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LATEST DISPLAY AT SPRINGFIELD CAMPUS

28/3/2015

 
We’ve given our latest Heritage Display at Springfield Campus the title “Corsham’s High Street Changes – Even in 6 Years!” Perhaps you’ll wonder why. It’s really very simple.

The various pieces that form the display are the handiwork of Wyndham & Kathy Thomas. It was first erected as a display in February 2009, in the Heritage Centre at Arnold House, 31 High Street, Corsham. It therefore must be appreciated that care has to be exercised when interpreting the “now” where this display is concerned. That “now” is already 6 years ago! Some things have changed in that short time – but not so very much compared to the changes between the “Past” and the “Present”.

Prior to mounting the original display, Wyndham & Kathy had created and published, beginning in 2005, a series of Greetings Cards and an “Anniversary Calendar”, both using the title Corsham – Past and Present, taking as the theme the comparison of what was once and what is “now” at various locations around the town centre. Both were branded “Corsham Civic Society” and were offered for sale at the Corsham TIC. (Many of us bought some of both items. They were / still are extremely attractive. A copy of the Calendar is to be found at the end of a wall cabinet in the CAH Chairman’s kitchen. He and his wife use it to record their family’s key dates – marriages, births and deaths, etc. He says he and his wife wouldn’t be without it!)

It is clear that Wyndham & Kathy put a huge amount of effort into researching and presenting the material in this work. We salute them both and are so pleased they decided to make Corsham their home.

With the help of our good friends at Corsham Print and Right Angle Picture Framing, this new display goes ‘live’ Monday, 30 March. We aim to keep it up there until 2 May – at which point we’ll replace it with another from our series depicting Corsham over more recent years. We’re working on it right now. They just keep on coming!


PAT WHALLEY BOOK SIGNING AT THE SPRINGFIELD CAMPUS

17/3/2015

 
Pat is well-known for her authorship of numerous books on Corsham.  There is one that is particularly relevant to the display that has been created by Corsham Area Heritage and will run over the course of March 2015.  The display is entitled “Corsham’s Prefabs + the Pickwick Road Library Construction”.  (Both of these aspects of Corsham’s history relate to the time-frame 1965-6.  Please forgive us, we couldn’t resist calling this display, “And in the Beginning………, bearing in mind that the Campus is actually built on the very site of many of these prefabs, while the New Library which is part of the Campus has replaced the one that, until recently, operated from the building next to the Mansion House.)

One of Pat’s books – an obviously relevant one to this display – is entitled “Corsham Memories 2: The Prefab Years, 1930/40”.  Many of us have a copy, but not all will have been signed by the author.  Now is the opportunity to rectify that.  Pat will station herself in front of the display between the hours of 10 and 1 on Saturday, 28 March.  Why not come along?  A chance to ‘network’ with old friends, perhaps, or meet some new ones.

A word of explanation.  Pat’s book comprises 12 ‘chapters’, each bearing the name of a person who once lived in the town.  All will be familiar to you.  Note, however, some have ‘moved on’ and not all ever lived in a prefab, in Corsham or otherwise.  They are just people who were known to Pat as living in Corsham in the 1930/40 period. 

SPRING FORWARD?

14/3/2015

 
The AGM/Open Meeting held 25 February 2015 was always going to be a special event for the reasonably young group that is Corsham Area Heritage. We had decided that the meeting should be open-to-all, not simply for CAH Members only. We had cast a wide net inviting people to attend – using email, our website (www.corshamheritage.org.uk), word-of-mouth, and even coverage in an article in the 19 February edition of the Gazette & Herald. We received 14 formal apologies for absence ahead of the day! Gratifyingly, the number of attendees easily exceeded this. The Arnold House venue was only just big enough to hold them all.   

The audience listened attentively to the “CAH’s Review of 2014”. It led into the fact that the organisation was dying on its feet. It badly needed New Blood. The result was that none of the officers, and none of the present Management Committee, were willing to offer themselves for re-election, without that essential ingredient becoming evident. They all had other activities to pursue. They would, of course, be delighted to assist that New Blood in every conceivable way, if only it stepped forward.

Some expressions of “willingness to serve” had been received ahead of the meeting – from those unable to be present on the day. Attendees received cards to complete, giving them the opportunity to do likewise.

One thought was forthcoming. Why not seek some form of collaboration with the Civic Society, it being another local group having an interest in Corsham’s history? The Chairman stated he understood from the Civic Society’s own Chairman that it too was facing uncertainty. Its present Chairman and Programme Organiser would both be standing down at its AGM on 15 May. If so, collaboration did not look to be an easy option.

Stop Press:  
Some new information has just emerged. It is now understood that neither of the above two Civic Society “standings down” will take place. Perhaps a way forward can be found.

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Corsham Area Heritage 2014