Timepiece No 33 - Woodchurch Village Life Museum

Timepiece
The Newsletter of the Woodchurch Village Life Museum
September 2008 - No 33
Gary Samson on the Committee
Gary Samson joined the Museum
Committee of Management at the
AGM in May. Gary was born in
Woodchurch and grew up here. He
now lives in Canterbury and is
Acting
Chairman
of
the
Woodchurch Ancestry Group.
Gary writes - "For those who
don’t already know me, I am a
qualified psychologist and an IT
Woodchurch in 1871
The Woodchurch Ancestry Group 1-day
exhibition on ‘Woodchurch in 1871’ in the
Memorial Hall on Saturday July 12 was judged
a great success by the WAG steering group
who organised it. 182 visitors came and many
visited the Museum afterwards. This was more
than double the number attending the previous
exhibition in July 2006.
Most of the WAG organisers and a
few of the visitors were in Victorian
dress. Glynn Brown from Australia
brought his crook.
manager in the Department of Psychology at the
University of Kent. I am passionate about the
history of the village and welcome this
opportunity to become involved with the
Woodchurch
Village
Life
Museum
management team."
Gary is currently writing a book on the
village war memorial, which is due to be
published in November 2009.
We welcome Gary.
Geoff Loynes provided a
display of the Museum’s
Victorian artefacts and
dressed appropriately for the
occasion.
79
copies
of
the
associated book were sold on
the day (the front cover is
shown here). It will be on
sale in the Post Office, the
Museum itself and from the
WAG web
site* and the
price is £10.
All proceeds
from its sale
on the day were donated to the Museum. The
book has 92 pages and mentions over 1400
people who are listed in the 1871 census
which provided the basic data for the book
and the exhibition. There is a people index
so that you can quickly find the person of
interest to you.
* www.goldbern.co.uk/woodchurch
*www.woodchurchancestry.org.uk
Very probably William Marshall worked for
Bournes during the 50 years between 1877 and 1927
There is an item when he had reached the age of 76 years. He was the
father of Duncan Marshall and Jessie (later Mrs.
in the Museum
Collection which J.W.P. Richardson).
William Marshall was born Warehorne in 1851 and
you may not have
died
at Woodhcurch in 1934. In the 1881 census, he
noticed but have
appears to have been living at what is now 5 The
actually used.
Green, but was known as The Master’s House in those
Upstairs in the
days. William is listed as a builder aged 29. His
Study Centre
there is this chair. daughter Jessie was born there around 1885. In 1891
On the arm it has he is a ‘carpenter’ and in 1901 a ‘carpenter and joiner’.
Yvonne Russell (born next door in 1929) remembers
a silver plate
him as very clever with his hands.
inscribed In 1927 W.J. (John) Bourne (1886-1964) was head
Mr. W. Marshall
of
Bournes
Builders. He is fondly remembered by
From W.J. Bourne
those who knew him as a gentleman.
in appreciation
From The Collection
1877-1927
Our Fullagar Tankard
- WAG member Bob Chown is
descended from the ancient Woodchurch Fullagar family. He has pointed out several errors in
our story of the ‘18th Century Tankard (see Timepiece 30). This tankard is in fact from the
19th century, is engraved with the initials SF (not JF) and was probably owned by Samuel
Fullagar (1830-1868) who was innkeeper at the Bonny Cravat between 1856 and 1865. It may
even have been a measure rather than a tankard.
Drama in Woodchurch
It was written somewhere that acting is just 'showing off', so if you
want to see photographs of a whole group of 'show offs', please visit the
Museum straight away! There must exist hundreds, or thousands of
photographs of Woodchurch Players' productions and the Museum
archives hold hundreds more. We have tried
to include a variety of these in this temporary
exhibition.
The black and white studio portraits
(unearthed from the Museum archives) were
taken some years ago and include people who
are sadly no longer with us - Geoff White and
Denise Blowers, and people who have moved
away - Ken Miller, John Drywood (ex
headmaster at Woodchurch School) and his
wife Linda, and Tony Varty who directed
several plays. Also included are several
current members.
We have included photographs of two
particular drama productions. The first is
'Separate Tables' directed by Tony Varty.
This was one of the first productions where
two sets were used. Both sets were designed
and built by Dave Grabham, no mean feat on
such a small stage. The second is 'When We
Are Married', again directed by Tony Varty;
this was one of the first costume dramas.
Opposite these are several photographs taken
from pantomimes.
In the glass display cabinet is an album containing a programme
from the forerunner of the present Woodchurch Players - the
Woodchurch Amateur Dramatic Society - better known as the WADS,
and an album from the very popular Woodchurch Youth Theatre.
Please note the clip frame at the back of the cabinet which has
photographs of all the hard working backstage teams we have had over
the years - John Hart (sadly no longer with us) Jeremy Bourne, George
Rippon and Antonio Coccoza on lights
and several others whom I am sure you
might recognise. At the front of the glass
cabinet is included one of our most
ambitious productions, 'Stepping Out',
directed by Bernard Smith, when all the
cast had to go to High Halden for one term
of tap dancing lessons.
On top of the cabinet is a brief history of
the Players and a press cutting publicising
our lottery grant, which bought equipment
for the Memorial Hall.
All this
surrounded is by a selection of
programmes, from productions too
numerous to mention.
We have tried to put together a bright,
glitzy display which we hope portrays
Woodchurch Players Society as a whole
and lots of local people who, as well as
being extremely good 'show offs', have
provided a lot of entertainment and
amusement on the stage of the Memorial
Hall. Come along to the Museum - it is
well worth a visit.
150 CLUB DRAWS
July
£30 - Christine Leighton
£20 - Mr.& Mrs. R.Holmes
£15 - Wendy Glover
£10 - Clare Stroud
August
£30 - Peter Nichols
£20 - Jozien Harrison
£15 - Jez Cotterell
£10 - Mr.& Mrs. C.Carey
September
£30 - Mandy Weller
£20 - Jim & Carol Macey
£15 - Mrs.L.Lawer
£10 - Caroline Drew
Published by the Woodchurch
Village Life Museum,
Woodchurch TN26 3ST
phone 01233 860240
www.woodchurchmuseum.com
[email protected]