Connie Hockley returned as Councillor for Titchfield

The Fareham Borough Council elections saw Conservative Connie Hockley returned as Councillor for Titchfield Ward.

Connie and Geoff opening St Peter's Church Fete in 2016

Connie won with a large majority over her rivals, Gillian Underwood (Liberal) and Michael Prior (Labour).

Over the years Connie has supported many local organisations and served on a number of important FBC committees. She was Fareham’s Mayor in 2016.

Turnout for Titchfield was surprisingly low with just 2114 residents voting.

The Conservatives remain in control of Fareham Council, as they have for the last 20 years.

The Tory’s won 12 of the 16 sears contested this year.

The Official Results

• Connie Hockley Con 1,475
• Gillian Underwood Lib 324
• Michael Prior Lab 304
• (11 ballot papers were rejected)

Links

Fareham Borough Council Election Results page
Cllr Connie Hockley

New Chair for FoSP

Pat Shirley has been appointed the new Chair of Friends of St Peter’s, taking over from Frances Knight.

Frances has stepped down as chair after leading the work of FoSP for the last 4 years.

Paying tribute to Frances, Pat said, “Under her stewardship FOSP has continued to  thrive exceptionally well and l know you will all join me in thanking her for her leadership in this role (big shoes for me to follow but l will do my best!)"

The ‘Friends’ confirmed dates for future events as follows:-

• 10th June - Open Garden with tea and cakes at Meon House
• 16th September - Jazz at the Great Barn featuring Solent City Jazzmen.
• 7th, 8th & 9th December - St Peter’s Christmas Tree Festival

The Friends of St Peter’s is a charity formed to raise money, maintain the church’s beauty and keep it in sound condition.

Over the years the Friends of St Peter’s have raised a great deal of money to support the funding for the recent renovation work, internal safety and lighting and the Gothic Tomb.

Links

• The Friends of St Peter's
• St Peter's Church

An appeal to keep Barry's Meadow stream free flowing

The stream and culvert alongside Barry's Meadow gets blocked from time to time and has caused houses to flood in the High Street in 2014.

After that incident residents were under the impression that Fareham Borough Council would check and clear the culvert, but this has not happened.

A few diligent residents keep an eye on the culvert and go and clear it occasionally, but what would be very helpful would be the reduction in debris getting into the stream in the first place.

Please could residents of Southampton Hill whose gardens back onto the stream and anyone who walks in Barry's Meadow please remove branches when they see them.

Ironically the recent pollarding of a tree along the stream by the council added to the debris blocking the culvert.

Liver Birds fly in to Titchfield

The Liver Birds: You Dancin’? You Askin’?

Two young women, Sandra and Beryl, share a flat in Liverpool. It’s the 1970s and their lives are filled with dreams, talking about boyfriends and of course, the trials and tribulations of everyday life.

The Liver Birds, written by friends Carla Lane and Myra Taylor became a hugely successful television programme in that decade, entertaining millions with its funny and amusing take on life as the girlspursue their romantic interests whilst keeping their interfering mothers at bay.

The TV sitcom has now been adapted for the stage and Titchfield Festival The atre are delighted to perform this comedy production, directed by Martin Crawley. Martin explains;

“The Liver Birds is a play which brilliantly captures that exciting period at the end of the 1960s and the beginning of the 1970s as women started to discover greater independence, with more freedoms at work and opportunities in their love lives.

This is a hilarious and entertaining show where you will be introduced to a constant stream of colourful and eccentric neighbours, ex-lovers, mothers, fathers and vicars, each who parade through the flat to add to the overall confusion.”

Kevin Fraser, Artistic Director for the Titchfield Festival Theatre says, “We chose The Liver Birds as it was a perfect play to follow on from our classic season. If you remember the 1970s you will love it, however there is plenty for younger audiences to enjoy and appreciate.

The play is suitably nostalgic, superbly co-written by one of Britain’s most popular writers Carla Lane, exploring the relationships of the two young women in an amusing and charming way.”

The Liver Birds opens on Wednesday 9 th May until 19 th May at 7.30pm in the main Oak Theatre, St Margarets Lane, Titchfield PO14 4BG. The Sunday matinee performance is on 13 th May at 2.30pm.

For more information, please go to Titchfield Festival Theatre or contact our Box Office on 01329 556156

Titchfield Gathers Together

The Titchfield Community Centre have invited all village Clubs, Societies and Fund Raising Groups to a social  event on Tuesday 5th June.

The ‘gathering’ will enable members of all village groups to mingle socially and, by working together, help eliminate clashes of events.

Here, on ‘Titchfield News’ we have a ‘What’s On’ calendar which is open to all village organisations to submit their events and meetings. 

Click HERE to view the calendar.

Community Centre Chairman, Ann Whyntie, explained, “There are often events in the Village that “clash”, and it could benefit all of us, particularly if fundraising, to be aware of other events and either try to spread them out over the year, or synchronise for a win - win outcome.

“As the Association is a charity, we’re sorry but we are unable to fund this (other than provide the venue), and I would therefore ask you to contribute by bringing a bottle and some ‘nibbles’ to make the evening go with a swing!”

If you are coming to the gathering please contact the Centre's office to let them know how many from your group are going.

The ‘What’s On’ calendar is open for all to use. Below the calendar is a link to an upload form to submit events.

Groups can also be given the relevant passwords to enter events directly onto the Google Calendar.

There is also the facility to ‘embed’ the Google calendar into any other village website.

The gathering will be at the Community Centre in the Barleycorn Lounge from 7pm-9pm.
 

It’s Art Show weekend

Once again Titchfield Community Centre is the venue for the Titchfield Art and Craft Show.

The very popular event starts with a preview evening which is always a fun and very sociable event.

Again, this year, there are over 400 pieces of art and craft exhibited by over 142 Artists/Photographers plus 350 portfolios to look through..

Art arriving at the show

Visitors can browse 18 Craft Stalls, with products ranging from delicate jewellery to contemporary ironwork for the home and garden.

The theme for the ever popular children's exhibition is 'Through a Window'

Last years show raised £6,500 which was donated to Titchfield Community Centre and another £250 was given to The Oasis Youth Club to use for Art related projects.

The preview evening is on Friday 27th 7pm - 9.30pm.

Friday night is ticket only but allows visitors to view, and purchase, the work on-sale prior to the show opening to the public.

Open to the public:- Saturday 28th 10am - 5pm and Sunday 29th 10am - 4pm. Entry £2 on the door.

Foreman Homes appeal Posbrook Lane decision

An impression of what the new development could look like when viewed from the canal.

Foreman Homes have lodged an appeal against the decision of Fareham Borough Council to refuse outline planning permission for the land east of Posbrook Lane.

The plan was to provide for a scout hut, up to 150 dwellings, community garden, associated landscaping, amenity areas and a means of access from Posbrook Lane.

The developers claim that FBC’s development plan is out of date and that therefore planning permission should be granted for the Posbrook Lane site, ‘unless any adverse impacts of doing so would not just materially, but significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits.’

Foreman Homes say that the development plan is not based upon a NPPF compliant objectively assessed need for housing and cannot be said to be up to date in respect of its housing requirement. It does therefore provide an appropriate basis for the calculation of a five year supply.

They point out that following the Cranleigh Road appeal decision (APP/A1720/W/16/3156344) (August 2017) now accepts that the Core Strategy does not meet the objectively assessed need for housing .

Titchfield Village Trust led opposition to the original application.

TVT Chairman, Nick Girdler, said, “Since they put in the first application things have moved forward on Wellborne and they have also moved on their new housing proposals so hopefully the inspector will see that.”

The application Ref. No. is P/17/0681/OA

LINKS

• Titchfield Village Trust
• The appeal by Foreman Homes

Air Ambulance lands in the village

Titchfield Square was closed this morning following a crash between a motorbike and a Volvo estate car outside the Co-Op.

The Air Ambulance in Barry's Meadow

Police and emergency services were called to the incident at around 10.10 am this morning.

Soon after the Air Ambulance helicopter landed in Barry’s Meadow to assist with the treatment of the motorcyclist.

Staff from the Co-Op helped direct the traffic until the police arrived.

Rubbish left in churchyard

A pile of rubbish has been left on Skinhouse Piece alongside St Peter's churchyard.

The pile of rubbish includes rubble, a plastic chair, garden prunings, plastic flowers, a paint tin, plant pots and car tyre.

It is thought that the rubbish had been pulled from the nearby canal sometime last week and is awaiting collection by Fareham Borough Council.

Do you know who left their rubbish in the churchyard? Leave your comment below.

A healing weekend at St Peter’s

Following the controversial decision to change the date of last year’s Christmas candlelit carol services the church have organised a workshop entitled ‘A Time to Heal and a Time to Grow’.

The workshop facilitators, John Hughes and Liz Smith, members of Reverend Doctor Russ Parker’s 2Restore Team, have extensive experience of helping churches through times of conflict, here and in the United States.

Earlier in the year the church asked, in a questionnaire, the views of all within the village. The PCC’s report on the feedback they received is available in a folder at the back of the church.

The workshop will begin at 9.30am on Saturday 28th April in church and finish no later than 4pm.
On Sunday there will be a united service of blessing at 10am in the morning.
Everyone is welcome.

The flyer issued by the church

Poppies at Portsdown

A wave of bright red poppies sweep over an embankment at Fort Nelson on top of Portsdown Hill.

The sculpture was created by artist Paul Cummins and  designer Tom Piper Wave was created by artist Paul Cummins and  designer Tom Piper at Fort Nelson for the 14-18 NOW arts project it commemorates the centenary of World War One.

The Wave

The hundreds of ceramic poppies were previously part of the installation at the Tower of London and now stunning visitors to the Royal Armouries Museum.

The sculpture will be on display until Sunday 24th June.

While the Wave is on display daily talks will focus on life at the fort during the war and on the collection of artillery from the period.

For more information: - Fort Nelson

David Copperfield: Dickens enduring story comes to Titchfield

David Copperfield is Dickens’ storytelling at its best and this week Titchfield Festival Theatre brings this stunning adaptation to life, following previous productions including A Christmas Carol and Great Expectations. Charles Dickens considered David Copperfield to be his finest piece of work and without doubt, this classic will keep you entertained.

Image: www.posbrookpics.uk

The story of David Copperfield is of a boy making his way in the world, and finding himself as a man and as a writer. Throughout the play you will be introduced to all the favourite characters as David Copperfield wends his way through life with a loving mother and doting nanny through to a wicked stepfather, downtrodden schoolboy and a ‘working hind’ to his saviour in Aunt Betsy, Mr Dick and Tommy Traddles.

Working on a multi layered set representing rooms in David’s life the cast of 25 tell of David’s trials and tribulations, his heartache and eventual happiness. In true Dickens style, all the characters are colourful, vivacious and eager to tell a story. All of this is wonderfully told by this multi-talented cast, with many indeed playing two or three roles.

Artistic Director of Titchfield Festival Theatre and the director of David Copperfield, Kevin Fraser says,

“‘Of all the Dickens stories this has to be one of my favourites, it is crammed full of colourful characters and a rich tapestry of life runs through the whole book. Frank Veresi has brought us a wonderful adaption that our audiences will adore. Patrons are in for a treat, a roller coaster of emotions from laughter and fun to terror and grief. It is all here, just as Dickens wrote it using his own words. If you love Dickens, enjoy a great story or want a brilliant Victorian evening you simply can’t miss David Copperfield.”

David Copperfield opens on Wednesday 11th April until 21st April at 7.30pm in the Oak Theatre, St Margarets Lane, Titchfield PO14 4BG.

For more information, please go to http://titchfieldfestivaltheatre.com/or contact our Box Office on 01329 556156.      

Test your wits at the Community Centre Quiz Night

The Titchfield Community Centre are hosting their annual Quiz Night on Friday May 11th and are inviting teams and individuals to take part.

Teams of no more than 6 people.

The event, which takes place in the Barleycorn Lounge, will cost Quizers £10 each and will include a Fish and Chip Supper.

Doors open at 7pm.

The bar will be open.

Contact the Community Centre for tickets and for more information

Spring Arrives

After a month of cold winds, frost and snow the weather is at last on the up.

The Hawthorne bushes are turning bright green, buds are appearing on most trees, daffs are popping up everywhere and the cherry blossom brings extra colour to the village.

Click HERE for more images of Spring in Titchfield

From “Spring” by Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844-1899)

“Nothing is so beautiful as Spring -

When weeds, in wheels, shoot long and lovely and lush;

Thrush’s eggs look little low heavens, and thrush

Through the echoing timber does so rinse and wring

The ear, it strikes like lightning to hear him sing;

The glassy pear tree leaves and blooms, they brush

The descending blue; that blue is all in a rush

With richness; the racing lambs too have fair their fling.”

Titchfield’s very own ‘Banksy’

Did you spot the April Fools jolly jape on www.titchfieldnews.com? We didn’t!!!

Late last night we received an email from a ‘Joe Kerr’ telling of the ‘Banksy’ graffiti and sadly we posted the story on the site without checking.

It wasn’t ‘till readers started to comment that it was an April Fools Day that we started to suspect a hoax. We even popped around to South Street, but of course there was no graffiti!
www.titchfieldnews.com therefore wishes to apologise for publishing inaccurate, misleading or distorted information and a fabricated image of the supposed ‘artwork’.

The article is printed in full below...

A Banksy inspired graffiti artwork has appeared on a wall in South Street, Titchfield.

The full-sized silhouette of a man having a pee has outraged residents who are demanding its removal.

Long time village resident, Daisy-Fora Poll, said, “I was shocked when I saw it as I came down West Street, I thought it was real, It shouldn’t be allowed.”

However experts from The Wessex Independent Topography Service are seeking to have the artwork protected as it falls within the Conservation Area.

The chairperson of TWITS, Lady Failspoor,  explained that the painting must have been completed in the early hours of this morning adding, “It may not be an actual Banksy but it should still be protected by being listed”  

According to Wikipedia:-
Banksy is an anonymous England-based graffiti artist, political activist and film director.[1] His satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine dark humour with graffiti executed in a distinctive stenciling technique. His works of political and social commentary have been featured on streets, walls, and bridges of cities throughout the world.

Renowned Urban Art expert Dr. Olaf Priol is travelling from Sweden today to verify the artwork. Olaf is know for his work with the internationally acclaimed Graffiti Art Group.

GAG, with the help of TWITS, hope that the painting will become a major attraction for the area.

What do you think?

Use the Comment link below to tell us what you think should happen to the graffiti.

The search for two lost Angels

Can you help locate two lost Angels?

In the south wall of the Southampton Chapel of St Peter's Church is a beautiful Jacobean monument to the memory of Lady Mary, fourth daughter of the third Earl of Southampton, who died on January 5, 1615. Her little recumbent figure in the dress of the period, completed in white marble, upon a base of, and surrounded by, black marble, lies with her feet to the West instead of the East. The monument is thought to have been made by Epiphanius Evesham, the fourteenth son of a Hereford squire who learned his art with the Anglo-Flemish sculptors of Southwark.

This monument was restored in 1909 by Wriothesley descendants the Duke of Portland and Lord Montagu of Beaulieu. Another conservation effort was carried out in 1984 by the Chichester Cathedral Works Organisation. The current Lord Montagu of Beaulieu is leading an appeal to restore this monument further and would be grateful to receive any information, early drawings or photographs of the monument and any information regarding the whereabouts of the two missing angels/figures described and depicted flanking the recumbent child in 1717 and 1840. 

In 1717 William Pavey recorded his observations of the monument: 'Against the south wall is a beautiful mural monument of curious black marble with the figure of a small child finely dressed lying at length in white marble, angels with other neat ornaments in white marble; the head lies to the east.'

In 1840 R.H.C. Ubsdell created a beautiful watercolour of the Lady Mary Monument, complete with the two, now missing, Angels. On the back he provided this description: 'Monument to Ladie Marie Wryotheslye. Titchfield Church, Sept. 1840. Drawn by R.H.C. Ubsdell. The figures are much defaced, and only one hand remains, which appears to have held a palm branch. The figure above the monument probably held a trumpet. The figures of the Angels measure 25 inches in height.'

In 1943 C.J.P. Cave Esq. F.S.A. photographed the figures/angels and it is presumed they were photographed in the Church, but not in situ. A photo from 1944 shows another, now missing, stone fragment to the left of Lady Mary.

The current whereabouts of the two angels and the fragment are unknown.

The Southampton Monument & Vault Initiative (SMVI), in partnership with the Skillington's Workshop, endeavors to restore the Wriothesley monuments as accurately as possible. Please direct inquiries, responses, or donations to SMVI, Attn. Laura Matthias at mail.smvi@beaulieu.co.uk. SMV is enabled through the generous support of Lord Montagu of Beaulieu and welcomes public and private donations. Please contact SMVI Gifts to make a donation or to become a patron alongside Lord Montagu. Email: mail.smvi@beaulieu.co.uk.

Image:- Ubsdell, R.H.C.,1840, Watercolour drawing of the Lady Mary Wriothesley Monument, Collection of Prints & Drawings of the Society of Antiquaries of London, Sepulchral Monuments and Tombs, Hampshire, SAL/238A/5-7

Demolition of garage underway

Work has started to demolish the Titchfield Motor Works building in East Street.

The building was sold earlier in the year to developers who are planning to erect three houses on the former garage site.

Titchfield Motor Works was owned and run by Phil Upshall. Phil’s grandfather started the business before the war but died suddenly in 1946. Phil’s father, Don, had to leave the RAF to take over the reins.

Easter Fun Day fun

The Titchfield Bonfire Boys present an Easter Fun Day with fun and games for all the family.

Visitors will be able to take part and enjoy a selection of Easter based activities including, Face Painting, a Colouring Competition, Easter Bonnet Competition and an Easter egg Hunt.

Tea, Coffee and Cakes will available at the event which takes place on the 1st April between 2pm and 4pm at The Parish Rooms.

Sadly there will be no carnival again this year due to legal and insurance issues but the Bonfire Boys will be arranging a number of alternative events in the village.

LINK
Titchfield Bonfire Boys on Facebook

A world première for Titchfield

The Nose by Johnny O’Hanlon

The Nose is the world première of a story inspired by the famous Russian novelist Nikolai Gogol and written in the 1830s.

Strange things happen, perhaps rarely, but do happen. One day some thing strange indeed did happen to a man called Simonov who was due to be married that very day. He lost his nose…

Titchfield Festival Theatre member and the play’s director Johnny O’Hanlon took Gogol's idea of a man with a missing nose - and decided to write a different narrative. This is a hilarious story, capturing the surreal quality of Gogol’s writing whilst providing entertainment for a modern day audience to appreciate.

The play is rich in bizar re characters and storylines: A marriage bargain, a money-grasping family, a ruthless and pretentious poet, a desirous actress, a beleaguered husband, a frail servant, a few macaroons, a misbehaving sausage and, oh yes, a missing nose.

Johnny O’Hanlon explained the motivation behind the new version of the classic production: “I wrote The Nose because I was attracted by the idea of a ridiculous egotistical man, Simonov, running around his bedroom looking for his nose on the day of an important marriage deal with an equally scheming family called Uppervitch. Simonov cannot wait to marry their beautiful daughter, but Mr & Mrs Uppervitch are hatching a plan to deceive Simonov. The
scene is set for the fun to begin…”

Gogol wrote his absurd but brilliant short story as criticism of the way small-minded bureaucrats jockeyed for position within Russian government circles. Titchfield Festival Theatre’s production however is not political, but instead centres on how two families – the Simonovs and Uppervitchs – are prepared to deceive each other to gain popularity and status.

Artistic Director of Titchfield Festival Theatre, Kevin Fraser says, “We decided to focus on classic productions this month – Gogol is one of the world’s greatest writers who we wanted to feature in the Acorn Theatre here. Johnny O’Hanlon has specially written this play for us and it is great fun. Imagine Monty Python and The Goons meeting Benny Hill….that is the essence of what we promise will be a fun night of laughter and comedy.”

The opening night performance is on Monday 26h March starting at 7.30pm with further performances on 27th, 28th, 29th, 30th and 31st March.

For more information, please go to http://titchfieldfestivaltheatre.com/or contact the Box Office on 01329 556156.

Next Police Community Beat meeting

Your next opportunity to speak to our local Neighbourhood officer will be at the Parish Rooms between 10am and 11.30am on March 30th.

An officer will be on hand to offer crime prevention advice and discuss any issues face to face with a cup of tea or coffee.

The meeting takes place in the informal settings of the Titchfield Coutry Market where you can chat over a coffee and cake or purchase a wide variety of fresh locally sourced fruit, eggs and vegetables.

LINKS

• Hampshire Police
• Titchfield Country Market