STUDYING HISTORY AND ARCHAEOLOGY IN LYMPNE (SHAL) ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 20 APRIL 2021 CHAIR’S REPORT
Well, what a surreal year this has been. In April last year we were in the first lockdown any of us had ever experienced. Suddenly everything had come to a stop, shops and venues closed, all meetings cancelled and everyone told to stay at home as far as possible. We were very lucky to have entered a long, dry and hot summer, with the most incredibly blue skies; most people were getting out for their daily exercise, meaning we met people from the village (socially distanced of course) who we did not know. As we adjusted to this new ‘normal’, thoughts of on-line meetings on sunny evenings did not arise. Subs for the year were cancelled, but the decision was made to bring these forward in future to April, in line with our AGM, if this is agreed by those members present.
However, as the evenings drew in we ventured into the realms of Zoom:
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In November Rosemary Stutchbury and Guy Topham gave an interesting talk “ A Tale of Two Houses - Lympne Hall and Shepmead ” showing the contrast between medieval and modern building methods.
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December saw us taking part in a fun Christmas Quiz , the questions having been put together by all members of the committee and designed to be not too taxing on the brain cells!
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In January we gained a good insight into “Old Cheriton” by Vince Williams. Once an agricultural village, Cheriton grew rapidly with the coming of the railways and tourism, and became known as “the washtub of Folkestone” due to the number of laundries there in the Victorian heyday, servicing the hotels and boarding houses.
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As the KAS launched a series of on-line talks and discussions in February which directly clashed with our own, we made the decision to change our meetings to the third Tuesday in the month to allow our membership to join the KAS ones as well if desired.
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In March, James Dickinson gave a very interesting, although rather fast-paced, presentation on “Rochester Castle and Cathedral” , making us feel that a SHAL visit would be a good idea when restrictions allow.
Publication of Magnetometry Surveys
Richard Taylor, with SHAL’S and local landowners’ agreement, published the exciting results in the Kent Archaeological Society magazine of surveys carried out on fields in the vicinity of Shepway Cross. Further surveys and exploration will continue when restrictions allow.
Village Hall Playing Field
During the summer excitement grew as Guy discovered what he became increasingly convinced was a Roman road across the Village Hall playing field. Richard Taylor had agreed to undertake a magnetometry survey on the playing field, in advance of improvements to increase activities. Unfortunately the magnetometer developed problems on two occasions, so this full survey and its results are still awaited. However partial results indicated no real evidence to support the theory. We just have to wait and see. That’s archaeology for you - and even if the result is negative, this is still valuable information.
Noticeboard overlooking Stutfall
Guy and Margaret have been working with a professional artist to produce an artist’s impression of what the Roman fort may have looked like, to be placed on an information board next to the plinth on the escarpment. Lympne Parish Council have agreed to pay the cost.
Lympne Airfield Memorial Park and Wildlife
Lympne Parish Council, in conjunction with SHAL and Lympne Airfield History Society, are continuing discussions with Homes England to allow us to preserve the part of the Airfield closest to Lympne as a memorial park to the benefit of both Lympne residents, visitors to the area and future residents of the planned Otterpool Park development. These discussions have been hampered by the Covid-19 restrictions but a postponed site meeting with Homes England is now due to take place later this month.
Recording the Churchyard
Again, Covid restrictions put a stop to recording, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Janet Powell was given very comprehensive records which were carried out in 1997 by Folkestone & District Family History Society, so our job is now just to bring it up to date and create a plan.
In addition, Judith East found a fascinating etching of the church with very run-down buildings immediately to the east. Brian Oxley, an artist in West Hythe, has carried out some research, identified the artist and further research is ongoing.
The Committee has continued to meet throughout the pandemic, mainly on-line and once in Guy’s garden when restrictions allowed. I personally began to take stock during the first lockdown and made the decision that the time had come for me to step down as Chair and from the Committee, to enable SHAL to continue to evolve, give me more time to develop projects, and to encourage others to get more involved in discovering the wide and varied history of our village. I would personally like to say a huge thank you to Rosemary Stutchbury for agreeing to step up to the Chair, and to Guy Topham, Pamela Clark, Mike Pearson, Margaret Pearson, Judith East and Janet Powell for their continuing commitment as we begin to move forward out of restrictions.
Fiona Jarvest Chair______
10 April 2021
SHAL
Studying History and Archaeology in Lympne
Registered Charity No. 1168727 Unaudited Accounts
Income and Expenditure:year ended 31 March 2021
| INCOME | 2020/21 | 2019/20 |
|---|---|---|
| Membership Fees | 100.00 | 800.00 |
| Donations on the Day | 27.00 | 119.00 |
| Other Donations | 5.12 | 450.00 |
| Gift Aid | 275.08 | 185.96 |
| Visits and Events | 122.00 | |
| Total Income | 407.20 | 1676.96 |
EXPENDITURE
| Venue Hire | 182.06 | |
|---|---|---|
| Speakers and Events | 110.00 | 274.99 |
| KAS and KHF Membership | 25.00 | 25.00 |
| Insurance | 111.72 | |
| Professional Archaeological Fees | 450.60 | |
| Refreshments | 24.48 | |
| Visits and Events | 170.00 | |
| Replacement Plaque | 110.40 | |
| Metal Detecting Machine | 250.00 | |
| 100m Tape | 35.00 | |
| Timber for Megabox | 61.06 | |
| Other Expenditure | 17.00 | 117.00 |
| Total Expenditure | 262.40 | 1701.91 |
| Deficit/Surplus | 144.80 | -24.95 |
| ASSETS AND LIABILITITES | 2020/21 | 2019/20 |
| Cash in hand and bank B/fwd | 1119.98 | 1144.93 |
| Income | 407.20 | 1676.96 |
| Expenditure | -262.40 | -1701.91 |
| Balance Carried Forward | 1264.78 | 1119.98 |
| REPRESENTED BY | ||
| HSBC Bank | 1254.78 | 1109.98 |
| Cash in Hand | 10.00 | 10.00 |
| Total | 1264.78 | 1119.98 |