Embedded Files
THE BALLOON CONTEST
The Balloon Society of Great Britain, a young but energetic Association-has recently organised a series of simultaneous ascents with the view of endeavouring to ascertain the various currents of air at different heights, as well as other collateral matters of interest. The ascents took place last Saturday during very favourable weather, but accident prevented the programme from being fully carried out. The War Office balloon, which was to have been sent up from Woolwich, was detained at Dungeness, while, owing to failure in the gas supply, no ascents were made from the Welsh Harp, Hendon, or from Lillie Bridge. The broad result was that all the balloons were carried in the same north-north-easterly direction. Simmons, who started from the Clapham Skating Rink, and descended at Widdington in Essex, attained a height of 9,000 feet. The balloon which was being inflated at the Alexandra Palace looked like a cherry, the Hendon lake, like a patch of quicksilver, the Thames like a silver thread, and the ships like fleas. This is the voyage depicted by our artist. (It was first supposed that a height of 14,000 feet was reached, but since our engravings were sent to press, Mr. Simmons has written to say that there was some- thing wrong with his "pocket-tube," and that the highest point attained must have been about 9,000 ft. Mr. Wright, who started from the Crystal Palace, was accompanied by Commander Cheyne, R.N., and Mr. Pullen. The descent was made near Thaxted in Essex, not without some severe bumping, owing to Mr. Wright's desire to avoid injuring the telegraph wires, which are a serious hindrance to the descending balloonist, and with which, as Commander Cheyne observes, he will not be troubled in the Polar Regions. The Alexandra Palace balloon went up under the command of Mr. Barker, and descended at Little London, Essex, having attained a height of 4,800 feet. Mr. Jackson, of Derby, went up from the North Woolwich Gardens. This balloon descended at Ridgenell, near Mark's Tey, Essex. The highest altitude attained was under 4,000 feet, but the scenery at that comparatively small elevation was most interesting. The country below looked like a ground plan in vivid colours, all the white roads seemed to be pipeclayed, the farmsteads seemed like Swiss toys, while the flocks hurried to the corners of the meadows as the balloon passed over their heads. Mr. Jackson made his 324th ascent on this occasion. The only other balloon which started was that of Mr. Orton, which went up from Epping Forest, and came down at Bartlow, near Cambridge.
Our artist, Mr. W. L. Wyllie, thus describes his acrial journey: -"Does she lift?' said the aeronaut. Then let go.' Suddenly the Marble Rink and its surroundings melted away, and we were looking down on a little square patch like an envelope, which I was told was Kennington Park.
"And now Big Ben striking five, Mr. Simmons pulled out his watch, and said that the sound took a minute to reach us. The first impression was very enjoyable. You sat quiet and luxuriously while London spread itself out like a rapidly-moving panorama. The aeronaut now got up into the hoop to reach the cord of the valve, and it began to dawn upon me that the lines looked, at the height we were up, uncommonly slender for the weight they had to sustain. As the acronaut moved about the basket creaked and strained in a manner that suggested unpleasant results should the bottom come out, and he seemed to take a malicious pleasure in continuing on his aerial perch, waving his hat to the noisy but invisible multitude down below. Immediately under us was the dome of St. Paul's, looking about the size of a peppercastor. Every well known feature of London and its environs was distinctly recognisable, while the ceaseless turmoil of the crowd and the rumble of the traffic, varied by the not infrequent shriek of the locomotive, made up a very considerable sum total of sound. All through our journey it appeared to be a noisy world down below. Dogs barked, cows lowed, cocks crowed, invisible boys shouted
"A-Ba-loon i A-Ba-loon! Come down here!"
"London smoke was a great fact. Looking to windward and to both sides you could see the clear air of the open country, but away to the south-west stretched an endless belt of murky atmosphere. Rising perpendicularly in wreaths, it was quite unlike to the appear- ance it puts on here below.
"The quantity of water visible most surprised me, not only the Thames wending away for miles, but smaller streams, the Brent, the Wandle, the Mole, and an endless succession of ornamental lakes, canals, reservoirs, and ponds. All in turn, as they passed beneath the sun, blazed for a moment with a jewel-like splendour, and thon again melted into grey. Turning our backs to the sun, we could see the docks crowded with shipping, and the widening river gliding to the sea. Gravesend and Sea Reach were distinctly visible, and then we made out the Woolwich Gardens balloon apparently miles beneath us. Presently I became aware that the chimney-pots, tramcars, and passengers had grown quite large. The fact was that without perceiving it we had fallen thousands of feet during the moment or two that we had been looking for the balloon. The explanation I received was that the sun had gone behind a cloud, and that this had caused our rapid descent. Ballast was at once thrown out, and we rose again to a greater height than before. London had meanwhile slipped away from us, for it never appeared that we were moving, we seemed to hang suspended, motionless in the air, while the commerce and wealth of the world were gliding beneath us.
"Occasionally we threw out bits of paper to ascertain whether we were rising or falling; sometimes they hovered lovingly round us, mounting higher and higher: this showed that the balloon was falling earthwards. Then the aeronaut threw out a few handfuls of of sand, whereupon the paper appeared to fall down from us, like a stone, a cold air would rustle in our faces, and we knew that we were mounting again.
"Mr. Simmons looked at his watch, it was twenty minutes past six; we were over a town which we learnt subsequently was Bishop's Stortford; there was no more sand to throw out, and we began slowly to descend. Suddenly the sun dipped into the vapour and at once fields and hedgerows expanded and grew large-we had again fallen thousands of feet.
"Now,' said our captain, stand up and lay hold of the hoop! In another second we touched earth gently with a great sweep, turning over on one side. The balloon rose again, but was brought up by the grapnel in the middle of a turnip field.
Lay hold of the rope,' shouted Mr. Simmons to the country- men, who arrived breathless. We were now about twenty feet from the ground, swaying gently backwards and forwards. We were towed into an adjoining stubble-field, where the unwilling balloon was gradually pulled down hand over hand. The first person to greet us was the clergyman, without his hat, and his watch in his hand; he congratulated us on our punctuality, and informed us that we were in the parish of Widdington, nine miles from Bishop's Stortford in Essex.
"Meanwhile our balloon slowly panted its life away, its once plump, symmetrical figure a thing of the past. Hundreds of willing hands assisted to press out its remnant of vitality. It was rolled up and packed-ah me into its own car, which, monarch of the air, it had so lately borne proudly heavenward, hoisted into a pony cart, and driven to the nearest railway station, where it was looked for London, to be left in the cloak-room till called for on Monday morning."
The Annual Register 1880
Hot air balloon lands in Widdington
A simultaneous ascent of balloons, arranged under the auspices of the recently formed Balloon Society of Great Britain. According to the programme, eight aerial vehicles were to go up as nearly as possible to five o'clock from an equal number of points within a radius of about ten miles from St. Paul's Cathedral, a prize medal being promised to the aeronaut who, descending within an hour and a half, should have travelled the greatest distance. The weather being fine, dry, and comparatively calm, could hardly have been more favourable for the novel experiment, the objects of which were to attract attention to the claims of the association already named, and to throw some light, if possible, upon the debatable question of wind currents at different altitudes. It was found impossible to carry out the original arrangements in their entirety. The War Office balloon, which was to have been sent up from Woolwich, was unfortunately detained at Dungeness, and, owing to failure in the gas supply, no ascent was made as appointed from the Welsh Harp at Hendon or from Lillie Bridge. From the remaining five stations-viz., the Alexandra Palace, Crystal Palace, Clapham Rink, Epping Forest, and North Woolwich Gardens-successful ascents were made, though not quite simultaneously. The result, broadly stated, seems to have been that the balloons, starting from different points and attaining various altitudes, were irresistibly carried in the same north- north-easterly direction. The current, however, which carried all in one general line proved to be wide in its range, so that the collision which some had feared might result from a tendency to converge on the same point never came near to happening. The first balloon to ascend was that in charge of Mr. Orton, from the Forest Hotel, at Chingford. He left the earth at three minutes to five o'clock, carrying one passenger, and, after a pleasant voyage, descended at Ashton, three miles from Matlock Station, on the Great Eastern Railway. The balloon was in the air one hour and twenty-five minutes, the maximum altitude attained being about 3,000 ft.
Mr. Simmins left the Clapham Rink at 4.58 P.M., with a balloon containing 26,000 ft. of gas, and lifting 990 lbs. He had a particularly interesting trip, passing over the Thames at Westminster, where he heard Big Ben strike five, and being at a sufficiently low altitude when crossing Moorgate Street to speak to persons below. From this point he was carried by the same current, which appears to have been equally potent with his competitors, northward, along the course of the river Lea.
Mr. Simmins descended at 6.53 P.M. at Widdington, Essex, a distance somewhat under fifty miles. He claimed to have attained a maximum altitude of 14,300 ft., at which he found the temperature to be as low as 39°. Mr. Wright's "Owl," which required over 30,000 cubic feet for the purpose of inflation, went up from the Crystal Palace at a quarter past five. There were four occupants of the car, one of them being Commander Cheyne, R.A., and another an American tourist. This balloon passed over the Thames and the East end of London, and pro- ceeded, by way of Barking, Ilford, Chipping Ongar, and Dunmow, to Little Bardfield, two miles from Halstead, Essex, where it came down. After lowering his grapnel, Mr. Wright observed that it was about to catch some telegraph wires, and, to avoid the injury which would have inevitably re- sulted to the property of her Majesty's Postmaster-General, he cut away the cable without a moment's hesitation-an exhibition of courage and presence of mind which procured for himself and his passengers an even severer shaking than visitors to cloudland always expect when returning to mother earth. Mr. Jackson, a veteran, ascended with one passenger, in a balloon of 30,000 cubic feet, from North Woolwich Gardens, at seven minutes after five, descending in safety at 6.40 P.M. at Three Chimnies Farm, Ridgwell, Hal- stead, Essex, a distance of more than fifty miles from the starting-point, the maximum altitude attained having been 6,250 ft. Mr. Barker went up from the Alexandra Palace at 5.45 P. M., and landed at Berdon, in Essex, a distance of about thirty-four miles. From a tabulated statement subsequently drawn up, it appeared that the maximum rate attained was 27 miles an hour. The result being so nearly equal, each of the five aeronauts received a silver medal.
Fatal Ballon Accident 1888
A TALE OF A PLAQUE
Anyone familiar with St Mary's churchyard in Widdington may have noticed two headstones in the south-west corner which, through a curious set of events have given rise to a small local mystery. The first stone is that of Samuel Tugendhat, born in 1856 in Bielitz in Silesia which, in those days was a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Samuel came to England in 1921 and died in Widdington on 11th October 1940. His wife, Gabriele, who was of the same descent, died in July 1956 and is buried with him. The sec- ond stone is that of Mary Littledale, born in 1883 and who died in January 1946. It also commemorates her husband, Major Arthur Charles Littledale, a Royal Field Artillery officer who died in May 1915 of wounds received during the First World War. Poor Mary was therefore a widow for over 30 years - sadly not an uncommon event as a result of the Great War.
So what is the story behind these two graves? Well, Samuel Tugendhat had three children including a son, Georg, who married Maire Littledale, the daughter of Mary and Arthur Littledale. Georg was born in Vienna in February 1898 and emigrated to England with his parents, settling firstly in Lon- don and then, around 1937, in Widdington where he estab- lished Weft House in Cornells Lane as the family home. By this time there were three children, but the family was still growing and, as Weft House could not be extended due to postwar building restrictions, the family moved to a larger house in Ongar in 1948. It was, however, by dint of their association with Widdington that the parents of Georg and Maire Tugendhat, and indeed Georg and Maire themselves, came to be buried in St Mary's churchyard. Georg died in 1973 and Maire in 1994, after their departure from the vil- lage, but their four children, three of whom had spent their early years here, obtained permission for their parents to be buried in the churchyard.
Of the four children of Georg and Maire, the eldest was Christopher, who was firstly elected an MP, then appointed a member of the European Commission from 1977 to 1981. Thereafter he became Chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority, then of Abbey National and, most recently, the European Advisory Board of Lehman Brothers. He was knighted in 1990 and created a life peer in 1993, adopting the style of Baron Tugendhat of Widdington. The family now lives in London. The Tugendhats were and are Catho- lics, and when the family lived in Widdington they actually worshipped in the old-established Roman Catholic Church in Saffron Walden [an option would have been St. Anthony's Catholic Church in Henham, which had been built in 1933]. In 1958, some ten years after their departure from the vil- lage, an additional site was purchased in order to establish a third Catholic Church at Millside, Stansted. The same year, Mill House at Millside was bought and converted into a House-Church, but eventually even the two churches at Stansted and Henham proved inadequate for a growing par- ish community and, in October 2003, a new, much larger Catholic church - St Theresa's - was built in High Lane, Stansted.
So much for the history. Now the mystery. When the Millside House-Church was closed, there were a few old bench-type pews which could not be accommodated in the new St Theresa's, which had its own custom-built furniture. A few parishioners were invited to give these benches
homes, and we were among the fortunates. 'Our' pew carried a brass plaque:
PLEASE PRAY FOR
MAJOR ARTHUR CHARLES AND MAY LITTLEDALE AND FOR
SAMUEL AND GABRIELE TUGENDHAT
IN WHOSE MEMORY THESE BENCHES HAVE BEEN GIVEN BY THEIR CHILDREN
Please pray for Major Arthur Charles and May Littledale and for Samuel and Gabriele Tugendhat
In whose memory these benches have been given by their children
It took a little time to register, but thanks to regular walks past St Mary's church in Widdington, we realised that the Littledales and the Tugendhats remembered on the brass plaque from St Theresa's Millside, and then in our posses- sion, were those buried in the south-west corner of the churchyard. Quite how the plaque, placed by 'their children' of whom Georg Tugendhat was one, came to be in the Millside church when the family never worshipped there is a mystery yet to be solved, notwithstanding searches through the records of St Mary's Widdington and St Theresa's Stansted, which at the time was part of the parish of Saffron Walden.
It is known that in 1963 the priest in Saffron Walden sought Diocesan permission to purchase some 'new benches to replace old chairs', but that is the only reference to benches in the parish during the period of review. It is possible that in the process of this refurnishing, some parishioners were asked for donations and the Tugendhats, who, as we know had left the area in 1948, might have been one such family. Were that the case, it is equally possible that they may have used the opportunity to commemorate their forebears buried in Widdington by placement of the plaque on a bench whose ultimate resting place was destined to be Millside, Stansted. All this, however, is pure speculation. If any reader can shed any further light on this plaque's history we would be pleased to hear from them. It seemed to us that this family plaque should be returned to the family, so we contacted Christopher Tugendhat - now Lord Tugendhat of Widding- ton- and met one glorious October day last year at our home in Wood End and did just that.
It is pleasing that this story had a happy ending, given the sadness surrounding the commissioning of the plaque in the first place, but strangely, over the period of this tale, my wife and I realised that we had become quite fond of the plaque. That's probably because for most of the ten years we wor- shipped at Millside we were part of the church cleaning ros- ter and must have polished it countless times!
Malcolm Deakin
Angelita Deakin
I did this Needlework of the Widdington sign when I was still living there!
Fair lights up village
VISITORS headed for the bright lights of the well lit village green in Widdington on Saturday for a spectacular street air.
Crafts were on sale as well as a variety of refreshments and Santa arrived in a pony and trap to greet the children and give out presents. Three thousand pounds was raised on the night, money which will gotowards the £24,000 needed to re-build the village hall, an old army hut. One of the organisers Joy Gomes said: "It was very successful, the atmosphere was wonderful, people came from all around." 'Pictured at their roast chestnuts stall are Viv and Tim Willis
SEWERAGE AND DRAINAGE 1968
The Engineer and Surveyor (Mr. J. S. Y. Molineux) presented to his Committee during the year, schemes for providing main sewerage for the parishes of Wicken, Widdington, Little Chesterford and Hadstock, and it was agreed to submit these to the Ministry for approval, to- gether with a scheme for the extension of the disposal works at Stansted.
Tenders for the sewer and disposal works to serve Hempstead and Great Sampford were accepted and work was in progress by the end of the year, and the tender in connection with the Radwinter scheme was also accepted.
At the close of 1968, Mr. Molineux reported that the Birchanger (Stoney Common) works were progressing satisfactorily as was the construction of the new disposal works at Newport.
Two important completions which took place during the year were the Central Sludge Disposal Plant at Stansted and the Great Chesterford and Littlebury sewerage schemes.
The Council gave consideration to the question of providing a cesspool emptying service and the officers concerned were instructed to prepare a report as early as possible.
Mr Len Rust, hands over the Widdington petition calling for Proper Sewerage facilitie in the Village
Ever day the peace and quiet of Widdington
in the heart of rural Essex is shattered by the noise
of lorries and coaches
1976
Widdingtons Water Tower Leak
QUEEN'S BENCH DIVISION CAMBRIDGE DISTRICT REGISTRY
BETWEEN:- KATE CANNIN, Plaintiff and JOHN VICTOR HOY, Defendant
I, JOAN VALERIE GALTRESS of Av on, Wood End, Widdington,
Saffron Walden in the County Essex hereby make oath and say as follows:
1. I have lived in Widdington for nine years and have known Mrs. Canning and Mrs. Qu nnell for almost that period of time as they are neighbours of mine. I know John Victor Hoy by sight and have met him on casion and know his son Richard Hoy by sight.
2. When I first moved : Widdington the cottage occupied by Mrs. Canning and the adjoining cottage were a pair of quaint old semi-detached cottages cor lete and apparently sound. The adjoining that cottage occupied by Mrs. Canning is now and has been for some time a derelict eyesore.
3. I have seen John Hoy, working on the adjoining cottage and removing portions of the interior over the-years. I saw the front wall of the adjoining cottage being knocked out from the inside and pieces of plaster and a portion of beam fall partly on the front garden an partly on Mrs. Canning's fence causing damage to the fence. At various times I noticed the hedge had been removed, a fence had been knocked down, the coal shed for the adjoining cottage had been removed causing Mrs. Canning coal shed to fall down, glass was missing from the windows and later the windows themselves were missing. I did not see anyone actually doing any of the afore mentioned acts.
4. I am aware of the hole in the plaster work of the front of Mrs. Canning's cottage and on or about the 29th July 1976 I went inside Mrs. Canning's cottage and was shown in an upstairs bedroom that the top of a wall cupboard was missing and I could see the sky. The room is obviously very damp and as a result it is only the cupboard doors which prevent rain entering directly into the bedroom.
5) On or about 5th August 1976 my attention was drawn to Richard Hoy driving a tractor at the rear of the cottage.
I went to the cottage and saw Richard Hoy driving the tractor at the adjoining cottage first with a scoop at ground level, then ... ceiling/first floor level then at roof level.
He was told to stop it but continued driving the tractor repeatedly at the cottage. Serious damage was being caused to the roof and to the whole building including Mrs. Canning's cottage which was moving and it looked as though th cottages would collapse like a pack of cards. I arranged for Mrs. Canning to be taken out of the building and rushed : tlephone the local authority and
Mrs. Canning's solicitors. aber I returned Richard Hoy had left.
SWORN at in the County of this day of )
1976
Before me
A Commissioner for Oaths/
A Solicitor
Widdingtons Percy the Peacock is at it again
Widdingtons New Rector, Peter Grimwood
SAFFRON WALDEN WEEKLY NEWS, Thursday, July 20, 1978
More show successes for Annie, 85
Mrs Annie Hoy with one of her British Saddleback pigs Roseley Bell the Eleventh, plus one of the litter of 11 piglets the sow has just produced.
A Widdington pig breeder, Mrs Annie Hoy - a former court dress- maker who started a new life nearly 60 years ago has notched up another triumph at the Royal Show. Four British saddlebacks from her herd at Martin's Farm, Widdington, were entered for the show, and all four of them took prizes. At the age of 85, Mrs Hoy is the grand old lady of pig breeding, who developed an outstanding buying her first pig for £2.10. career after Nearly 60 years later she is still buying and selling for her Roseley herd, and she reckons she has a special gift where pigs are concerned. "I like pigs, they are no trouble to me they know me," said Mrs Hoy. "I just seem to be able to pick out the good pigs." Despite being a woman in male-dominated world, Mrs Hoy was the first British breeder to export to Japan and her pigs have gone to Russia, Rumania, Greece and Yugoslavia as well as all over the British Isles.
One of her sows bred a record 22 litters and on Sun- day her herd was increased by 11 piglets when one of this year's Royal Show award-winners farrowed. Mrs Hoy had to learn everything the hard way when she started pig breeding, and many nights were spent beside a pregnant sow to safeguard the litter.
Mr Ken Kemp shows off his radio
I would very much like to thank Elizabeth Walker, for these additional newspapers clippings.
The picture of the top of the pop's magazine was June 2001 and that is where I met Robbie Williams the first time.
The paper cutting was a follow up story of the first one you already have on the site.
The Carnival Queen competition cuttings were just because I entered the competition I didn't win or anything like that but I thought as it mentioned
Widdington was good to have.
The dogs today magazine was April 2001 and my dogs were often in Dogs today magazine but they asked me to do it a few times this picture is myself and my White German Shepherd Oban and we made front cover.
I also won a competition to go to Leicester square to a film premiere and after show party where I met lots of stars this was May 2000.
Most of the other things happened in 2001 and it was extra special as I was 18 that year. I also went to watch a show being filmed and the I went to record of
the year that year too so I was really lucky with competitions.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse