Comments for On Landguard Point http://www.onlandguardpoint.com On Landguard Point Tue, 15 May 2012 10:09:44 +0100 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Comment on Corn Dolly by Gillian Nott http://www.onlandguardpoint.com/?p=1640#comment-458 Gillian Nott Tue, 15 May 2012 10:09:44 +0000 http://www.onlandguardpoint.com/?p=1640#comment-458 The following little poem, found at the beginning of Minnie Lambeth’s book A Golden Dolly has been widely quoted over the years, attributed to that prolific author, Anonymous. It was in fact written by Minnie Lambeth herself, and in the script of the book she was writing in her last years, Straws in the Wind, which was never published, she wrote ‘…this was the time when I wrote the rhyme ‘Corn Dolly’ but being afraid it might be rejected if I put my name at the end of the poem, I simply put Anon. Here, in A People’s Peculiar is the perfect place to give Minnie Lambeth proper acknowledgement as author of this delightful verse. CORN DOLLY “ ’T is but a thing of straw” They say, Yet even straw can sturdy be Plaited into doll like me. And in the days of long ago To help the seeds once more to grow I was an offering to the gods. A very simple way indeed Of asking them to intercede That barn and granary o’erflow At harvest time, with fruit and corn To fill again Amalthea’s horn. The following little poem, found at the beginning of Minnie Lambeth’s book A Golden Dolly has been widely quoted over the years, attributed to that prolific author, Anonymous. It was in fact written by Minnie Lambeth herself, and in the script of the book she was writing in her last years, Straws in the Wind, which was never published, she wrote ‘…this was the time when I wrote the rhyme ‘Corn Dolly’ but being afraid it might be rejected if I put my name at the end of the poem, I simply put Anon.
Here, in A People’s Peculiar is the perfect place to give Minnie Lambeth proper acknowledgement as author of this delightful verse.

CORN DOLLY

“ ’T is but a thing of straw” They say,
Yet even straw can sturdy be
Plaited into doll like me.
And in the days of long ago
To help the seeds once more to grow
I was an offering to the gods.
A very simple way indeed
Of asking them to intercede
That barn and granary o’erflow
At harvest time, with fruit and corn
To fill again Amalthea’s horn.

]]> Comment on Icecream by Claire http://www.onlandguardpoint.com/?p=1700#comment-456 Claire Mon, 14 May 2012 18:00:33 +0000 http://www.onlandguardpoint.com/?p=1700#comment-456 For a few months one winter we lived in a flat on the sea front at Gorleston On Sea. One cold February morning my husband spotted the ice cream kiosk being open. He just had to give them some custom, and was rewarded with a free fudge stick (an alternative to the traditional chocolate flake). The lady behind the counter told him he was a 'brave soldier' and that was why she'd given it to him!! For a few months one winter we lived in a flat on the sea front at Gorleston On Sea. One cold February morning my husband spotted the ice cream kiosk being open. He just had to give them some custom, and was rewarded with a free fudge stick (an alternative to the traditional chocolate flake). The lady behind the counter told him he was a ‘brave soldier’ and that was why she’d given it to him!!

]]> Comment on Dragonfly by Claire http://www.onlandguardpoint.com/?p=1652#comment-455 Claire Mon, 14 May 2012 17:54:12 +0000 http://www.onlandguardpoint.com/?p=1652#comment-455 I have no idea what 'make' they were but one year we had tens of dragonflies lined up on our washing line - spectacular! I have no idea what ‘make’ they were but one year we had tens of dragonflies lined up on our washing line – spectacular!

]]> Comment on Bicycle by Claire http://www.onlandguardpoint.com/?p=1586#comment-454 Claire Mon, 14 May 2012 17:51:43 +0000 http://www.onlandguardpoint.com/?p=1586#comment-454 I love riding around our village in Norfolk on my old fashioned bike with a basket on the front! And my friend loves me turning up at her house on it too! I love riding around our village in Norfolk on my old fashioned bike with a basket on the front! And my friend loves me turning up at her house on it too!

]]> Comment on Crown by Claire http://www.onlandguardpoint.com/?p=1648#comment-453 Claire Mon, 14 May 2012 17:49:58 +0000 http://www.onlandguardpoint.com/?p=1648#comment-453 And now we are about to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee! The shops in Norfolk and Suffolk are FULL of all things red, white and blue .... we are busy making a huge wooden crown to use as a sideshow at the village celebration. People will have to throw (red, white and blue) bean bags into the spaces cut out in the crown (the jewels), aiming to score the highest points of the afternoon ..... but surely the greatest connection to the crown in the East has to be Sandringham in Norfolk, where the Queen celebrates Christmas with her famly. And now we are about to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee! The shops in Norfolk and Suffolk are FULL of all things red, white and blue …. we are busy making a huge wooden crown to use as a sideshow at the village celebration. People will have to throw (red, white and blue) bean bags into the spaces cut out in the crown (the jewels), aiming to score the highest points of the afternoon ….. but surely the greatest connection to the crown in the East has to be Sandringham in Norfolk, where the Queen celebrates Christmas with her famly.

]]> Comment on Car by Claire http://www.onlandguardpoint.com/?p=1620#comment-452 Claire Mon, 14 May 2012 17:43:25 +0000 http://www.onlandguardpoint.com/?p=1620#comment-452 Moving to Norfolk from East London 8 or 9 years ago we have needed and used our car so much more! BUT we have also enjoyed the driving so much more - the pace of life, the lack of queues, and the great scenery! Moving to Norfolk from East London 8 or 9 years ago we have needed and used our car so much more! BUT we have also enjoyed the driving so much more – the pace of life, the lack of queues, and the great scenery!

]]> Comment on Sirapite Train by Margaret Young http://www.onlandguardpoint.com/?p=1846#comment-451 Margaret Young Mon, 14 May 2012 13:10:30 +0000 http://www.onlandguardpoint.com/?p=1846#comment-451 Sirapite, a Steam Engine Sirapite, a small shunting steam engine, part locomotive and part traction engine, was built in 1906 by Aveling and Porter Ltd., of Rochester, Kent for Gypsum Mines Ltd., Mountfield, Sussex. The origin of her name lies with the trade name of the gypsum plaster made by its first owners. This was considered to have many of the properties of the more expensive product, plaster of Paris. The company planned to market it as ‘Parisite’ until it was pointed out that the name might invite derisory comment. The name was, therefore, changed to Sirapite. Sirapite arrived in Leiston in 1929, when she was bought by Richard Garrett & Sons to replace horses that were being used to manoeuvre trucks carrying goods and materials between the Top and Town Works sites and Leiston railway station, using a privately owned single track that ran down a slope from the station to the crossing over Main St. and then up a steeper slope through the main works yard. For the next 33 years Sirapite trundled back and forth across the Main Road and back, guided by a man with a red flag, a local source of pride and a visible and audible link between the company and the townspeople, as the Works themselves were hidden behind high walls. Following her retirement in 1962 (being replaced by a battery electric locomotive) she was later bought by Sir William MacAlpine to be put on display. Many years later the engine found its way to Preston Services in Kent and there, neglected and rusting, she stayed until in 2003/4 the Trustees of the Long Shop Museum succeeded in raising the money to purchase and transport her back to Leiston, installing her on rails on a suitable site on the premises of the Museum. In 2005 a bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund was successful and the long Shop Museum was awarded a grant of £50,000 towards the cost of restoring the engine to full working order. The restoration which took five years, was undertaken by Trevor Wrench, a local steam engineer, aided by a talented and committed team of volunteers. Many people took part in the necessary fundraising effort and the project was strongly supported by the local councils and businesses. In October 2009 Sirapite took her first trip in Leiston under her own steam for over 40 years and since March 2010 she has been a major attraction at the Museum, giving all visitors - no matter what age - the opportunity to explore the social and economic development of the area, whilst enjoying Sirapite restored to her former glory. Why not go and check her out for yourself – she’s great! Sirapite, a Steam Engine
Sirapite, a small shunting steam engine, part locomotive and part traction engine, was built in 1906 by Aveling and Porter Ltd., of Rochester, Kent for Gypsum Mines Ltd., Mountfield, Sussex. The origin of her name lies with the trade name of the gypsum plaster made by its first owners. This was considered to have many of the properties of the more expensive product, plaster of Paris. The company planned to market it as ‘Parisite’ until it was pointed out that the name might invite derisory comment. The name was, therefore, changed to Sirapite.
Sirapite arrived in Leiston in 1929, when she was bought by Richard Garrett & Sons to replace horses that were being used to manoeuvre trucks carrying goods and materials between the Top and Town Works sites and Leiston railway station, using a privately owned single track that ran down a slope from the station to the crossing over Main St. and then up a steeper slope through the main works yard. For the next 33 years Sirapite trundled back and forth across the Main Road and back, guided by a man with a red flag, a local source of pride and a visible and audible link between the company and the townspeople, as the Works themselves were hidden behind high walls. Following her retirement in 1962 (being replaced by a battery electric locomotive) she was later bought by Sir William MacAlpine to be put on display. Many years later the engine found its way to Preston Services in Kent and there, neglected and rusting, she stayed until in 2003/4 the Trustees of the Long Shop Museum succeeded in raising the money to purchase and transport her back to Leiston, installing her on rails on a suitable site on the premises of the Museum. In 2005 a bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund was successful and the long Shop Museum was awarded a grant of £50,000 towards the cost of restoring the engine to full working order.
The restoration which took five years, was undertaken by Trevor Wrench, a local steam engineer, aided by a talented and committed team of volunteers. Many people took part in the necessary fundraising effort and the project was strongly supported by the local councils and businesses. In October 2009 Sirapite took her first trip in Leiston under her own steam for over 40 years and since March 2010 she has been a major attraction at the Museum, giving all visitors – no matter what age – the opportunity to explore the social and economic development of the area, whilst enjoying Sirapite restored to her former glory. Why not go and check her out for yourself – she’s great!

]]> Comment on Corn Dolly by Elizabeth Mizon http://www.onlandguardpoint.com/?p=1640#comment-450 Elizabeth Mizon Mon, 14 May 2012 13:00:37 +0000 http://www.onlandguardpoint.com/?p=1640#comment-450 Fred Mizon, an exceptionally talented corn dolly maker from Great Bardfield in Essex made a giant straw lion and straw unicorn for The Festival of Britain in 1951. They were about 7 feet tall and took around 6 months to build. Fred also made a giant 'Malting Maid' and 'Barley Queen'. They were commissioned by Lord Gretton to be put at the front of his agricultural display at country shows. In the late 1960's Bill Mizon was asked to repair the two figures, his wife Heather can remember cleaning and tidying the house as Lord Gretton was coming round. Then instead of sitting in the room that had been prepared for his arrival Bill brought Lord Gretton into the kitchen which as Heather puts it 'was still in a bit of a muddle'! The figures stayed in a downstairs room for around 6 months while Bill repaired them in his spare time. In 2007 The Stockwood Discovery Centre in Luton asked Bill Mizon's Grandson Tom (who is also a thatcher) to restore a large straw figure of King Alfred they had, which was made by the Thatcher Jessie Maycock in 1961 to be displayed at the University College Oxford May Ball. He had been repaired before and Tom's first task was to strip all these previous repairs off so he was really just left with the original base. Then using only a photo of the original to refer to he was re-built as closely and as accurately as possible. Fred Mizon, an exceptionally talented corn dolly maker from Great Bardfield in Essex made a giant straw lion and straw unicorn for The Festival of Britain in 1951. They were about 7 feet tall and took around 6 months to build. Fred also made a giant ‘Malting Maid’ and ‘Barley Queen’. They were commissioned by Lord Gretton to be put at the front of his agricultural display at country shows. In the late 1960′s Bill Mizon was asked to repair the two figures, his wife Heather can remember cleaning and tidying the house as Lord Gretton was coming round. Then instead of sitting in the room that had been prepared for his arrival Bill brought Lord Gretton into the kitchen which as Heather puts it ‘was still in a bit of a muddle’! The figures stayed in a downstairs room for around 6 months while Bill repaired them in his spare time. In 2007 The Stockwood Discovery Centre in Luton asked Bill Mizon’s Grandson Tom (who is also a thatcher) to restore a large straw figure of King Alfred they had, which was made by the Thatcher Jessie Maycock in 1961 to be displayed at the University College Oxford May Ball. He had been repaired before and Tom’s first task was to strip all these previous repairs off so he was really just left with the original base. Then using only a photo of the original to refer to he was re-built as closely and as accurately as possible.

]]> Comment on Corn Dolly by Elizabeth Mizon http://www.onlandguardpoint.com/?p=1640#comment-449 Elizabeth Mizon Mon, 14 May 2012 12:57:45 +0000 http://www.onlandguardpoint.com/?p=1640#comment-449 Each individual traditional corn dollie design originates from it's own specific part of the world. They are not unique to England but there certainly appears to be a high concentration of different traditional designs in and around East Anglia with each county claiming it own design. Minnie Lambeth was a leading light in the area of corn dollie making and in the research of their history. Her books are a must have for anyone interested in dollies and the folklore surrounding them. Minnie and her husband lived in Fulbourn in Cambridgshire it was Minnie who taught Bill Mizon, a thatcher from Horseheath how to make corn dollies. Heather, Bill's wife remembers going round to the Lambeth's for tea, she remembers that they were really lovely people. To make corn dollies, long, thin, hollow straw is required. It should also but a light clean colour. Due to changes in farming practice the older varieties are much better for dollie making, such as Maris Widgeon, Victor and Elite. Maris Huntsman and the red wheat Squarehead Masters which are used for thatching are also useful for dollie making. Before plaiting the straw needs to be prepared by being cut above the first node below the ear, then any flag leaf needs to be stripped off. Then it needs grading into sizes before soaking in water to making it soft so it doesn't keep splitting when it's handled. Each individual traditional corn dollie design originates from it’s own specific part of the world. They are not unique to England but there certainly appears to be a high concentration of different traditional designs in and around East Anglia with each county claiming it own design. Minnie Lambeth was a leading light in the area of corn dollie making and in the research of their history. Her books are a must have for anyone interested in dollies and the folklore surrounding them. Minnie and her husband lived in Fulbourn in Cambridgshire it was Minnie who taught Bill Mizon, a thatcher from Horseheath how to make corn dollies. Heather, Bill’s wife remembers going round to the Lambeth’s for tea, she remembers that they were really lovely people. To make corn dollies, long, thin, hollow straw is required. It should also but a light clean colour. Due to changes in farming practice the older varieties are much better for dollie making, such as Maris Widgeon, Victor and Elite. Maris Huntsman and the red wheat Squarehead Masters which are used for thatching are also useful for dollie making. Before plaiting the straw needs to be prepared by being cut above the first node below the ear, then any flag leaf needs to be stripped off. Then it needs grading into sizes before soaking in water to making it soft so it doesn’t keep splitting when it’s handled.

]]> Comment on Owl by PHILLIP GOODEN http://www.onlandguardpoint.com/?p=1752#comment-446 PHILLIP GOODEN Mon, 14 May 2012 12:11:15 +0000 http://www.onlandguardpoint.com/?p=1752#comment-446 Dibley our European Barn Owl I bred here at the Bird of Prey Centre 6 years ago, for those of you that have never seen a baby Barn Owl I can tell you that they are most defiantly the ugly duckling of owl world. Just these two little eyes staring up at you and the rest of their face taken over by this huge beak, a face a only a mother could love. Over the weeks you see these birds transform into one of the most beautiful owls found across the world. Dibley proved to be a huge character, some of the falconers describe her as a madam, she proved that she really is the wise old owl. Dibley performs in our displays every day, adjacent to our arena is a building we use to keep the food in and other equipment. Dibley learnt this very early on in her training and when your back is turned in that split second she flies into the shed and helps herself to the bucket of food. Not too much of a problem but she has now taught all the other young Barn Owls to do the same. We start with 5 Barn Owls flying together and when our back is turned they have all disappeared, we can always guarantee they are in the building looking very smug at the fact they have 2-3 mice in each foot and Dibley is always the first to be feeding. She proves that she is the wise old owl. Dibley our European Barn Owl I bred here at the Bird of Prey Centre 6 years ago, for those of you that have never seen a baby Barn Owl I can tell you that they are most defiantly the ugly duckling of owl world. Just these two little eyes staring up at you and the rest of their face taken over by this huge beak, a face a only a mother could love. Over the weeks you see these birds transform into one of the most beautiful owls found across the world. Dibley proved to be a huge character, some of the falconers describe her as a madam, she proved that she really is the wise old owl. Dibley performs in our displays every day, adjacent to our arena is a building we use to keep the food in and other equipment. Dibley learnt this very early on in her training and when your back is turned in that split second she flies into the shed and helps herself to the bucket of food. Not too much of a problem but she has now taught all the other young Barn Owls to do the same. We start with 5 Barn Owls flying together and when our back is turned they have all disappeared, we can always guarantee they are in the building looking very smug at the fact they have 2-3 mice in each foot and Dibley is always the first to be feeding. She proves that she is the wise old owl.

]]>