Category: Community Groups

Offa’s Dyke

WHO WAS KING OFFA AND WHAT WAS HIS DYKE FOR?

offaYou have probably heard about Offa’s Dyke – but do you know who King Offa was and why he had a dyke built? Well – Offa was the King of the Mercians, a warrior tribe from central England, from 747 to 796 AD. He had seized power during a time of great unrest caused by friction between Wales and England in the border region. Offa was determined to quell the unruly Welsh and impose his authority and this he did by building one of the most remarkable structures of its time in Britain. It marked the western border of his kingdom and was to act as a defence against the Welsh.

The dyke was constructed at the end of the eighth century and consisted of a great defensive earthwork, with a ditch on the Welsh side and a high bank on the English side. It ran for 140 miles from the banks of the River Severn in the south to the mouth of the River Dee in the north. Because it was built so long ago there is very little known about who actually did the amazing amount of work and what it really looked like. But we do know that it was customary for the English to cut off the ears of every Welshman who was found to the east of the dyke, and for the Welsh to hang every Englishman whom they found to the west of it.

offasdykeParts of Offa's Dyke can still be seen in many places. The town of Knighton in Radnorshire has stretches of the dyke on both sides of the town, and at Kington in Herefordshire, there is a well-preserved section of this earthwork. The nearest part of the dyke to Wenvoe is around the Chepstow area and between Chepstow and Tintern. It is only about 40 minutes from Wenvoe to Chepstow by car on a good day, and just another 10 minutes to Tintern so it is an easy day out to go and walk along part of the great Offa’s Dyke. If you do so you will find many good pubs and cafes around that area and in the Wye valley.

If you have the time and energy you may wish to walk all of the Offa’s Dyke Path. It is a long-distance footpath following closely the Wales–England border. Opened in 1971, it is one of Britain's National Trails and draws walkers from throughout the world. Some of the 177-mile (285 km) route either follows, or keeps close company with the visible parts of Offa's Dyke. There are many miles where the dyke was not constructed as the geographical features such as rivers and cliffs made it unnecessary.

Traveling south to north, starting by the Severn Estuary at Sedbury, near Chepstow, and finishing at Prestatyn on the north coast, the walk will take an average walker roughly 12 days to complete. Following a man-made border and ancient monuments, rather than natural features, the dyke path crosses a variety of landscapes. The route crosses the Black Mountains, the Shropshire Hills, including the many ups and downs of the 'Switchback', the Eglwyseg Moors north of Llangollen and the Clwydian Range.

It is of course not necessary to walk it in one long hike, but rather one can break it into bite sized chunks by walking three offasor four days at a time. There are plenty of high quality B&Bs to stay at overnight on the way, with a room costing on average £65-80 for two people with breakfast. With a little planning one can take the train from Cardiff to various places on the route, walk for a few days and then take the train home again.

Walking through mid-Wales is particularly pleasant and quiet and it is possible to travel for a whole day without seeing anyone at all. If you do think about doing this walk it is best to go in a dry period so that the ground is not so muddy as to make it hard work. With good waterproof clothing you will not get wet but very muddy boots are heavy and that make it less fun. So make a plan for a long summer hike and remember that walking is very good for body and soul

 

 

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Harvest Thanksgiving

 

harvest01On September 28th we held our Harvest Thanksgiving afternoon. Members filled the tables with produce and Rev Jon conducted a short service. Margaret, as usual auctioned off all the produce in aid of this year’s charity, the British Heart Foundation.

 

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October started with a rousing fanfare, when Lt Col Geoff Kingston, a retired bandmaster, who has conducted many military bands at ceremonial occasions, told us of the origins of the well-known marching songs of the First World War .We enjoyed a wonderful afternoon and thanked Lt Col Kingston for having travelled all the way from Newquay to be with us.

 

 

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On October 12th Rosemary Scadden, a regular visitor, gave us a talk on Sea Shells .She brought her collection along, most of which were collected during the many years she spent living in the Solomon Islands.

We will be taking names and deposits for our Christmas dinner on December 14th, during November, the venue still to be decided

 

November diary of events:-

Nov 2nd. – Bingo

Nov9th. – Philip and Enid Benton -Cycling holidays

Nov 16th – Dean Powell-Glyn Housten -A Black & White actor.

Nov 23rd – Quiz

Nov 30th. – Anecdotes with Joyce

 

 

 

September Events

1309036687[1]We met in the church hall on Sept. 1st, our first meeting of the autumn session. Our speaker was Elin Jones from Ty Hapus (Happy House) in Barry which opened five years ago as a result of fund raising by Justine Pickering whose mother, at 54 years had a rare form of dementia. Ty Hapus was originally set up to support young people living with dementia but on a Thursday, people over 65 years are welcome at the day centre which is linked to the Alzeimer’s Society for training and support and the staff work very hard to encourage participation in any social groups available, such as a golf group, fitness group and music and poetry are often introduced.altzeimers01

Ty Hapus looks forward toward moving to new premises at Barry Community Hospital at the end of the year where two gardens will be available for their use so there will be many interesting challenges ahead.

As a result of our fund raising during 2016 Madeleine was able to present Elin with a cheque for £450 00 which was gratefully received on behalf of Ty Hapus and all members of Wenvoe WI are thanked for their hard work and effort in raising this sum.

After refreshments it was down to business. We were reminded of forthcoming events within the Glamorgan Federation, especially the Harvest Supper, on Oct 10th, hosted by Culverhouse Cross WI. Final plans will be discussed at our October meeting. Raffle prize went to Phyllis.

Next meeting is on October 6th, Church Hall at 7pm when the speaker will be John Sheen (uncle of Michael) and his subject will be “A Christmas Cracker”. Visitors are welcome

Kitchen Renovation

kitchen01Wenvoe Village Hall has recently undergone a kitchen renovation thanks to the support of a grant from the Big Lottery Fund. A much needed revamp which will benefit all users of the hall. The hall provides a valuable service for the local community and the work of the volunteers to keep it running helps to provide a venue for all.

 

 

The hall is available for a birthday parties or special occasions with or without a licensed bar. If you wish to check availability please email wenvoevil-lagehall@yahoo.co.uk

 

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Love Running #Wenvoe

 

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In the early summer a group of people, many who had never ran, before became a popular sight in the village as they did their group raining runs around the village and playing fields on Monday nights. The plan was they were eventually going to run the Cardiff 10k race. In the first month or so it felt like a tall order. How could people who had never run further than the garden gate complete on of the biggest distance races in Wales?

oct-run-2We discovered that if you could walk that with the right training everyone could from “couch to 10k” in 10 weeks! There is a saying that friendships are formed in adversity and it is true that many who didn’t know one another became great friends as they gradually ran further and sometimes faster each Monday. Whether people would admit to enjoying the experience of running, It was certainly the case that there was a sense of achievement after a run.

In seemingly no time race day arrived. With group leader, Gary Smith, conveniently sporting a badly sprained ankle, all other members of oct-run-1the club turned up for a group photo with the Love Running Cardiff group before joining the thousands who were running the race. At the sound of the starting pistol, the weeks of training kicked as the runners raced around the capital and through the parks for a 6+ mile experience of a lifetime. As they crossed the finish line, the sense of achievement was evident. With medals around their necks, water being gulped and high fives being offered at every opportunity the smiles and conversations continued all morning!

Well that was Sunday 11th September and by Monday 12th, regardless of muscle ache and pain they group were back running around the village pledging to continue throughout the winter!

oct-run-3To Join Love Running #Wenvoe just turn up outside the Village Hall, 8pm Mondays

For further information visit www.valevillagechurch.org.uk or call Gary Smith on 07782 305738

 

 

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Wye Valley – Tintern, Brockweir & Tidenham Chase.

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We parked at Tintern Abbey and started by walking across the bridge at Abbey Mill over a full river Wye. The Abbey Mill’s old water wheel was made around 1870 and ran until 1951 when oct-walk-img_5475electricity replaced water power. The mill paid an important role in the industrial history of Tintern. Originally a corn mill to Tintern Abbey, it later became an iron wire works and finally a wood turnery and sawmill. The Abbey mill still stands after 870 years of change and the Wheel, lovingly restored in 2009, turns again.

Good paths took us on a steady climb up to Brockweir in brilliant sunshine. Still climbing we crossed a field towards Madgett Hill which we shared with a herd of cows and as we got higher realised there was also a herd of goats, and sheep in the field to our right.

At the top we arrived at a campsite on Beeches farm – barbeques were distributed around the site as well as a central washing area and small shop. We chatted to the farmer who pointed to his gateposts; a dragon for Wales on one side and lion for England on the other, the campsite is on the border of the 2 countries and Offa’s dyke. We avoided the Offa’s Dyke path from here, missing the Devil’s pulpit, as we knew it would be busy on such a lovely day. Instead we walked along the access road for the farm which was straight for an amazing distance – several kilometres to Tidenham . This is Miss Grace’s Lane, presumably originally built to reach Miss Grace’s home. Interestingly there is a 4 Km caving system between Brockweir and Tidenham named after the road, which took a number of years to locate as it is very deep. This is the largest cave in Wales.

oct-walk-img_5493At the main road, we turned right onto another road which led to a path through tunnels of trees offering shade from the intense heat of the sun which was much appreciated. The edges of the path were covered in a profusion of wild flowers and buddleias as well as some magnificent grasses. The sides of a quarry towered above us near the end of the path.Now we headed back towards Tintern along an old railway (of which no signs remain) and the banks of the Wye providing easy walking, again in the shade of trees. A surprisingly large rock sat in the middle of the path at one point. All of a sudden we had a superb view of Tintern Abbey through a gap in the trees. On arrival at Tintern we had walked 7.5miles and climbed 800ft. There was a large group of bikers, who had stopped for an ice-cream. We headed to the pub for a welcome drink, sitting near a lavender hedge, humming with the sound of bees (honey, white bottomed and orange bottomed). The bikers roared off, as we sat and relaxed.

 

 

Goodrich and the River Wye

Another beautiful day, starting in Goodrich we passed the church and headed uphill via Coppett Hill common, a nature reserve to Coppett Hill. The views were clear for miles across a relatively flat landscape and the church and the ruins of Goodrich castle stood out. We walked south catching occasional glimpses of the meandering River Wye in the distance.

Near Baynhams, a modern folly has been built together with a ha-ha – very impressive. Following a path around the edge of a wood we had our first close view of the Wye with canoeists paddling in the sun. We needed to cross the oct-walk-img_5537river via a rusty old railway bridge with a sign ‘Bridge Closed’, the footpath on its right-hand side was sturdy and we gained the other side with no problem. (To cross at the next nearest bridge involved a 5 mile detour)

We emerged into sunshine passing Stowfield Business Park, a police notice appealed for ‘witnesses to an incident on 22nd June’ and we could see a police car positioned there. We approached Lower Lydbrook, crossing Offa’s Dyke path. At Stowfield farm we spotted a sign ‘Please shut the gate after dark to prevent entry of wild boar’. After crossing a field where a large flock of sheep sheltered under trees from the heat, we joined the Heritage trail – a good path with the Wye below. At a clearing we stopped for lunch, the River Wye spread below us and in the distance we had views of the vertiginous Symonds Yat Rock; in the sky above us birds of prey made their high pitched calls.

Descending to the river we followed its southern bank and passed a sign for ‘tunnel beat’, one of the numerous stretches of water used by anglers. At the foot of Symonds Yat rocks were steep steps up to the rock and we joked about ‘popping up for an ice-cream’. Still following the river we were now on its west bank, emerging from woodland we walked along an open stretch of the river until we reached a road. Here we took a road bridge across the river and made our way back to Goodrich on paths across fields and through the churchyard.

A most enjoyable walk of 8miles and 1000ft, rounded off with a refreshing cup of tea. (Map OL14 for both walks)

 

 

September Events

leisure_hoursLeisure Group commenced the new Autumn session on September 7th at the Community Centre with a wonderful afternoon of music from the Cardiff Live Music Club. Four gentlemen came with their keyboard. Each played us a medley which created a lot of foot tapping and singing. All agreed it was a very enjoyable afternoon.

On September 14th Mr Andrew Kelland and a colleague came to tell is of their little known charity T.W.A.M. Tools with a mission. What wonderful work these volunteers do restoring old tools and sending them to under-developed countries, mainly in Africa, where people learn the skills and are now making furniture and building houses. The women have been given restored sewing machines and are now making clothes. There is a wide range of requirements such as knitting needles, buttons, screws, nails, wool – the list is endless. I'm sure we'll all think before binning in future.

 

Diary of Events:-

Oct 5th – Mr. Dean Powell – A talk on the actor – Glyn Houston

Oct 12th – Rosemary Scaddon – Sea Shells

October 19th – Mr. Parry Edwards will talk on the Jenner Family

Oct 26th – Mr. Derek Donovan with his harmonica.

 

Visitors and new members always welcome

 

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The Children Act by Ian McKewan, and other Reads

Fiobooks3na Maye is a successful, middle aged, High Court Judge in the Family Court, requiring her to make decisions about children and families in crisis.

Fiona and Jack have been married for 39 years when she is confronted with his revelation that he is about to embark on an affair with a younger woman, even though he says he still loves her and wishes to remain within the marriage.

Whilst dealing with this emotional turmoil within her private life she becomes involved with a court case involving a 17 year old boy, Adam, who is a Jehovah’s Witness and is suffering with aggressive Leukaemia. The Consultant treating him in hospital wishes to administer an emergency blood transfusion which the boy and his family are refusing due to their religious beliefs. Her subsequent ruling has far reaching unforeseen consequences.

The following opinions were unanimous::-

 Concise but extremely well written by one of our leading authors.

 Thought provoking yet poignant.

 Highlights the power that Family Court Judges have over the lives of children and their families where decisions can have far reaching consequences.

 Interesting insight into the religious beliefs of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

 Two strong story lines, one concerning the law and the other about personal relationships.

 A very good read enjoyed by all with a score of 9.

 

Additionally this month it was decided that each of The Page Turners would read a book of their choice. The chosen books are listed below, together with a brief review:

Where My Heart Used to Beat by Sebastia Faulks. – Tedious and uninspiring. Would not recommend.

My Grandmother Sends Her Regards and Apologises: by Fredrik Backman, Henning Koch. – A pleasant holiday read but would not particularly recommend.

The Fishing Fleet. Husband-Hunting in the Raj by Anne de Courcy. – Historically well researched with some interesting parts but mostly boring. Would not recommend.

Oliver Kitteridge: A Novel in Stories by Elizabeth Strout. (Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for fiction) – Interesting, funny and enjoyable. Would recommend.

Me Before You by JoJo Moyes. (New York Times no.1.bestselling novel.) – Very well written, intense but an easy and enjoyable read. Would recommend.

Eagles by Cynthia Harrod – Well written but a light and easy read. Would recommend.

The Past by Tessa Hadley – A good summer read. Would recommend.

The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd. – Historically well researched and paired with a good fictional story line. A good read. Would recommend

 

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‘CAPABILITY’ BROWN

DID LANCELOT ‘CAPABILITY’ BROWN EVER VISIT WENVOE?

capability-brownThe August edition of Wenvoe What’s On contained a fascinating article on Wenvoe Castle. The grounds surrounding the castle are listed Grade II by Cadw (the Welsh Government’s historic environment service) because the layout and surviving planting are of national interest. Some of those features are typical of the work of ‘Capability’ Brown – rolling green slopes; trees dotted about singly or in clumps; a perimeter belt of trees and a pond of natural appearance. Historians have long pondered on whether Brown might have been instrumental in the design of the land around the castle and it is worth reflecting on whether the most important garden designer of the eighteenth century might have influenced the landscape of Wenvoe.

In 1774 Peter Birt bought Wenvoe Castle from the Thomas family and by 1776 work had started to rebuild the castle, following plans drawn up by berrington-hallRobert Adam. 2016 is the 300th anniversary of Lancelot Brown (1716-1783) and there have been many events this year to celebrate his work – his nickname came from the word he used to assure clients that their land was capable of improvement. He worked mainly in England but occasionally in Wales as, in 1778, when the fourth earl of Bute commissioned him and his son-in-law, the architect Henry Holland, to modernize Cardiff Castle and the surrounding grounds. At the same time Holland appears to have been asked to work at Wenvoe Castle. This seems to have been specifically in relation to the stable block and courtyard (now Wenvoe Castle Golf Club) which bears a distinct resemblance to another site he and Brown had developed together – Berrington Hall in Herefordshire.

Subsequently the land surrounding the castle became known as Wenvoe Castle Estate and remained in the hands of Birt’s descendants for almost two centuries. When the golf course was laid out in the 1930s considerable effort was made to ensure that the existing landscape was altered as little as possible. In the 1970s Birt’s descendants sold much of the estate’s farmland and buildings with the result that most of the land is private and cannot be accessed without permission. One such area, Bears Wood, is particularly interesting because it contains mid-eighteenth-century rococo landscaping with the remains of a grotto and serpentine canal. Easier to appreciate is Waun Lawn, the two fields on either side of the entrance drive to the golf course. Here oak trees that may date from the eighteenth century still stand – Brown liked to dot them around parkland, both to catch the eye and give shelter to livestock. An 1871 map of the estate shows one side of this road closely planted with trees, creating an avenue, as well as a belt of trees surrounding the perimeter of estate land. The 1871 documentation also gave details of the gardens which included ‘Vineries, Forcing and Cucumber pits, Stove [hothouse] and Greenhouses … an Archery Ground, a Charming Lawn and Terrace Walk to the south of the Mansion overlooking the Park’.

Despite the fact that the area around the castle illustrates evidence of the characteristics of Brown’s style of landscape gardening, no documentary dynefwrevidence has yet been found to confirm that he visited Wenvoe but he was known to travel great distances on horseback to visit sites and it seems likely that whilst working on Cardiff Castle he would have made the short trip to Wenvoe to see how his son-in-law was progressing. Birt would, no doubt, have welcomed both him and any advice he was prepared to offer on the landscape. Brown, in turn, would certainly have assured Birt that his estate had many ‘capabilities’.

 

 

 

 

 

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