Coming soon in Old Buckenham

Diary dates for August

Wednesday 1 Women's Fellowship, Methodist Chapel, 2.30pm

Saturday 4 Jubilee follow-up meeting, Village Hall, 10am

Sunday 5 Wargames club, Village Hall, 2.30pm to 6pm

Tuesday 7 Coffee and chat, Church Rooms, 10.30am to 12 noon

Wednesday 8 Luncheon Club, Village Hall, 10am to 2pm

Thursday 9 Breckland Flower Club, Village Hall, 2pm

Sunday 12 Askew Agricultural Museum, Scales Farm, 2pm to 5pm

Sunday 12 Windmill open, 2pm to 5pm

Monday 13 Whist drive, Church Rooms, 2pm

Tuesday 14 Village Fete planning meeting, Village Hall, 7.30pm

Wednesday 15 Songs of Praise, Methodist Chapel, 7.30pm

Thursday 16 Breckland Flower Club, outing to Lincoln, leaves OB 8.30am

Saturday 18 Garage sale, 'Karmel' The Green, 8am to 4pm

Sunday 19 Garage sale, 'Karmel' The Green, 8am to 4pm

Sunday 19 Fly-in and vintage bus rally at Airfield

Wednesday 22 Luncheon Club coffee morning, Village Hall, 10am to 2pm

Thursday 23 Women's Institute, Village Hall, 7.30pm

The notices say it all...

...except where the garage sale will be
"Here" is a house called Karmel on Old Buckenham Green beside the B1077 (postcode for satnav users is NR17 1RR).

(just click on images to enlarge them)

Old Buckenham celebrations in 1977 and 2002

Previous Jubilee reminders

The recent Diamond Jubilee celebrations in Old Buckenham have raised questions about what happened at the Silver Jubilee in 1977 and the Golden Jubilee in 2002.
The oak tree planted in 1977 on the village Green has now been identified (see photographs) and is on the left as you go down the road towards All Saints Church. It has rather a squat shape as it was planted directly under some power cables and so the top has been pruned back.

In 2002 there was a tea party in the Village Hall and a specially built brickwork seat was dedicated and formally opened' by Gillian Shepherd who was MP for this area at that time.

August newsletter now around and about

August has come early

The August newsletter has been distributed to the usual places around Old Buckenham. It will not be going out with the morning newspaper deliveries this month so make sure you pick up your copy and read about the local news and future events.

Coming in September

First details of Old Buckenham village fete

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Breckland Flower and Garden Club

Demonstrating to members
Members and guests gave a warm and encouraging welcome to two trainee demonstrators at July's meeting of the Breckland Flower and Garden Club. Annette and Mellissa gave their first official NAFAS (National Association of Flower Arranging Societies) demonstration - always a daunting experience. Their designs included a wide variety of garden plant material as well as white chrysanthemums, a selection of roses, as well as delphinuims and gerberas. A most enjoyable afternoon and they were wished good luck when taking their test later in the year.
Shirley Penfold won the Old Hands class and was also awarded the monthly trophy.
Next month's meeting takes place on Thursday 9 August starting at 2pm in Old Buckenham Village Hall when Lynn Barrow's demonstration title is 'Best of British'. The competition title is 'Flying the Flag' and the show table is for 'three stems of autumn colour from the garden'.
Further details from Sally 01953 788712

Update on Players' mystery evening

Revised information

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Upper Octave return to Old Buckenham

Enjoying Bizet to Broadway
All Saints Church in Old Buckenham was packed this evening, all the pews were full and people were having to get close to other people that they might not even have known! The reason was the concert given by Upper Octave (www.theupperoctave.com) where they entertained for a couple of hours with songs from operas and songs from the musicals.
One main purpose of the evening was to raise funds for the church but this was such a pleasant way to do it. The singing was wonderful and whole event was subtly lit throughout which added to the atmosphere.
At the half time break there was a glass of wine for all who wanted it and a wonderful spread of homemade nibbles to enjoy while chatting to all those around you. This food was much appreciated with the tables virtually cleared by the time the second half started.
The lighting during the performance was not really conducive to taking photographs but the group kindly posed afterwards in all their finery as they relaxed and enjoyed some refreshments of their own.

Social and Wine Circle enjoy the outdoors

Pleasant way to spend an evening

Once a year, Old Buckenham Social and Wine Circle has its meeting out of doors (or al fresco if you prefer). So last night they gathered in one of the member's garden just to sit and chat, have the odd drink and enjoy the items of food that people had brought along.
Unfortunately, after a day of sunshine, the evening turned a little chilly and damp so proceedings had to move indoors. But the talking continued well into the evening...

Parish Council in July

Notes of the latest Parish Council meeting
These notes have been written by the blog editor from the draft minutes and so may contain information that is amended at a later meeting.
Nine members of the public came along to the Parish Council meeting on Thursday 5 July. Two councillors, Adrian Joel and Akis Chrisovelides, apologised for being unable to attend.
Minutes of June Parish Council. These were signed as a true and accurate record of the meeting. There were no matters arising.
Policy Documents review. Steve Milner had raised the subject of charges per copy of documents requested by members of public under the Freedom of Information Publication Scheme Policy. Tim Ing said no changes were required to Standing Orders or Governance and Accountability Policy. Carol Marshall said no changes were required under The Equal Opportunity Policy. It was agreed unanimously that these reviewed policy documents be adopted by Council. The Village Emergency Plan and Financial Regulations review being carried out by Steve Milner and Akis Chrisovelides to be deferred until the September meeting.
Adoption of New Code of Conduct. It was proposed that the Parish Council adopt the new Breckland Council Code of Conduct for its own code of conduct. This was agreed with 6 for, 1 against and 1 abstention.
Planning applications. Ashwood Farm. Removal of agricultural occupancy restriction. The Parish Council had no objections this (agreed with 8 for, Tim Ing did not vote as he had left the room whilst the application was discussed and voted on).
Roughlands, Grove Road. Extension to existing stable to accommodate 8 new stables. The Parish Council objected on the grounds that it would create extra traffic on the road (agreed with 4 for, 1 against and 4 abstentions).
Buckenham Priory. Replace existing flat roof extension and flat roof dormers on north side elevation with new pitched roofs. No objections, agreed unanimously.
Planning decisions received from Breckland. 35 Hargham Road. Erect double garage, convert existing garage to hobbies room and new vehicular access. Permission granted.
Chairman’s report. Tim Ing said that he had attended a meeting in Thetford during June with Tom Johnson on the Localism Act and new Code of Conduct. They were informed at the meeting that a Local Neighbourhood Plan could cost up to £88,000 to produce and then would have to be passed by Breckland. The regulations covering ‘declaration of interests’ was explained and it now covers both spouses and partners of parish councillors. Tim Ing said the Shrublands development application was due to be heard by Breckland Planning Committee on Monday 9 July and councillors agreed that he should attend the meeting and speak on the application. The allotment shed which was the subject of a dispute over its colour had now been painted and also the High School had started work on its allotment. The question of parking at the school and village hall was raised with Norfolk County Council at a recent meeting and Norfolk County Council had agreed to pay 1/3rd of the cost and would also pay the VAT. Adrian Joel would be asked to take up the matter of Prince Harry’s Wood with Breckland Council to see if local children could make a BMX track in it and use a digger to construct some jumps. The Parish Council wished to support the idea but the Parish Clerk said there may be legal reasons why Breckland might refuse this request. The dog bin in Oaklands was not being used as overgrown grass was preventing its use, John Frost agreed to look at it and attempt to cut the grass. John Frost has also cut the grass around the benches on the Green.
Parish Councillors’ reports. Tom Johnson said he attended a meeting of the Attleborough Task Force with Adrian Joel but there had been no movement forward on the scheme. Paul Boggia had cut the grass on the parking area by the Recreation Area. Sarah Dye thanked John Frost for cutting the areas on the Green. She said that at a recent meeting of the Green Right Proprietors it was suggested that the Jubilee oak tree needed some protection around it and Steve Milner will arrange this. She also said that Japanese knotweed was a problem on the Green near the pond and sought guidance from councillors on the best way to treat it. She then said there had been positive feedback on the new parking arrangements at the play area. Derek Smalley said one welcome pack had been delivered. He will be attending a meeting of ACT in mid-July regarding the Attleborough Expansion Plan. He had attended a meeting of the police SNAT meeting and was informed that police had carried out speeding exercises in the village recently. As a result they had issued four fixed penalty notices, three speeding awareness courses and 49 notices of speeding. The exercises were carried out on both the B1077 and Hargham Road. He will raise speeding at other end of the village at next meeting of SNAT. Jonathan Kemp and Carol Marshall were currently preparing two funding applications for the Recreation Area. Derek Smalley also circulated a letter of thanks and photos of new equipment purchased by Old Buckenham Pre School Group and Nursery which was paid for by a grant from the Parish Council. Steve Milner said there would be a Jubilee review meeting on Saturday 14 July at Village Hall. John Frost said the grass had been cut at All Saints church by the probation service. The recent Garden Party had raised £950 for the church funds. Another evening event was coming up at the church on Saturday 14 July and there were still tickets available. Work will start soon on the interior of the church during August and September.
Parish Clerk’s report. The Clerk read out a letter from the Robert Cocks Almhouse Charity asking if the Parish Council wanted to be able to appoint four Nominative Trustees to the charity or were they prepared to allow the charity to alter their scheme to allow the charity to appoint the Nominative Trustees themselves. The Parish Council agreed that the Charity could alter their scheme to appoint the Nominative Trustees as long as one of those Nominative Trustees was a Parish Councillor or a person nominated by the Parish Council. The Clerk is to send a letter to the Charity confirming this. The Clerk said Ron Brewer raised the question on the village having a community speed watch scheme and could they take the matter up. The meeting was informed that there is currently a waiting list of about 18 months for villages to join the scheme. Derek Smalley will take the matter up at the next SNAT meeting. Steve Milner suggested a working party to look at the issue of speeding and see what awareness programmes could be set up to combat the issue (he will organise this).
Highways. The potholes in Stacksford at Prosperous Row Cottages had not yet been repaired and the Parish Clerk is to take this up with Highways.
The Green. A meeting of the Green Right Proprietors was held in June and the question of cutting grass on footpaths was raised. The Parish Council were informed that they would not be cut outside the general cutting of the Green. The new contract for the cutting of the Green will go out to tender for a yearly contract. Remedial work to be carried out at the overflow play area car park is to be paid for by the Parish Council.
The next meeting of Old Buckenham Parish Council will be on Thursday 6 September in the Village Hall at 7.30pm. Note there is no Parish Council meeting in August.

A busy Saturday in Old Buckenham

Food and fund raising

Saturday 7 July was a day when you could eat well and raise some money at the same time. A couple of Old Buckenham groups were holding events where home cooking was the order of the day and you could have an enjoyable time as well. And despite the pessimistic weather forecasts, the rain kept away from this part of East Anglia.
In the afternoon there was a chance to go along for a cream tea, enjoy a beautiful garden, have a go at the raffle and browse through the bric-a-brac. All this was to help fund the annual Senior Citizens ‘Christmas Party’ that will be held in 2013. There was the opportunity to chat with all your friends while at the same time raising money for the party.
Then in the evening the Old Buckenham Women’s Institute held a progressive supper with different parts of the meal taking place in different member’s houses. First there were sherry and nibbles in Mill Road, then it was on up the Hargham Road for a choice of starters before moving off to Attleborough Road to sit down and enjoy the main meal. Finally there was the trip back to another house in Mill Road for the usual wide variety of luscious sweets (with ‘seconds’) followed by coffee and lots of mardling until the sun had long gone down.
This was a most enjoyable way for the WI to raise funds. Unusually there was only one person this year who walked all the way round from one location to the other. But he did have the bonus of being able to spend five minutes watching a barn owl quartering across Old Buckenham Green looking for something for their supper.

Lionel Robinson and Old Buckenham cricket

Cricket one hundred years ago
The following item has been provided by Tom Walshe for use on the blog and in the village newsletter.
The Lionel Robinson's story is soon to be told in new biography. A hundred years ago this September, international cricket came to Old Buckenham when South Africa played at Lionel Robinson's smart new ground at the Hall. Robinson, an immensely rich Australian stockbroker, had bought the Old Buckenham Hall estate from Prince Frederick Duleep Singh six years earlier, and indulged his sporting passion by creating some of the best facilities around for cricket, shooting and the breeding of racehorses.
Many readers will be familiar with the story of how he engaged the former England captain Archie MacLaren as his cricket manager and famously arranged for the all-conquering Australian tourists of 1921 to play an England team (for whom Jack Hobbs opened the batting and played a masterly innings of 85). However, much of the story of Robinson's background and influence, and of the cricket and cricketers he and MacLaren brought to Old Buckenham, has been lost in the mists of time.
It is fitting, therefore, in the centenary year of Robinson's ground which still flourishes today as the home of Old Buckenham Cricket Club, that work is advancing on a biography which will provide a fascinating chronicle of the matches, the people and, most revealingly, the larger-than-life financier who invested part of his fortune, and much of his soul, in the village he came to love and which became his last resting place following his death 80 years ago this month (July).
With my own background as a journalist and a former captain and chairman of the Old Buckenham Cricket Club, the story is one I have researched and written about in the past, but my efforts have really only scratched the surface compared with the painstaking work put in by the author of the forthcoming book, Stephen Musk. He has traced Lionel's story right back to his birth in Ceylon, his schooling in Australia and the tumultuous fortunes he made, lost and made again as a financial big hitter during the Australian mining boom of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
"Robby", as he was affectionately known by friends, was a strange contradiction of a character - a man who could be loyal, kind and generous and yet who had a ruthless streak and a formidable temper; and, by all accounts, it was those in his employment who saw both sides of his personality at closest quarters. Sadly, there is no one alive today who remembers Lionel and Archie MacLaren - the latter having also lived in the village with his Australian wife and their children for ten years courtesy of his association with Lionel. Stephen Musk's book, though, promises to bring back to life this very evocative, and sometimes poignant, chapter in the village's rich history.
Stephen, who lives in Norwich and is a great enthusiast of Norfolk cricket, has previously written a well-received biography of one of the county's greatest players, Michael Falcon, whose cricket career spanned four decades and was combined with a five-year spell as an MP after the first world war. Stephen has been aided in his research of the Robinson story by two notable contacts in Australia. One is Lionel's great nephew, Michael Robinson, an eminent Melbourne lawyer, and the other a former resident of Old Buckenham, Colin Riley, a regular at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and a volunteer in the library of the Melbourne Cricket Club. Colin, a retired lecturer, lived at Willow House, opposite the Mill, in the 1970s before he emigrated to take a post Down Under.
Over here, Stephen has accessed a lot of documentary evidence, and uncovered some surprising details about the nature of the country house cricket played at the Hall, both in Robinson's time and in the years following his death when the colourful Everard Gates was the bon viveur owner of the Hall, and the cricket was largely orchestrated by village schoolmaster Len Hart.
Stephen's biography, due for publication in 2013, is almost complete, but he is still interested in acquiring information, and especially photographs, to include. A couple of unsolved mysteries remain: there is documentary evidence of three cricket grounds having existed on the Hall estate - one created by Duleep Singh and two by Lionel Robinson. We know the present ground came into use in 1912, but where exactly were the others located and what became of them? There is also a conundrum over the thatching on the pavilion(s) that appear in photographs dated 1910 and 1921. The first pictures show a pavilion with patterned thatch, while in the 1921 photos the thatch is plain. As the matches concerned would have been played on two different grounds, were there originally two pavilions? Or was the pavilion in the 1910 photos moved to the present ground and re-thatched (that pavilion still exists at Brettenham, Suffolk, where Old Buckenham Hall School re-located following the 1952 fire). 

The watercolour of the 1921 match, Lionel Robinson's XI v Australia, painted by Arthur Batchelor.Meanwhile, a couple of intriguing items have recently come to light. One is a watercolour of the famous 1921 match painted by Arthur Batchelor, a well-known East Anglia artist of the inter-war year. Roger Wilson, who has been very helpful in providing Stephen with photographs and historical records, was able to provide provenance for the picture in the form of a letter published in Norfolk Fair magazine in 1974. Dorothea Bryan wrote that she had cycled with Batchelor from Norwich to Old Buckenham where he had sketched the match, and later presented her with the finished painting. It is now in the possession of a lady in Wymondham who was delighted to discover its history.
The other 'find' is a photograph album kept by Archie MacLaren's son, Ian, dated 1920, when the family was living at The Warren. It includes photographs of Archie and his wife Maud at The Warren, a splendid portrait of Lionel Robinson sitting on a bench outside the Hall reading a copy of 'Country Life' magazine, and a picture of the legendary "Squibs", cricketer, runner, assistant groundsman, odd job man, amateur naturalist and all-round enthusiast whose story is one of the threads that runs through the story of a golden era of cricket at Old Buckenham that began 100 years ago.
If anyone has information or pictures that might be of further interest for Stephen Musk's biography, they can contact Tom Walshe in the first instance on 01953 789510 or by email tomwalshe49@gmail.com 

Old Buckenham WI June meeting

Local horse charity

At the June meeting of Old Buckenham WI they welcomed their speaker Jonathan ‘Jacko’ Jackson. Jacko is a field officer with World Horse Welfare, formerly known as the ILPH. They were given an illustrated talk about the work of this charity, which has been in existence for over 80 years.
The World Horse Welfare charity has units in various locations around the UK and does work with horse charities overseas too. The team of field officers in East Anglia are kept busy and spend much time inspecting and sometimes removing horses from owners. In the worse cases owners are taken to court and prosecuted.
The WI members were all amazed at the images of neglected ponies and horses that were shown. Some were starving, some riddled with lice and worms and all were generally uncared for. When horses are removed from their owners, they are taken to a Welfare property where they are fed and treated by a vet. Many are then loaned out to carefully selected members of the public to be kept as pets or working animals. After the talk, members gave generously to the World Horse Welfare charity.
Every year Old Buckenham WI organise a history walk one evening in Norwich and this year it was entitled ‘A Pub for Every Day of the Year.’ The Blue Badge Guide gave a humorous and knowledgeable tour of the pubs, past and present, in central Norwich. Alas they had no time to sample any of the ales on offer.
Food is often on the WI agenda and members were reminded of the annual Progressive Supper that will be taking place on the first weekend in July. Also of the need to bring a plate of food to the next meeting on Thursday 26 July when Old Buckenham will be entertaining a WI group from New Costessey. The speaker will be June Marriage with a talk entitled ‘Norfolk Island - South Pacific’.

(Someone was pleased with their anniversary card, just click on the image to enlarge it)

Old Buckenham Players future production

Mysterious evening to come

Some details of this event have been updated, see new version of poster on item posted on Monday 16 July

This month's activities

Diary dates for July

Sunday 1   Wargames club, Village Hall, 2.30pm to 6pm

Monday 2   Monday Mardle, Church Rooms, 2.15pm to 4.15pm

Tuesday 3   Coffee and chat, Church Rooms, 10.30am to 12 noon

Wednesday 4   Women's Fellowship, Methodist Chapel, 2.30pm

Thursday 5   Parish Council, Village Hall, 7.30pm

Saturday 7   Cream teas at the Hollies, 26 Hargham Road, 2.30pm

Sunday 8   Askew Agricultural Museum, Scales Farm, 2pm to 5pm

Sunday 8   Windmill open, 2pm to 5pm

Monday 9   Whist drive, Church Rooms, 2pm

Wednesday 11   Luncheon Club outing

Wednesday 11  Debating Society, Church Rooms, 7.15pm

Thursday 12   Breckland Flower Club, Village Hall, 2pm

Thursday 12   Social and Wine Circle al fresco at Mill Lane, 7.45pm

Saturday 14   Car boot fair, High School, 11am to 2pm

Saturday 14   Evening picnic at the Windmill, 7.30pm

Saturday 14   Upper Octave concert, All Saints, 7.30pm

Sunday 15   Wargames club with barbecue, Village Hall, 2.30pm to 6pm

Monday 16   Monday Mardle, Church Rooms, 2.15pm to 4.15pm

Tuesday 17   Village Fete planning meeting, Village Hall, 7.30pm

Wednesday 18   Songs of Praise, Methodist Chapel, 7.30pm

Wednesday 25   Luncheon Club, Village Hall, 10am to 2pm

Thursday 26   Women's Institute, Village Hall, 7.30pm