CLUB MEETING 6th February 2007: "B" is for…." Present: 18 people including dealers Mike Tarrant, Christine Broom and Hilary Lloyd. Apologies: Keith Shotter and John Woodford Minutes of the previous meeting: were read, approved and signed. Matters Arising: None Correspondance: RK read from three letters received, including information about a new web site selling only postcards; the PC fair in Shepton Mallet in February; and a book by David Yates. Refreshments: None Newsletter: RK asked again for articles for future newsletters AOB: AL talked about the next meeting, and said that it was likely to be a talk on Carisbrooke Castle only. He also mentioned the proposed away day to West Wight in July, where we are attempting to hire Freshwater Memorial Hall, and ask local speakers to come along and talk on Freshwater and the many smaller villages in the district. Of the 18 people present at the meeting, 10 had brought articles to show - including some more unusual offerings!!
Displays included:
Richard Hawes - PC's including Brighstone Lifeboat;
Val Banks - The IW artist Besley;
Alan Leach - Princess Beatrice;
Lyn Carver - Blackwater and Bath;
John Hayter - Beautiful Writing and Before the Penny Black;
Hilary Lloyd - A Bronze Plaque;
Valerie Croucher - Bristol, Bridges and Brunel;
Ron Kemp - Bridges and Boats;
Bernard Taylor - IW jeweller Benzies;
Christine Broom - Birds (racing pigeons). All presentations were admirably described, but pride of place for something completely different must go to Christine Broom and her racing pigeons. She described (in full technicolour) the process of rearing the birds and teaching them to fly back to their roost, and displayed samples of their food and the various items used to tag the birds. She had also brought along one of her birds, and told the fascinated audience how the birds are readied for an event, including the process she has to go through when the bird returns, to stop the time clock and record the elapsed time. It is later discovered if the time recorded is the fastest of the many thousands of birds raced in this fashion. Fascinating stuff! CLUB MEETING 3rd April 2007: "Kings and Things - the History of Carisbrooke Castle" Apologies: Mr & Mrs Carver, Val Banks Minutes of the previous meeting: were read, approved and signed. Matters Arising: None Correspondance: None Refreshments: None Newsletter: Ron Kemp (RK) asked again for articles for future newsletters AOB: AL mentioned the next meeting, and said that it was to be held on Wednesday 7th July in the Memorial Hall at Freshwater. Local speakers are being arranged, including talks on Dimbola Lodge and the Yarmouth Coastguards. This Evening's Meeting: was a talk by Christine Yendall from the Carisbrooke Castle Museum and entitled "Kings and Things - The History of Carisbrooke Castle". Christine brought along articles of clothing, weapons and pictures to illustrate her informative talk. She said that the Saxons first built a fort in the 8th century, and then the Normans in the 11th century constructed the basic outline of the castle as it is seen today. Christine showed chain mail armour and a shield representing the Norman times during the tenure of William fitzOsbern (1066-1071). He was a kinsman of William the Conqueror, and after the Norman Conquest given the job of controlling the Isle of Wight from a wooden structure he built in Carisbrooke. From this date, lordship of the Isle of Wight was associated with ownership of the castle, which thus became the seat of government of the island. In 1086 a chapel was built on the site, and soon after the motte and bailey castle as is seen today was constructed. It was built of stone to defend against siege weapons such as the Trebuchet, a working scale model of which Christine had brought and demonstrated with pieces of plastercine used as the missile. In 1100, Henry I gave Carisbrooke to Richard and later Baldwin de Redvers, their family ruling the Island until 1293. But Countess Isabella de Fortibus (1263-1293) made the largest impression on how the castle progressed. She inherited much land from her husband and brother, and did a lot of building work, including adding private chambers, new kitchens, and the installation of a chapel. Shortly before she died in 1293 she agreed to sell the castle to King Edward I, and the castle remained a crown property for many years. Later development of the castle was largely influenced by the threat of invasion from France and Spain. Peter de Heynoe (1377) is worthy of note, as he killed the French commander of the time with his crossbow, thus stopping an invasion which had looted Yarmouth and Newtown. The keep was added to the castle in the reign of Henry I; and in the reign of Elizabeth I when the Spanish Armada was expected, it was surrounded by an elaborate pentagonal fortification by Sir George Carey (1582-1603). He undertook a large-scale refortification programme to counteract continued invasion threats from Catholic Spain. These included the vast earthworks surrounding Carisbrooke Castle, and the landscaped gardens, although his first task was to build a mansion for his family within the castle grounds. These defences were never put to the test, and rather than keep invaders out, the castle was used to keep people captive. The most famous prisoner was King Charles I who arrived from Hampton Court in November 1647. He twice tried to escape with help from a servant called Henry Firebrace, but his attempts failed, as he was unable to get through the bars of his cell window. He remained at the castle until September 1648, just five months before his execution in Whitehall. The castle remained the official residence of the governor of the Isle of Wight until the death of Princess Beatrice, the last resident governor. Beatrice (1896-1944) opened the museum in the gatehouse in memory of her husband, and it was later moved to its present position. She gave the museum an ornate pipe organ on her 80th birthday, and it is thought to be the oldest organ in the UK. Since then Carisbrooke has been managed as an ancient monument by English Heritage. It is home to the Carisbrooke Castle Museum and, rather unusually, a team of donkeys that are used to demonstrate the treadwheel in the 16th century wellhouse. Chairman Richard Hawes thanked Christine for her informative and interesting talk, and presented her with a donation to the museum, and the club's limited edition postcard as a memento of her visit. CLUB MEETING 5th June 2007: "Annual Auction" Present: 22 people Apologies: Ron Kemp, Alan Leach This Evening's Meeting: was our annual auction. Details as follows: Number of lots entered: 130 Number of lots sold: 68 Value of lots sold: £354 To the club (10%): £35.40 The most expensive items sold: A document containing the conditions of sale of the Heytesbury estate in 1913: £32 100 PC's with GB interest: £32 A Red folder of scraps: £25 4 PC's of Bembridge: £22 Thanks to John Woodford and Richard Hawes for running the auction this evening, as Ron and Alan were away. CLUB MEETING 4th July 2007: "Away Day to West Wight" Present: 31 people including dealers Hilary Lloyd, Christine Broom and Mike Tarrant. Apologies: Alex Carver and Keith Shotter This Evening's Meeting: The club had arranged talks by local celebrities to assist in publicising our hobby to a wider audience, and this year we visited Freshwater in West Wight. Treasurer Alan Leach introduced our speakers. Felicity Farr-Thompson and Shelley McAlister talked about "The Wreck of the Irex", and Elizabeth Hutchings and Brian Hinton presented "Farringford and Tennyson". In 1890 and on her maiden voyage from Glasgow to Rio, the Irex ran into severe storms, and on January 25th was finally wrecked on rocks in Scratchells Bay, IW and sunk to a depth of 6M. Felicity and Shelley told the story of the Irex in poem form from the view point of various people who were either on board, or who witnessed the event. 29 men and 1 boy were rescued from the ship by breaches buoy, and Queen Victoria sent a telegraph message enquiring about the incident. Her daughter Princess Beatrice actually visited the site to see the stricken ship. All who helped in the rescue attempt were invited to tea with Queen Victoria at Osborne. All that is left is a rusting hull and some steel pipes which were part of her cargo. Elizabeth and Brian detailed the Freshwater area of the Island as frequented by Tennyson and Julia Margaret Cameron and their other associates. A straight line map and a list of the houses and their occupants at the time was duplicated for all attendees of the meeting, many of which were described in detail, and stories about the personalities told. They described how Freshwater and its inhabitants evolved over the years, records showing that occupations during the 1800's included labourers and seamen, but soon many other tradespeople moved into the area, once holiday homes had been built. Many other well known writers, artists and poets either lived or visited the area. Chairman Richard Hawes thanked Felicity, Shelley, Elizabeth and Brian for their informative and interesting talks, and presented them with the club's limited edition postcard as a memento of their visit. CLUB MEETING Thursday 16th August 2007: "Annual Fair" The August Meeting was our annual fair, and there were 12 dealers who took 22 tables this year. The fair was another success, as all dealers reported good business during a day where keen and enthusiastic crowds were seen through the doors. Profits of more than £200 were made for the clubs funds, and thanks are due to all helpers on the day, giving assistance to the dealers, and helping in the kitchen. The annual competition saw 7 boards displayed, and Elizabeth Hutchens judged the entries. The results were as follows: 1st - Isle of Wight Villages (Alan Leach) 2nd - West Wight (Barbara Cameron) 3rd - Island Disasters (Richard Hawes) Unfortunately, as these three boards did not meet the criteria for the competition at the Picture Postcard Show in London later in the month, they were not submitted (all had more than 18 cards). CLUB MEETING 2nd October 2007: "PO Boxes, by Arthur Reeder" Present: 27 people including dealers Hilary Lloyd, Christine Broom and Mike Tarrant. Apologies: This Evening's Meeting: The October meeting was a talk by Arthur Reeder on PO Boxes. Many items were on display to assist Arthur in telling his story of the history of the Post Office and the post boxes used, including photographs, postcards, models of post boxes, an assortment of attachments and other memorabilia. Particular reference was made to the post on the Island, and many stories were shared between Arthur and the enthusiastic audience. Treasurer Alan Leach thanked Arthur for his informative and interesting talk, and presented him with a small donation, and the club's limited edition postcard as a memento of his visit.