Illustrated Talk: “Return to the Wild of Endangered Species”
Visit to Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, Slimbridge, Gloucestershire
Illustrated Talk: “The Taunton-Bridgwater Canal”
Visit to Bristol Blue Glass Factory
Illustrated Talk: “A Second Home – Wallington, Northumberland”
Visit to The Walronds, Cullompton
National Trust Quantock Centre Annual General Meeting
Visit to Batsford Arboretum, Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire
Visit to Exmouth for Birdwatching Cruise
Visit to Brunel's Bristol, including Clifton Suspension Bridge
Illustrated Talk: “Following in the Footsteps of Shackleton”
Visit to Exeter for Tour of Cathedral
Evening Visit to Axminster Carpets
Guided Walk Around Historical Wiveliscombe
Illustrated Talk: “Crosse Connections II”
Saturday 5 January
West Monkton Village Hall, Monkton Heathfield, 2.30pm
Nigel Jarrett is Aviculture Manager at the Slimbridge Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, Gloucestershire. He is responsible for research to propagate endangered species and supervise their return to the wild.
The Slimbridge collection of wildfowl has been considered for nearly 75 years to be the best in the United Kingdom. However, the founder, Sir Peter Scott, envisaged more than just collecting together wildfowl species from throughout the world.
Eggs of rare birds were transported to Slimbridge where techniques were developed which produced high levels of hatchlings and survivals of these endangered birds.
It was hoped that “the will” would eventually develop in the far-flung corners of our planet to create the habitat that had been lost so that the scarce reservoir of birds held at Slimbridge would form a nucleus from which islands could be re-populated.
Wednesday 16 January
The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust was founded in 1946 by Sir Peter Scott, ornithologist, conservationist and artist. Slimbridge, the first centre, lies on the banks of the River Severn. This wildlife haven has more than 750 acres of wild reserve designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), a Special Protection Area (SPA) and a Ramsar site. (The inter-governmental Convention on Wetlands, signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971, ensures national action and international co-operation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.)
Slimbridge has the world's largest collection of exotic rare and endangered ducks, geese and swans. Breeding programmes allow endangered species to be returned to the wild when their homeland environment has been restored to a condition that will allow the new population to survive and multiply.
At 4pm there will be a floodlit feed. Among the many wild birds to be seen feeding will be the Bewick Swans, newly arrived from Siberia, which winter at Slimbridge.
Saturday 19 January
West Monkton Village Hall, Monkton Heathfield, 2.30pm
Tony Haskell is a retired architect and planner who has lived inthe Taunton area for many years. He has been involved in many important development schemes and, through his work with the Taunton and District Civic Society, has supported the preservation and restoration of important sites. In this context, he will talk about the work undertaken on the Taunton-Bridgwater canal, about which he has written extensively.
Wednesday 23 January
Every piece of Bristol Blue Glass is free-blown and handmade without the use of moulds and machinery. The name and traditions of the company have their roots in the 17th century, making it synonymous with the city of Bristol.
We shall have a tour of the factory and be able to watch the production of various items of fine glassware. We will be able to visit the museum of glass and listen to some fascinating commentaries. An optional “extra” will be the opportunity to “blow a bubble” at a cost £2.50 each.
Saturday 2 February
West Monkton Village Hall, Monkton Heathfield, 2.30pm
David Bowring spent some years working for the National Trust at Wallington in Northumberland. He and his wife, Ann, were also involved with Clevedon Court.
Wallington is a fine mansion, set in Northumberland moorland. It was reopened recently after major restoration. The house is especially renowned for its magnificent pre-Raphaelite paintings showing the history of Northumbria. The naturalistic gardens are in the style of Capability Brown.
Monday 4 February
Throughout its long and fascinating history, The Walronds has been a private residence. It dates in parts from the 14th century. With later additions, it became a Tudor town house and has many items of interest in plasterwork, wood-carving and stonework, with rich door and window furnishings.
The partly furnished house is in serious need of repair. A charity, the Cullompton Walronds Preservation Trust, intends to restore it to its former glory and make the house and garden a focus for many activities in the town.
In spite of its condition, the house is well worth a visit. A guided tour will be led by June Campbell, the Chairman of the Trust, and Michael Woodcock, the charity's Company Secretary.
Monday 11 February
Heathfield Meeting Hall, Monkton Heathfield, 2.30pm
This is the Quantock Centre's fifth Annual Quiz. Teams will normally be made up of four. It doesn't matter if members come as a pair or on their own: we can make up the groups accordingly. There will be a prize for the winning team.
Thursday 14 February
Blackfriars Gin Distillery, in the Barbican area of Plymouth, is one of the town's oldest buildings. The Refectory Room, a medieval hall with a fine hull-shaped timber roof, was built in 1431. During a guided tour, we shall see the modern distillery and much of the ancient equipment used when the distillery began in 1793.
There will be a guided coach tour of the Naval Base Museum Centre. The Centre is being reorganised, but we shall certainly have a coach tour covering the length of the base and lasting about two-and-a-half hours. The highlights will include the model ship gallery, the rope-making yard, historic South Yard buildings with exhibitions and displays, the field gun exhibition and the figurehead collection.
Saturday 16 February
The 36th Annual General Meeting of the National Trust Quantock Centre will be held at West Monkton Village Hall, Monkton Heathfield, at 2.30pm
Draft AGENDA (the final agenda will be published in January)
| 1 | Apologies for absence. |
| 2 | To approve the minutes of the Annual General Meeting, held on 17 February 2007. |
| 3 | Presentation of the annual report. |
| 4 | Presentation of the annual accounts. |
| 5 | Rates of subscription. |
| 6 | Update on response to letter dated 5 September 2007. |
| 7 | Election of Committee members. The following Committee members, Mrs E Eglinton and Mrs P Shorrocks, having served for five years on the Committee, are ineligible for re-election on the Committee in the normal way. It is proposed that, under the constitution of the Quantock Centre (F4), this restriction be relaxed, subject to the motion being supported in writing by ten members of the Quantock Centre, and that those named above shall be eligible for re-election to the Committee for a further year. |
| 8 | Election of Officers: Chairman, Vice-Chairman (Chairman-elect 2009), Secretary, and Treasurer (Treasurer-elect 2009). |
| 9 | Election of members to the Centre Committee to serve as Chairman of the Programme Sub-Committee, Chairman of the Catering Sub-Committee, Membership Secretary, Newsletter Editor and Publicity Officer. |
| 10 | Election of other members to the Centre Committee. |
| 11 | The appointment of an independent examiner for the accounts. |
| 12 | Venue and date of the 37th Annual General Meeting: West Monkton Village Hall, 21 February 2009. |
Wednesday 20 February
Batsford Arboretum nestles in the Cotswolds near Moreton-in-Marsh and covers 56 acres. It has one of the largest private collections of trees and shrubs in the country. The garden was designed by Lord Redesdale in the late 1800s. The famous Mitford sisters lived in the mansion until 1916 when the estate was sold. We should see a display of aconites and snowdrops and some early daffodils.
Friday 22 February
By popular demand this trip is being repeated. We shall board the boat near Exmouth Docks for a three-hour cruise of the river. An expert birdwatcher will be on board to help with the identification of the birds we see. These should include avocets, ducks and various waders.
Wednesday 27 February
We shall visit two of Isambard Kingdom Brunel's masterpieces – Old Bristol Station and the Clifton Suspension Bridge.
The station is the world's oldest surviving railway terminal and has been splendidly restored, complete with massive passenger shed, cavernous underground vaults and the grand Great Western Railway boardroom. It is the base for the British and Commonwealth Museum, and we will have time to explore its exhibition, “Breaking the Chains: slavery, abolition and the making of modern Britain”.
Then we shall have a guided tour of the Clifton Suspension Bridge, designed by Brunel and completed as a tribute by his fellow engineers after his death.
Saturday 1 March
West Monkton Village Hall, Monkton Heathfield, 2.30pm
John Elder travelled to Antarctica in 1970-71 and saw many of the places where the dramatic events of Shackleton's 1914-15 expedition took place. He will talk about this and about Shackleton's superb leadership. His slides will include pictures taken by Frank Hurley, the expedition photographer.
Tuesday 4 March
This visit will offer the choice of a roof tour or a ground-floor tour, each lasting about one-and-a-half hours.
On the roof tour, we will be able to see parts of the Cathedral not normally on view and we should also get good views across Exeter. Anyone with walking difficulties is advised to go on the ground-floor tour during which the history and artefacts of the Cathedral will be explained.
Wednesday 12 March
During this two-hour evening visit to Axminster Carpets Ltd, we will learn about the history of the company and its manufacturing processes.
The first carpet factory at Axminster was founded in 1755 by Thomas Witty. The carpets became world-renowned as they were chosen for great country homes and town houses. The original factory was destroyed by fire. In 1937, carpet-making in Axminster was reborn and its famous products can now be found not only in thousands of homes but also in royal residences and luxury hotels and in planes and trains.
In the 250th anniversary year of Axminster carpet weaving, a commemorative rug was paraded by weavers to the Minster Church where it was blessed by the Bishop of Exeter and then presented to the Earl of Devon, representing the Queen, for installation at Clarence House, the home of HRH the Prince of Wales.
Friday 14 March
Bob Croft, County Archaeologist, will lead this walk around Wiveliscombe. He will talk about some of the old buildings and other features of particular interest. No-one could be better suited, for he lives in the town, and we will benefit from both his professional and personal knowledge.
Saturday 29 March
West Monkton Village Hall, Monkton Heathfield, 2.30pm
Two years ago, John Porter introduced us to Andrew Crosse who lived in the 19th century at Fyne Court, Broomfield, and was known as the “Thunder and Lightning Man” because of his active interest in the new science of electricity.
In this second talk, Mr Porter, Crosse's third cousin five times removed, elaborates on the Crosse connections. His fascinating stories touch on a scandalous link with Byron's daughter, Ada, Countess of Lovelace, an early introduction to the decimal system in Somerset, and an elopement that hit the national press headlines.