ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

This will be held in the Stable at 8pm on Wednesday 19th May. Please make an effort to attend as it is an opportunity for you to learn more about what we have achieved over the past year. You can also ask the chairman and Trustees about future plans and make suggestions about any changes you would like to see which you think may benefit our organisation. After the meeting we gather in the Loose Box for a chat and some refreshments. Copies of the accounts will be available at the meeting.
There will also be copies for any member who requests one.

  Notes from the Chairman April 2010

Once again we begin an open season, for the museum. A huge amount of work has been done by the working team, under the enthusiastic direction of Brian McCormick. The sculleries and kitchens have been redecorated and all the artefacts cleaned and, where appropriate, polished. Through the kind offices of former County Councillor Nigel Petrie, the County made us a grant of £1,500 to restore the simmering range under the big window in the kitchen. We can now show how various levels of heat could be used to cook different types of food when the house was first used in 1806. The arrangement was continued for some sixty years, until the closed range was installed.

Outside, more diligent work has provided a lovely garden which greatly enhances a visit to the Service Wing Museum. In the Stable Block, Joyce Shaw has provided a charming exhibition this year concerning the gardens of Nonsuch, from the vanished pleasure ground of the Tudors to the present garden, which has delighted generations of people for over one hundred and fifty years. On show, for the first time in many years, is one of the pair of Coadestone stands which used to grace the end of the Rose Walk. Both of the ornaments were broken or broke through atmospheric variations and would have to be expertly restored before they could be used again and, sadly, would almost certainly become objects of vandalism if returned to the gardens. However for the moment one of them can be enjoyed in the Loose Box.

Lastly, on a more serious note, when the impending election has passed and “the victor” has to reveal what economies are going to be “unavoidable”, we should be prepared for unwelcome proposals.  We should remember that there is no statutory requirement for the provisions of parks or gardens and our representatives will be hard put to it to fulfil their obligations. The need for effective organisations like the Friends will be vital. There is no point in panicking, but we should aim to maintain our numbers and be prepared to robustly defend the progress we have made in the last nineteen years. To that end, let me appeal to all members to try and encourage as many people as possible to join the Friends of Nonsuch as a matter of some urgency. The price of having Nonsuch is eternal vigilance.

Hon Chairman G.S.H Smith, MBE

Victorian Shopping
On Wednesday 10th March many of the usual friends turned up to the service wing in anticipation of a talk on Victorian Shopping. Joyce Shaw explained to a surprised audience that due to reasons beyond the speakers control she had to cancel. We were disappointed but should have known Joyce would of course step in at the last moment and we were entertained by music of another era.
The music was centred around gardens and flowers of the Victorian and Edwardian period. For me Roses of Piccardy was particularly poignant as my father had fought in France in the World War One and often sang that song when I was a small child.
Peter Dawson’s lovely voice brought back happy childhood memories too.
In an English Country Garden summed the evening up and with the introduction of each new piece various friends kept recalling their own memories. Joyce, it was a delightful evening, thank you so much. Perhaps another similar event in the future?
Barbara Whisson

  Members Evening Wednesday 15th April 2010

Extra chairs were needed to accommodate all the members and friends who came to hear Ian West talk about Ewell in the early 20th Century.

Ian first spoke about collecting the early postcards which he used to illustrate the fascinating scence of Ewell in quieter times. It seems that the few pence that he needed to pay for them in his younger days have grown into much larger sums!

The audience of whom many live in and around Ewell, spent much of the evening remembering roads, buildings and countryside, some of which still remain, but not all. The rural scenes of the early 1900’s were delightful and Ian’s anecdotes referring to some of the people who used to live and work in Ewell in those days, were much enjoyed. He spent time at the end of his talk answering questions from the audience, until all were invited to refreshments in the Loose Box.

We look forward to a return visit from Ian in the future.

  Friends of Nonsuch Burns Night Supper

A night to celebrate the life and works of Robert Burns, the Scottish poet and lyricist, was held in The Loose Box & Stable, Nonsuch Mansion on Saturday 23 January 2010. The event was fully subscribed with some 70 attending and it was good to see a number of people wearing tartan.
Carol Jenkin chaired the evening very ably so we all knew what order the proceedings would take. The principal readers were Neil Frater and Grace McNeill backed up by the Whitehall Singers, Sheila Ayliffe, Carol Jenkin, Julia Riffin, Joyce Shaw, Gerald Smith, Wendy and Peter Tonge and Sheena and Jim Willoughby and their Accompanist, Juliet Chaplin. One of the readers John McNeil was unable to attend due to illness which put more pressure on Neil and Grace but they delivered the poems, of which there were many, with great aplomb (and a little help from the whisky bottle!).
As the piper had been delayed on his way from Scotland music was quickly found and the star of the evening, the Haggis, was piped in to resounding clapping from the guests. Neil then gave a fluent and entertaining rendition of To a Haggis. The Selkirk Grace followed.

Some hae meat and canna eat, And some wad eat that want it,
But we hae meat and we can eat, And sae the Lord be thankit.

Everyone then enjoyed an excellent Bill o’ Fare of haggis, neeps and tatties (with a dram or two) followed by cheese and biscuits and shortbread. Sheila Ayliffe brought all the food together, which was no mean feat.

After more readings and songs the evening closed in the customary way with a resounding rendition of Auld Lang Syne.

Jan Alson

  Formal Gardens

Flower beds are full of colour and on grey days, they glow! The lawns look great despite the efforts of moles whilst trees and shrubs are showing signs of life. Damage to the Pergola, caused by vandals, has been repaired by our work party and hopefully the roses will soon cover up the repairs.  The ground staff of five have the Park, Cherry Orchard and the area between Nonsuch and Warren Farm to keep in good order in addition to the patrolling of all areas. Peter and his team work hard to keep Nonsuch looking so beautiful. Thank you. Pauline Innes

The Park
Spring at last! Winter seemed to go on forever. Rain, mud, snow, mud, more rain, more mud... The Snowdrops by the Mansion were a real joy amidst the gloom. Now the park has on her spring coat and it's as if it never happened! 

The winter was not kind to our park staff either. This small band has such a large area to cover - Nonsuch and Warren Farm with the concrete roads in between and Cherry Orchard Farm. They are working really hard, so thanks to them. Their job is not made any easier by people dropping litter, so let’s keep it tidy and enjoy our beautiful park.

Some good news! The Woodland Trust has dropped its plans to create more woodland on Warren Farm and will continue to manage the chalk grassland. The Trust reconsidered after listening to the views of local people and park users. Let's hope we get the Skylarks back nesting there as in the past.
Another area that was threatened with development and saved by conservationists and local voices is Cherry Orchard Nursery. This site was closed and left undisturbed for many years and thus became a haven for wildlife. It is now open for all to enjoy, so to all those who made it happen, thank you.  Peter Kinton

In Appreciation
Every year as I walk through the Service Wing Museum just before it is opened for the first Sunday of the Season, I have a Moment of amazement. In the preceding few weeks as I take this walk the Museum is a place of strange dustsheet shrouded shapes in unusual places. The rooms are a hive of industry, people are mending and making anew, painting and brushing.

The Working Party who come every Thursday, (and at other times for special projects), create my Moment of Transformation, for at Opening Day the Museum looks wonderful. Everywhere neat and clean and refreshed, all exhibits in appropriate settings with good information. This year the transformation in the last weeks has been amazing in the sculleries and kitchen, with the restored simmering range and all the pots and pans polished by Pauline glowing there, and all around the kitchen. 

The gardens also look especially lovely this season and Kathy and Carol have made the outside aspects of a Museum Visit a pleasure and delight to the eye. So many thanks and much appreciation to Brian McCormick and all the Working Party it all looks grand! Sheila Ayliffe

Sports Relief Day – 21st March 2010­­­­
After a wet Saturday the “Run a Mile Day” was fine but chilly. Car parks began filling up by 10am and marquees were erected and runners were ready. David took the tractor out with wood-chippings to cover the really muddy areas. Bovingdon’s had set up a marquee, with a heater, where they served hot food and delicious coffee. Tables and chairs were always full of runners and their families plus dog walkers and their well-behaved dogs with other walkers who happened to be in Nonsuch that day.  Councillor Nigel Pavey was at the Epsom & Ewell stand before his run and councillor Ruby Smith was there handing out sweets and leaflets telling visitors about everything that is going on in Epsom & Ewell. The mayors from Sutton & Cheam and Epsom & Ewell attended all the tents, including the free treatment centre! Members of an army unit were giving advice on keeping fit for everyone. No television cameras or press people were there which seemed a pity as the day was a great success and it would have been excellent publicity.  My thanks, as an outsider, to everyone involved in organising a most enjoyable event.  Pauline Innes