This month started with our walking group meeting up to do a very local walk, partly due to the reduction in numbers and because the forecast was for a hot day. We started by walking around Bury Hill Ring and then strolled on to Rooksbury Lakes. We finished with lunch at the Poplar Farm Inn.
Next on our Calendars was the monthly coffee morning. This is an opportunity to catch up with friends old and new. Not all of those who attend are current WI members. This is an ideal opportunity to meet us in an informal setting.
Next, we had the chance to join in a guided walk around Salisbury. Together with family and friends we gathered on a warm summer’s evening in the Market Square where we met our guide, Roger. He took us through many centuries of history, from Bishops and Kings & Queens through to the Second World War and beyond. We learnt that when we walk through the arches to the Maltings, alongside the library, we are in fact on the site of a former railway station that used to serve a Branch Line to the Cattle Market. We were also invited inside one of the historic buildings, currently used as an Escape Room. Fortunately, we didn’t have to solve any complex clues to be let out again.
Due to the Village Hall being unavailable, July had been designated the “Garden Meeting” with a visit to Avebury Manor organised. Unfortunately, as the date drew near, several of our members who had originally signed up for this had to drop out for a variety of reasons. Sadly, therefore, only two cars, carrying eight members, arrived at Avebury in time for a light lunch before visiting the Museum followed by a leisurely wander around the Manor House.
The house was originally purchased by the National Trust in 1991 but had been tenanted until 2010. At that point it was a shell, with no internal furnishings. The original 16th century house had been substantially altered and added to during the intervening centuries. This provided a dilemma for the National Trust as to which time zone the house should be presented as to the public. A meeting with the BBC provided the answer. Each room would be furnished to a different time period, using either purchased original artefacts or newly created copies. This was part financed by the BBC and they created a series “The Manor Reborn”.
Outside, the garden had also been overhauled, but the exceptionally hot weather this year had taken its toll and everywhere looked very dry. By the time the house and gardens had been “done” members were ready for a cup of tea and a piece of cake, which rounded off the visit nicely.
There is no meeting this month, but we will be busy organising refreshments for the Village Fete on Saturday 3rd September. All offers of help and donations of cake will be welcome. Please contact Lynne or Aileen for more information.
DIARY DATES:
AUGUST:
11 – Coffee Morning: 10.30 a.m. in The Sports Pavilion (open to non-members)
13 – Walking Group
SEPTEMBER:
03 – Abbotts Ann Village Fete – W.I. Teas
