The Grapevine MagazineDecember 2011 Issue No 266 |
Parish Council News |
Carols at Town Farm
High Street
Lewknor
Sung by the
Festival Choir
On 22nd December 2011
6-30p.m.
Mince pies and mulled wine will be plentiful!
THE HISTORY OF LEWKNOR
The parish lies in the south-west of the hundred which bears its name. Like other parishes that run up into the Chilterns, Lewknor forms a long narrow strip, 2 miles broad at its widest and 5 miles in length from north-west to south-east. In 1959 it contained two divisions or townships, covering 2,692 acres and named respectively Lewknor and Postcombe. The second of these was a hamlet called 'Postelcumbe' in 1279. Up in the Chilterns some 2,000 acres once formed three detached portions of Lewknor parish and together constituted the division of Lewknor Uphill, but in 1844 they were relinquished to Buckinghamshire. They now belong to other parishes: Studdridge, with a portion of Wormsley, has been joined to Stokenchurch; Cadmore End was made in 1852 into a separate parish; and Moor End or Ackhampstead, which was once an outlying chapelry, was added in 1885 to Great Marlow.
The ancient Lewknor parish was quite 10 miles long and was said to be at least 40 miles in circumference. In 1733 the vicar, Thomas Skeeler, reported to the lord of the manor that after 'much persuasion and a sermon' he had prevailed at last upon the parishioners to make the perambulation of the circuit of the parish 'nowadays called possessioning. It is betwixt 40 and 50 years since we have had anything of this kind.'
The geology of the parish is varied. The most productive part lies below the 500-foot contour line; at the foot of the Chiltern hills, for here the chalk subsoil is covered by a rich fine loam, productive of good crops, though a vicar wrote in 1707 that a great deal of the land under the hills was not worth the ploughing in dry years. Part of the land is on the flint covered chalk hills from which Lewknor has derived its name, 'Leofecanora' or Leofeca's slope, for that was the form of the name about the year 990. The highest point (837 ft.) is on the summit of Beacon Hill (a name that perpetuates the memory of Elizabethan watch and ward), and the land then drops down again for some 250 feet through beech woods towards Stokenchurch.
At least two pre-Roman roads cross the parish from north-east to south-west. The Chiltern ridge way keeps to the top of the ridge and is still in use inthis part of its course. The Icknield Way runs along the foot of the steep escarpment, keeping approximately to the 500-foot contour, and formed, in early times, an alternative to the ridge way for use in summer. Roads that connect Lewknor with Aston Rowant and Chinnor to the north-east, and with Shirburn and Watlington to the south-west, keep close to the 400-foot contour and in medieval times were known respectively as Aston Way and Watlington Way. Beyond them to the north-west a road leads from the present London and Oxford road to Moor Court Farm and once continued beyond it towards Shirburn. It is now called Nethercote Lane and was earlier known as the Lower Icknield Way, and earlier still and more correctly as Hackman Way.
Other roads run from north-west to south-east. Those from Oxford and from Thame converge at the hamlet of Postcombe to form the London road. North of Postcombe the road from Oxford forms part of the west boundary of Lewknor, dividing it from Adwell. After crossing Nethercote Lane and until it gets to the Icknield Way, the Oxford-London road constitutes the north-eastern boundary of the parish. Upon reaching the Chiltern slope at the foot of Stokenchurch hill, the boundary falls a stone's throw behind the present roadway and, continuing uphill along a cutting, appears to perpetuate the original line of ascent. About ¾-mile to the west of the London main road, a lesser road, once named Weston Woodway, comes in from South Weston near the moated farmhouse of Moor Court and reaches Lewknor at the west end of the village. Beyond that point it continues, as Sheepcote Lane,to the Icknield Way, where it falls into a hollow way, called Clay Lane, which leads up the slope, past some old chalk workings, to the ridge way. Midway between them and the Icknield Way runs the Watlington branch of the former G.W.R. line built in 1872.
About ½-mile below the Icknield Way where the Chalk begins to give way to the Greensand lies Lewknor village. A spring of water fills a quarry like depression known in 1716 as the Town-pond and now a water-cress bed; and hence a stream flows through Lewknor green to South Weston, eventually joining the River Thame.
To the east of the pond stands the church, and at one time a vicar's house stood on the south side. The 'old Vicarage', now divided into two houses, is on the opposite side of the road and was formerly the parsonage or rector's manse. Cottages line four cross-roads; and somewhere in the centre of the village was the common pound. There is no sign or record of a village cross; but the neighbouring hamlet of Postcombe had both pound and an ancient cross known in 1348as Postelcombe crouch. Taken from: 'Parishes: Lewknor', A History of the County of Oxford: Volume 8: Lewknor and Pyrton hundreds (1964). Our thanks to Catherine Gallacher.
A Septuagenarian at Oxford
As the Michaelmas Term draws to a close, and the days get darker and colder, it’s time for me to reflect on the last few months as a graduate ‘fresher’ at one of Oxford’s ancient colleges.
I can congratulate myself on surviving Freshers’ Week in early October, declining the invitation to join the Rowing Club, and avoiding the obligatory Pub Crawl, with its inevitable consequences. Also, on managing not to look too out of place in the Sheldonian Theatre, for the initiation ceremony, ‘Matriculation’ into the hallowed halls of academia. This was achieved by wearing the ‘sub-fusc’ gear of black gown over white shirt, sensible black skirt and shoes, and cramming a soft cap onto my head to hide the white locks; so happily, I could be mistaken for a don when sitting down.
Buying the gown brought the realisation of how Oxford outfitters make a remarkable profit by selling just half a garment made of polyester, for the grand sum of £36.99 (probably manufactured in China for a couple of pounds) and charging nearly £2 for a short length of black ribbon (costing the same amount for almost four metres in a haberdashers). Fortunately, the white shirt marked at £20 in the same establishment, I rejected, for two school shirts, same size, for £6.50 in a store not far from John Lewis’s off the M40.
As a graduate, I am a member of the MCR in College (middle common room). This is a suite of two sitting rooms comfortably furnished; a cubby hole which functions as a store-room, and quiet study space; if one doesn’t mind being surrounded by a cornucopia of items. A tiny computer room, and the necessary toilet facilities. The most important space is the kitchen however, where endless cups of tea and coffee can be made, but unfortunately, the younger generation seems incapable of remembering that a dirty mug needs to be washed after use, and not left mouldering in the sink. The scout (Oxford term for the good lady who cleans) has complained, and e-mails threatening dire consequences to MCR members have been sent. We wait for the storm to break, perhaps it will be THE MISTRESS (alternative title Warden, President, Rector) herself who will appear to remonstrate.
Only one other person on the Masters Course in the Arts and Literature I am enrolled on has been offered a place at this particular college; the other 24 participants have been allocated places at one further from the centre of town. However, they are an interesting group, one is a professional actor, another is an international concert pianist, and one the head of sixth form studies at a well-known public school. We all have a first degree, but mine was awarded fifty ago, but even so I’m not the oldest in the group. The greatest test of our brain cells so far has not been the course work but the computer wizardry demanded in order to be proficient in using ‘SOLO’ and ‘Oxlip’, the Bodleian library websites, and ‘Artstor’ for searching images to illustrate essays. The Department and College have moved into paperless mode - as a result my printer is insatiable, eating up paper and ink, a monster needing to be continually fed.
The College has its compensations however; walking round the quad, on a still autumn night, with the lights gleaming from the windows of the Hall, and the distant voices of the choir floating out from the open door of the Chapel, it is possible to feel part of the throng of people who have passed along the same path in the past.
(Name and telephone number withheld, but available if required)
SCHOOL NEWS
Sporting success!
Children from Years 5 and 6 entered an inter-school competition for High-Five Netball recently, and emerged victorious! On the same day, a team of Years 3 and 4 children competed in a Tag-Rugby tournament and secured 3rd place. They played against 5 other schools, some of whom were much bigger, with a team of professional coaches! We are extremely proud of our children and the high levels of sporting achievements.
Christmas
The countdown to Christmas starts here at Lewknor with a “Christingle” Service on Friday 9th at 9.00am in St Margaret’s. Our children will be joined by Rev Peter Waterson and by the children of Krakatoa Pre-school. Everyone is welcome! The annual Christmas Bazaar happened in School on Friday 25th November, and was a lovely start to our festivities.
PGL Residential Trip
Eleven of our Year 6 children returned from the traditional residential 4-day trip just as half term began. They spent their days practicing team-building skills, challenging themselves with physical activities such as abseiling, and generally enjoying independence in a safe and fun environment. Plans have already begun for the Kingswood trip to Staffordshire in the spring when Years 3 and 4 have opportunities to develop similar skills.
Dates for your Diary
14th December: School Christmas Concert 9.30am at Village Hall
15th December: Infant Nativity 9.30am in St Margaret’s Church
16th December: 1.30pm School finishes
4th January: Start of term 3 for pupils.
News from Krakatoa
We are having quite an exciting time of it here, at Krakatoa, as we gear up towards our Christmas celebrations!
Lewknor School has kindly invited us to join their ‘Christingle’ service, with ‘Christingles’ kindly provided by Ernestine, thank you.
We also have our Nativity play and Christmas party to look forward to…the children are already getting excited!
Thank you!
Krakatoa Pre-school. www.krakatoa-preschool.org.ik
07919081088
The Bookclub at Lewknor
The setting for David Lodge’s ‘Nice Work’, our book club read in November, was the Midland town of Rummidge easily identified as Birmingham in Mrs Thatcher’s Britain of the 1980s. The plot revolves around two disparate characters, Vic Wilcox, the managing director of a (just about profitable) engineering company and Robyn Penrose, an English lecturer at the local University. Robyn becomes part of the Shadow Scheme in which individuals from academia are allocated to local firms in order to discover how their respective lives and responsibilities differ and to learn from the experience. Robyn reluctantly participates in the exercise not expecting to gain anything from it whilst Vic is exasperated by her ignorance of the basic facts of business. Gradually they develop a grudging respect for each other’s intelligence and common sense and Vic finds himself being unexpectedly attracted to his ‘shadow’ and the novel ends with a satisfactory conclusion for all concerned.
Lodge paints a vivid picture of industrial Britain’s decline, presenting a procession of individuals who possess the usual human failings but he laces what might be a gloomy account, with plenty of humour. He slyly tweaks the tail of academic English departments (he is a retired English professor), portraying the staff as absorbed in the nuances of post-structural critical theory whilst the outside world deals with more mundane matters.
Next month, we are reading ‘Ordinary Thunderstorm’s by William Boyd, author of ‘Restles’s which we enjoyed some time ago, and in January, ‘The House of Mirth’ by Edith Wharton, a late nineteenth century novel. Anyone interested would be welcome to join our group and can contact me.
Elan Preston-Whyte.
Lewknor Parish Council
www.lewknor-pcorg.ukRECENT LOCAL PLANNING APPLICATIONS
Below are the planning applications that have been considered by the Council, and their current status.
Open SODC’s Home Page here
In the box on the right, click on ‘Planning’. Then click on ‘view applications via the Planning Application Register’ and follow the instructions to find the specific application that you seek.
| Ref No | Remarks | Current Status |
|---|---|---|
| E0895 | Land to the rear of Barley Close, Lewknor - construction of 6 flats and houses (amendment to the application) | No decision by District Council |
| P11/E1466 | Glenmist, Aston Hill, Lewknor - Demolition of bungalow and replacement with 4 bedroom house | Application withdrawn |
| P11/E1566 | Parkwood Stud, Aston Park, Aston Rowant - 3 new dwellings | Permission granted |
| P11/E1661/T | Town Farm, Hill Road, Lewknor - change to telecommunication mast No strong views by Parish Council | (decision awaited) |
| P11/E0567 | Copcourt House Thame Road Tetsworth - relocation of the Granary (appeal of planning refusal) | Parish Council supports refusal of permission |
| P11/ E1759/AG | Field North of M40 Salt Lane Postcombe: Erection of new agricultural building | Application withdrawn |
ASTON ROWANT NATIONAL NATURE RESERVE
Wildlife Wonders to be seen during the shortest daylight hours of the year
The weather this year has been very unpredictable with a hot, dry spring, a cool wet summer and a mild autumn with the result that many trees are late changing colour and then losing their leaves and some plants are still in flower when normally all that can be seen are their seed pods. But this weather has resulted in a bumper crop of berries and seeds for all sorts of wildlife to eat. So, now that winter is upon us, put on your walking boots, or wellingtons, wrap up warmly and go and explore the Reserve, as there is still plenty to see, even at this time of year.
Mists and frost show up the spiders’ webs hanging between thin branches of trees or between tall plant stalks. If the sun is shining they sparkle in the bright light particularly if they have raindrops or dew on them. Mists, themselves, create ethereal views. Stand on Bald Hill and look towards Didcot Power Station. It may be man-made and normally not attractive but when there is a fog and the sun is shining all that can be seen, of it, is the top of the thin tall chimney which makes it look as if it is flying! Also, if it is early in the morning you may see one of the large herds of fallow deer that live on the reserve, in one of the fields below the hill, or kites, buzzards and kestrels flying overhead in their search for carrion.
When parking at the, signposted, Aston Rowant National Nature Reserve car park, along the Christmas Common road, try walking a short distance back along the entrance lane to the wood and then turn left through the woods looking out for jays, nuthatches and squirrels rummaging around in the fallen leaves searching for nuts and seeds. If you are quiet, you may even catch a brief glimpse of a dainty roe deer or the rotund body of a muntjac. On reaching the open area of Beacon Hill look out for green woodpeckers searching for ants, on the grass covered yellow meadow ant hills, before going carefully down the hill, passing some yew trees where you may find blackbirds and other members of the thrush family (mistle and song thrushes and the migratory members of the family, redwings and fieldfares) gorging themselves on the rich, wine red coloured yew berries. Then go along the “sunken way” passing hawthorn bushes full of twittering small birds such as tits (blue, great, long-tailed), chaffinches, robins etc until some steps are reached. Climb up the steps, which will take you back to the car park, looking for kites or other birds of prey (buzzards, kestrels) flying overhead.
Being winter the reserve might get a fall of snow, which turns it into a “winter wonderland” as it looks so beautiful. This is the best time to look for the tracks, made in the snow, of the many animals and birds that live there. So go exploring and do some detective work by solving the mystery of the tracks in the snow. Look for paw marks: small - mice, squirrel / bigger - fox, rabbit / big - badger; bird claw marks - some with lines behind mean the bird has a long tail; hoof marks - horse / cloven or split hoof - sheep, deer.
Finally, many of you reading this have a dog and regularly walk around the Reserve. Many thanks to all of you who have taken one of the “Dog Passports” and for respecting the request for dogs to be kept on leads.
Written by Joan Newman (Outreach Volunteer)
For more information contact the Reserve Office 01844 351833
John Howell MP writes...
A look back at key issues from Westminster and those raised in the Constituency
in September -October
You will hear snippets of what goes on in Parliament in the news and this is inevitably limited. In my regular newsletter I try to give a factual report of the key things going through parliament. Where appropriate I also give a summary of the purpose or aim of a particular piece of legislation. These are not party political reflections simply the stated aim of the Bill. Constituents of all political persuasions may agree or disagree on different issues. I welcome letters and emails from constituents on these and other parliamentary matters.
Now that the clocks have changed the summer recess seems distant. It has been a fragmented period since the summer with just two weeks back in Westminster before the recess during which the various Party Conferences took place. At the time of writing we have again had just a few weeks back in Parliament. At this time of year the work of Parliament can feel similarly fragmented as there is tidying up of Bills to be done as each House makes its recommendations for amendments.
Bills and Debates in Parliament:
The Pensions Bill received Royal Assent in November, becoming the Pensions Act 2011. The Act equalises men and women's state pension ages to 65 by 2018 and accelerates the increase in state pension age to age 66 for both men and women by 2020. The Energy bill also received Royal Assent. Originally introduced in the House of Lords the energy Bill becomes The Energy Act 2011. The Act specifically includes key provisions on The Green Deal. The Armed Forces Bill, the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill and the Sovereign Grants Bill also reached Royal Assent.
The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill finished it first stages in the House of Commons and passed to the Lords. The Bill seeks to redefine the scope of civil legal aid so that it is more focused, effective and sustainable; implement proposals to restore proportion to “no win, no fee” Conditional Fee Arrangements; and reform of sentencing legislation to ensure that offenders are properly punished and rehabilitated.
There were also some key debates including a moving debate relating to the disclosure and publication of the documents relating to the 1989 Hillsborough Disaster. One of the key debates was on the National Planning Policy Framework. Given the media attention on this it was good to have the chance for a debate
The Localism Bill completed all its Parliamentary stages and has now passed to Royal Assent to become an Act. The Bill introduces neighbourhood planning, abolishes Regional Spatial Strategies such as the South East Plan and provides a number of new rights for communities and their councils.
September Recess Village Tour:
Whist the House was in recess I took the opportunity to undertake a ‘Village Tour’. This was a new venture which entailed visiting 80 of the smaller villages and hamlets in the constituency. It was the biggest face-to-face engagement programme undertaken by any MP in this constituency. It was a whistle-stop tour during which I stopped for 10 or 15 minutes in each place and discussed whatever issues the people in that place wanted to raise. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet more constituents in places where there are not usually opportunities to do so. I was amazed at the range of issues on people’s minds which showed the many different subjects of concern to constituents and indeed the many different views on some subjects. Some of the recurring topics were on planning, immigration and broadband.
Although this newsletter looks back at September and October the lead times of Parish Magazines are such that it will be December before this is published. I would therefore take this opportunity to wish all constituents a Happy Christmas and my good wishes for the New Year. May I also say thank you to all those who work hard in our communities to make them special for the rest of us. It is always a pleasure when I get the opportunity to visit community activities and I look forward to learning yet more about what is being done in 2012.
More information on my work is available on my website www.johnhowellmp.com <http://www.johnhowellmp.com>
News from Newington Nurseries
Pine Needles:
It’s that time of year again. Christmas will soon be upon us and we’re thinking about ‘the tree’. Real or artificial? The debate continues as to whether living trees should be cut down annually or whether imitation trees derived from oil and metal compounds should be used. If a live tree is the preferred option, should it be potted with a root system so it can be planted in the garden after Christmas? Or if the preference is a cut tree, can it be recycled as a mulch for the garden borders in January? As a general rule of thumb, there are two types of tree on offer; the Nordmann Fir (Abies nordmanniana) and the Norway Spruce (Picea abies), two confusing names in themselves.
The Nordmann Fir is one of the most important species grown for Christmas trees. Some describe it as the Rolls Royce of Christmas trees. Named after Alexander von Nordmann (1803-1866), Professor of Botany at the University of Odessa, it was brought to the UK from southern Russia in the mid 1800s. This evergreen conifer has beautiful blue/green foliage with a slightly white hue and the needles are short and stubby without being sharp. They give off a citrus smell when crushed. It also retains its foliage rather well when in the dry conditions of a house so ‘needle drop’ is generally not an issue with this tree.
Its native habitat is the mountainous regions of Turkey, Georgia, Armenia and the Russian Caucasus. Left to its own devices, it will grow to a magnificent height of some 70 to 80 metres and have a trunk diameter of around 2 metres. Its cones emerge as pale green, maturing to a distinctive red/brown colour by which time they’ve grown to about 20cm in length. Not for the small garden, this majestic tree is best planted where there is plenty of space so it can be admired from a distance. The Nordmann Fir is also grown as a commercial crop for the production of paper as its wood is quite soft and almost white in colour.
The Norway Spruce is an equally important species when it comes to Christmas trees. This evergreen tree produces dark green foliage whose needles are quite long, fairly narrow and sharp. The young cones emerge as green in colour, turning to red then brown as they mature. The needles tend to fall more quickly than the Nordmann Fir when in the warm home environment.
The native habitat of Picea abies stretches from Norway to Poland, to the Alps, Carpathians and Balkans and from northern Greece to the Ural Mountains in Russia. It plays a vital role in mountainous environments in that its root system helps to stabilize steep slopes. This tree doesn’t reach the dizzy heights of the Nordmann Fir but it’s still too big for the small garden, getting to some 60 metres when fully grown. Like the Nordmann Fir, it is used commercially in the making of paper. Being a medium/hard wood, it’s also used in the building industry for joinery and carpentry purposes.
Happy Christmas and enjoy decorating your tree, whether live or artificial!
Anne Hendry
Newington Nurseries, Newington, Nr Stadhampton, Oxon, OX10 7AW TeI 01865 400533
www.newington-nurseries.co.uk