The ‘local larder’ right on our doorstep

By David Wakefield

The makers of our local Tunbridge Ware found the raw materials for their trade in the very woods that surround the town – perhaps on The Commons themselves.

They needed small pieces of stained wood to give them the palette of colours that went into the various boxes, writing slopes, paper weights etc, which were collectively are known as “toys”, to be sold as souvenirs to visitors to the Town. The colours come from either the natural colour of the  wood, or from the staining effect on wood of our local chalybeate water. Thus we have, besides the normal blacks and browns, reds, greens and yellows – enough to make up a full range of colours.

Trees were not grown specially for the purpose, but instead windfalls, twigs, and scraps of wood with the right colouring and shape would be looked for, picked up and brought in to the workshops of the Town. Found just a few days ago on Hargate Forest, the piece below illustrates perfectly the kind of wood that was used.

You can read more about this fascinating subject in “The Story of Tunbridge Ware”, produced by the Friends of the Museum and on sale in the Museum at just £4.95.

Do you have any Tunbridge Ware at home? Send us your pictures and we’ll post them here.

David Wakefield remembers Patrick Shovelton

Patrick Shovelton, our founder, has died. He came to live beside the Common in London Road with Helena his wife, who was at that time, the manager of our local CAB, in the late 1980s.

Always a leader of men, he spotted the run-down state of the Common, following the great storm of 1987, saw that the Commons Conservators were doing little about it, and decided that a Friends Group might spur them into action.

Those present will remember the rowdy meeting in the Council chamber which followed, and thus the Friends were born!

Patrick was also  the powerhouse behind the first” Frolics on the Common”, held in the early 1990s, and the fact that there has been only one more “Frolics” since then, shows how much we relied on his drive and energy.

A tall commanding figure, the holder of a CB and a CMG, tributes to his status as a senior civil servant, his main interests outside of his work were bridge and golf.

That the joint commons of Tunbridge Wells and Rusthall are now is such a fine shape is due very largely to him. We were lucky to have him amongst us when he was most needed.

David Wakefield

Save the date for our Annual General Meeting

The Friends of the Commons Annual General Meeting will take place at 19:30 on Monday 12th March at The Royal Wells Hotel. All Friends are very welcome to come along. We look forward to seeing you there.

Annual Dinner 2012

For next year’s annual dinner, we’re thinking of a bit of a change. Instead of having a dinner, we thought a Sunday lunch might work well, with more people able to attend. What do you think? And what about a venue, preferably near to the Commons? Drop us an email at friends@friendsofthecommons.co.uk to let us know what you think.

St Paul’s Church #14

St Paul’s Church is home to several very interesting items. In the western corners of the nave, there are two flags. One represents the local South African Wars Veterans’ Association, while the other is the Red Cross Flag that flew over the Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) Hospital in the Great War. The hospital was located in the house known as Rust Hall, with a nurses’ hostal situated nearby at The Beacon. Later, as the number of war casualties grew, the hospital was relocated to the Girls’ School. Many wealthy local people lent their financial backing to the hospital, with one of the most notable being Rachel Beer, aunt of First World War poet Siegfried Sassoon, who lived at Chancellor House.

Read more about the church at www.stpaulsrusthall.org.uk , or check back for more facts with the next St Paul’s postcard.

With thanks and credits to Geoffrey Copus at St Paul’s Church.

St Paul’s Church #13

In 1999, an exciting discovery was made in an upper room of the church tower. It was a complete Victorian stained glass window commemorating Louisa Mary Allfree, wife of the Rev. George Frederick Allfree, who died in 1855. Originally, it had been one of a pair that occupied small lancets on the east side of the south transept. When the organ was re-sited, the lancets had been almost entirely blocked, and had been filled in with plain glass. The companion stained glass window is still in place, but can only be seen from the outside of the building.

Read more about the church at www.stpaulsrusthall.org.uk , or check back for more facts with the next St Paul’s postcard.

With thanks and credits to Geoffrey Copus at St Paul’s Church.

St Paul’s Church #12

St Paul’s Church boasts an impressive series of stained glass windows. The east window installed in 1850 was made by Ward & Hughes and shares a Mediaeval feel with many of the church’s other windows. Memorial windows were regularly presented to the church up until 1935 and the work of well-known artists like Edward Burne-Jones and Martin Travers are featured.

Read more about the church at www.stpaulsrusthall.org.uk , or check back for more facts with the next St Paul’s postcard.

With thanks and credits to Geoffrey Copus at St Paul’s Church.

St Paul’s Church #11

The letters of complaint from Rev. Thomas Jennings Bramly to Archbishop Tait began in 1871 and continued until the reverend’s death in 1873. As well as demanding the removal of the church’s carved reredos, he also complained (correctly) that the stained glass had been installed without ‘Faculties’ and was therefore illegal, and that the church itself was far too dark. “Even on bright days”, he said, “I have heard it likened to a tomb…”. Luckily for St Paul’s, the Archbishop was not swayed by his petitions and the reredos and stained glass windows were reprieved.

Read more about the church at www.stpaulsrusthall.org.uk , or check back for more facts with the next St Paul’s postcard.

With thanks and credits to Geoffrey Copus at St Paul’s Church.

St Paul’s Church #10

The installation of the new reredos in 1869 was not without controversy. Previously, the altar had been backed by tablets of the Ten Commandments, in line with church regulations dating back many centuries. While many among the new generation of churchgoers felt this practice was outdated, the old guard were more reluctant to lose the custom. In 1871, the Rev. Thomas Jennings Bramly of Nevill Park began a letter-writing campaign to Archbishop Tait, demanding that the reredos be removed. In his opinion, the figures featured in the reredos had been carved in complete relief and therefore constituted ‘images’, which were illegal.

Read more about the church at www.stpaulsrusthall.org.uk , or check back for more facts with the next St Paul’s postcard.

With thanks and credits to Geoffrey Copus at St Paul’s Church.

St Paul’s Church #9

In 1869, nearly 20 years after the church’s consecration, a church warden and benefactor called John Stone-Wigg presented St Paul’s with an elaborately carved reredos. Designed by John Norton (who also designed the earlier organ chamber and new vestry accommodation), the reredos was carved by William Farmer of Westminster Bridge Road in London.

Read more about the church at www.stpaulsrusthall.org.uk , or check back for more facts with the next St Paul’s postcard.

With thanks and credits to Geoffrey Copus at St Paul’s Church.