Southborough School

Secrets of Southborough Common

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Yesterday was the opening of the ‘Secrets of Southborough Common’ exhibition; an exciting showcase of the work funded by the National Heritage Lottery and undertaken by Kent High Weald Partnership, Southborough and High Brooms Archaeological Society and the Southborough Society.

The ongoing work of the Kent High Weald Partnership on the Common has made a huge impact on both the environmental sustainability of the site and for the enjoyment of visitors to our ‘cherished green space’. As part of their work Ian Johnstone and his team have been able to produce detailed mapping of the Common and have published three Southborough Common Circular Walk maps. Along with major clearing and path resurfacing tasks they have also led wildlife, bat and fungi walks and facilitated a Forest School for youngsters to engage with the local environment.

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SHAAS has been working on excavating the former ‘Brokes Mill’ site near Powdermill Lane and have unearthed some revealing finds which were on display. They have encouraged children to get involved by hosting some well-supported Archaeology taster days and welcoming visitors as part of the recent Heritage Open Days weekends.

The Southborough Society has sent off the first and most significant part of our archive to be digitised and are in the design stages of a new website that will display our photographs, postcards, maps and articles for the public to have access to for the first time. There was a preview at some of these rarely seen images and artefacts that link to Southborough Common as part of this group show.

Southborough Society’s sixteen panels detailing the Society and what it does, our Digitisation Project, The Common, St Peter’s Church and School and Cricket in Southborough.

Southborough Society’s sixteen panels detailing the Society and what it does, our Digitisation Project, The Common, St Peter’s Church and School and Cricket in Southborough.

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At 1pm some fifty people gathered for a guided circular walk led by Ian Johnstone around the Common. Ian was taken back by just how well attended the walk was; testament to how grateful local residents are of this beautiful area and how interested they were to find out more about the history of the Common.

Ian Johnstone, Kent High Weald Partnership, about to start the Circular Walk yesterday.

Ian Johnstone, Kent High Weald Partnership, about to start the Circular Walk yesterday.

The walk was based on ‘Walk One’ of the series of Southborough Common walks which featured ten points of interest, including the veteran oak and beech trees, the gravel pit, charcoal platform, former windmill site and the horse ring. Listening to the conversations, many people commented about how, although the regularly walk in the Common they didn't know about its fascinating history and rarely stopped to really look at the flora and fauna.

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A really warm and friendly atmosphere amongst the walkers . Here they are heading up along the Wortleberry Wood Bank.

A really warm and friendly atmosphere amongst the walkers . Here they are heading up along the Wortleberry Wood Bank.

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‘On the Boundary of Whortleberry Wood, 1892’. A photograph printed from a glass plate negative in the Southborough Society archive collection.

‘On the Boundary of Whortleberry Wood, 1892’. A photograph printed from a glass plate negative in the Southborough Society archive collection.

The boundary of Whortleberry Wood is a distinctive man made bank that was built up to enclose the wood from the ‘adjacent wood pasture and to prevent grazing animals from browsing the coppiced woodland’. Ian informed the walkers that evidence still remained towards the top of the bank of the iron fence that can be seen in the above photograph.

In the area known as the ‘Pineys’.

In the area known as the ‘Pineys’.

Heading towards one of the veteran oaks.

Heading towards one of the veteran oaks.

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The exhibition was buzzing throughout the day and we would like to thank all the visitors for coming along and also Ian Johnstone (KHWP) and Tony Palmer and Di Drummond (SHAAS). Last but not least, we would like to thank the National Heritage Lottery Fund who has enabled us all to participate in such a wide-ranging and beneficial project for the local community.

If you are interested in finding our more about Southborough Common and volunteering and local archaeology, check out the links below:

https://khwp.org.uk/

http://southboroughcommon.co.uk/

https://www.southborougharchaeology.org/

Commemorating Fifty Years: A Collaboration between Southborough Primary School and the Southborough Society

This year, Southborough School marks the fiftieth anniversary of its move to its current site in Broomhill Park Road; 2019 also marks fifty years in the life of the Southborough Society. To commemorate this special event, pupils from Southborough Primary will be undertaking an art project, ably assisted by Claire Clements, the Art Co-ordinator.

The children will be undertaking an exploration of Southborough’s High Street and the collaboration between Southborough C of E Primary School and the Southborough Society is planned to commemorate 50 years in the life of both organisations.

High Street
High Street Baker

Our high street is changing rapidly. If we look back at historical photographs and postcards, we can see how much the high street has changed in the last 50 years. Many of the shops and trades that would have seemed irreplaceable are now lost forever. Who now needs to visit a saddler or a milliner?!

Recording as artists what we see now will be valuable for future generations in understanding life in the early 21st century. It may be that camera shops and computer repair businesses come to be seen as exotic and strange as a fancy-goods shop!

The aim of this project is to create a snapshot of the high street; to document the sometimes-overlooked architecture of the everyday which contributes to the unique character of our town. Southborough’s high street includes buildings as old as the 16th century Weavers and as new as the planned retail spaces in the still to be built Hub development.

We are able to draw upon images from the Southborough Society’s archive of images of shopfronts, pubs, signage and street scenes and combine these with our own contemporary photographs.

Hartridge Bros Butchers, now Southborough Butchers.

Hartridge Bros Butchers, now Southborough Butchers.

Students have been working on a range of mixed media illustrations and have started to explore the drypoint etch print-making process. Their main inspiration has been drawn from Eric Ravilious’s 1930’s lithographs from ‘The High Street’ and the work of Kent based illustrator, Nina Cosford.

A lithographic illustration by Eric Ravilious’s ‘High Street’, published in 1938.

A lithographic illustration by Eric Ravilious’s ‘High Street’, published in 1938.

One of many studies of buildings and shopfronts by Hastings based illustrator, Nina Cosford.

One of many studies of buildings and shopfronts by Hastings based illustrator, Nina Cosford.

Here is a sneak peek of some of the work in progress-the artwork is already looking excellent! We can’t wait to see the finished outcomes and be able to share how you can take away a part of the High Street for yourself! (Merch alert! - stay tuned!)

A pin up of some of their illustrations so far…

A pin up of some of their illustrations so far…

A detail of Yashar’s Fish Bar; collage with ink drawing overlay.

A detail of Yashar’s Fish Bar; collage with ink drawing overlay.

One of the artists starting the dry-point etching process.

One of the artists starting the dry-point etching process.