The Hinton St Mary Mosaic

A meeting by invitation only was held on 2 Aug 19 in the Pitt Rivers Tithe Barn at Hinton St Mary (HSM) and organised by The Rev David Dunning and Shane Johnstone. Pauline Batstone, Chair of the new unitary authority for Dorset, chaired the meeting. About 30 people attended, mostly from Hinton St Mary but also included two Sturminster Newton (SN) town councillors and SN Museum volunteers.

Jill Cooke, a curator of the British Museum (BM) gave a presentation on the Mosaic and its proposed relocation from London to Dorset. She explained its national importance in both archaeological and religious contexts. She stated that it had been decided by the Trustees of the BM that the Dorset County Museum (DCM) was to be the location of the Mosaic subject to a confirmatory feasibility study and that SN was unsuitable due to its poor infrastructure and lack of a professional curator. She said there were also significant risks in locating it to SN such as the financial implications after opening, sustaining a continuing high footfall of visitors and possibly not meeting National Lottery criteria.

She also stated that if there was any dissent from SN about the BM’s decision it might result in the Trustees of the BM not relocating the Mosaic to Dorset.

Included in the relocation of the Mosaic to Dorset was the idea of having a self funded visitor attraction in SN which could include artefacts from the DCM and also a funded research project in HSM to determine the extent of Roman occupation in the village. Jill Cooke asked for names of those who could assist in drawing up the concept for the visitor attraction. No location or size of the attraction in SN was suggested.

When questioned about the central roundel* of the Mosaic, which is periodically sent out on tour to other museums, Jill Cooke admitted ownership would be retained by the BM for this purpose and a replica would be exchanged into the Mosaic after the original had been in situ at the DCM for approximately two years.

There was a show of hands towards the end of the meeting which showed support by the invitation only audience for the Mosaic to be located in Dorchester. However, no other site such as SN was offered as an alternative and few SN inhabitants were at the meeting.

On Tue 8 Oct 19 at the committee meeting of the  Arts Society Blackmore Vale it was decided not be involved with the move of the Mosaic to the DCM. Support, if the SN museum agreed, would be given to this museum to develop a Roman Room and  the inclusion of a replica of the roundel.

*It is considered that the roundel is of international importance as it shows the first depiction of Christ. See featured image. The Sturminster Newton Museum and Mill Society has now changed its name to Sturminster Newton Heritage Society. In November 19 The Society wrote to the BM asking if it could have a replica roundel and has received an enthusiastic response.

The Arts Society (formerly known as NADFAS) has always been known for its wonderful work on Church Recording.  That is, recording everything inside a particular Church, from floor to ceiling and eventually producing large illustrated books detailing each item and its history.  These volumes are then presented to various institutions, for example if it is an Anglican Church in England, one volume will be presented to the participating Church, one to the local  County or Diocesan Records Office which holds the diocesan archive, one to Church Care, one to the Victoria and Albert Museum Art Library and another to Historic England Archives.

These books are incredibly useful for researchers, historians, insurance companies and the police trying to identify stolen items, but also of much interest to Church Recorders and worshippers.

The work can be fascinating at times and quite a bit of detective work can be involved trying to discover if an item is original or whether an item has been painted over or renovated incorrectly. Just trying to read some items written in different forms of language can be an interesting challenge.

At our Blackmore Vale Branch of The Arts Society we have a small group of people who are always happy to welcome anyone who is interested in their work to find out more about it.  Having completed the records of St. Mary’s Church in Sturminster Newton, at the moment the group is just starting on the recording of St. Peter’s Church, Hinton St. Mary and two committee members, Penny Brentnall and Jill  Harris went along to see the group in action.  Although we only had a short time with the group it was a most enjoyable visit and a small insight into this very important contribution that the group make.

  It was fascinating to see the great detail that the group go into and how they work together to try and solve various conundrums.  The group carry out their work, a couple of hours at a time, mostly during the warmer months of the year for obvious reasons!

Penny Brentnall

 

Pat Gee and Felicity MacSwiney

                                                                              One of the many stained glass windows at St. Peter’s Hinton St. Mary 

                                               A quick sketch of the window made by Frances Moule before work begins

                                          

If you are a tax payer, HMRC will reimburse our Society with £8-75 in addition to your annual £35 subscription.  This is one of the simplest and most effective ways of giving to charity and it will not cost YOU a penny, but we do need to have a Gift Aid form completed by you, not just confirmation that you are a taxpayer.  Forms can be collected from the Treasurer, Jill Harris at the monthly meetings.

With your help the Society is then able to fund arts projects in schools and colleges throughout The Blackmore Vale thus promoting The Arts and enriching young lives.

Dear Member,
During 2018-19 we presented a varied programme of lectures – from Thai Silk to JS Bach, from Shakespeare to Banksy and from Stonehenge to post-war British theatre. We have learned about music, marine painting, literature, art history and gilding. The quality has been consistently high – no lecture has been rated below Excellent, whilst two (Peter Medhurst on JS Bach in November and Giles Ramsay on post-war theatre in December) were rated Outstanding.
As Programme Secretary, I put my own stamp on the style of lectures we have had for the past five years, but as this current Programme draws to a close, it is time for a change in perspective. You will all have had your favourites and there will have been some occasions when the title of a lecture might have sounded very dull – but to your surprise, you learned a lot and it turned out to be quite riveting!
This exciting new Programme 2019 -2020 (enclosed) has been planned by my successor, Ann Tasker. She has the best job of all and I know she’ll enjoy it as much as I have done.
Looking back over the year, the Evening Celebration to mark 50 years since the foundation of NADFAS was held at St. Mary’s School, Shaftesbury on a glorious spring evening in May. Peter Medhurst treated us to his repertoire of songs from Gilbert and Sullivan followed by drinks and canapes on the lawn organised jointly by Liz Pocock and Clare Liddell.
At the beginning of October, Penny Brentnall invited Paul Atterbury from The Antiques Roadshow to give us two lectures on The Golden Age of Travel. Some of the members brought along vintage memorabilia which was discussed and valued, after a delicious lunch cooked by Donna and organised to perfection as always, by Penny.
Our visit to The Silk Mill at Whitchurch took place in early October. It was a delightful autumn day, the sun shone, there were trout in the Test and we had lunch on a double-decker bus converted into a tiny restaurant. Mary Anderson had organised more – a visit to the Bombay Sapphire Gin Distillery just up the road………all in all, a great day out which was voted a huge success.
Our Church Recorders, led by Pat Gee and Felicity MacSwiney have completed an excellent record of St. Mary’s Church, Sturminster Newton. It has been a huge task, often involving working in Spartan conditions and is a tremendous achievement for which we offer our congratulations and thanks. New members have joined the team and work has now begun on St. Mary’s at Hinton St. Mary.
Jill de Bretton-Gordon has been a pioneer with Young Arts projects for many years and has made such an impact on the Schools and Sixth Forms across the Blackmore Vale that she has been awarded the Wessex Wyvern Award for her outstanding contribution. The national curriculum is no longer geared to offering much in the way of providing access to The Arts in schools. However, as a charity, we are able to help fill the gap a little by funding and raising awareness of The Arts by sponsoring events. In November, we sponsored the Guggleton Gallery Young Arts Exhibition and prizes were awarded to under 25-year-old exhibitors. We also held pottery and painting days at local primary schools. These types of events are made possible by your Gift Aid donations which form such an important part of our charitable giving in The Blackmore Vale.
Our Membership now stands at 259. The fees have remained the same for the last nine years and we have decided not to increase the renewal subscription this year. However, next year we will have to increase our fees as lecturers’ fees and travel expenses have increased significantly. We have also had to charge a little more for coffee and biscuits as there has been an eco-friendly transition from plastic to paper cups. On behalf of everyone, I should like to thank Alix Brooke and Pat Gee for serving refreshments so cheerfully every month.
Our Treasurer, Jill Harris, took over from Chris Sledge last year. I’d like to thank Jill for dealing with all the complexities of accounting and for presenting such meticulous accounts which were audited again this year, very kindly, by David Duvall.
Philip Gray and his projection team strive hard at monthly lectures, DOSIs and special Evening Lectures to ensure that the images on the screen and sound systems are always working well. There is a great deal of behind-the scenes work involved and they are always the first to arrive and last to leave.
Lincoln Waller has worked tirelessly to maintain our Website and given training to many of the Committee Members. We are always grateful for offers of additional help from Members and would love to welcome new faces to ‘shadow’ the various roles. There are currently 90,000 members of The Arts Society worldwide. This is your Society – have a say in how it is run!
With very best wishes
Sheila Williams
Member Society of The Arts Society www.theartssocietyblackmorevale.org Reg. Charity No: 1103740

Members and guests enjoyed another very successful day at Charlton Hall near Shaftesbury when Mr. Antony Penrose visited us to talk about his parents, the legendary Lee Miller and her husband Roland Penrose.  The talks were outstanding and at times quite moving, we were shown some fascinating photographs which had been taken by Lee, and her artistic friends from 1930s -1970s. We learnt about Roland’s work as a surreal artist and Lee’s work as a fashion model, then her progression to a fashion and fine art photographer.  During the Second World War Lee became a war correspondent for Vogue, covering events such as The London Blitz, the liberation of Paris and the horrors of the Nazi concentration camps.  Lee’s childhood had been blighted by abuse and after her experiences during the war she suffered from clinical depression and post traumatic stress disorder, but eventually battled her way through to a calmer life becoming a gourmet cook and providing photographs for her husbands biographies on Picasso and other artists. As always, this was a very sociable day with everyone chatting, getting to know other members and discussing the talks over a delicious lunch.

Our last Day of Special Interest was held on Monday 15 October at Charlton Village Hall on the outskirts of Shaftesbury.  After a welcome cup of coffee, Penny Brentnall introduced Paul Atterbury who is so well-known from his appearances on BBC 1’s Antiques Roadshow. His theme for the three lectures  was The Golden Age of Travel.

 During the course of the next few hours we were visually transported to a world gone by on cruise liners such as The Queen Mary and luxury train travel on the near Continent.

Lasagne, salad and ciabatta followed by fruit kebabs, coffee  and chocolates preceded an hour when interesting objects connected with travel brought in by members were examined and given approximate valuations by the speaker. It was an enjoyable day using a format which has proved very popular with our members and for which we  owe thanks to Penny for her meticulous eye for detail and advance planning.

Isabel de Pelet , First Prize winner Will Montgomery and Sheila Williams at the Awards Ceremony held on  Friday 16 November 2018
Max Denison-Pender and Will Montgomery
The Bachelor of Balintore – the bronze sculpture which won First Prize
Hannah Cox receiving Third Prize for her two mixed media French street scenes
Jill de Bretton-Gordon, Mary Anderson and Will Montgomery
Winter Nag, winner of the Second Prize awarded to Madeleine de St. Pierre Bunbury

Dear Members and Visitors,

Wishing everyone  a happy, healthy and peaceful 2019.!

As I write, Christmas has passed and the New Year is fast approaching.  May this New Year be special and may you discover new interests, friends and skills you didn’t know you possessed!

I hope you will  really enjoy the lectures planned for the months ahead.  In addition to our lecture programme in Stalbridge each month,  there are also lectures held at Cerne Abbas and Market Lavington in North Wiltshire.  These are organised by the Wessex Area – very popular and similar in format to our Days of Special Interest, with a light lunch and three lectures.  Have a look online at  www.theartssociety-wessex.org/study-days and remember, you don’t have to sign up for all the lectures – try one and see if you like it.

We have a visit to The American Museum and the Holbourne Museum in Bath planned for June which I hope many of you will enjoy, especially as it will not involve a long coach journey and also an Evening Celebration to be held at St. Mary’s School Shaftesbury in May.  Tickets for both these events and our DOSI in March will soon be on sale at the monthly lectures.  Book early to avoid disappointment!

With best wishes,

Sheila Williams

Chairman

On Thursday 22 November, our Society funded a day’s painting and pottery class run by Mr Des Alner for 34 young pupils at St. George’s School, Bourton.  Due to the strictures of the National Curriculum pupils do not have much opportunity to learn pottery or to learn how to paint. They enjoyed spending a day moulding pots from clay using the same methods used by the early Romans. Some of the pots may well become Christmas presents when they have been fired by Des later in the week. We hope to fund another day early in the New Year.