November 2011 Bulletin - Biggleswade Rugby Club

22 BIGGLESWADE BULLETIN NOVEMBER 2011 TEL: 01234 843905 EDITORIAL: editorial@biggleswadebulletin.co.ukAnnouncements1. Times are hard for all of usand community organisations arefinding it especially difficult tokeep their services going.Biggleswade & District unitedServices Association, the registeredcharity responsible forMillennium House, is strugglingto maintain the building and hassigned up to the Nat WestCommunity Force project,whereby funds will be allocatedto the three organisations thatsecure the most votes. voting isonline and is open now, so weurge all friends and memberswho are able to vote electronicallyto cast a vote for BDuSA assoon as possible. our Society’sfuture in Millennium House istied up with BDuSA’s future, soplease give them (and us) yoursupport. Go to www.bdusa.org.uk and click on the arrow tovote. You will then need to registerwith Community Force sothat you can log in and vote. Itmay take a few minutes, but dopersevere. Thank you.2. Congratulations to membersRay Miller and Lee Irvineon the launch of their new book,the ‘veteran – Cycle ClubMarque Album No. 2 – IvEL’.At last here is a substantial bookthat focuses entirely on theextraordinary Dan Albone andthe machines that were designedand built at his Ivel Cycle Worksin Biggleswade. Aimed primarilyat cycling enthusiasts andthose interested in the historyand development of cycling andbicycles, this book must also beof great interest to Biggleswadepeople, who are justifiably proudof Dan and his achievements.The A5 paperback book is pricedat £10 + £2 p&p and is availablefrom the Club Sales officer: BibiBugg, Antonine Lodge, 71Rectory Lane, Breadsall,Derbyshire, DE21 5LL (chequespayable to the veteran-CycleClub) or by email: bibibugg@uk2.net (PayPal payments tobibibugg@uk2.net). InDecember a second, larger versionof Ray and Lee’s book willmake its appearance. The A4 format433-page hard backed bookwill cost £25 and will be a comprehensivebiography, coveringnot only the Ivel Cycles but alsothe Ivel Motor Car, MotorBiggleswade History SocietyBicycle and Agricultural Motor(tractor). It will also reproduceall of Dan’s available cataloguesand patents, including for thetractor. We will let you knowhow to order this book as soon aswe have details.3. A date for your Januarydiary. our first meeting of theNew Year 2012 will be on 10January 2012. We have planned aspecial event for that eveningand hope that as many membersand non-members as possiblewill come along to see The DanAlbone Archive for Biggleswadeon display to the public. We havebooked the function room at theConservative Club for theevening and the bar will be available.Special guests have alsobeen invited to attend. Furtherdetails next month.4. Biggleswade Common.The Society has recently submitteda formal application toEnglish Heritage for ScheduledMonument status forBiggleswade Common. Thereare known sites of archaeologicalimportance on the Common andwe feel there could be furtherpotential. The protection of ourancient Common is therefore apriority. English Heritage onlyprocess about ten such applicationseach year, so it could takesome time. If you want to knowwhy Biggleswade Common is soimportant be sure to come andhear our February speaker.5. Why Barn Field Close?our President Ken Page writes:“Some readers may have wonderedwhy the redevelopment of23-31, London Road is namedBarn Field Close. The name BarnField appears on the 1838 TitheAward map but it seems to havebeen short lived, as the old nameof Boddington Piece is shown onlater deeds for many propertiesin the three roads. JohnBoddington was a wealthyBiggleswade merchant living ina house with five hearths in 1671and was almost certainly theoriginal owner of 14 acres ofagricultural land in the trianglebetween London Road, DroveRoad and The Baulk; describedas Boddington Piece in 1764.The name lives on with privatehouses: 29 and 31, London Roadwere Boddington villas and theoriginal 51, was BoddingtonHouse; Hayes had BoddingtonWorks in Drove Road and 54-66,The Baulk is BoddingtonTerrace. Therefore, the newdevelopment is distinctively,Barn Field Close.”6. Don’t miss Ken’s nextslideshow at the ConservativeClub on Wednesday, 9November, at 8.00pm. The subjectis Stratton Street & LondonRoad. In fact, this will be the lastof seventeen!Accessions.Many thanks for the followingitems:1. From Des Ball – a folder ofmaterial, including photographsand correspondence, relating to ashort-lived Biggleswade towntwinning in the 1950s with thetown of Brunoy near Paris.2. From Joanne Surman – aframed 1987 limited edition mapof Biggleswade town, showinglocal businesses.3. Purchased by the Society –pre-war b&w postcard aerialview of The Baulk/London Roadarea.4. Several items from TimHaddow - Chessum’s Dairycardboard milk bottle top; 1960sBiggleswade to Sandy railwayThe Biggleswade History Society meets monthly at MillenniumHouse, Shortmead Street, Biggleswade. Doors open at 7.45pm for an8.00pm start on the first Tuesday of the month unless notified.Meetings are free to members; visitors will usually be welcome toour indoor meetings at a charge of £2.00 per meeting.ticket; circa 1960s/70s businesscard for The Plough,Biggleswade; late victorian studiophoto by Micklethwaite ofShortmead Street, Biggleswade(printed on the back); b&w photoof a Biggleswade uDC motor‘dust cart’; 1955 printed order ofService of Thanksgiving and Rededicationof St Andrew’sChurch, Biggleswade, after thefire; 1920s and 30s picture postcardsaddressed to the unityCycling Club, the Sun Hotel,Biggleswade.5. From Mrs Jean Carrick(formerly of Dells Lane), viaMargot Alston, a Stratton HouseBowls Club embroidered blazerbadge and cards given to MrsCarrick by Ted Woods.Last Meeting:4 october There was a fullhouse for Eric Lund’s second,highly informative talk on Maps& Mapping. Eric explained howwe have progressed from carvingon stone, through drawing andpainting on parchment, printingon paper and cloth fromengraved copper plates, then lithographicprinting, through tosatellite mapping and the electronicand digital age. Moderntechnological advances have notmade maps obsolete but haveserved to improve them.uniformity in the measurementof distances was onlyachieved relatively recently.Robert Mordern’s 1695 map ofBedfordshire shows short, middleand long miles, despite aParliamentary Act of 1593 whichhad established the statute mileof 1,760 yards as we know ittoday. The Scottish mile, abolishedin 1824, was slightlylonger than the English mile,whilst the Irish mile was longerstill! When the ordnance Surveycommenced their survey ofIreland in 1824 they used theEnglish statute mile but the IrishPost office continued using Irishmiles until 1856! Advances werealso made in the accuracy of surveying.When a new map ofFrance was produced in the 17thcentury based on the new triangulationmethod of surveying,France was shown to be smallerthan depicted on earlier maps.The French King Louis XIvcomplained that he had lost moreForthcoming Programme (2011-12)6 December Members’ only. Christmas Party at the ConservativeClub.10 January Dan Albone Archive for Biggleswade on publicdisplay at the Conservative Club. No need to book.7 February ‘The Archaeology & History of BiggleswadeCommon’ – A talk by David Mcomish.6 March ‘The victorian Way of Death’ – A talk by Tom Doig. Continued on next pageFor further information contact: Jane Croot 01767 650340, editor@biggleswadehistory.org.uk www.biggleswadehistory.org.uk