PRESS RELEASES
| 6th
February 2009 Staying
Local and Saving the Pennies
In the
current uncertain financial
climate, we are all thinking
about what we can afford to
do during the, hopefully,
better weather of spring and
summer. Perhaps a traditional
holiday away from home in
this country or overseas is
out of the question and we're
even wary of taking too many
days out with the highly volatile
cost of fuel and public transport.
Perhaps
this year it is time to take
a second look at all there
is to do locally - perhaps
places we've been before in
the dim and faintly remembered
past are worth a second look.
Often on our very doorsteps
are places we've been past
dozens of times but never
actually visited. 2009 could
be just the year to give these
places a try. After all they're
local so getting there won't
cost the earth - they may
even be within walking or
cycling distance,
One such
place may be the Rural Life
Centre at Tilford. Situated
in Reeds Road, the country
life museum was established
in 1973 and has grown tremendously
over the intervening years.
It now sports an impressive
list of annual events to accompany
the plethora of exhibits and
displays which cover all aspects
of our agricultural heritage
from the village shop, chapel
and school through the blacksmith
and wheelwright to the tools
the farmer used.
The museum
is run almost entirely by
volunteers and they have been
extremely busy of late, despite
the appalling weather, getting
ready for the new season which
starts on March 11th. Among
the new items appearing for
the first time this year are
the impressive eight foot
tall dolls' house formerly
at Shalford Mill near Guildford.
Originally
built just after the second
world war by the owner of
the mill for his young daughters,
the dolls house became a highlight
for young visitors to the
National Trust property who
were able to enter and explore
the miniature building. However
it suffered from the tread
of many little feet over the
years and was removed from
the mill because of safety
concerns. Given to Rural Life
Centre by those very same
daughters, the Georgian model
has now been restored to almost
its original condition by
the volunteers and will once
again be on show for future
generations to enjoy.
While the
museum is always open on Wednesdays
and Sundays throughout the
year, the summer season starting
on Wednesday March 11th sees
the site open from Wednesday
to Sunday each week plus bank
holidays from 10am to 5pm
each day. The season commences
with a special exhibition
featuring the history of the
twin villages Send and Ripley
presented by the local history
society there.
Following
on from this there is a varied
list of events and exhibitions
throughout the spring and
summer. In fact too many to
list here so if you'd like
more details take a look at
the museum's website at www.rural-life.org.uk.
Just to whet your appetite
though, the very popular Village
at War returns on May 9/10
when around 150 re-enactors
make the museum look like
a typical local village during
the invasion preparations
of 1944. Two weeks later a
plethora of vintage buses
and coaches will descend on
Tilford for a rally and visitors
will be able to take tours
of the surrounding countryside
in the classic vehicles.
During
the former event, the Old
Kiln Café will be offering
"appropriate"
menus based on wartime rationing.
Fortunately, though, it will
be offering a more traditional
menu of country fayre for
most of the season. Now under
new management, the café
itself is always worth a visit
even if you don't have time
to tour the museum.
So this
year why not do the 'right
thing' by your pocket and
environmentally and 'stay
local' for some of your leisure
time? There's always lots
to see and do on your doorstep
if you know where to find
it.
The
Rural Life Centre, an accredited
museum of village life, lies
mid way between Tilford and
Frensham in Reeds Road off
the A287 three miles south
of Farnham. It is open from
10am to 5pm each day from
Wednesday to Sunday and on
bank holiday Mondays from
11th March. For further information
telephone
01252 795571.
|
10th
November 2008
Christmas:
A Time for Children of All
Ages
With the
"Season of Wonder"
fast approaching, children
are beginning to get excited.
However they're probably not
the only ones. Adults, too,
look forward to a period of
cheer amongst the winter's
damp and gloom.
Epitomizing
this spirit of Christmas is
Santa Claus and amongst the
many places that he visits
locally in the run-up to the
festive season is the Rural
Life Centre at Tilford. Here
he is welcomed with open arms
by the many volunteers that
run the country life museum
and they put on what must
be a unique celebration enjoyed
annually by almost 1,000 children
and the 2,000 plus adults
that accompany them.
Santa Specials
this year takes place just
on the weekends of 6/7 and
13/14 December from 11am to
5pm. The only way into the
museum on these days is by
steam hauled train for which
places must be pre-booked.
From then on its a journey
of adventure.
Visitors
will meet fairies, gnomes
and elves all hard at work
preparing for Santa's Christmas
Eve journey. Depending on
which day they visit they
will also see donkeys, calves,
sheep or reindeer. Along the
way they will enter a castle
and the toy workshop and see
a model railway themed on
favourite childhood characters.
Seasonal refreshments will
be served while they wait
to visit the grotto and there
is much more to see and do
during the visit to this very
unusual location.
The
event is now known over a
wide area and its popularity
means that visitors start
to book in July each year.
However there are still places
available and bookings can
be taken by post or telephone
on 01252 795571.
The Rural Life Centre is an
accredited museum of country
life which lies mid way between
Tilford and Frensham in Reeds
Road off the A287 three miles
south of Farnham. More details
can be found on the museum's
website at www.rural-life.org.uk.
|
| 6th
November 2008 Hand
Crafted Christmas
Finding
different gifts for friends
at Christmas can sometimes
be very difficult. You want
to get them something a little
unusual but just don't know
where to look. It has to be
individual and not a mass-produced
item, and also have an interesting
story behind its creation.
One place
that you can certainly find
such items is at the Christmas
Craft Fair held at the Rural
Life Centre each year at the
end of November. Then the
Tilford country life museum
welcomes back the craftspeople
that have demonstrated there
over the year to put on a
unique display of such presents
for you to peruse. From hand-made
nativity scenes to oil paintings
and photographic prints to
wood-turning, many crafts
will be on display ranging
from the traditional to the
modern in both skill and style.
Many craftspeople will be
in attendance and more than
pleased to talk to customers
about their handiwork.
Unusually
entry to the partially open
museum will be free on that
day and the museum shop will
be selling a mixture of pocket
money items and exclusive
gifts including books relating
to local history. A full range
of refreshments will also
be available.
The
Rural Life Centre's Christmas
Craft Fair is on Saturday
22nd November from 10.30am
to 3.00pm at the accredited
museum of village life on
Reeds Road, mid way between
Tilford and Frensham, just
off the A287 three miles south
of Farnham. For further information
telephone 01252 795571.
|
9th
October 2008 Bringing
Home the Harvest
Harvest
Home traditionally celebrates
the end of the farming year
with a festival of the harvested
fruits of field, tree and
hedgerow. It is a time of
plenty when preparations are
made for the long winter months
ahead with apples in barrels
and feed for stock being stored
in barns and haylofts.
This year
has seen a particularly poor
growing season due to the
variable weather through the
summer months and it remains
to be seen just what size
the harvest actually is. However
it is still good to reflect
on what blessings we do have
in these troubled times.
In celebration
of the tradition, Tilford's
museum of country life, the
Rural Life Centre, will be
holding its annual Harvest
Home on Sunday 26th October.
Amongst the activities on
the day will be demonstrations
of rural crafts including
basket weaving, corn dolly
and walking stick making plus
leather working. There will
also be children's activities
including a pets' corner.
Visitors
will also be able to listen
to folk musicians, check out
the harvest crops and join
in a short non-denominational
service in the beautifully
restored chapel from Eashing.
Harvest
Home takes place on Sunday
26th October from 10am to
5pm at the Rural Life Centre,
an accredited museum of village
life, mid way between Tilford
and Frensham in Reeds Road
off the A287 three miles south
of Farnham. For further information
telephone 01252 795571.
|
27th
September 2008
The Land Rovers Return to Tilford
Now in
its fourth year, the successful
Land Rover Rally returns to
the Rural Life Centre on Sunday
12th October. The Tilford
country life museum will once
again be welcoming both classic
and modern versions of the
British workhorse and their
owners for a gathering which
over the last few years has
seen an impressive line-up
of vehicles.
The vehicles
on show each year represent
a wide range of uses, from
fire and ambulance vehicles
through to farm vehicles and
extended wheelbase models
used for passenger carriage
across wild terrain. But they
are not all civilian utility
vehicles.
Amongst
the line-ups have been army
vehicles from the earliest
Mark 1s through to air-portables,
and others converted to mobile
homes with Dormobile sleeping
accommodation. Range Rover
variants are also well represented.
The
Land Rover Rally is on Sunday
12th October from 10am to
5pm at the Rural Life Centre,
an accredited museum of village
life, on Reeds Road, mid way
between Tilford and Frensham,
just off the A287 three miles
south of Farnham. For further
information telephone 01252
795571. |
12th
September 2008 Steam
and Vintage Returns
Tilford's
museum of country life, the
Rural Life Centre, will come
alive with the sound of working
vintage machinery over the
weekend of September 27th
and 28th. The occasion will
be the return of the popular
Steam & Vintage Weekend
organised by the Central Southern
Vintage Agricultural Club.
Last year,
with close on 100 exhibits,
there was much for visitors
to see and do from miniature
steam engines to their full-sized
equivalents, cars and commercial
vehicles, motorcycles and
a multitude of tractors. This
year will follow much the
same pattern and vehicles
in all those classes have
confirmed their attendance.
There will
also be stationary engines
driving assorted agricultural
machinery plus a selection
of horticultural machines
and lawn mowers. The Surrey
Association of Woodturners
will be in attendance demonstrating
their skills on lathes turning
wood from the nearby working
sawbenches into practical
articles of beauty.
Alongside
all of this activity the Old
Kiln Light Railway will have
their venerable octogenarian
steam locomotive Elouise in
action hauling trains full
of visitors around the wooded
ten acre museum site.
The
Steam and Vintage Weekend
is on 27/28 September from
10 am to 5 pm at the Rural
Life Centre, an accredited
museum of village life, on
Reeds Road, mid way between
Tilford and Frensham, just
off the A287 three miles south
of Farnham. For further information
telephone 01252 795571.
|
| 5th
September 2008 Classic
Vehicles Return en Masse
The many
members and friends of the
Surrey Classic Vehicle Club
will be descending on Tilford
on Sunday September 21st for
they bring their very popular
Classic Vehicle Gathering
to the Rural Life Centre once
again.
The museum
of country life has hosted
this show of everything from
bikes to buses for a number
of years now, and each year
it grows in size and variety.
Last year there were over
350 different exhibits and
already this year there are
over three hundred pre-booked
entries.
Amongst
these are three very special
cars belonging to just one
local exhibitor. They are
a rare 1934 MG K3, a V12 1938
Lagonda le Mans and a 1955
Mercedes Gull Wing which has
just emerged from a three
year factory rebuild in Stuttgart.
Besides
the wheeled conveyances there
will be much else for visitors
to see and do. Of course the
museum's regular displays
of rural artefacts will be
on show plus the Old Kiln
Light Railway will be in steam
for rides around the ten acre
site. Also the very popular
Bisley Birds of Prey will
be returning and you will
have the chance to be photographed
holding the live raptors.
The
Classic Vehicle Gathering
takes place on Sunday 21st
September from 10am to 5pm
at the Rural Life Centre,
an accredited museum of village
life, mid way between Tilford
and Frensham in Reeds Road
off the A287 three miles south
of Farnham. For further information
telephone 01252 795571.
|
31st
August 2008 Donkeys
Return for Another Grand Day
Out
As has
become a tradition now, the
donkeys and their keepers
of the Donkey Breed Society
will be returning to the Rural
Life Centre at Tilford on
Sunday September 14th for
their annual Donkey Day Out.
For many
years the Tilford museum of
country life has hosted this
very special event with the
number of donkeys attending
growing steadily year on year.
That was until last year.
This time last year our part
of the country was virtually
shut down with regard to animal
movements because of the foot
and mouth outbreak. This meant
that comparatively few donkeys
were able to travel to Tilford.
This year
they intend to make up for
missing out on this important
day in their calendar. It
presents a unique local opportunity
for visitors to get to meet
this lovable yet stubborn
creature and learn more about
the animal's history as both
a pet and a "workhorse".
It is hoped that at least
20 will take part in the grand
parade and there will also
be demonstrations of the various
ways in which this beast of
burden has helped mankind
over the centuries.
Museum
visitors will also be able
to meet the animals and their
owners face to face and find
out how they are cared for.
The event is organised by
John and Rosemary Porter of
Follyoak Donkeys in Farnham
and their animals will be
familiar through their appearance
at many local events.
If
you've not been before, Donkey
Day Out is an event not to
be missed. It is at the Rural
Life Centre from 10am to 5pm
on September 14th. The accredited
museum lies mid way between
Tilford and Frensham in Reeds
Road off the A287 three miles
south of Farnham. For more
information telephone
01252 795571. |
| 21st
August 2008 Big
Sounds in the Country
"We're
playing where? In a museum?"
has been the response of numerous
band members when approached
to appear at this year's Weyfest
music festival at the beginning
of September. However for
those in the know or who attended
last year's event this doesn't
seem such a strange venue.
As a local
musical event, Weyfest has
been going for quite a number
of years, moving from pub
to pub on an annual basis.
Last year the organisers decided
to try something different
and took over the Rural Life
Centre at Tilford for the
weekend. The country life
museum had never seen anything
like it before - neither had
most of the audience or performers.
The event
was an immediate success with
around 1,800 people coming
along for the day or camping
for the whole weekend. The
music ranged in date and genre
from the 1920s to the world
music of today. What made
it all so special was the
unique venue in which it was
performed. The Rural Life
Centre stretches across ten
acres of land and buildings
containing many reminders
of how life used to be for
country folk. Often the music
they made was one of the only
reliefs they had from their
hard life on the land.
The Weyfest
musicians echoed this musical
tradition amongst the reminders
of a bygone era and this year
they are set to return, on
September 6th and 7th, bigger
and better than ever. Headlining
on the three stages will be
bands such as Steve Harley
& Cockney Rebel, The Pirates,
The Beat, The Hamsters and
Chas n Dave. They will be
joined by many more, performing
throughout the day and into
the evening, providing something
to suit all musical tastes.
But that
won't be all. Besides having
the all the regular museum
displays to look at, there
will also be special activities
for children, including their
own entertainers, and the
Old Kiln Light Railway will
be in steam. There will be
a lantern parade after dark
around the site for the children
to show the creations they
have been working on during
the day and visits by characters
from BBC TV's Dr Who and the
Star Wars films. Additionally
the Bean Car Club will be
visiting the event on the
Sunday afternoon and their
classic vehicles will be on
show for all to admire.
Probably
the best way to find out more
about Weyfest has to offer
is to visit the website at
www.weyfest.co.uk where you
will also be able to listen
to some of the bands that
are performing. There too
you can book your tickets,
either for a single day or
the whole weekend including
camping. Due to the unique
nature of the site, places
will be limited so it is best
to book early to ensure you're
not disappointed.
Weyfest
2008 takes place on Saturday
and Sunday 6/7th September
from 10am each day at the
Rural Life Centre, an accredited
museum of village life, mid
way between Tilford and Frensham
in Reeds Road off the A287
three miles south of Farnham.
For further information telephone
01252 795571.
|
8th
August 2008 Flying
the Flag for Farnham and Traditional
Childhood Fun
With the
Beijing Olympics in full swing,
it is all too easy to overlook
the fact that London's turn
is barely four years away.
In fact as soon as the Chinese
games are over Britain launches
its 2012 handover celebrations
on August 24th.
The London
organising committee are presenting
all local authorities with
a special flag to mark the
run-up to "our"
games. As part of this celebration
Farnham Town Council is joining
in with the Rural Life Centre,
Tilford's museum of country
life, in hosting a special
event - Sunday Funday.
This special
children's event aims to recreate
the flavour and fun of Sunday
School treats and fetes of
our childhood for a whole
new generation.
Included among the activities
will be fun sports and it
is this element that makes
it an ideal occasion to mark
the start of the London Olympics.
The flag will be raised by
Farnham's 2007 Young Person
of the Year, Evie Ayres-Townshend,
a Tae Kwon-Do black belt,
and the town mayor Gillian
Beel.
Amongst
the sports that all visitors
will be able to take part
in are wheelbarrow, egg and
spoon, dressing-up, obstacle,
blindfold races and juggling.
Joining them will be apple-bobbing,
coconut shy, peg doll making,
toys-for-free, conkers, skittles
and a treasure hunt around
the ten acre museum site.
There will also be a traditional
Sunday School in the chapel
and all families are invited
to bring some lunch or tea
and join in a "Furry
Friends Picnic" perhaps
with children bringing along
their favourite cuddly toys.
Sunday
Funday and the Olympic flag
raising takes place on Sunday
24th August from 10am to 5pm
(with the flag being unfurled
at 3.30pm) at the Rural Life
Centre mid way between Tilford
and Frensham in Reeds Road
off the A287 three miles south
of Farnham. For further information
telephone 01252 795571.
|
| 1st
August 2008 Local
Built Classics
One of
the largest motor dealers
in the Farnham area was E
D Abbott Ltd of Wrecclesham.
Tracing their origins back
to just after the first world
war, they dealt in a wide
range of British made cars
and also hand-built bodies
on Rolls-Royce and other chassis
to special order for local
customers.
During
the 1950s they also identified
a niche market for estate
body conversions to Ford cars.
These Abbott conversions came
into great demand, so much
so that Ford themselves started
to build estate versions of
their saloons. The Abbott
variety, though produced in
large numbers, is now something
of a rarity as are the local
people that helped produce
them.
It is hoped,
though, that the cars and
their makers will have something
of a local reunion soon at
the Rural Life Centre, Tilford's
museum of country life, when
the Ford Mk II Independent
Owners Club holds a rally
there on Sunday August 17th.
The Ford
Mk II, better known to many
by the names of Consul, Zephyr
and Zodiac, was the model
most used in the Abbott conversions.
The vehicles at the museum
will date from around 1956
to 1962 and there should be
at least one of the Wrecclesham
produced vehicles among the
20 or more of the distinctive
classics assembling for the
rally.
The Ford
Mk II Independent Rally takes
place on August 17th from
10am to 5pm at the Rural Life
Centre, an accredited museum,
on Reeds Road, mid way between
Tilford and Frensham, just
off the A287 three miles south
of Farnham. For further information
telephone 01252 795571. |
24th
July 2008 The
Forestry Business that Grew
and Grew
Today the
UPM Tilhill name is known
throughout the country as
a leader in forestry and environmental
landscaping, being involved
in schemes both large and
small. Working for a variety
of clients from government
and local authority to conservation
and community bodies they
manage all aspects of forestry
from planting to harvesting
and everything in between.
What is
not generally realised, however,
is that this £80 million
turnover company grew from
very local roots. In 1947
Archie Aitkins, returning
from war service, bought Tilhill
House at Tilford and 20 acres
of land on which he established
a nursery to grow the trees
he was unable to locate elsewhere.
Soon he was supplying young
trees to plant vast areas
throughout the UK. This necessitated
a move to larger premises
at Greenhills, still in the
village but now with a nursery
expanding to over 200 acres
to become the largest in Europe.
The great
expansion brought with it
the need for many seasonal
and full-time staff. So, many
locals were "called up"
into Tilhill service. They
worked largely as gangs so
built up a camaraderie which
has not diminished over the
years despite the main company
moving away to allow even
more growth and diversification.
Now the
Rural Life Centre, Tilford's
museum of country life, is
to hold an exhibition showing
the growth of this remarkable
company which did so much
to improve the lot of the
forester in moving away from
the hard manual labour represented
by artefacts in the museum's
collection to the new machines
developed by Tilhill. As a
result of this work, Archie
Aitkins received an OBE for
services to forestry in 1975.
Already
much interest has been shown
by former staff of the company
and a reunion is being planned
as a result, sponsored by
the current UPM Tilhill.
For further information about
this please contact the museum.
The Tilhill
Economic Forestry exhibition
opens at the Rural Life Centre
on August 10th and continues
until October 26th. The accredited
museum of village life lies
mid way between Tilford and
Frensham in Reeds Road off
the
A287 three miles south of
Farnham. It is open from 10am
to 5pm each day from Wednesday
to Sunday and on bank holiday
Mondays. For further information
telephone 01252 795571.
|
| 18th
July 2008 Stationary
But Full of Movement
Today the
farmer has a range of vast
and complex machines at his
disposal to help him work
the countryside. Originally,
though, it was human muscle
that provided the motive power
followed by the horse and
then the steam engine.
However the real revolution
for agriculture came about
with the invention of the
internal combustion engine.
This new
technology dramatically changed
the working lot of the farmer
and labourer for ever. All
of a sudden quite a small,
self-contained machine was
able to provide all the power
that was necessary for many
arduous tasks. The stationary
engine had arrived. It could
be mounted on existing machinery
or moved around the farm to
wherever it was needed.
Perhaps
"stationary" is
a misnomer because the power-plants
were quite portable and, when
working, their moving parts
were anything but "stationary".
Today there is a large following
of enthusiasts who collect
these vintage machines and
exhibit them at rallies around
the country. At the beginning
August many of them will be
moving their stationary engines
towards Tilford and the Rural
Life Centre.
There,
at the museum of country life,
they will be demonstrating
just what the engines were
capable of, driving a variety
of bygone machinery, in a
rally organised by the Central
Southern Vintage Agricultural
Club. This annual event last
year attracted around fifty
engines as the ten acre museum
site echoed to their very
distinctive sound, and proved
equally popular with the visiting
public.
The
CSVAC Stationary Engine Rally
takes place on August 2nd
and 3rd from 10am to 5pm at
the Rural Life Centre, an
accredited museum, on Reeds
Road, mid way between Tilford
and Frensham, just off the
A287 three miles south of
Farnham. For further information
telephone 01252 795571.
|
12th
July 2008 What
is Rustic Sunday?
The Rural
Life Centre at Tilford was
opened in 1973 so this year
celebrates
35 years of telling the country
history story to an ever growing
appreciative audience now
totally around 21,000 people
per year.
It does
this through its permanent
exhibitions and an extensive
programme of special events.
The latter are particularly
important because they allow
the visitors to see many items
from the collections in use
in the hands of skilled craftsmen
and women, themselves a rapidly
vanishing breed. This tradition
of "living history"
at the accredited country
life museum goes back to its
very beginnings when Rustic
Sunday was the only event
in the embryo centre's calendar.
Of course
craftspeople have come and
gone in the meantime but the
organisers have managed to
continue the event and this
year's looks set to be one
of the busiest ever with crafts
that haven't been demonstrated
here recently once more reappearing.
Amongst these are basket making,
flint knapping, charcoal burning
and felt making joining the
regular blacksmith, wheelwright,
sheep shearer, cobbler and
coppice workers alongside
many "domestic"
crafts including spinning,
weaving and knitting.
During
the day visitors will also
be able to watch the firing
of a reconstruction Romano-British
pottery kiln, demonstrations
of dog agility or get advice
on tracing their ancestry
with the help of members of
the West Surrey Family History
Society. They will be holding
a mini family history fair
as part of the event. All
of this will take place to
a background of live jazz
and folk music throughout
the day.
The
museum has always found this
event difficult to describe
but "an experience of
rural life" seems to
sum it up admirably. Rustic
Sunday takes place on Sunday
27th July from 10am to 5pm
at the Rural Life Centre mid
way between Tilford and Frensham
in Reeds Road off the A287
three miles south of Farnham.
For further information telephone
01252 795571.
|
Rural Life
Centre: Reeds Road, Tilford, Farnham,
Surrey, GU10 2DL.
Tel: 01252 795571 (Fax. 01252
795571)
More
Information can be found at:
www.rural-life.org.uk
. |
