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Peregrines, pilots and a paperback
And a varied programme for the Higham Ferrers Arts Weekend
PRIZE-winning artist Ophelia Redpath knew exactly what she was going to paint to celebrate living in Higham Ferrers for two years. Now, having returned to the town for the day, she has just unveiled her latest work which features two peregrine falcons which had made a home at the St Mary’s Church spire during her time in Higham Ferrers.
“This work is a tribute to living in Higham Ferrers. It is really a lovely place to have a home,” Ophelia told the audience at the Chantry Chapel, next to the church.
Ophelia, the 2021 Sky Landscape Artist of the Year, put the final touches to her peregrine painting just before leaving from her new home in Norfolk for Higham Ferrers and the town’s first Arts Weekend, where she was one of the VIP speakers.
The special weekend, which featured several events, was organised by The Friends of St Mary’s – a secular group dedicated to the preservation of the exterior of the town’s Grade 1 listed buildings (the Church, the Chantry Chapel and the Bede House).
The afternoon with Ophelia and a friend – author Artem Mozgovoy - was organised by Higham Ferrers Tourism, which partnered with The Friends of St Mary’s for the inaugural Arts Weekend.
Ophelia plans to put a photograph of the peregrines on her website and will sell prints of the birds, with a percentage of the proceeds going towards the costs for the restoration of St Mary’s bellcote.
Ophelia started her talk at the Bede House before everyone moved across to the nearby Chantry Chapel where her peregrine painting had been under wraps.
She spoke about her life as an artist and the various styles and techniques which had influenced her, including those of her grandparents, who were both acclaimed painters.
When Artem – a prize-winning writer and journalist from Siberia – took over the microphone, it was to tell the audience that he had written his book Spring in Siberia 10 years ago, but it was only after Sir Stephen Fry had read the manuscript that he finally found an agent and a publisher. Sir Stephen has hailed the book as “touching and…genuinely compelling.” Launched in London a year ago, Spring in Siberia, is labelled as a novel, but Artem said it was more a family story.
Artem moved to Europe in 2011 when Russia began legalising its persecution of gay people and he had a series of jobs – including being a magician’s assistant - before settling in Brussels, Belgium.
He read extracts from his book and afterwards, he was kept busy selling – and signing – copies.
Artem volunteers at the Ukranian Refugee Centre in Belgium and his next book, which will be published in September, is based on the stories he had collected in his diary while volunteering.
The Arts Weekend also included “An evening with the Wellingborough Community Gospel Choir” and a talk by Victoria Wicks, grand-daughter of the prolific author, H.E. Bates, CBE, which focused on his time as an RAF officer.
Victoria recounted how H.E. Bates had written under the pseudonym of Flying Officer X and had produced 24 stories portraying the lives of bomber and fighter pilots.
In keeping with the wartime theme, several people in the audience were dressed in 1940s-era clothing. Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Ria Jefferies and her mother, Jane Chambers, part of the wartime re-enactment group Family At War, were preparing to serve WW11 fare, corned beef and cheese and onion pies, and other delights. They had already baked dozens of Spitfire-shaped biscuits.
Ria’s son, Thomas, 7, part of the Family At War group, was also there, and dressed as a wartime pilot.
Image: Robert Barnatt
Higham Ferrers Tourism's food for thought aids the needy
Higham Ferrers Tourism (Tourism) are always thinking of projects for the benefit of the town and the local community. And we have been plotting one for months that will help those in need over Christmas and beyond. We have been earmarking proceeds from various events throughout the year for the Higham Ferrers Food Bank, run by the local charity Encompass. Members have also been rattling the collection bucket at some of our functions to boost our year-end donation to the food bank.
Now we have just donated a much-needed £500 to Encompass, which will convert it into grocery and household essentials ─ and some extra Christmas cheer – for local families facing financial hardship. “This donation will definitely help people over Christmas and into the new year,” said Jo Burns, chief executive of Encompass, when members of Tourism visited the Higham Ferrers Working Men's Club where food parcels are sorted out ready for distribution every Tuesday morning.
They also met volunteers – Mayor Nigel Brown, Mayoress Jackie Brown and Councillor Jennie Bone ─ described as the “backbone” of the organisation by the chief executive. The Mayor pointed out that Encompass was particularly grateful to the Working Men's Club for making a room available to them free of charge as without it, they could not operate.
Liz Barnatt, chair of Tourism, said that the charity did such “wonderful and worthwhile” work for the community that there was no debate among members about which organisation should receive the end-of-year donation.
Encompass provides food parcels to a total of 600 households in Higham Ferrers, Rushden, Raunds and Thrapston, with 94 families in Higham Ferrers benefitting from the charity. “Families receive food parcels six times a year, but if they are in real dire straits, we can increase it to eight times,” Jo explained.
The charity relies on donations from companies as well as organisations and individuals and donations had dropped during the year. “Households and businesses are facing hard times and cannot give as much. At one stage, donations dropped to almost nothing and as a result, we had to cut down on some of the items in food parcels,” Jo said. “However, donations are slowly increasing again, largely due to Harvest Festivals and the festive season,” she added.
Kind-hearted local people remember the charity at Christmas and just as we were leaving the photoshoot, a local woman arrived at the club with £100 cheque from her elderly neighbour.
Encompass has food collection points across the county in local supermarkets and doctors’ surgeries and Jo said the charity was particularly grateful for the regular donations from the Higham Ferrers Co-op which donates fresh food which it has left over at the end of the day.
As well as helping people in poverty, Encompass also caters for those in addiction and homelessness.
To contact Encompass:
phone 01933 733001
December 2023
Higham Ferrers has a new and much greener look this coming festive season
''We have exchanged the previous artificial trees that grace the buildings in the town for real trees'' explained Liz Barnatt chair of Higham Ferrers Tourism, which is responsible for the annual tree project.
Artificial trees have decorated the town for some 20 years, but now Higham Ferrers Tourism has opted for real trees in the interest of going green.
Committee members turned out at Chichele College at the weekend to attach the fairy lights to the 79 trees that have now been positioned on various homes and businesses around the town.
Liz went on to say ''This year we had a very generous sponsorship from Lee Lackford of CVL Systems Ltd, a local Security company whose directors live in the town. This is the first time we have had sponsorship, but not only that a team at CVL Systems brought in two cherry pickers and arranged for their staff to put the trees up on the buildings. There were a lot of safety issues to consider, so we are very grateful for CVL's help''.
November 2023
Bowled over by the "beautiful tapestry" that is Higham Ferrers
Higham Ferrers might well be a beautiful medieval market town steeped in history, but there is always something new going on.
Hailed as “one of the gems of Northamptonshire”, by Morcea Walker, MBE, the Vice Lord-Lieutenant of the County, some of the town’s activities are now on show at the Discover Northamptonshire shop at Rushden Lakes, which focuses on regional culture, tourism and heritage.
A new display by Higham Ferrers Tourism, outlining the recent work of local volunteers, has just been unveiled and makes for fascinating viewing.
The showcase display tells how the Tourism Committee has just released a guide to the town’s Blue Plaque sites, how it involved children in King Charles’ Coronation celebrations and traces activities at the medieval Duchy Barn Garden in the heart of the town.
Two Heritage Forum Awards are also on display, one awarded to Higham Ferrers Tourism and the other to the Friends of St Mary’s, which is dedicated to the preservation of the Grade 1 listed buildings in the town.
A mitre headdress on the top shelf is a reminder that the town’s most famous son was Henry Chichele (1313-1443), who became Archbishop of Canterbury. Chichele founded the local Chichele College, the Bede House as well as the world-famous All Souls College, Oxford.
Two replica Roman Samian ware bowls, which were personally commissioned by Olwen Mayes, chair of the Higham Ferrers Archaeology and Research Society (HiFars), also take pride of place.
As Olwen explains in the story about the Dragendorff Form 37 Samian bowls, they represent a journey of a lifetime for her.
The project from start to finish took nine years and “I’m so happy and proud to be able to share it with our local community.”
She explains that the decoration is based on original decorated sherds uncovered by the Oxford Archaeology Unit and a local resident at the Roman excavation in Kings Meadow Lane in Higham Ferrers “and I spent many happy hours researching who might have designed the wonderful decoration…and had the incredible talent to transfer that skill to making the bowl and how it was done”.
Inspired by her findings, she travelled to Lezoux in central France, where Gerard Moria was making various styles of Samian pots. Gerard’s apprentice, Dr Arnau Trullen Fernandez, drew the decoration into software on his laptop.
Then, earlier this year, she returned to France where she commissioned Arnau to create the replicas. She was able to film the whole process of the bowls being made on the wheel. Now a talk which will include the film footage and her personal experiences about her trip to Leroux is being drafted and information on the date and venue will appear on the HiFARS website.
In a quote by the Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Northamptonshire, Morcea Walker, which is on display, she notes: “The presence of its most famous son Henry Chichele, Archbishop of Canterbury and an Advisor to King Henry V…the buildings, shops, sites of interest – including the market square, events all year round - helps to create a beautiful tapestry that is Higham Ferrers. I learn something new every time I go there and that is the joy of this town.”
Meanwhile, Sarah Scott, the Professor of Archaeology at the School of Archaeology and Ancient History at the University of Leicester, refers to “special people and places revealed through a heritage trail, fascinating connections with continental potters past and present…Compelling stories of curiosity, kindness and collaboration which are having a profound impact on people of all ages…So inspiring!”
Professor Peregrine Horden of All Souls College, Oxford, also says he is always “so impressed by all the educational work being done in Chichele College and the warmth of the local community”.
October 2023
Sweet success for Best Baker
Higham Ferrers newcomer Isabelle Angus thought she would try her hand at baking for the Higham Ferrers Horticultural show in September. “I thought I would enter the baking section and see what it was all about,” she recalled. She spent some eight hours on her celebration chocolate cake and her plum and marzipan pie and thought that the best she would get was a second position place.
But she was in for a surprise when she returned to Chichele College where the horticultural show was being held, to discover she had taken first prize in the chocolate celebration cake category – and scooped the coveted silver salver for being the Best Baker.
Her prize-winning creation included several elements, including dark chocolate, white chocolate in a feathered effect and chocolate chards. Never having made a pie before, she was also thrilled to take second place for her plum and marzipan pie.
Isabel has spent some 15 years entering baking contests in the region, but the Higham Ferrers show was her best result. “I certainly was surprised to be the best baker,” she said. She finds baking a pleasant distraction from her job as an accountant.
What was her recipe for success? “You have to plan in advance. And if you are baking a chocolate cake with drips around the side, you have to work quickly as it is quite tricky to get that right. It took me a couple of tries. It is definitely something you have to practice,” she said.
Isabelle bakes for friends and family and after the horticultural show, she was gearing up for the annual Macmillan’s Coffee Morning cake sale.
The horticultural show organiser, Pam Webbley, said that the celebration cakes on display rivalled the Great British Bake Off. “And they all looked so tempting,” she said.
September 2023
Twin wins for Higham Ferrers - Double delight for local organisations
Higham Ferrers has clinched two coveted awards and local volunteers behind the double win could not be more delighted.
At a special event at Chester House, representatives of Higham Ferrers Tourism as well as The Friends of St Mary’s received awards from the Northamptonshire Heritage Forum.
And what made it particularly thrilling for the two organisations, was that they have only recently joined the Heritage Forum.
The Tourism committee, represented by the chairperson Liz Barnatt, and the treasurer, Kevin Bird, received the Hindsight Award for the “Best Published Work – Other Materials,” which recognised the research and production involved in their committee’s entry which was a work of a historical aspect of Northamptonshire’s heritage that had been made publicly accessible and had been published.
The Friends of St Mary’s, represented by the secretary Carol Fitzgerald and trustee Pam Webbley, were presented with the award for their entry, judged the best project delivered by a group or society.
“I feel absolutely thrilled that we won an award,” said Liz.
“And I am still on a high,” Carol added, the day after the awards ceremony, attended by the Heritage Forum patron Lord Spencer.
Higham Tourism’s entry was their documentary entitled “Chichele College: Celebrating 600 years” which is available on YouTube, and which detailed the day-to-day use of the historical scheduled monument – and featuring all those who regularly visit and cared for the site.
The documentary was made possible thanks to £500 provided by the Nene Valley Festival as part of the National Lottery-funded Nenescape initiative.
The Friends of St Mary’s entry, entitled “Gateway to the 600-year history of The Bede House,” detailed how members who are dedicated to the preservation and restoration of local medieval buildings, raised £12,361 through grants and fund-raising to replace the ancient and locked access gate from Midland Road to the Bede House, the church and the Chantry Chapel with a new gate and pathway.
The project involved liaising with the church authorities, the carpenter, and stonemasons, with the organisation’s entry explaining that gates through ancient sites were more than a convenience.
“They offer a journey into a town’s fascinating past,” they explained.
Complimenting all the winners, Lord Spencer said that the awards event was a celebration of history which was rich with stories of past communities.
July 2023
A Present from the Palace - but what is it? Higham Ferrers celebrates 600th anniversary of Chichele College
Higham Ferrers is going to get a present from Buckingham Palace-but exactly what it is will remain a secret until later in the year.
“It is a mystery gift at this stage. All I can say is that it is a present from the Palace,” said Morcea Walker, MBE, the Vice Lord Lieutenant of Northamptonshire. She was speaking in an interview after hinting about the special gift to guests at the 600th anniversary celebrations of the town’s Chichele College at the end of July.
All she could say to guests was to “allude that in Her Majesty’s special year certain things happen” … and it may be that she and the Lord Lieutenant of Northamptonshire, James Saunders-Watson “had been asked to look at certain parts of the county …”.
They had been given the opportunity to raise the profile of four places and Higham Ferrers was top of the list, she said later. “We both love Higham Ferrers and its history.”
One reason Higham Ferrers had been chosen for the mystery gift was because of the volunteers who dedicated their time to tending the Chichele College garden, believed to be one of the oldest gardens in the country.
The Vice Lord Lieutenant and other VIP speakers sang the praises of the “wonderful” Higham Ferrers-born Henry Chichele, an Archbishop of Canterbury, who founded Chichele College in 1422, and raised a glass to his legacy at the celebrations, organised by English Heritage and Higham Ferrers Tourism.
Archbishop Chichele had thought beyond his job and created something that still stood 600 years later, the Vice Lord Lieutenant said.
Chichele College ─ a rare surviving example of a chantry college, despite being partially destroyed during Henry VIII’s reign ─ is owned by the Duchy of Lancaster. It is a Scheduled Monument and part of the National Heritage Collection in the care of English Heritage. Higham Ferrers Tourism care for the day-to-day management, via a local management agreement.
Archbishop Chichele also founded All Souls College, Oxford, as well as Bede House ─ next to St Mary’s Church in Higham Ferrers ─ which is used for church activities, social events, fundraising and is also available for hire.
And Carol Fitzgerald, who is on the college management committee, told guests that the committee had recently learned that Archbishop Chichele was responsible for Saint George being the country’s patron saint. “The stories keep on coming,” she said, adding that an exhibition on the life of Henry Chichele was due to tour Higham Ferrers and Rushden Lakes.
Chichele College gardener Gwen Tobin, said that thousands of volunteer hours by local gardeners had gone into making the garden what it was. “Despite the current water limitations, what has been achieved is absolutely marvellous,” she said.
A special celebratory poem entitled “A Time to Dance” marking the 600th anniversary was written and read out by local resident Susan Waters and a local band 2 Steps 4 Words sang a tribute song, Chichele (600 years), which was released at the same time on YouTube and Spotify. And of course, there was a celebratory cake.
The guests included several local Bedesmen, a unique group whose history dates to medieval times when Henry Chichele founded the Bede House. They are the only Bedesmen in the country who carry out ceremonial civic duties.
A Summer Party, complete with more music, which was open to the public, followed and the next day, Higham Ferrers Tourism staged their popular Brass On The Grass event in St Mary’s Churchyard.
July 2023
Higham Tourism Team a hit in knock-out tournament
The recent Great Big Green Week proved a hive of activity at Higham Ferrers’ landmark Chichele College.
Higham Ferrers Tourism organised the first croquet tournament of the summer between four teams and took top spot in the clash. Following a training session on the grassy court by expert, Susan Perkins, the four teams of four players – representing Higham Tourism, Chichele College Management, the Bedesmen and the Volunteer Gardeners – took on the challenge, as supporters, sipping icy drinks on the sidelines, watched the tournament unfold.
“It took us many years to get permission from Historic England to stage croquet on the lawn” explained the Chair of Chichele College Management. “We eventually got permission to play last year on condition the hoops are not inserted too far into the ground.”
And pupils learn how to help hedgehogs
Earlier, some 80 Year-5 pupils from the neighbouring Higham Ferrers Junior School spent the day at the College where they learned about medieval farming. With music provided by English Heritage, pupils were also shown how to make a bug hotel and hedgehog nests and how to position a hedgehog house. And they planted a mini floral meadow, forerunner of the college’s plans for the green recreational area to be edged with meadow plants, part of King Charles’ wish to increase meadow areas.
A Year-5 teacher, Alex Morris, contacted Carol later to say that they had all had a wonderful time and that, once back home, some pupils had already made hedgehog nests and helped a family member with gardening.
To finish off the special week, a planter which doubles as a bike rack ─ courtesy of English Heritage ─ was ordered for the college. “The idea is that with somewhere safe to store their bikes, more people will be encouraged to visit the site,” Carol said.
June 2023
Young artists draw on their historical knowledge to leave a legacy of their own
Higham Ferrers schoolchildren have been finding out all about the town’s most historic figure who was in a class of his own.
They have been doing their research into the life of Henry Chichele ─ born in Higham Ferrers ─ who became the Archbishop of Canterbury in the 15th Century. His local legacy is the historic Chichele College in the main street and the Bede House, next to St Mary’s Parish Church, both celebrating the 600th anniversary of their foundation this year.
The children had been invited to take part in an art competition organised by Higham Ferrers Tourism (Tourism) which went on display at the end of May alongside an impressive exhibition about Henry Chichele. Both premiered in Chichele College during the recent Chichele Garden Fair, which attracted some 500 visitors.
“We had hundreds of entries into the art exhibition: it was really overwhelming,” said Carol Fitzgerald, a member of Tourism and Chair of the Chichele College management committee.
“Every time I went into the town, I was confronted by children going to the Chichele College and the Bede House to do their research before submitting their art entries. The idea is that every child in Higham Ferrers knows about Henry Chichele. Then, they can become mini tour guides and pass on their knowledge to their parents.” Entries from The Ferrers School were particularly impressive, she added.
Having enlisted the support of one the school’s art teachers, Joshua Browne, students excelled themselves by producing entries which captured the essence of Henry Chichele, while placing their artistic ideas onto a map of the town.
“This was such a wonderful idea and visitors were really impressed,” Carol said.
Colemans, the town’s long-standing sponsor of the art exhibition, once again came up with art and craft prizes for the various winners.
The Henry Chichele Exhibition was the creation of Tourism member Pam Webbley with help from Stuart Wilby, the Prior of the Bedesmen, based on content by the Chichele Society’s Doreen Holyoak. The exhibition will go on display at the Bede House during Tourism’s Big Bank Holiday Weekend on 27─29 August and at the Rushden Lakes Family Heritage Fun Day on 18 September, as well as the Chichele Society’s Annual Exhibition on 24 and 25 September.
A small painting of Chichele College in the days when it was a farm, has been bought by Tourism for an undisclosed sum and permission will now be sought from Historic England to hang it above a chimney in the College’s mezzanine floor.
Some of the ancient stones which fell from Chichele College, and which were unable to be repositioned back into the wall, went on sale at the Chichele Garden Fair raising £315 for the Ukraine Appeal.
June 2022
A gift from the Queen
The historic town of Higham Ferrers is continuing to play a special part in modern-day history.
One of the trees that form the Queen’s Green Canopy-a unique national initiative marking Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee has been planted in the town’s community Duchy Barn Garden, which is alongside the famous fifteenth-century Henry Chichele College.
The two-metre pear tree was planted by Mick Waldram and Tom Hardesty on behalf of the Duchy of Lancaster, which is a unique portfolio of land, property and assets held in trust for the Sovereign. Originally, Higham Ferrers was the property of the Earl of Derby but Robert Ferrers rebelled against the King, Henry III resulting in this land being confiscated and given to the King’s son, Edmund, the Earl of Lancaster. Hence Chichele College is one of the original sites of the Duchy of Lancaster Estates.
The Queen’s Higham Ferrers tree is one of 80 being planted around the country by the Duchy of Lancaster. The Estates Surveyor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Archie Rose, had asked that a fruit tree be planted in the Duchy Barn Garden to celebrate the Queen’s 70-year reign.
The Duchy Barn Garden was renovated by a team of enthusiastic volunteer gardeners during lockdown and unveiled to the public last year.
The volunteers spent a total of 798 hours working on the project and some of them ─ Celia Ingram, Pat Barber and Carol Fitzgerald ─ arrived ahead of the recent tree-planting event to prepare the ground and enable the two Duchy of Lancaster gardeners to plant the pear tree. Liz Barnatt, chair of the Higham Ferrers Tourism Committee, also attended.
The tree, which now takes pride of place in the unique garden, has spent three years in the nursery and is likely to grow to between eight-ten metres, Waldram said.
While most of the 80 trees that the Duchy of Lancaster is planting are oaks on farming properties, Carol Fitzgerald, chair of the Chichele College Management Team, said that it was fitting that a pear tree had been planted in the Duchy Barn Garden.
“There used to be an orchard here for the secular monks back in medieval times,” she said. “It’s an honour that our tree is one of 80.”
“We are celebrating the 600th anniversary of Chichele College this year and the Duchy Barn Garden tree-planting event is the first of many in our special year,” she added.
It is hoped that a representative of the Duchy of Lancaster will unveil a plaque for the tree at a special ceremony in the summer.
January 2022