John Riches our Village Correspondent writes weekly reports about the village for the local media.  We are pleased to place them on our web site in order that those interested in Abthorpe can access the latest village news from anywhere in the world.

This page will keep the latest 3 or 4 reports.

On the Archive page we will store past articles and other pieces of particular interest.

Also, our newsletters can be downloaded on the Newsletters page.

7th March
Ivor Floyd from Silverstone called to say that in his garage he had a most interesting poster advertising an event that was held in Abthorpe 108 years ago during the reign of King Edward VI. Ivor explained that Abthorpe villager Eric Snelson found the poster hanging in his deceased father’s shed. Eric knew that Ivor was a keen musician with the Towcester Studio Band so gave him the poster as a souvenir.

The poster is fascinating and describes an aspect of village life that has long since disappeared. It is headed Abthorpe the Belle Vue of the Midlands – an ironic attempt to increase the importance of the fifth annual brass band competition to be held in the Vicarage Gardens; now Leeson House; to be held on Saturday 4^th October 1902. There was a record entry of 12 bands and the judge  J.E Fidler Esq of Earls Barton had to decide who won prizes totalling £15 – a lot of money back in those days. The gates opened at one o’clock with the competition starting at 1:30pm sharp! Admission was 1/- (one shilling) although after 2:30 it dropped to 6d (six old pence.) Children entered for half price. Solid silver medals in a case were presented to the best soloists on the cornet, euphonium and trombone. A special prize of £1 was given to the best turned out band.

Tea and refreshments were supplied by Mr J Douglas of the Compasses Hotel in nearby Silverstone and Mr Arthur Chapman. The winning band had the honour of playing for the dancing after the contest in the evening. Although the backing for the poster is ridden with woodworm a large drawing showing an idealised marching band is still clearly visible.

28th February
The fish & chip supper and quiz evening organised by the Abthorpe Village Fund Committee was a huge success. Over 90 people sat down in the Old School to enjoy most wonderful food prepared by Craig Sarsen from Silverstone and his staff in his mobile fish and chip van parked outside. The committee even delivered 26 portions to the homes of villagers who were unable to attend.

When Barbara Rush and Audrey dancer entered the hall a huge cheer went up in acknowledgement of their return to village life after recent personal tragedies.

After the meal quiz master Tim Pope had to raise his voice above the excited babble of those present to ask questions that had been prepared by his committee. The Main Street Gang were declared winners of the quiz and received prizes of Easter eggs and tokens that can be exchanged for drinks at the committee’s Summer Barn dance at Highfield Farm on 12^th June or at a return performance by Cameo Opera in the autumn.

22nd February
Bob and the SMJ. The Stratford upon Avon & Midland Junction Railway was a small independent company that operated a line across the empty untouched centre of England . Although it was merged with the London , Midland and Scottish Railway Company in1923, the lines with local stations at Blakesley, Towcester and Wappenham, were known as The S.M.J. right up to its closure in the 1950’s and even to the present day.

Abthorpe man Bob Salmons worked on the SMJ and was recently interviewed by Dick Bodily for a web site dedicated to preserving the line’s history. Dick’s article about Bob’s life on the SMJ makes fascinating reading for railway enthusiasts and the general reader alike. Bob recalls that he’s always been interested in trains and when the Stationmaster Eddie Blandford commented that he spent so much time hanging around he might as well work for the railway he successfully applied for a job as porter at Towcester Station – now the site of Tesco’s store. There he swept the waiting rooms, cleaned the toilets and delivered parcels to people in the town. Bob must have impressed his superiors as he was soon selected for training as a signal man at Blakesley. By then the war was on and after his admittedly short training locally followed by eye sight tests and exams at Euston he became full time signal man at Blakesley.

There were three 8 hour shifts a day for signal men but owing to a shortage of personnel Bob often had to work 12 hour shifts that were arduous but very interesting. Mysterious munitions trains passed through during the night en-route to or from Kineton depot. There was always a fear that sparks from the steam trains’ engines could cause a fire so the wagons were well sealed. Milk churns were delivered to the station for transportation to Express Dairies in London . During the sugar beet season Blakesley station’s single siding was very well used. Although local farmers Boot, Osborne and Tarry loaded their crop onto the railway wagons themselves, Bob was responsible for securing a waterproof sheet to protect the crop. Bob’s colleague Cecil Smart took great pride in the station’s flower beds. He had a small holding with a few beef cattle that he saw to in his spare time. Cecil had an arrangement with Miss White who lived in a big house in Blakesley village. Cecil’s cows provided all the manure that her gardeners needed for her large vegetable garden and in return Cecil received top quality bedding plants for the station flower beds.

14th February
Barry Haycock one of our local farmers and his wife Elizabeth have been busy in recent weeks. Their flock of ewes is lambing. At this time of the year Barry works very long hours and is on hand from six in the morning until midnight making sure that the lambs on which their livelihood depends are born without any problems. Whilst Barry is getting a well earned rest during the early hours of the morning, Elizabeth keeps an eye on the ewes.

9th February
Bet’s back! On 5^th November last year tragedy struck our small community. Friends Mrs Edith Lawrence from the neighbouring village of Slapton and our own 87 years old Mrs Barbara Rush set off to do some shopping in Towcester. At Abthorpe cross roads the taxi in which they were travelling was involved in a serious collision with an orange Transit van. The air ambulance was summoned but tragically Mrs Lawrence was pronounced dead at the scene. Mrs Rush, known throughout our village simply as Bet, was taken to Northampton General Hospital suffering from multiple injuries.

Excellent medical treatment and nursing care over a period of more than two months ensured that amazingly Bet recovered and after a spell of recuperation in Northampton ’s Turn Furlong specialist centre, she was allowed to return home. There has been much rejoicing in our village.

Remembering that Bet always insists that she’s not old but merely a recycled teenager who loves to go skateboarding, local artist June Willsher drew a wonderful most lifelike cartoon of Bet sailing down Brackley Lane on her skateboard with her handbag tucked under one arm and a shopping bag in the other. This was affixed to a card that was taken right round the village for well wishers to sign. When June and neighbours Jane Callow and Keith Fenwick visited Bet in her home and presented her with the card plus a huge bouquet and a large box of chocolates, she was overwhelmed. She soon regained her composure and insisted that when she has really got her strength back we should organise a do on the village green and have a real knees-up.

Bet admitted that when she first arrived back home after more than three months away recovering and recuperating, she was very emotional.. She wishes to thank the staff at both Northampton General Hospital and Turn Furlong for such wonderful treatment. Also to her son Chris and partner Mary who has been a tower of strength and villagers and friends who visited her in hospital and sent cards and messages of encouragement.

1st February
Mrs Elsie Kelcher who lived in Abthorpe all her life, died recently at the age of 84. Elsie the youngest of the four Kendall children was born in a cottage that formerly stood at the bottom end of Main Street in a part of the village that has been abandoned. Shortly after her birth the family moved to the blacksmith’s shop on the village green. She spent her childhood there and attended Abthorpe village school, transferring at eleven to Silverstone secondary school. On leaving school at the age of 14 her sister Rene recalls that she became a shop assistant at Woolworths in Northampton . Come sun or rain Elsie would cycle into Towcester to catch the bus and sometimes arrived at work soaked through. When the Second World War began Elsie was employed at a clothing factory that set up business in Abthorpe having been bombed out of London . She not only helped to manufacture ladies’ dresses but military clothing for the troops. Later in the war she transferred to Groom and Tattersalls foundry and engineering works close to Towcester railway station sited where Homebase stands today. It was very heavy work and Rene recalls that Elsie hated every minute of it.

When the war ended Truform took over Abthorpe’s factory so Elsie obtained a job there helping to make shoes.

In 1948 she married Blakesley man Eric Kelcher. They had a son named Stewart and Elsie was content to remain a proud housewife for the remainder of her life. She worked tirelessly for our parish church. Together with her friend Kath Evans she organised a cake stall for many years at both the summer fete and the Christmas bazaar. Later with her church warden sister Rene she devoted huge amounts of her spare time making items for a needlework stall that raised a large amount of money to repair and refurbish the church roof.

Elsie was buried in Abthorpe church yard extension. She was a very quiet and modest lady – a lovely person who is sorely missed.

25th January
Aquatic Nursery people Mark and Linda Brereton have, after 10 years in Abthorpe, moved to larger premises in the nearby village of Greatworth . Mark explained that due to strong competition in the current economic climate, he had to adapt their business to cope with modern technology and changing marketing methods. Last year they did this using an eBay on-line shop that was so successful that it gave them the confidence to launch their own web site www.Silverthorpe.co.uk that goes live on 15^th February.

Their new premises are huge with three very large greenhouses packed with waist high pools that will be much kinder to their backs. They are a great contrast to their former premises in much smaller poly-tunnels containing sunken pools.

Mark explained that whilst he, his Dad who acts as their plumber plus his colleague Paul Ward have been busy getting everything ready for the summer growing season. Linda has been busy working behind the scenes entering onto the web site details of the 120 species of aquatic plants they grow. Around 60 of the plants they produce are marginals that like boggy situations. Additionally they stock 30 varieties of water lilies. One set of pools is heated for more tropical plants such as water hyacinth and non-edible water lettuce. From their Greatworth premises they intend to supply nurseries and garden centres and, via their web site, market to people throughout the European Union. They’ve even had expressions of interest from afar away as the Phillipines – although Mark admitted that carriage costs make such markets impossible.

Linda and Mark assure everyone that aquatic plants travel well in polythene bags via Royal Mail. Even the water snails they breed by the thousand to keep pool bottoms healthy don’t seem to mind being sent by letter in specially designed containers.