The West Grinstead & District Ploughing and Agricultural Society, established in 1871, has been holding shows for over 125 years and is very pro active in promoting the interests of the local farming community. Today I meet up with Richard Verrall, farmer and woodland owner, who takes me around the ploughing match and explains the […]
My thanks to Tony Neal for filming and editing the official video of the Bald Explorer Meet Up which took place on 22nd September 2018 at the Spread Eagle Pub in Liss, Hampshire. Also a huge thank you to Wendy and Lloyd Wakelin, and Jack and Harry, their sons, for bringing the fabulous Victoria Traction […]
It’s a bit of a fun outing today. The lovely Julia Hartley and her son meet up with Matthew Holdsworth and his son, and me, to visit Limpsfield Common in Surrey. In the woods are little houses built of sticks and branches by volunteers of the National Trust which children love to explore. Join us […]
The UK doesn’t have enough trees. It may seem that it does while driving around or peering out of train windows, but it really doesn’t. Therefore a new challenge for Julia and I is to grow our own trees, oak trees in this case, and, when a suitable sized sapling, plant them out in the […]
The Knights Templar built Shipley Church before leaving to protect pilgrims wishing to visit Jerusalem. This somewhat austere-looking place of worship was built close to the river Adur, though barely a trickle remains of the waterway now. An old piece of iron stone, thought to be a mooring bollard, rests in the south porch. Peter […]
Richard Suggett joins me today to have a look at West Chiltington Church as they commemorate 100 years of the end of the First World War. Members of Richard’s family are buried in the churchyard and a small exhibit in the nave gives details of his ancestor’s exploits during that troubled period. A flower festival […]