Anna Bond

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Stanstead Abbotts Archaeology update

Posted on Sep 7, 2022 by Anna Bond Leave a comment

The five-day Webster’s site Community Archaeological Dig at Netherfield Lane in June this year has prompted more research by the Heritage Group. They went to view a 2020 AD recreation of a building/shelter from evidence similar to that found close to the site in Roydon Road. It’s of the Mesolithic Age (12,000–6,000 years ago) at Butser Ancient Farm, Hants.

This photo is probably as close as we can get to recreating the Mesolithic Site at Roydon Road. Flint tools were discovered by groundworkers in 1971 when excavating before building a garden swimming pool. Local Archaeologists were called in to discover approximately 1500 flint tools dating to approx 6–10,000 years ago, made by our early ancestors. Their findings also revealed evidence that a shelter built so long ago was against the roots of a large fallen tree. The report is on SALHS website entitled ‘10,000 year old Mesolithic site found at Stanstead Abbotts’, media page 3. Full report can be viewed on the Historic Environment Records at Hertfordshire Archives and Local history.

A full report of the finds from Webster’s Site excavations discovered by more than 50 local villagers (finds including 12,000-year-old flints, Roman pottery from a villa, medieval coins & pottery, Tudor pipe stems and other items of interest to our village history) will be completed soon and be available to all.

These and other finds are adding to recent research in building up a picture of our village beginnings – certainly from 2–3,000 BC and even (surprising news!) of the village in the personal ownership, in 690 AD, of one King Sweafred… of ESSEX! If you are interested in further research in our past, whether from early to medieval history, the group would like to hear from you. Contact historicff@gmail.com .

Dick Dixon, Local History Society Archives & Heritage Group member

News

The Three Villages Magazine: Issue 3 is here!

Posted on Sep 1, 2022 by Anna Bond 3 comments

The September issue of The Three Villages Magazine has published and is available to purchase for £1 across the three villages. Be sure to pick up your copy!

You can find it at a number of locations including:
St John the Baptist, Great Amwell
St Mary the Virgin, St Margarets
St Andrew’s, Stanstead Abbots
The Village Pharmacy
The Red Lion
The Maltings Coffee House
Stanstead Abbotts & St Margarets Village Club

We hope that you enjoy this latest issue. If you are struggling to get a hold of a copy, please do be in touch and we will see how we can help.

Thank you for your continued support,
The Three Villages Team

Pilgrim Walk from Waltham Abbey to Ware

Posted on Aug 23, 2022 by Anna Bond Leave a comment

Pilgrim Walk from Waltham Abbey to Ware on Friday 16^th September.

Experience the re-launched London to Walsingham Camino, led by Andy Bull, author of the newly published guidebook to the route.

SCHEDULE

10am Gather in Waltham Abbey Church

10.30am Begin walk to Broxbourne, via the River Lea Country Park (6 miles)

12.30–1.00pm Lunch stop at St Augustine’s Church, Broxbourne

1.00pm Continue walk to Great Amwell (5.5 miles)

3.30pm Arrive at St John the Baptist Church, Great Amwell

4pm Continue walk to Ware (2 miles) 4.45pm Arrive at St Mary’s Church, Ware

You are welcome to join at the start of the walk, at Broxbourne or Great Amwell.

To register your interest, and for full details of the day, including transport links, contact Andy Bull at andyzbull@gmail.com .

pilgrim-walk-poster Download

Event

The Three Villages Magazine: Issue 3 is coming soon…

Posted on Aug 16, 2022 by Anna Bond Leave a comment

Issue 3 is currently at the printers, which means that in a few weeks it will be available to purchase for £1 at various locations across the three villages.

This issue includes our regular features along with the next instalment of Our Historic Churches series, a report from the recent archaeological dig at Netherfield Lane, articles from the Essex & Herts Air Ambulance Trust, The Wombles of Ware Abouts and some really interesting interviews.

If you have any questions about how to get hold of a copy, do please be in touch using the CONTACT US page, or directly by emailing threevillagesmagazine@gmail.com .

Thank you for your continued support.

REUNION OF ST JOHN’S PRIMARY SCHOOL

Posted on Aug 9, 2022 by Anna Bond Leave a comment

Another reunion will be held this year for St John the Baptist Primary School past pupils circa 1945–1955. This will be held on Wednesday 28^th September at the George IV pub from 11.30am onwards.

Please contact Jennifer on 01438 358404 or 07960 381 339 if you are able to come and would like some lunch too!

Looking forward to meeting again and exchanging all our memories…

Jennifer Searle

Event

And the winning photographer is…

Posted on Aug 2, 2022 by Anna Bond Leave a comment

Once again, we had a fantastic number of entries for the photography competition and found it really hard to agree on a winner, but congratulations go to Paul Marriott.

The September Issue of The Three Villages Magazine’s cover will feature the work of Paul Marriott from High Flying Drone Shots. The stunning aerial shot was chosen because it shows the beauty of the area in such a unique way.

To learn more about High Flying Drone Shots and the variety of services they offer, check out the website www.highflyingdroneshots.co.uk .

Thank you to Paul for letting us use this wonderful image on the front cover!

You will be able to pick up your copy of The Three Villages Magazine: Issue 3 at the start of September at all the usual places. If you haven’t already done so, make sure you get a copy of Issue 2 while you still can!

Thank you for your continued support,
The Three Villages Team.

The Three Parish Councils

Posted on Jul 26, 2022 by Anna Bond Leave a comment

The Three Parish Councils that cover Great Amwell, St Margarets and Stanstead Abbotts work hard to ensure that residents are supported and represented, and to make the three villages fantastic places to live.

If you have any questions or concerns, there are several different ways to be in touch with them…

Great Amwell Parish Council

Parish Council Clerk: Jeff Hughes

Website: https://gtamwellpc.org

Email: greatamwellpc@virginmedia.com

St Margarets Parish Council

Parish Council Clerk: Christina Whellams

Website: https://www.stansteadstmargaretsparishcouncil.org.uk/

Email: stansteadstmargaretspcclerk@gmail.com.

Stanstead Abbotts Parish Council

Parish Council Clerk: Sarah Neighbour

Website: https://www.stansteadabbottsparishcouncil.gov.uk/

Email: clerk@stansteadabbottsparishcouncil.gov.uk

Parish Council

Update from The 3 Churches Benefice

Posted on Jul 18, 2022 by Anna Bond Leave a comment

Since June, a new rota of services has been in place for The 3 Churches Benefice of Great Amwell with St Margarets and Stanstead Abbots. Details are as follows:

June also saw the start of some important new groups and regular meetings.

NEW REGULAR MEETINGS

Monday Coffee Morning
A weekly coffee morning for those who have arrived from Ukraine and their hosts. Meeting every Monday at 10.15am for 1hr 30m at The Wilshere Hall, St Andrew’s Church (on Cappell Lane).

Community Hub Drop-in
Are you struggling financially?
Are you worried about how you are coping?
Do you just need someone to listen and point you in the right direction?

Come and have a cuppa with us and we’ll see how we can help. Meeting 10.30am every Wednesday at St Mary’s Church, St Margarets (on Hoddesdon Road).

UPCOMING EVENT

Outdoor Service – 31st July
On 31st July, The 3 Churches Benefice will be holding an outdoor service at The Glebe Field (behind the Parish Hall), Great Amwell. Starting from 10.30am, the service will be followed by a summer picnic. Please do come along and join us – all are welcome!

If you would like to learn more about what is going on within our local churches, please visit the website (www.3churches.net) or go to the A Church Near You page (from the Benefice landing page you can click on a specific church).

If you have any questions or would like to be in touch, please email vicar@3churches.net or admin@3churches.net.

Review: This is My Theatre – Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

Posted on Jul 12, 2022 by Anna Bond Leave a comment

‘To see a rabbit is nothing remarkable… To hear it comment upon the time is quite remarkable… To follow it down a rabbit-hole into a strange new world not knowing how you’ll get out again is something extraordinarily remarkable indeed!

As Alice encounters the weird, wacky and wonderful characters who live in the world at the other end of the rabbit-hole, she’ll experience an adventure like never before! Finding her way home again won’t be an easy task and it will definitely make her rethink all the thoughts she has previously thought!’

This promotional introduction to the performance of ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ by the touring group This is My Theatre certainly gives a flavour of the story. It doesn’t quite indicate how very slick and fast-moving the cast were in each successive scene. The props and costumes were minimal but suggested clearly which character was being portrayed whether it was Alice’s family, the White Rabbit, Dum and Dee, or The Queen of Hearts. The shrinking and expanding of Alice were cleverly portrayed with props that were identical apart from their size and a table, which one of the actors held aloft at a moment when he was fulfilling a stage manager’s role. Another clever device was when two of the actors held a blue cloth representing the tears Alice had shed that she nearly drowned in.

The production fitted so neatly into the hay barn at Stanstead Bury that it would seem to have been created expressly for it. This is the fourth production that they have brought here – I for one look forward to the next one.

The performance lasted approximately one hour and 20 minutes without an interval and kept the audience completely rapt.

Review by Julia Davies