pioneering Railway Engineer |
| 13 December | Paul Thompson | Io Saturnalia |
| 17 Jan. 2025 | Alex Harvey | Immersive Tech to Explore Medieval Tunnels in Warwick and Elsewhere |
| 21 Feb. 2025 | William Deakin | History of the Hunt in Kineton |
| 21 Mar. 2025 | AGM & Martin Sinot-Smith | 37th AGM followed by Daily Life in Tudor Times |
Other Organisations’ Events
Please look up the Warwickshire Local History Society’s Other Societies’ Events page for a list of
other meetings of local history interest. You can access it here: Other Events (warwickshirehistory.org.uk)
British Association for Local History. The Kineton Group is a Member of BALH and they run lectures and talks which are open to our members. www.balh.org.uk for upcoming talks available virtually.
Don’t forget to check our own website at: Kineton and District Local History Group.
Membership.
Membership for 2024 is £15. Visitor entrance is £3.00 per meeting.
If you would like to become a Member of the group, our 2024 membership year starts in January. If you attend 5 or more of the 9 meetings we hold every year then Membership is the best option!
With our bank now charging for payments by cheque or cash, we would urge those who can to please pay by BACS to our bank business account:
name: Kineton and District Local History Group,
sort code: 40-43-19;
acc. no. 71281992. Please include your full name so we can correctly attribute your payment.
Members note that if you pay by cheque make it payable to:
Kineton and District Local History Group, and send or delivered to:
Alec Hitchman,
The Hills Farm,
Pillerton Hersey,
WARKS,
CV35 0QQ
Cash payments can be made at any meeting. For queries contact Alec on alec.hitchman@btinternet.com
KDLHG Committee
| President: | Dr Robert Bearman MBE |
| Chairman | Rosemary Collier |
| Vice-Chairman | Roger Gaunt |
| Secretary | Gill Stewart |
| Treasurer | Alec Hitchman |
| Outings Secretary | David Freke |
| Programme Secretary | Claire Roberts |
| Membership & PR | Pamela Redgrave |
| Archive Data Manager | Carol Clarke |
| Archivist | Colin Such Ilona Sekacz |
The committee last met on 11th June in the Community Archive Room, and the June Newsletter summarised its discussions. The next committee meeting will be on 18th September in the Community Archive Room at 7.00pm