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”

Race Night Postponed

“Race Night” in aid of Engage TN22 Clubs has been postponed.

The new date for your diaries is Saturday 27th January 2024.

Thank you so much to everyone that has supported the event to date.

If you would like to book tickets and or get involved by sponsoring a race or by buying some horses, please contact
Peter on 01825 830009

 

Community Tea at St.Mark’s School

Please join us at St. Mark’s School, for a community tea, on Tuesday October 17th, from 2.00 until 3.00

We are looking forward  to ‘showcasing the school’, and the children will be working and talking about their learning.

It’s an opportunity for all villagers – young and elderly,  past parents, anyone that is interested in St. Marks School to join us.
It remains the hub of our community and we want everybody to celebrate that.

And the icing on the cake is that everyone gets tea and CAKE!

 

The lovely painting of the school, used on our publicity flyer, is reproduced by kind permission of  local resident and artist, John Eliot.

HDCC Survey Results

8 of 10 respondents to our village survey are in support of building a new Village Hall and Sports Pavilion at the Playing Field

Thank you to everyone who took the time to complete the survey and to share their views with us. The great news is we had 131 responses to our survey which means we have a good representative sample from the parish and user groups outside of the village. The full details of the survey and all the verbatim comments can be found on the HDCC website www.newvillagehall.co.uk

 

 

Executive Summary

  • 83% of respondents agree that Hadlow Down needs a new high quality Village Hall and Sports Pavilion for use by the whole community.
  • The survey has given us plenty of evidence that supports the new proposal, particularly from a wealth of verbatim comments which are centred on the need for new modern facilities, improved access and a “community building’ for sports recreation, social events, education and entertainment.
  • Usage of our current facilities has been very similar across both sites with the village hall being used quarterly or more by 46.6% of respondents and the Pavilion 46.1% respectively within the last year. Key reasons for this low usage has been cited as poor access, limited parking, poor toilets and changing facilities in worn out/old buildings.
  • The survey data tells us that this usage would increase in the future with better facilities and a broader range of activities. Respondents want to continue with current social events but also want a New Village Hall and Sports Pavilion to provide the community with some new choices for both the old and young, such as baby and toddler groups, after school clubs, adult education classes, gardening club, community cinema, Information Technology, health and well-being, martial arts, sports coaching, art classes coffee hub, office hub etc. These make for an exciting new community space in the village.
  • There is clear support from the village community with half of the people surveyed willing to provide their personal time to progress the project in some way, offering word of mouth support, helping with door to door distribution and helping with fundraising and organising events.
  • On the other hand, there are still 17% against the proposal. Whilst these respondents currently have low usage of the current facilities their views are still important to us. Their key reasons for not supporting the proposal are that they state that the current facilities are already adequate and the new building would be too large and costly, as well as being concerned that it will bring more traffic and noise pollution to Hadlow Down. Whilst we recognise we may not change their views, we are committed to further consultation and communication for the whole community as we progress.

Continue reading “HDCC Survey Results”

Fellowes Prynne, George H. (2nd April 1853 – 27th May1927)

The Church of St. Mark the Evangelist provides an impressive first view of the village as you approach Hadlow Down from the West on the A272.  The person responsible for its present day imposing appearance is George Halford Fellowes Prynne (1853–1927) a Victorian and Edwardian English church architect, part of the High Church School of Gothic Revival Architecture.

He was born on 2 April 1853 at Wyndham Square, Plymouth, Devon, the second son of the Rev. George Rundle Prynne and Emily Fellowes.  His elder brother was the painter Edward Arthur Fellowes Prynne. He also had another brother, Albert Bernard (known as Bernard), and two sisters. His father was a well-known figure in religious circles of the time, being outspoken in his support of the revival of so-called high churchmanship in the Anglican Church and espousing the views of the Oxford Movement. Continue reading “Fellowes Prynne, George H. (2nd April 1853 – 27th May1927)”

Hadlow Down Book Club Review – August ’23

Life doesn’t have a narrator – it’s full of lies and half-truths – so we never know anything for sure, not really. I like that” The Temptation of Forgiveness Donna Leon (2018).

We decided to read something lighter this month, and chose Trace Elements (2020), by Donna Leon. No doubt some of you will be familiar with her long-running series, set in Venice and featuring the Commissario (Detective Superintendent) Guido Brunetti, his wife Paola and his team in the Questura (police headquarters). Continue reading “Hadlow Down Book Club Review – August ’23”