On a hot and sunny Friday evening, 24 people set off from The Wheatsheaf in order to explore the new QR trail set up by Alan and Shirley Tutton. The participants included Mike Tennant, parish councillor, and Andrea Evans, parish clerk, representing Badsey & Aldington Parish Council who kindly funded the project. The youngest member of the group was a teenager with her grandmother, the oldest was local historian, Terry Sparrow. Despite not having a smart phone, he found the trail very informative.
After explaining what the project entailed, Alan led the group up School Lane and introduced the two plaques about Badsey First School and the School House. We then crossed the road and looked at the old police house. These two stops provoked lots of memories from the group, particularly from Terry Sparrow and Chris Smith.
We then progressed along Chapel Street, calling at the church en route, and looked at the Forge and the Dance Studio. Alan then talked about the Green and Brewers Lane before heading down to look at the group of six plaques near the drinking fountain relating to the fountain, the telephone box and the big houses clustered in that area. We then went along to the end of The Poplars, and a lot of memories were shared about Poplar Court and its history.
After a stop to look at the plaques near the shop, we cut up through The Lankets and down to the end of Old Post Office Lane to look at Blenheim Cottage, the first post office in the village. By this time, we had been walking for over an hour, and one or two members of the party were tired, so returned home. The rest of us went on to the Manor House, then down Monks Path to the bridge over the brook to Badsey Undergrounds. Those that remained walked to look at the plaques for Manor Close and Seward Road before heading back up the Poplars as it was almost 9 o’clock.
All in all, it was an enjoyable evening, and I hope it will produce some more memories that we can pass on, as well as enthusing a new group of members.
