When Dorothea Pickering established the Fellowship of St Ethelwold she had in mind an 'ashram in the West'. Ashram is an Indian word for a spiritual centre and it actually means 'no effort'. One of the great pathways to an appreciation of the spiritual, that part of ourselves that looks beyond the day to day, even beyond our hopes fears and dreams, is Peace. We can bring peace to the world when we have peace within ourselves. This is what St Ethelwold's House and garden offers all comers. It offers a place of peace, of relaxation, of reflection and harmony. That is why people come and it is a great gift to the people of Abingdon and beyond.
So it is appropriate and wonderful that we have now installed a 'Peace Pole' to mark out commitment to peace in our troubled world. May its prayers and blessings go far beyond the garden walls and over the river to the whole world and the cosmos.
Here are some of the stories of what people are bringing here to St Ethelwold's House and also some news about our need to raise some serious money because part of the old building is in need of repair.

Come and enjoy the Summer at St Ethelwold's House, sit and enjoy the garden, take part in our meditation groups, borrow books from our library.. Come and find yourself a bit of peace.

The Peace Pole

In April we celebrated the installation of a Peace Pole the garden. This was the gift of Abingdon Peace Group, and like other Peace Poles the world over it is an expression of a longing for Peace to Prevail in our world. Gwyneth Lewis, then Mayor of Abingdon, unveiled the Pole and spoke passionately of her intention for Abingdon to become a City (Town) of Sanctuary.

The garden was looking beautiful, and the Pole was placed in the Pink Bed by the river. This was the last creative planting done by our volunteer gardener Simon Love who died in December of last year. As many of you will know, Simon died early this year, a sad loss. He was a member of Abingdon Peace Group, as well as a creative and knowledgeable gardener at St Eth’s, so it seemed very right to place the Pole in this Pink Bed. We think he would be pleased to see it there!

We all enjoyed tea, cake and gentle songs of peace… many thanks to all who made this a happy and meaningful afternoon.

Who's for Tea?

This year has seen many gatherings of creative groups (artists and musicians) caring groups, meditation groups, celebratory groups and more as the beautiful house and garden nourish and inspire our meetings.

We thank all our volunteers who help make this possible; gardeners, bakers, tea makers, meditation leaders, trustees, organisers and helpers of all kinds. Volunteers recently voiced that their spirits lift at events like Teas in the Garden. Good company over the washing up!

Our next Teas in the Garden will be on Tuesday 13th August, 2.30-4pm, a special Vintage Tea Party where we can dress in any outfit (if we want to) and hear some great music from other eras. Do come and enjoy this with us, while supporting our fundraising for an accessible toilet.

Above: the new wheel friendly access across the gravel driveway

Access for All: A toilet for disabled visitors

The Trustees are mindful of the challenges involved in making an old listed building accessible to as many people as possible, including those with mobility issues. The recent project to install a wheel-friendly pathway to the garden has been well received and we certainly see more wheelchair and buggy users smiling rather than grimacing as they make their way down to the lawn. (See picture above of the new path and entrance)

Our wish is now to provide an accessible toilet at the rear of the house to be accessed directly from the garden. This requires an imaginative look at the building to see how such a toilet can be fitted and made to comply with building regulations.

We are currently seeking a building contractor able to manage all aspects of the job, and at the same time we are fundraising for the project. We have already received some generous gifts and offers of money and our tea garden, books and bakes events and Christmas wreath making profits are also being earmarked for the project. Please continue to support these initiatives and contact Sreeja in the office if you wish to donate towards this project or to be involved in Fundraising for it. We hope it can be installed within the next year and we shall be so pleased to have this facility for our visitors to use.

This project is being overseen by Trustee Mary Buxton, and Volunteer Supporter Debbie Dent is creatively and successfully Fundraising for us. Debbie writes:

Fundraising for an accessible toilet might not seem like the most exciting project, but I know from personal experience that this facility is very high on the list of priorities for many people when visiting a new place. Each time I mention the project, I'm met with support and stories about why it is so important that we should be able to provide such a facility. Alongside other generous donations, we have received an exceptional matched funding offer from a private individual. We are doing all we can to ensure we can release its full value by fundraising everywhere and anywhere! We have plans to hold a quiz evening in the garden, there are some more lovely afternoon tea events coming up and we're already planning a Christmas wreath making weekend. Every penny of profit will be added to the pot!
Any help you can offer to see this ambitious and worthwhile project come to fruition would be very much appreciated.

Heritage Day Celebrations : Saturday 14th December

We are planning a great day on Saturday 14th September to celebrate St Etheold's House in the context of the National Heritage Days. The downstairs rooms in the house plus the garden will be open between 10am and 4pm. Richard Clarke, one of our Trustees, will be giving short talks on the history of the house at 11am and 2pm. There is no need to book, but they are popular so do arrive early. We shall be offering tea, coffee and home made cakes in the Hearth, which you can enjoy before touring the downstairs rooms in the house.

In addition we are delighted that Daniel Ma'ani and Markus Reyhani (another of our Trustees) will be presenting a performance at 4pm of their original Words on Music "You Talk too Much". They are two friends who do beautifully amalgamated soundscapes with spoken word poetry. A sonic journey that will touch your soul and ignite your imagination! The project was conceived at St Ethelwold’s during lockdown so we are particularly happy that they will be bringing their show back home after a successful series in Oxford.

The duo will perform in the garden (or the Garden Room if wet) at 4pm on 14th September. Refreshments will be available. Do come along to experience this event.

Repairs and Restorations

For the first time in 60 years we are seeing “inside” St. Ethelwold’s House and now have perhaps the first record of its 1720 construction. That wasn’t what we intended in the Spring when we started some routine work to restore the south gable wall of the Georgian front of our lovely Grade II listed building.

As the contractors removed the ugly 1960’s render, great chunks fell away and revealed what seems to have been covered up following the ravages of wartime and after; rotten timbers and laths. So much so, that we have had to call in a structural engineer, conservationists, and the Vale’s Heritage Officer. Emergency props, pictured, have been erected in the bedrooms and Dorothea’s Room while consultations continue about how to rebuild the timbers and properly re-render the wall.

The photo above shows the supporting 'acro-props' om Dorothea's Room. All his has caused considerable distress to the residents, users and the staff and supporters and Trustees of St Ethelwold’s House. And we would like to apologise for any inconvenience the disruptions have caused. The contractors and their advisors expect to come up with a plan and start the rebuilding soon.

Needless to say, all this work is taking us into uncharted territory, but not into the red, with regards to costs and loss of income. Sreeja Bhaskaran Brown, our House Manager, together with Weekend Managers Boris and Matt, have tried their best to accommodate everyone, as rooms have come into and out of use at short notice. We hope you will bear with us as we strive to get back to normal. This project is overseen by Trustee Richard Clarke, and we have been very glad of support and liason work from Volunteer Simon Franks.

Above: a 1930s photo of the river wall (doesn't the garden look different!)

The River Wall

After clearing vegetation along the river wall last year, we found that the wall is in a poor state of repair. There is a danger it might partially collapse during flooding. After a thorough search, we have found an experienced contractor who recommends that the wall be completely rebuilt in its original style [picture: the river wall ~1930]. This will be a major undertaking, and we will seek out grants and have ideas about fundraising.

The works would be carried out from a barge, to minimise any impacts on the garden. An engineering plan will be put together in due course, so that a Flooding Risk Activity Plan can be submitted to the Environment Agency. The project, we expect, will progress in stages and the main works will be done when we have secured the necessary funding. The existing narrow boat mooring will be dismantled and rebuilt afterwards. Thanks to Trustee Ellie Taylor who will take this project forward.Above: The Sanctuary. A place of quiet and peace

Stillness and meditation

Do come and visit The Sanctuary. There are regular times for stillness and meditation at St Ethelwold's House. Please see our website for details and do think of spending some quiet, reflective and restoring time with us, whether within a group or simply in our garden.

Holidays

Our manager, Sreeja, will be away for a well-earned break for 2 weeks from 12th August. While she is absent the office will be open on a limited basis. The best way to contact us with queries is via email, which will be answered periodically . Thank you for bearing with us.

...and finally

For joyful uplifting moments do click on this link to the Abingdon Blog and look at Alistair’s entry for June 30th. There is a glorious video of Bells and Birdsong in St Eth’s Garden

https://abingdonblog.co.uk/?m=202406

Newsletter: Enjoy the Summer at St Ethelwold's House