Bonfire Celebrations 2023

The Timetable Of Events for the Bonfire Celebrations on 4th. November are as follows:

Time Details
18:00 Gates open to the public for Bar and BBQ
19:15 Procession starts to form up outside the New Inn
19:30 Torchlit procession departs the New Inn
and proceeds down Hut Lane and then right
along the footpath to Waghorns Lane.
Turning left into Waghorns Lane, the procession
will turn right into School Lane and proceed
to the entrance of the Playing Field.
19:45 The Traditional Cry will be recited and
torches cast into the bonfire
20:45 Firework finale commences
(duration not exceeding 10 min)
23:00 Bar closes and the site is secured for the night

All times are approximate and subject to change.Very Important Safety Information:
No children under the age of 16 are permitted to carry torches.
Do not carry small children on your shoulders if you are a torch bearer.
Wear appropriate flame retardant clothing.
Sturdy waterproof footwear is advisable.
No animals are permitted at the Playing Field or as part of the procession.
Observe the Marshal’s instructions at all times.
Bring a torch (one of those modern battery-powered things – not fire!) for your journey home.
There is NO PARKING at the Playing Field, Where possible leave your car at home. Do not park on the pavement in School Lane, This restricts pedestrian access.

Hadlow Down Book Club Review – November 2023

Black Butterflies Priscilla Morris 2023

‘Have you ever heard of such a thing? A human chain to rescue books, a moment of coming together, of resistance.’

Our book this month has particular poignancy in view of what is happening in the world right now. Priscilla Morris’s novel, shortlisted for the Women’s Prize tells the story of the siege of Sarajevo, based on real-life incidents and experiences from her own family.
Zora Kokovic is an artist and Professor of Art at the University of Sarajevo where she lives with her husband Franjo and cares for her 83-year-old mother. As unrest grows, Franjo and her mother leave to stay with her daughter who lives in England, but Zora decides to stay in her beloved city to finish her painting and join them later. She believes that things will soon settle down and that the tanks gathering in the mountains are for their protection.
Despite difficulties, Zora begins to enjoy her solitude and focus on her recent painting.  But soon things worsen, as conflict turns into full scale war. Buildings are shelled, people lie dead in the streets; food, water and electricity become scarce and then vanish. Zora is reduced to catching pigeons on her windowsill and cooking them. Continue reading “Hadlow Down Book Club Review – November 2023”

Remembrance Day 2023

 

The Remembrance Day service in St Mark’s is at 3.00 pm. Sunday 12th.  November.
Armistice Observance is the day before on the 11th. in the churchyard. Meet at 10.55 am for 11.00 am Silence.

Pop Up Vintage Tea Party at the Village Hall

Please join us for a Vintage Tea Party from 3pm on Saturday 28th October.

Afternoon Tea will be served –
expect a cream tea, sandwiches and a delicious selection of cakes

Tickets are £15 and can be booked via the QR Code below
or by calling 01825 830857

There will also be  bar!

Feel free to dress accordingly, see you there,

Chin Chin!

St. Mark’s Works of Art

Can anyone cast light on what happened to the beautiful paintings by the notable British Pre-Raphaelite painter Edward Fellowes Prynne that were originally part of the High Altar in St. Mark’s Church?
They seem to have been replaced with infill panels of a green patterned wallpaper!
Please email hadlowdown1@gmail.com if you can help with any information as to the whereabouts of these valuable works of art
Edward Fellowes Prynne’s original altar paintings.
Current replacements.

SUMMER BOOK CLUB  REVIEW

In August the Book Club always takes a break and members read their own choice of book and bring back recommendations to the group. We certainly had a diverse and interesting selection and I for one can’t wait to start reading some of them.

To start with some vintage World War novels, ‘Death of a Hero’ (1929) was written by Richard Aldington and based on his own first-hand experience of World War 1. It is sometimes considered the greatest of all novels about that War and makes a scalding critique of those pre-war voices that helped to make that global catastrophe inevitable. It is that very anger that made this a fascinating read. Nigel Balchin was a psychologist, a writer and deputy scientific adviser to the Army Council. Like Aldington he writes from first-hand knowledge in ‘Darkness Falls from the Air’ (1942) a vivid account of living through the blitz and ‘Small Back Room’ (1943) a story of the backroom boys. Of their time, they are readable, informative and vivid. Continue reading “SUMMER BOOK CLUB  REVIEW”

Edward Arthur Fellowes Prynne. Sept. Mini-Bio


Edward Arthur Fellowes Prynne (1854–1921) was a leading British late Pre-Raphaelite painter of portraits and subject pictures, who in later life became one of the country’s best known creators of decorative art for churches. Examples of his work can be found in our own village church of St. Mark the Evangelist.

In 1913 the Hadlow Down church was in essential need of re-building, a project that was duly completed and the church subsequently re-consecrated. The re-building work had been gifted to the parish by local benefactor Mr. Charles Lang Huggins, J.P. of nearby Hadlow Grange. George Fellowes Prynne the brother of Edward Fellowes Prynne was the appointed architect of the project. Continue reading “Edward Arthur Fellowes Prynne. Sept. Mini-Bio”