Corsham has So Much on Offer
Corsham is offering a wide variety of attractions as its contribution to Heritage Open Days – England’s annual celebration of its cultural and architectural heritage. This will be the town’s third participation in the countrywide festival. As previously the organisation of Corsham’s involvement has been entrusted to its Civic Society. Events take place over the period Thursday 7th to Sunday 10th September.
The Society works closely with the Tourist Information and Heritage Centre (TIC) in the High Street to ensure that things go smoothly. Both the Corsham Town Council and NWDC are financially supporting the Programme. Access to all events is entirely free of charge.
Peter Tapscott, Vice Chairman of the Corsham Civic Society and Co-ordinator of this year’s participation, explained: “There are six ‘attractions’ on this year’s Programme. Two are Guided Tours. Two are Talks. One is a Children’s Treasure Hunt at the Heywood Prep School – and, finally, there is an extended opening of St Bartholomew’s Church.”
“Only the two guided tours require pre-booking,” he continued. “For all the rest, it is simply a matter of turning up at the times stated on the posters and other promotional material. Representatives of the local community will be on hand to assist visitors as required. We are anticipating attendance from people who live outside the immediate area as well as from local residents. In the past we have seen locals use HODs as an excellent way of entertaining their weekend guests.”
“This is going to be an extremely busy time for Corsham. The Jazz Festival takes place over the period Friday/Saturday/Sunday, 1/2/3 September. That is immediately followed by the North Wilts Food & Drink Festival – to which Corsham is making a major contribution with both the Flemish Weaver and the Methuen Arms Hotel creating special menus appropriate to the theme of the festival. Corsham’s bunting is going to be much in evidence over the first two weeks of the month. It is always a sign of something going on in the town.”
“There is yet another event taking place at this time. On Sunday 10th there will be a sponsored walk at Corsham Court in aid of those suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease and their carers, organised by the Friends of the Research Institute for the Care of the Elderly (RICE), based at St Martin’s Hospital, Bath. Their leaflet draws attention to many of the other things which Corsham has to offer. Those looking to book Sunday lunch out had better place it high on their priority list,”, Mr Tapscott concludes.
Returning to the Heritage Open Days mini-festival, the ‘attraction’ in Corsham’s Programme which has undoubtedly captured the imagination of the whole country are the two Guided Tours of the Rudloe Stoneworks. These are timed to start at 2pm on the Friday and at 12:30pm on the Sunday. Both will be led by Paul Baker, the Managing Director and joint owner of the company. Rudloe Stoneworks specializes in the design and manufacture of high quality stone fireplaces made from local materials. This is an opportunity to see the product, its manufacture and its use in various typical settings. The business operates from a dedicated site located at the old Leafield Stoneyard, off Potley Lane. This entry on the Corsham Programme has resulted in an article describing the business and its selection appearing in the September edition of the BBC magazine Homes & Antiques. “This is one of the two guided tour offerings which require pre-booking, for sure,” says Mr Tapscott.
“The other one is the pair of Guided Walks around central Corsham, led by the TIC’s Manager, Martin Yallop. Both set off at 11 o’clock, the first on the Saturday and the second on the Sunday. As with the tours of the Rudloe Stoneworks, numbers are limited to 15 per tour group. Admission is by ticket-only. Tickets – while free of charge – are only available upon application in person at the TIC during normal business hours.”
The Civic Society is extremely pleased to have arranged the two talks which form part of its HODs 2006 Programme. Both take place in St Bartholomew’s Church. The first is entitled ‘The Church and its Windows’ and will be presented by Celia James. We understand that Celia has discovered some interesting facts during the course of her research for her talk. Listeners are, we are told, in for some surprises. The second talk is entitled ‘Church Silver & Brass’ and will be presented by Ron Smith.
Each of the four talks will take place a different day over the 4-day festival period. At the same time, and before and after, the Church will be open for self-guided tours over extended opening hours. Members of Church Watch and the Corsham Civic Society will be on hand to answer questions and offer advice on how to make the most of the occasion.
The Society always like to include at least one ‘attraction’ which is specially chosen for its appeal to primary school-age children. This year it is Treasure Hunt in the grounds of Heywood School, led by the Principals, Mike and Pamela Hall. The event takes place on the Saturday morning, with the fun starting at 10 o’clock. Numbers are limited so a punctual arrival is advised. ‘Going Home Time’ should occur around 12:30.
The Corsham Civic Society maintains an active website. It informs us that all these events are detailed on a special HODs 2006 section. It recommends that readers refer to the site (www.corsham-civic-society.co.uk) for this and other aspects of its work.
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