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  • Home
  • About U3A
  • INTEREST GROUPS
    • Art Group
    • AHA
    • Beginners Bridge Group
    • Floral Art
    • French Conversation
    • Genealogy Group
    • History Group
    • Mah Jong
    • MOTO Group
    • Petanque
    • Photography Group
    • Poetry Group
    • Questers Group
    • Reading Group 1
    • Reading Group 2
    • Skittles Group
    • Walkers Group
  • Group News
  • Programme
    • Calendar
    • Monthly Meetings
  • Members' Notices
    • National and Regional U3A News
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Questers’ Visit to The American Museum & Gardens

31/5/2022

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On Thursday 31 May 2022, a group of 17 Questers undertook a visit to The American Museum at Claverton Manor just outside Bath. This museum is said to be the only museum of Americana outside of the USA. It was opened to the public in 1961 and its purpose is to bring American history and cultures to the people of United Kingdom and Europe. It focuses on the period from the 14th to the 20th centuries.

Transportation to the site was provided by a minibus hired from Unity in Andover, arranged and ably driven by Robert Kemp. We had a full minibus of Robert plus 16 passengers. We even had a short waiting list of interested members who unfortunately couldn’t be accommodated this time.
 After a warm welcome by the head of Reception, members had a short period to enjoy a cup of tea/coffee at their on-site Café. We then went of a 45-minute guided tour of the gardens adjacent to the manor house. The tour guide, volunteer Rosemary, gave us a most informative narrative of the background to the development of the gardens and an introduction to the many American plants and trees displayed in it. The tour was briefly interrupted by a short rain shower but fortunately we could resume the tour soon afterwards. One small part of the garden incorporates a reduced size replica of the gardens at George Washington’s home Mount Vernon. There are also a number of head-and-shoulder sculptures of famous American persons as well as Sir Winston Churchill located along one of the pathways.

Members were then free to have lunch and start their own tours of the museum in the manor house as well as the special exhibit entitled ‘Dress to Redress’ – Exploring Native American Material Culture. The on-site Garden Café offered a wide variety of snacks, light meals and hot and cold drinks at very reasonable prices. This was well supported and appreciated by our group.

The museum turned out to offer a very wide selection of artefacts and displays covering the development of the United States from its very beginning. There was a very well-illustrated history of the evolution of the country from its very early colonial days. Displays also covered the two primary conflicts during those early years of the War of Independence and the Civil War. The conflicts and sometimes poor treatment of the Native American peoples was also covered with reasonable sensitivity.

There were several rooms in the manor house that have been laid out with authentic period displays using internal panelling brought from genuine American period homes as well as appropriate furniture so that one moves into the actual room environments that reflected various types of housing common to various parts of the States. There was also on display a selection of the museum’s huge collection of American quilts.

The general reaction of most members was that the museum offered a much more varied display of the history of the USA through artifacts and information than had been expected. It was infinitely more than a display of American quilts and stitch craft items as was thought to be its main focus. The visit therefore proved to be highly informative and very enjoyable.

Cecil Rose
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Questers' Walkimg Tour of Salisbury

14/4/2022

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This was another very successful sell-out visit for the Questers Group, who once again enjoyed hearing our Blue Badge Guide David Richards share some of his comprehensive knowledge about the city he so clearly loves.  This new tour was entitled ‘Wizards, Witches and Wiltshire Folklore’ and explored the history of each of these subjects, commencing from the very start of the city construction around 1220, with the cathedral following on a year later utilising stone originating from the old Norman building at Old Sarum.
The Bishops had complete control within the confines of the new city, and it was no surprise to learn that severity of life varied over the years according to which Bishop held office.  There was common belief in the supernatural combined with sorcery and witchcraft which culminated during the 16th and 17th centuries with the hanging of 5 so called witches.  Many lesser sentences were handed out at the same period with up to 3 days in the pillory, which was a far more unpleasant experience than many imagine, and often resulting in broken bones from heavy stoning.  The courts also issued many lashing sentences.  We passed by some of the places where the ‘witches’ lived and the sites of long gone courts.
Because perceived medical wisdom was limited to activities which were painful, ineffective and expensive; local knowledge of herbal remedies became increasingly valuable and if  a person lived long enough, they gained more knowledge of these remedies.  Therefore it is not surprising that the church sometimes felt threatened by these practitioners and did nothing to prevent their persecution.
Some old and often incredible beliefs and wise sayings were explained which gave us some idea of the darker side of medieval life and which forms the basis for some folklore, no doubt still repeated in the more remote areas of the county.   There are many ley lines in the area, and close to the cathedral we passed over one.  To prove it, David produced a couple of dowsing rods and we watched them twitch and converge at the line.  Having watched him, we were given the opportunity of trying a little dowsing for ourselves, and most of us succeeded!  David Rogers was in his usual sparkling form and he provided a most entertaining and informative illustrated walk.  The visit ended with an enjoyable snack at a nearby pub.
Norma Bryan


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Questers' Visit to Bombay Sapphire distillery

31/3/2022

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On the last day of March a small group of Questers met at the Bombay Sapphire distillery at Laverstoke on the site of a mill noted in the Domesday book. We were met by our knowledgeable guide who gave us a brief history of the large site and how many of the old buildings had been adapted for modern use.  For 200 years this complex of brick buildings was owned by the Portals paper making business who produced bank notes for the British Empire and was subsequently sold to De La Rue who ceased production in 2018. 
We were invited to make up our own G & T mix with plenty of ice and take a seat in the comfortable cinema to learn more about the distilling process. .
Dodging the sleet squalls, our guide took us into the glasshouses where some of the herbs and spices used in the distilling process are grown, the remainder coming from selected growers around the world.  
We then had our opportunity of seeing and smelling the 10 "botanicals" with an explanation of how it is the vapour from the botanicals that makes the gin lighter and different from other varieties.  The cost and noise of having a bottling plant at the Laverstoke site means the concentrated spirit is transported by road to Glasgow where the alcohol content is reduced before it is bottled in the distinctive blue rectangular bottles. In 1998 Bombay distillery was acquired by Bacardi and since then the visitor center and other improvements have been made
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Questers' Visit to Southampton

22/10/2021

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On 21st October, ​14 Questers met on a bright late autumn day at the Tudor house in Southampton. Our guide, a knowledgeable historian, led us a fascinating 1.1/2 hour walk around the Old Town. Originating in Roman times and much expanded by the Normans, Southampton became an important gateway for commerce. Most of the produce in medieval England was the export of wool to the continent and its re-import as clothing and the import of wine. 
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We visited two of the existing wine vaults, one under a modern block of flats, our guide pointed out a small exit tunnel at the back of the vaults which was excavated during the 2nd world war as an escape when the vaults were used as air raid shelters. 
The Old Town walls enclosed medieval Southampton and much of the land to the South including West Quay and the docks was reclaimed over the centuries. We learned the history of several more old buildings before ending with a walk around the Tudor house and the 800 year old garden.
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Questers' Boat Trip

27/7/2021

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​22 Questers assembled outside the Town Hall in Hungerford on July 27th.

​Ann Scott gave a brief history of the town before moving up the High Street and finding some hidden steps which led us around the backs of houses to the common. Ann told us that the towns councillors had fought many plans to build on the common over many years. The 220 acres, now run by trustees as a charity,  have changed little over the centuries, the grass is kept in check by a herd of cattle. 
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​Questers dispersed for lunch to several of the town's eateries before boarding The Rose of Hungerford narrowboat for an afternoon 1 1/2 hr restful trip up the Kennet and Avon canal, through the Dunmill lock and return. A commentary from the crew gave us a history of the canal as we glided past canal boat homes, watched the wildlife and partook of the refreshments on board. A very enjoyable day out with the added bonus that we didn't have to pay a parking charge as the barrier machine was not working!

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Questers New Forest Fruit Farm Visit 2021

1/7/2021

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​30 Questers assembled on a balmy July 1st afternoon at the New Forest Fruit Farm near Beaulieu. We were met by the farmer, Sandy Booth, who gave us a very personal and fascinating tour of the vast area of polytunnels on one of his three farms.

Sandy, the son of a farmworker, came to fruit farming with many fresh ideas and is pioneering ever better ways of providing tasty, fresh produce. The first tunnel we visited was a new way of growing asparagus making use of coir mulch and thick plastic matting to conserve heat and produce some of the earliest asparagus in UK.   
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We moved on to tunnels described “as a bit of fun” where Sandy was experimenting growing red and white grape varieties that could harvest 2 or 3 years earlier than conventional vineyards. 
The strawberry plants here were only a few weeks old, Sandy explained how he could tell the size of the crop from the emerging flowers.
Finally to the ripening strawberries where we sampled different varieties and noted the names so we could identify them in Sainsburys, Waitrose and Aldi.     
There is an Automatic tilting system that makes harvesting easier and allows the pickers to use 2 hands 
An enjoyable and fascinating visit and well worth the 2+ miles walked. We thanked Sandy for his time and he thanked us for coming with a large punnet of fresh strawberries for each of us.

Some facts about the farm
Both bumble and honey bees are introduced to the tunnels at the appropriate times to assist pollination.
All the plants are grown in containers off the ground and fed with nutrients from the extensive irrigation system. Sandy is experimenting harvesting the strawberries using a robot. He is also working to produce a snack product to make use of the small fruits not suitable for the supermarkets.


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