November 2022 Newsletter

Romsey & District Learn, Laugh, Live

In This Issue

Page 2 Report from our chair, Kay Lovell

Page 3 General notices

Page 4 Interest Group news

Page 4 Romsey Street Survey update

Page 5 Start of the Group news reports

Page 16 Many a True Word…..

Page 20 Wendy Jelbert’s update

Page 21 Interest Group contact details

Wed Nov 30th Notechangefromusualdate.Suzanne Kempe: 'Roaming Free in the New Forest-Betwixt the Grids'. This talk will give you an insight into 'commoning' and how the New Forest is managed throughout the year. This is a practice that has survived for some 900 years. Suzanne has not only run ponies as a commoner but has also, for many years, competed with great success on these wonderful ponies.

Wed Dec 21st Bob Heather is the speaker for the December meeting, the title of his talk is: TheTraditionsofPantomime. Bob has been writing pantomimes since the mid 1990s and has had 24 pantomimes published. They are performed all over the world mainly by amateur companies with the odd one or two professional companies in the mix. He has performed and directed many pantomimes in the past and has written two books on the subject.

Wed Jan 18th 2023 This month Jane Glennie will deliver her talk:Violet'sTitanicEscape.

Jane Glennie is an actor and historian working in schools, museums and village halls. She brings to life history in an entertaining and informative manner. This talk is a theatrical monologue about Violet Jessop, a sea stewardess, who worked on the infamous Titanic. She has many interesting tales to tell.

Wed Feb 15th 2023 Paul Whittle is our speaker again this month. The title of his talk is: Burmese Days. In this talk he recounts from Rudyard Kipling and travels by vintage steam train and the Irrawaddy steamer touring Myanmar, visiting Rangoon, the ancient temple at Bagan and much more.

Chair’s Report, Kay

Here we are in November and looking forward to Christmas and then the start of a New Year. By then, we will know what the future holds for us in Romsey & District u3a. Will we still exist this time in 2023 or won’t we?

I was so pleased that our afternoon tea on Wednesday 2nd November was both well attended and greatly enjoyed. What a marvellous job our catering team did of providing those wonderfully scrumptious scones and serving tea or coffee!

In my opening presentation I provided an overview of our u3a’s successes. The good news is that we are doing well with 53 interest groups, monthly meetings and a good number of members contributing in so many different ways. We are also still attracting new members but we could do even better by providing more events and more benefits with support from more of our members.

As I am sure you are aware, the main issue we now face is that, at the AGM in May next year, we must elect a new Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer and Secretary. In order to comply with our constitution, all four of those Officers’ posts must be filled. There is also space for more Trustees to join the committee. In total, and including the four Officers, we can have twelve Trustees on the management committee. At present, there are just six. We considered the idea of dividing roles up so that there are fewer demands on each person. Working with someone else to deliver the same outcome is helpful, can be satisfying and is much more fun.

As a result of the discussions, I am pleased to say that a few members have indicated their interest in these roles. By the time you read this, some will have come along to our most recent Trustees’ meeting to learn more about what is involved as a member of our management committee. Hopefully, by 31st December this year, candidates for the roles of Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer and other Trustees at next year’s AGM will have been identified. However, if candidates for the officers’ roles are not forthcoming, a Special General Meeting will have to be held in January before the current Trustees can take the next steps. I hope this will not be the case.

If you have not already indicated an interest becoming a Trustee, or filling any of our other vacant posts, please do give it serious thought and find out more by contacting me or any of our other committee members.

What becomes of Romsey & District u3a is up to our members. That means you!

IMPORTANT ANOUNCEMENT

The trustees believe it is important to the future smooth running of your u3a to identify, as soon as possible, volunteers to replace the current Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary and Treasurer at our next AGM in May 2023. You will find these, and other, roles described at: https://u3asites.org.uk/romsey/home

If you are interested and would like to know more, please contact Kay by email at chair@romseyu3a.org.uk or by phone on 01794 515316. Any prospective candidate will need to be confident using a P.C./laptop.

Current Vacan-

Press and Publicity

To promote the membership of the u3a and recogni on of what we do in local media Minute Secretary

To write the minutes of the Management Commi ee mee ngs

Newsletter Proof Reader

To assist the newsletter publisher proof check the content. You should have good English skills, including grammar.

Our thanks go to the 3 volunteers who have agreed to fill the following vacancies:

Þ John Broughall is taking over the role of Hybrid meeting manager

Þ Michael Ward is taking over the role of Zoom Licence management, including booking Zoom meetings

Þ

John Dick is taking over the roles of Web Manager & Newsletter preparation, publishing and printing

Booster reminder

If you are over 65 and haven’t had your Winter Flu and Covid boosters, you are encouraged to do so. This includes residents of care homes.

New Theatre Group : we are pleased to announce that this group is now up and running and new members would be most welcome to join in. The new leader is Janine Richards and you can contact her using the website email link or phone 07759 215390 if you would like to be a part of the group.

Crime Fiction Book Group : More members are still needed to make this group fully viable so please contact Margaret or Jo, if you are interested in joining in. We are holding an initial meeting on Tuesday 8th November, so will soon be able to publish details about the day & time of future group meetings.

Painting 2 : unfortunately this group has recently had to close. Many thanks to Glenda for running it for the past few years.

Jo Morgan 01794 514134

Margaret Marchbank : margaretmarchbank@btinternet.com

u3a ROMSEY STREET SURVEY

The street survey team has recorded changes to Romsey businesses since September 2021 continuing its contribution to the national u3a project set up in 2020 to track changes to the High Street. The database set up by the u3a will be in place for ten years, available for all u3a members to see. You can view the survey at u3ahighstreet.co.uk where you can see not only Romsey’s entries, but also those of other participating u3as, from places like Totnes, Richmond (London) and Nottingham. We plan to update it every year so that we can see changes over a decade.

Romsey businesses have been playing musical chairs with no fewer than seven relocations: Romsey Medical Practice from Market Place to East Court, Broadwater Road (now offering GP services); Viroprint, 4 Abbey Walk (was Zip in Church Street); Pearson’s, Estate Agents, now have more prominent premises at 21 The Hundred having moved from 44 The Hundred; Boots Opticians are now open at 7 The Hundred having vacated 1 The Cornmarket and enjoying more comfortable premises at long last; Test Valley Insurance have moved to 3 Stirling Walk, allowing Ladbrokes to extend their betting premises in The Hundred; Kutz, hairdresser, has vacated 17 Latimer Street and re opened as Bell Ray at 1A Love Lane, the previous business Romsey Eye Care having moved next door.

These changes have meant the loss of Judy Webb, long standing florist and Peppercorn health foods. Other losses are Frock in Bell Street (now Romsey Women’s Wear, owned by Cavendish opposite), Carpet and Bed Gallery in Dukes Mill, Bergman & Brown in Church Street, His & Kids Hairdresser in Latimer Walk, Paragon Recruitment over Smiths in the Market Place and Betfred in The Hundred.

Five other businesses have remained essentially the same but have new owners: Hilliers Jewellers have opened in The Cornmarket in place of Scarlett’s; Moonstone has taken over Avalon Crystals in Dukes Mill; Humbugs sweet shop in Latimer Street has become Angel Floss; Longs, greengrocers in The Hundred is now Roebridge Natural Food Market and Linkers café in Stirling Walk is now known as Chambers. The Foot Clinic has extended its premises in Tee Court. The Green Room, beauty salon, has opened in Latimer Walk.

At the time of the survey in September, there were eight empty ground floor premises although at least two of them have now been filled. The major looming loss is, of course, Barclays Bank which is to close in December. What will be the destiny of this handsome building? Two changes of note are former business premises becoming private residences again: former HSBC Bank/Kitchenhaus in the Market Place and Thai Tapas in The Hundred. Overall, Romsey is doing quite well, with a busy and vibrant town centre, especially on market days. There is a continuing tilt towards services over retail. We will continue to monitor the situation as the town evolves.

Shirley Rogers, Team Coordinator.

Group News reports

Friday Table Tennis group

We meet each week at the Abbotswood Community Centre, 12.30 pm until 2.00pm. We are a mixed ability group so can accommodate starters and those who have been playing for a while.

If you feel like the exercise would do you good, come along and join us.

Peter Sliwa

Short Day Trips group

Mapperton House & Gardens, Thursday 25th August

This must have been the longest short day trip EVER but it turned out all right in the end! We had expected slow progress through the major roadworks at Ringwood but we certainly were not prepared for the hour long hold up at Bridport. What made it seem worse was that we were only 15 minutes away from our destination!

Having arrived at last, our friendly hosts and guides pulled out all the stops to make sure we didn’t lose out. They hastily ensured quick service for lunch in the Coach House Café and re scheduled the tours of the house. Guided through the wood panelled rooms and corridors, we learned many stories of Mapperton House and its owners over the centuries from the redoubtable Trish and then Peter introduced us to the imposing pendant ceiling, emblazoned with fleurs de lis and coats of arms, in the east bedroom of the north wing.

Behind the house, we enjoyed warm sunshine as we explored the extensive gardens and arboretum. We found lines of neat topiary, elegant pools, sculptures and garden art, an orangery, a summer house and gardeners at work.

For those who ventured further afield, we spied a herd of cows on the hillside opposite, a giant tortoise and a flock of beautiful white doves on the roof of their dovecote. Next to the house is All Saints Church, believed to have 12th century origins, in which we enjoyed a little peace within the coolness of its walls.

We had agreed to extend our stay in order to make up for the time lost on arrival, and so left Mapperton around 4.30 pm, arriving arrived back in Romsey at 6.30 pm, having thoroughly enjoyed a most pleasant day out.

SWANAGE

On Thursday 15th September, members of the Short Day Trips group travelled by coach to the Dorset seaside town of Swanage. The start of the day was overcast but, as the journey via Wareham and past Corfe Castle progressed, the clouds started to disperse and the day grew sunnier. At Swanage, members could stroll around the bustling town centre or along the promenade, or walk further around the busy harbour area before lunch.

If one chose to investigate the older part of town, places of interest could be found which showed that there was a little more to Swanage than the seaside and railway. One substantial stone building with a tower obviously held some form of importance, whilst another tiny one nearby bore the inscription “Erected for the prevention of vice and immorality by the friends of religion and good order AD 1803“.

Leaving mid afternoon, the return journey was made via the Studland to Sandbanks vehicle ferry and, with views of Poole Harbour and Brownsea Island together with the clear blue skies, this perfectly rounded off a leisurely and pleasant day.

General Monthly meetings

On page 1 you will find the current schedule for the next few meetings at Crosfield Hall. If you are unable to attend we hope you will be able to join in from home, via Zoom, meetings start at 10.30 am.— ZOOM log-in from 10.15 am. Also remember to check for regular updates, visit https://u3asites.org.uk/romsey/events

Newsletter deadlines

Please send your copy for the February 2023 newsletter to John Dick at: publications@romseyu3a.org.uk

The deadline is FRIDAY 27 January 2023 but PLEASE send as soon as you have it!

On a dry, mild, late October day, fifty one Short Day Trippers visited Sherborne in deepest Dorset. On the way there, the coach passed through the long line of beech trees at Badbury Rings and, at the entrance to the town, we passed a silhouette of a ‘Tommy’ by the side of the road still doing his duty after all these years. Also in time for Remembrance Day, there were large red poppies attached to lampposts all over Sherborne and, indeed, Dorset as a whole.

There are so many similarities between Sherborne and Romsey. The main one is the Abbey. Its wonderful fan vaulting, acres of stained glass fresco painting added by the Victorians all make Romsey’s Abbey appear almost austere by comparison. Two other areas of similarity are a bandstand in the lovely Pageant Park and the commercial vitality of a beautiful town. Do we have coach parking bays as in Sherborne to help Romsey’s business continue to thrive?

The Abbey did us proud by providing a whole team of enthusiastic guides to show us round. There was no charge, but we made a donation. My group was led by a building surveyor. It was tempting to share his love for the look and feel of the fabric of the building by touching the stonework, effigies and statues.

Social & General History group

Industrial Revolution 1.0 ~ Textiles From Cottage to Factory

In simple terms the industrial revolution was the change from small cottage industries where items were made by hand to new large mechanised factories powered by water, then by steam. Textiles were the dominant industry of the industrial revolution in terms of capital invested, value of output and employment.

COTTON

In fact, the textile industry was the first to use modern methods of production The first modern factory was a water powered cotton spinning mill. This was Arkwright’s Mill, Cromford, Derbyshire. The symbol of this revolution the factory building had its origins here.

Why the need for a factory? Arkwright’s Water Frame for spinning cotton:-

Þ Vastly increased the output of higher quality cotton yarn, giving high profits

Þ Needed power to work, not a manual process

Þ Too expensive for a home weaver

Þ Could be worked by unskilled labour needed capital

2) &3) Meant that it could not be used by a home weaver

1)&4) The new mills soon destroyed the livelihoods and independence of the independent workers but gave better and cheaper cloths and other cotton goods. There were great profits for the investors, and the industrial serfs were created.

The mill started production in 1772 with 200 workers, mainly women and children, working 12 hour shifts 24/7. Soon there were 300 workers and by 1789 there were 800 workers, brave new world! Arkwright was well aware that the success of his enterprise depended wholly on his workforce which included many children. He built rows of cottages for them in Cromford, a school and a small church. The Children had 6 hours education a week, so they could do the record keeping their illiterate parents could not do In this respect the place set an example for the whole world.

But note, the mill gate was opened at exactly 6am and 6pm for the shift change,. Any worker who failed to get through the gate on time not only lost a day’s pay but was fined another day’s pay. The Derwent Valley is a vivid example of how the Industrial Revolution started to change people’s lives.

Cromford mill was the world’s first modern mechanised factory and it is now a UNESCO world heritage site with other mills in the Derwent Valley. Then the new industry moved West, to Cheshire, Lancashire and West Scotland, for climatic reasons the west side of Britain has higher humidity so that cotton spinning and weaving gave lower yarn breakages and hence less loss of production. The early mills in Lancashire were water powered since there were lots of suitable streams. Hundreds of Arkwright style mills were built using his machinery and production methods and the factory system

But soon there was a change, the Piccadilly Mill in Manchester was the first mill to be powered by steam, thanks to Boulton and Watt and the beam engine. Soon more and more steam powered mills were built, near engineering works and with lots of local coal. By 1800 there were 42 (steam powered) mills in Manchester.

By 1860 there were 2,500 cotton mills in Lancashire, combining powered looms for weaving with powered spinning. That was 30 million spinning spindles and 350,000 powered looms. About half a million people were mill workers in Lancashire. Britain manufactured half of the world production of cotton cloths and goods

Manchester became known as COTTONOPOLIS.

The mechanisation of linen cloth production took a little longer than cotton because flax fibre was brittle and difficult to spin without breakages A “wet spinning” process was developed and mechanisation went ahead. The main centre for linen production in Britain was Northern Ireland, Ulster, and it was a cottage industry, but that was to change. From a small town Belfast became a major site for industry. The largest linen mill in the world was built in Belfast, Brookfield Mill in York Street in 1850 with 90,000 spindles and 1,000 power looms, by 1900 this same mill had 900,000 spindles more than any other mill in the world. Belfast had Ulster, mainly Belfast, had 62 mills and 1,900 workers in 1850; by 1871 there were 78 mills with more than 3,000 workers. As a result Belfast was bigger than Dublin by 1891 due to its linen mass production. Northern Ireland became the leading linen cloth and linen goods producer in the world by 1900 and had earned the title of LINENOPOLIS.

PS there were Linen mills in Yorkshire West Riding but they were small and soon succumbed to the Irish competition. There is a famous mill in Holbeck, Leeds, Temple Mills so called because the office block had an Egyptian based façade of 18 pillars, and the operating mill mechanisms had an “Egyptian” style. The Temple Mill was built in 1836 but stopped production in 1870 because it could no longer compete with the Irish. The building is Grade 1 listed and can still be seen.

WOOL

Mechanisation of woollen cloth production took longer because wool fleeces are very dirty and laden with grease (lanolin). Mechanical processes for scouring and carding the wool were developed and used from 1780s. Woollen cloth manufacturing was mainly located in the West Riding of Yorkshire. By 1838 there were 106 woollen mills in Leeds alone. In Leeds, Gott’s Ban Ings Mill in 1798 was the first steam driven woollen mill in the world. Huddersfield was the area for heavy woollen blankets and greatcoats production. Halifax was the centre for carpet production, Bradford was the centre for worsted production and Leeds did everything. Salts mill, in Saltaire, near Bradford founded by Thomas Salt in 1853 was the biggest factory in the world. Look at the growth of Bradford, Þ in 1800 it had 1 mill and a population of 13,000 Þ in 1850 it had 129 mills and a population of 103,000 Þ in 1900 it had 180 mills and a population of 180,000 Bradford took the title of WOOLOPOLIS.

SILK

There was a lot of silk cloth manufacturing in England, in Stockport, Macclesfield (100 mills) Congleton, Coventry and Derby. But, the largest silk mill in the world was Listers Mill, in Manningham, Bradford which once employed 11,000 workers, mainly children. Then we have Whitchurch Mill on the River Test, where 19th century Looms still weave silken cloth. The mill was originally powered by a water wheel, but now the looms are powered by electric motors. I cannot find a SILKOPOLIS in Britain.

The mechanisation of the textile manufacturing process was the main result of the Industrial Revolution 1. How was the revolution fed? Ultimately by the coal mining industry. It also needed machines which needed iron. Iron production was changed by the use of coke instead of charcoal, then the blast furnace thereby increasing the scale and lowering cost, but this needed coke ovens. The coal and iron industries needed transport, with Turnpikes in 18th century then canals then railways in the second half of the 19th century. These big buildings needed lots of stone or bricks, so quarries and brickworks developed. By 1900 we could see the beginnings of modern Britain and Industrial Revolution 2.0 Middlesborough became known as IRONOPOLIS , Sheffield as STEEL CITY and Cardiff as COALOPOLIS.

NOT ONE, BUT FIVE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTIONS

Industry 1.0 1780

Þ Machinery, water power; Steam power; iron; coal; canals; turnpikes and railways

Industry 2.0 1900

Þ Mass production; Assembly lines; Electricity; DIVISION OF LABOUR

Industry 3.0 1970

Þ Automation; computers

Industry 4.0 2000

Þ Internet; cyber physical systems

Industry 5.0 2020

Þ Human cyber physical systems and….

TherearerumoursofIndustry6.0 2025

WHY BRITAIN?

We had had the agrarian revolution with its displacement of workers from the country to the towns;

Inventions and Innovations

Many of the most important inventions and applications were developed in Britain. There was a healthy exchange and discussion of ideas, Royal society, the Lunar Society for example. Some European countries did not permit this free discussion of ideas and concepts, with some form of censorship.

Natural Resources

There were lots of resources, rivers for water power, coal and iron ore and clay for bricks.

Mature Banking System

Able to provide capital for investment

Stable government and economy

Whilst England was often at war, the conflict was usually out of this country and was left to professional armies so life was little affected.

Ample labour supply

We had had the agrarian revolution with its displacement of workers from the country to the towns and people were looking for work. The results From 1550 to 1820 Britain’s population grew 280% while the rest of Western Europe grew 50 80% Great Britain became the world’s leading commercial nation.

HOUSING

Some factory owners were true philanthropists and looked after their workers. They provided reasonable housing, schools and churches or chapels, usually no alehouses. Examples of such workers’ villages are still extant. Salt’s Mill and Saltaire village; Styal mill and village; New Lanark Mill and village; Lever’s Port Sunlight; Cadbury’s Bournville; Great western Railway workers village at Swindon. With a little modernisation these are often still desirable properties. Unfortunately these are the exceptions. Many mill owners provided hovels, buildings which were slums before they were occupied. The classic slums are the back to back terraces in Leeds and Bradford. These buildings only had one door and were often one up and one down. Later, typical workers’ accommodation were two up and two down terraces, not back to back, with outside toilets and water supply and no bathroom. You can still see back to back terraces in Yorkshire but the two up and two down terraces are everywhere in Britain including Romsey. This excellent talk was given by Howard Coulson to the Social and General History Group on October 17 2022. Pat Batchelor, group leader.

Diving Museum Gosport Trip, 27th September

After a lot of date changing a dauntless dozen from the Industrial Heritage group set out for the Diving Museum in Gosport, by minibus carefully driven by the ever reliable Dick. On arrival we were met by John, an ex Naval Recovery diver, who gave us a conducted and erudite external tour, explaining a variety of Diving Bells and Decompression Chambers. When we went into the Museum, several volunteers showed us the variety of exhibits housed in the ancient Battery. A fish and chip supper was served, followed by an extremely interesting talk by Ann Bevan, about the mysterious disappearance of diver Commander "Buster" Crabb in 1956, during Kruschev's and Bulganin's naval visit to Portsmouth, very much the "Crabgate" affair. Geoff Wride (who also took the photographs).

Garden Group 1

Visiting on the first Friday of the month, most of the gardens we visit are part of the NGS yellow book garden scheme. Gardens like this open for charity to the public usually for several weekends of the year. We however make a private arrangement to visit on our own and generally have tea/coffee and cake on the premises to make the whole experience a delightful morning out. This gives us an opportunity to speak with the owners, not something you would normally get to do as a member of the public.

This year we have been to Chandlers Ford, Whiteparish (1), Lymington, Fareham and Stockbridge - the latter being my favourite. High on chalk downland, Spitfire House (2) had the most beautiful beds of pinks and blues and was protected from the weather by elegant hedging. Our last visit of the year was to The Manor House (3) in Stratford Tony, near Salisbury, another beautiful garden. At the end of September, the Romsey Flower show at Broadlands was a new addition to our programme. The winter is more of a challenge for us, so we visit a snowdrop garden and take coffee at garden centres.

Birding Escapade in Dorset with the Birdwatching Group

Eight of us gathered on a cloudy but mild morning at the visitor centre and café of the RSPB Arne reserve near Wareham. After the drive we all felt in need of a restorative coffee and this gave us time for a quick look at the map of the inviting trails on offer and to discuss which birds we were hoping to see. Plenty of species were chalked up on the blackboard in the carpark, but would we be lucky enough to see them? Little did we know the surprise we had in store read on. Our morning trail took us to an incredible variety of superb habitats. We started in beautiful mixed woodland with some huge tree specimens. This led to a viewing point from which we could see the full extent of the lovely heathland full of flowering heather, across the tidal Middlebere Channel to the upsweep of the Purbeck hills on the other side. The sun was now warming the air and as we returned to the path two curious Sika deer paused just ahead to gaze quietly at us for a few moments before trotting on…magical. The path climbed up a heathland knoll to a trail along the shoreline of Shipstal beach. We paused to view a little egret stepping delicately in the shallows, oystercatchers drilling into the mud and a small flock of what we thought were linnets, wheeling up and down above the dry grasses. Simon set up his telescope and we were able to get good views of shelduck, cormorants, great black backed gulls and herring gulls on the shore of the facing island. Suddenly a mystery bird was spotted paddling across the channel. Its unusual shape caused speculation. What could it be? Black and white markings, not a duck, a bit like a swimming penguin? Then the shout went up from Simon ‘I think we’ve got a guillemot!’. We all had a good look and consulted our phones and bird guides. It was a definite! A new bird for many of us and a welcome addition to our year lists. Great stuff. The trail meandered on over the heath bringing up Dartford warbler and stonechat perching on the gorse. From the next viewpoint over Poole harbour we were able to pick out a huge flock of curlew. This was to be the theme of the day as there seemed to be curlews everywhere on the mudflats: feeding, resting or flying over revealing their white back patches and curved bills. Distracting us from this sight was an obliging male kestrel who flew into the top of a pine tree just below our lookout. Clearly showing his beautiful russet and blue grey plumage he gazed right at us for a good while, but not quite long enough to get that hoped for camera shot. Descending to the hide we brought out the sandwiches and flasks and lingered over a good look at the curlews, stately herons and a flash of a kingfisher. Was that a seal’s head bobbing up in the distance. The ‘scope confirmed that it was! Back at the visitor centre we fortified ourselves with tea and cakes before heading out to the Coombe Heath trail and its new, state of the art hide. Sunny and warm, the sandy trail over the heath was a delight with great views over Middlebere. The hide did not disappoint and we all agreed it was top notch. Relaxing back on the deep, banked seating we felt as if we were viewing the river at a wide screen cinema. Panoramic views of avocet, dunlin, grey plover, black tailed godwit, redshank, wigeon, kingfisher and more curlew meant we passed a relaxing and rewarding half hour. Altogether 36 species were spotted on what had been a magical day with friends in glorious conditions.

Marion Slattery, Group Coordinator

Opera and Classical Song Group

Romsey Opera Group tries to balance popular with lesser known opera across the whole genre. All presentations are audio visual in 3hr zoom sessions with brief introduction, a full opera and free ranging discussion. We strive to achieve a balance between great singers of the past, usually in less satisfactory recordings, and current singers / productions. Taking examples from our last season of 10 operas, two were chosen to explore a topic, Verismo. There was one Renaissance / Baroque opera. One late Romantic opera (Arabella). One French opera. One East European opera (Janacek). One British opera. One Expressionist / Modern opera (Bartok). One operetta (Die Fledermaus). One Verdi or Puccini opera. Within our group we have a huge range of audio visual recordings of opera and try and achieve a consensus among established enthusiasts who do their own presentation. We are biased towards operas not longer than 2hrs 20 minutes, which allows adequate time for discussion and provide a written summary handout. Most of our members originally thought that their main opera interest was popular 19th Century Italian opera. However, some of our most successful operas have been well outside that genre, such as the Renaissance Monteverdi’s Orfeo, Wagner’s Lohengrin, Bartok’s expressionist Bluebeard’s Castle and Britten’s 20th Century English, Peter Grimes.

Our new 2022 23 season commenced in September with a French opera, a presentation by Group member Robert Bideleux of Saint Saëns Samson and Delila. All operas and their performances are researched carefully; in this case Robert watched eight different versions of Samson and Delila before choosing a 1981 performance from the Royal Opera House, London, under the baton of Sir Colin Davis. The Biblical story is well known and the presentation featured some great voices from the past. Tenor Jon Vickers as Samson, performed with extraordinary power, passion, and conviction. Robert suggested this may have been, in part, because he was an ardent fundamentalist Christian from a farming family on the Canadian Prairies. Mezzo soprano Shirley Verrett, one of the African American opera singers who became world famous from the 1960s to the 1990s, also convinced as Delila with her warm, seductive voice and unusually wide vocal range. This proved to be no dull biblical epic and at one time Samson and Delila was even more popular than Bizet’s Carmen. The conductor Sir Mark Elder described Act II of Samson and Delila as ‘one of the greatest acts in all of opera’; members greatly enjoyed it.

Jon Vickers and Shirley Verrett in Samson and Delila, Royal Opera House. Photo credit Unknown

In October, under the topic “Chamber Opera” Michael Ward presented Britten’s opera “The Turn of the Screw”. The opera, based on the ghost story of the same name by Henry James, is about a young governess appointed to an English country house to look after two children, who are haunted by the ghosts of the former governess and valet. In the novel it is unclear whether the ghosts exist or are a figment of the governess’s imagination. In the opera, which premiered in 1954, Britten makes clear that the ghosts are real and that the core issue is the corruption of (childhood) innocence. Britten, as a homosexual and thus a sexual outcast in the repressive 50s, is posing the question who is to judge the boundaries of human sexuality? In part changed attitudes to sexuality have proved him prescient. Britten was a master both for writing effectively for small numbers of instruments and also for setting children’s voices. The opera requires just six singers, including two children, plus 13 instrumentalists, which made it a lockdown favourite. Reviewing the Glyndebourne performance that the Group watched and enjoyed, the critic Robert Christiansen wrote “Here is Britten’s superbly crafted operatic masterpiece not a dud moment or false move in a shatteringly powerful performance. This is truly great opera”. This proved to be one of Opera Group’s most successful operas to date. We were particularly impressed to learn that one of our members, Elaine, had sung the difficult role of the governess professionally; wow!

Opera group meets on Zoom every second Monday of the month at 10am. The meetings usually start at 10am with streaming of a chosen opera and the discussion finishes promptly at 1pm. Our November meeting is a spectacular production of Puccini’s Turandot in the original setting of the Forbidden City, Beijing and December’s meeting is Verdi’s Nabucco, which provided the key anthem for the reunification of Italy. We are a small and friendly group; new members are very welcome; there is no prior requirement to know anything about opera. If you are interested, please contact the coordinator, Michael Ward, via email from the Romsey and District u3a Opera Group web page.

MANY A TRUE WORD…

1. When one door closes and another door opens, you are probably in prison.

2. To me, "drink responsibly" means don't spill it.

3. Age 60 might be the new 40, but 9:00 pm is the new midnight.

4. The older I get, the earlier it gets late.

5. When I say, "The other day," I could be referring to any time between yesterday and 15 years ago.

6. I had my patience tested. I'm negative.

7. Remember, if you lose a sock in the dryer, it comes back as a Tupperware lid that doesn't fit any of your containers.

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Brockenhurst visit

Do you know the location of the oldest church in the New Forest?

Do you know the name of the village with strong associations to WWI?

Do you know where the Victorian snake catcher Brusher Mills is buried?

The answer to all three questions is Brockenhurst whose Parish Church of St Nicholas was the focus of the group’s September visit. We were given three most informative and enjoyable talks by Diana Fletcher and her two female colleagues, all volunteers at the church.

The church at ‘Broceste’ was probably founded by the monks of Christchurch Priory and is first recorded in the Domesday Book (1086). Starting as a simple chapel, it became a Norman church. The nave and font date from the 12th century, the porch and chancel being added in the 13th. The original tower was built in 1763 but its poor condition led to a Georgian rebuild with a spire, both faced with mathematical tiles, out of keeping but of architectural interest. There are now eight bells, the earliest one was cast in 1637. As with so many churches, the Victorians left their mark by adding a north aisle with a vestry and building a gallery along the entire width of the west end. The stained glass reflects the rich history of the church and has to be seen to be appreciated.

Diana, who had a nursing career, was well placed to talk about the village and church links to World War One. Both Forest Park and Balmer Lawn were requisitioned as hospitals and a new hutted one was built not far from the church. The rail link to Southampton made the village convenient to receive wounded troops. First to be cared for were Indian troops of the Lahore and Meerut Divisions, replaced in 1916 by New Zealanders. They benefitted from a well equipped hospital, nearly 300 devoted nursing staff, workshops and entertainment. In total, more than twenty one thousand patients were treated. The New Zealand flag was presented to the Church in February 1919 and a letter of appreciation by the Officer Commanding is also displayed. Close links remained and in 2016 a handsome window given to the church by the people of New Zealand was unveiled to mark the centenary. Not all the soldiers survived and our last talk concerned the cemetery. On the east side are the graves of 98 New Zealanders, one Australian and three Indians, most with the simple headstones of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. The most famous civilian grave is that of ‘Brusher’ Mills who was the snake catcher of Victorian times. Why ‘Brusher’ he used to brush the village cricket pitch! He was noted much more for his dispatching of adders and became quite famous; any payment he received was soon disposed of at the village inn! The village War Memorial in Sway Road commemorates Brockenhurst’s own fallen in two world wars.

Þ Peace

These are the four Testimonies of the Quakers whose Winchester house we visited in October. The house is worthy of study in its own right, having been built around 1772. It is a handsome three storey building with many original features including an oak staircase, internal arches, shuttered windows and a grand fireplace with side panels radiating heat. The house changed hands several times over the years, serving as a rectory for the parish of St Lawrence from 1916 to 1973 when it was sold. Since then, it has been known as Friends Meeting House.

George Fox founded The Religious Society (Quakers) in the mid 17th century. He maintained that individuals could commune with God without the intervention of priests or clergy. This drew the wrath of the establishment and Quakers were severely persecuted until the Act of Toleration in 1869. The movement grew steadily, spreading all over the world. William Penn is one of the best known, founding Pennsylvania in America in 1682 as a haven for Quakers.

The Quakers have been instrumental in the abolition of slavery and more equality for women. Their focus is on improving social conditions. Since opening in 1973, the Winchester Friends have been concerned with homelessness and have several rooms, some now en suite, with shared kitchens that are let to those who are at the half way stage to rehabilitation in the wider community. Principal rooms are for Sunday meetings and are available to other groups on weekdays. A Winchester u3a group is presently in negotiation for one of the rooms.

Shirley Rogers.

Genealogy group

The Genealogy Group continues to hold monthly meetings at the Wisdom Centre, using a mix of face to face and zoom presentations. At our fascinating and varied August meeting seven members spoke on the topic of Family Occupations. George Smith talked about his ancestors’ work for Laycock’s Dairy Cattle Farm, which supplied milk to London. Antonia Stickland gave us an interesting history of papermaking, a skilled job requiring a 7 year apprenticeship. Pauline King described various occupations and brought along a Haws watering can, the first of which was made by her ancestor. The impact of the Industrial Revolution was shown by the changes in occupations Pauline, Jennifer Wineberg and Wendy Varnham described progressing from agricultural work to engineering/manufacturing. Colin Moretti spoke about hotel keepers in central London. He showed us a sample menu from 1815 and a bill from 1820, which showed that guests were charged extra for candles and a fire in their room. Finally, Kathy Beckett entertained us with tales from her family of hairdressers. Her great grandfather trained himself in hairdressing from a book, which Kathy brought along. She also showed us some tongs which her mother heated on the gas stove before creating Marcel waves.

Could you live by these tenets?

Simplicity

ruth

quality

In September we were treated to a presentation by Nick Barratt, a professional genealogist, author and broadcaster who has been involved amongst other things in the development of the Who Do You Think You Are? television series. His topic was 'The Future of Family History?'. Nick highlighted the reduced access to archives that occurred during the Covid pandemic, and which in his view will have an ongoing impact upon the ways in which family historians are able to research. Whilst physical archives have re opened, pre booking of a visit and the material which one wishes to inspect is typically needed. And the austerity measures for public funds since 2008 are increasingly reducing resources available to service researchers. This will restrain the ability for spontaneous, in person examination of material in libraries and record offices.

Many more records are of course now available online, improving access and reducing costs of travelling to look at records. Nick however sounded a warning here too. Following the release this year of the 1921 Census data, the next significant tranche of data to be released will not occur until 2052 the 1931 census records (England and Wales) having been lost to a fire, and there was no 1941 census anywhere in the UK. The future lack of new data is likely to impact on revenue for the commercial companies which we rely upon to make a large range of data available. A result already is that much new digital content (currently 53%) is generated by users rather than formal survey data. This reduces reliability of data, and researchers need cautiously to challenge what they are finding. The increasing use and availability of DNA testing is also changing the research playing field. Physical records such as birth certificates may say one thing about parentage, for example, but the DNA record may show that what our ancestors said or thought cannot be true more caution required.

Nick closed with a plea to family historians to recognise the limitations of their own digital records going forward. Even without the inevitable future changes in digital technologies, who will be able to access or even be aware of your trees and records which have been painstakingly researched when you become an ancestor yourself? A printed family history with trees is by far the safest way to ensure that such records survive. These can also provide a useful trigger to memories during later years for ourselves and relatives. Nick related examples of such records having been created as community or educational projects, and the benefits that those projects delivered for those involved.

In October the group heard from member Colin Moretti about the huge depth of information that may be gained from wills. Beneficiaries may be relatives or friends previously unknown. Older Wills will give the address of the deceased, occupation and occasionally a detailed inventory of possessions which can give a picture of lifestyle and social position. Don't presume that only wealthy people made wills. British servicemen are also required to make a Will, and these can generally be accessed.

Modern Wills (1858 date) can be obtained digitally from the National Probate Service. Wills are public documents, unless you are the monarch, and at £1.50 each are the bargain of family researching. The locating of Wills pre 1858 is a much more complicated process as a Will could be proved in a variety of locations, not always geographically logical. Happily there are published guides, and Colin provided us with a comprehensive handout of those sources.

Wendy kindly sends us a few samples from her classes to include in the newsletter, if you would like further details, please contact her directly. Hello everyone, since my previous article, the 'Artistic World’ of classes, exhibitions and Workshops, seems to have woken up our local artists a little, and we have had many re opening of art groups ready to take on the public gaze again, hanging their newly crafted works in many exciting guises. Our Age Concern art group is from 1.00 3.00 each Monday at the Headquarters in Linden Road at the back of Waitrose. Our students have really been so adventurous as with this first sample of work called 'St Ives Harbour' in Mixed Media and Collage. Please notice the roof tops for example these were cut from the outer protective covering of Cafe coffee cups making an ideal image of tiled roof tops! Paul and I also run Workshops at Hilliers Garden Centre locally, and these are advertised in their current and new Brochures through each year (phone 01794 368787) I am holding two BEGINNERS COURSES

IN WATERCOLOURS AND

ANOTHER IN ACRYLICS next year, which will be advertised and will be on my website art@wendyjelbert.co.uk

Here is an example of my Hilliers Class just last week…painting a step by step Watercolour 'Sunlit Wave ‘ Painting it was a delight!

Lastly, here is the example of a wall painting of mine in Acrylics, completed within 3 days, when I last visited my eldest daughter Rebecca Jelbert, visiting them after lockdown. I was asked to paint a full sized apple tree in my daughter's bedroom, at the bottom of her bed, so she could wake up and be warmed by a memory of the gorgeous rich colours and smells of summertime. They suggested that this could be a start of a new career for me!!…..

St. Ives Harbour Collage

Sunlit Wave, Hilliers Workshop

Painting Apple Tree on bedroom wall

Interest Groups Contact details (November 2022)

For queries connected to the groups, please contact your Interest Group

Coordinators: Jo Morgan: 01794 514134

Margaret Marchbank: groups@romseyu3a.org.uk

1. Activities groups

Art Appreciation

Jo Morgan

2nd Monday

Bird Watching Marion Slattery Varies, by arrangement

Garden Visits 1

Mary Nickols

Garden Visits 2

Sue Boulain

Liz Holder Sylvia Imeson

Horticulture

Cathy Suter

Christine Scrivener

1st Friday, mornings

3rd Thursday, mornings

4th Tuesday, mornings

Pickleball Trisha Meredith Wed’s at 5.00pm and Thursdays at 2.00pm

Short Day Trips

Kay Lovell

Strollers

Margaret Massie

4th Thursday

2nd Wednesday

Juliet Austin Mondays, weekly 13.00 14.30

Table Tennis Improvers

Table Tennis Fridays

Abbotswood Community Centre

Peter Sliwa

Fridays, 12.30 - 2.00pm

Travel Janet Moody 2nd Tuesday am

Walking

Jan Morley

1st and 3rd Tuesdays, Mornings 10.00am

Interest Groups Contact details (November 2022)

2. Discovering the Past groups

Architecture/Local History

Shirley Rogers

1st Monday, mornings

Genealogy

Graham Woodbury

4th Wednesday, mornings Geography/Geology

Janet Moody

Social & General History

Pat Batchelor

Industrial Heritage

Janet Payne

John Stone

Natural History

Michael Sleigh

3. Discussion groups

Bookworms

Kaye Hannah

Books for Pleasure

Gilian Gardiner

Crime Fiction Book Club

Bryan Langford

Current Affairs

Aelred Derbyshire

English Literature

Mary Hill

Philosophy

Harry Tuffill

Wine Appreciation

Derek Morley

3rd Tuesday, afternoons

3rd Monday, mornings

Winter; 2nd Monday, morning March-October visits

3rd Friday, 10.00am

1st Monday, afternoons

2nd Monday, afternoons

2nd Tuesday of the month at 2.00pm

Held at a pre-arranged venue.

2nd Tuesdays, 2.15pm

4th Tuesday, afternoons

Last Friday of the month afternoons

2nd Thursday, 7 9pm

Interest Groups Contact details (November 2022)

4. Games groups

Bridge for Improvers

Lindsey Dunford Weekly, Wednesdays 2.00pm

Canasta Margaret Ellis

1st and 3rd Mondays, pm

Jennifer Jarman 1st Thursday, afternoons

Mah Jong

5. Languages groups

French 1 Mike Wood Twice monthly, Monday am

French 2 Liz Gill Twice monthly, Monday pm

French Conversation Maryse McKee 2nd Thursday, 2.00pm

German Conversation Teresa Rayment Fortnightly, Monday at 2.00pm

Italian Intermediate Carole Cox Weekly, Friday, pm

Italian Intermediate 2 Carole Cox Weekly, Monday, pm

Italian Improvers

Marjorie Blundell

Varies, by arrangement

David Haigh Weekly, Wednesday, 2.30pm

Italian Novices

Sally Dickens Varies, by arrangement

Latin Literature

Spanish Weekly, Thursdays 10:00 11:30am

6. Music groups

Music Appreciation

Michael Perfect

Enjoying Music

David Pope

Interest Groups Contact details

(November 2022)

4th Wednesday, pm

Last Wednesday, pm

Opera & Classical Song

Michael Ward

2nd Monday, 11.00am Recorder

2nd & 4th Friday 10.30—12.30

Singing for Pleasure Jo Morgan 4th Monday, 2.00pm

7. Skill & Dexterity groups

Creative Writing

Jennifer Wineberg

Introduction to Computers

Sylvia Croxall

Painting Thursday

Janet Moody

Snappers

Mike Driscoll

4th Monday, afternoon

3rd Wednesday, afternoon

Every Thursday morning

Varies by arrangement

John Broughall Weekly on Wednesday, 10.30am

Technology

8. Theatre & Drama groups

Cinema Pat Robertson

New Theatre Group

Janine Richards

As and when arranged

2nd Thursday of the month