January 2002 | May 2002

September 2002 Newsletter

The AGM
Programme
Old Dronfield Society Website
Dronfield Miscellany
Conservation Matters
Review of Past Activities

The AGM

The Annual General Meeting was held on 23 May 2002 and the Committee re-elected en bloc. Members are reminded that their annual subscription of £3.00 is due and those who have not yet paid should forward it to Mr. David Axe or pay at the September meeting.

Programme

The winter programme starts with the meeting on 26 September when the speaker is Cynthia Ramsden who will be talking about Fanshawe Gate Hall, the historic house and garden in which she and her family have lived for over forty years. As a result of her book, A Garden in my Life' and opening the garden under the National Gardens Scheme on several weekends during the summer, Fanshawe Gate Hall has become more widely known and visitors come from far afield as well as the locality to enjoy its peace and beauty.

November's meeting (on the 28th) brings us John Clifford giving us a new look at Eyam Plague. Although once a remote Derbyshire village Eyam too is now better known and it is not uncommon to hear reference to it on national radio - if one can recognise the strange pronunciations given to the name!

Our Christmas meeting on 12 December will be enlivened not only by mince pies and a glass of wine but by a talk and slides of Dronfield Then by David Salt , a regular speaker to the Society whose interest in and knowledge of the town's history, particularly of its industry and transport. is well known.

Transport can be arranged if you have difficulty getting to meetings and if you would prefer to use the side entrance with its less steep staircase, please either contact a committee member beforehand or ask for assistance on the night.

Old Dronfield Society Website

We may be a historical society but we like to keep up to date! We have a web site giving details of the Society and its activities. For those with access have a look at: http://www.olddronfieldsociety.org.uk.

Dronfield Miscellany

Again readers' comments have been included and feedback from readers is welcomed by the Editorial Committee (Ann Brown, Margaret Mace, Jean Kendal and Judith Vernier) as well as suggestions and contributions for future editions.

Conservation Matters

The plans for the supermarket on the Jowitt site have been approved subject to various modifications which it is hoped will protect the barn.

Plans for the former foundry at the junction of Church Street and Lea Road have also been approved. These are for craft units in the cottages facing Church Street with a bistro type restaurant in the main building. Traffic is to be restricted from turning right into the site when approaching from over the railway bridge but this will depend on motorists acting responsibly and not attempting to turn round at the bottom of Church Street.

Review of Past Activities

The Society held an exhibition on Saturday 11 May as part of Local History Week when maps, photographs, census returns, parish records, all items which are held in the Society's collection in the Slinn Gallery, were put on display. Whether as a result of better publicity in the press or whether our new banner drew people's attention, the numbers attending were gratifying and made all the effort put into preparing and manning the exhibition worth while. Visitors seemed to enjoy being able to examine original documents, look for the site of their house on old maps or try to see who they recognised in photographs.

The AGM on 23 May drew a rather larger audience than is usual for this business meeting but once that was over, they were fascinated to see and hear of the transformation of Chiverton House by Mr and Mrs. Chadwick. Using video which was projected on to a large screen (thanks to the kindness of one of our previous speakers, Frank Parker), they showed the condition in which the house was revealed once emptied of furniture and furnishings. No house looks at its best when bare and exposed but the state of Chiverton would daunt most people. Notwithstanding they set to work and have paid enormous attention to detail in restoring the house to the state in which it would have been in the 1880s when the Rhodes family moved there. For example, in putting in a central heating system they have used Victorian style radiators which took six men to lift each one; replacing glass in the windows they found that modern panes stood out and have gone to great lengths to find reclaimed old glass; just one brass window opener gave them the design to have new ones custom made and the before and after picture of the original central gas mantle in the main drawing room was a revelation. They have even found a set of fire tools made by the previous owner, Geoff Rhodes. The kitchen too is a transformation scene with the original wall dresser restored by a local craftsman who has also worked on doors, banisters, and other features. The final shots of a welcoming family home were a delight to see. Dronfield owes much to the Chadwicks for restoring so lovingly one of its most historic houses.

Unbelievably both our summer outings took place in glorious weather! On a clear, warm evening about 25 people visited Sheffield Manor, most of whom had never visited before. The enthusiastic volunteers escorted small parties round the site, some of which was excavated in the 1970s and 80s the result of which is only now in the process of being written up. The Turret House is the only complete building left with its very fine plasterwork on the upper floors. On such a clear evening it was possible to see how it would have provided an extensive view over the surrounding deer park for the ladies, perhaps including Mary, Queen of Scots, though it is unlikely that she would have been confined there for any length of time, the accommodation being too small for her retinue. The site suffers from a total lack of interest by the owner, the Duke of Norfolk, who has made it over to the City Council on a long lease and it in turn has neither the concern nor money to restore or protect it but the Friends are doing much in promoting and increasing local awareness and interest.

Saturday 13 July saw a coach party of 26 leave Dronfield station first thing for Newark where we were again divided into small parties and escorted round the town by members of the Newark Historical Society. In spite of the bustling Saturday crowds we managed to look at building features from the last four centuries and to enjoy hearing of the town's turbulent past particularly during the Civil War period.

After a break for lunch we set off again for Kingshaugh Manor where we were welcomed by Kathryn and Aubrey Elliott who told us the fascinating tale of how they came to take on this virtually derelict property in 1988. Moving in to the only habitable rooms with access initially only via a ladder and a window until they were able to open up the staircase, they have wrought wonders in restoring the building with no virtually no outside assistance. The present house is mainly early 17th century but incorporates inner stone walls which date to the medieval period. A wander around the peaceful garden with its old gnarled trees shading the Jacob's sheep reveals traces of earthworks from which artefacts from the Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman, Saxon and Norman periods have been recovered. Refreshed by a cream tea prepared in the minute kitchen built within the thickness of the ancient inner wall, we returned to Dronfield, some perhaps with a sense of relief that we live in a simpler domestic environment.