Our Autumn Talk 2019
Our programme of events is now finished for 2019. We are currently working on our events for 2020.Our final event of 2019 was the Autumn Talk at Wells Museum on 1 November.
Before the talk, our Chairman, Dr Axel Palmer presents William Constantine with a lifetime achievement award for his contribution to Ride+Stride. William raised over £6,000 cycling for Ride+Stride over many years.
A busy evening for our chairman, now seen here presenting Dr Tim Connor, our guest speaker with a copy of Hugh Playfair's book "Jewels of Somerset". Dr Connor gave us a fascinating and also most amusing insight into the church tombs and monuments of Somerset.
Notes from William's Travels
The first in an occasional series
William Newsom one of our trustees is on a mission to visit every church in Somerset. He is reporting back when he comes across anything unusual. There is always something new to discover in churches and William's first unusual find are mass dials. Sometimes known as scratch dials, these date from the time before clocks, and were a means of knowing when the next mass was to be said. Effectively simple sundials, they are to be found scratched on the south facing wall of a church and are circular, usually about a foot wide, with a hole in the middle into which was fixed a wooden peg projecting out at right angles and various lines radiating out from the centre. As the sun traversed the sky the peg cast a shadow indicating the time at which services were held. Many churches in Somerset dating from the 15th century and earlier have them. The church of Holy Trinity, Newton St Loe has two alongside the south porch.
The church of St Bartholomew’s, Ubly has one in the north porch which is in the wrong place as it was moved from the south wall when a major restoration was carried out in the 19th century.
