Noble, Peter (29th. September 1939 – 23rd May 2023)

Peter was born and raised in Tooting, South London and had a long and successful career as a bank manager before moving to Hadlow Down after taking early retirement, later moving to Buxted.
Along with others residing in the village he was a founder member of the Sussex Egyptology Society being a keen Egyptologist he visited Egypt on archaeological trips fourteen times. Continue reading “Noble, Peter (29th. September 1939 – 23rd May 2023)”

Peter Noble 29th. Sept 1939 – 23rd. May 2023

It is with sadness we have to report the passing of Peter Noble.
Peter who was suffering from Parkinson’s Disease died peacefully in Horsham on Tuesday 23rd. May after his health had deteriorated.
He will be remembered fondly as a long time member of the Horticultural Society being a committee member and treasurer and in later years joined the TN22 Club.
His funeral is taking place on 16th June, at Wealden Crematorium, Horam, at 12 o’clock.

Hadlow Down Book Club Review

 

Lancaster author Carys Davies photographed by Jonathan Bean

West  (2018)

‘The dizzying weight of the earth and everything in it and beyond it’

In contrast to our last read, the long novel Middlesex, this month we read the novella West, the first novel by an award winning short story  writer and poet, Carys Davies. Although slim, the book deals with big, some say, mythic themes., exploring our relationship with the environment. Continue reading “Hadlow Down Book Club Review”

Horticultural Society Visit

On behalf of the Hadlow Down Horticultural Society:
Horticultural Society Reminder
May be an image of the Cotswolds and Eltz Castle
On Thursday June 15th we are visiting Sissinghurst., meeting for coffee in the Granary restaurant at 10.15. Why not come and join us and enjoy the profusion of roses, the leg
endary white garden and, above all, the wonderful Mediterranean inspired Delos garden. Tickets are £16 unless you are a National Trust member.
Contact Heather or one of the committee members if you need a lift.

Hadlow Down Book Club Reviews

Firefly Henry Porter 2018.

Firefly is a political spy thriller, set in the world of refugees fleeing from Syria and ISIS. Naji is a brilliant thirteen-year-old who escapes from a refugee camp in Greece and makes his way across Europe with information vital to ISIS. He is pursued by a ruthless ISIS gang but also by a British agent, working for MI5 who want the same information.
The flight is beset by dangers which Naji uses his wits to evade. He encounters cruelty and suffering but also kindness and generosity, often from those who have little to give.
Henry Porter is a journalist. His novel is well-researched and shows his first-hand knowledge of the subject. He brings conditions in the refugee camp vividly to life as well as the dangers and suffering involved by those fleeing and the bureaucratic difficulties they face.
The novel is certainly a good page-turner but it is also a thought provoking book, very relevant at the moment –‘ a glimpse with a terrifying and random world in which there are few happy endings.’ (Guardian)

 

Middlesex, by Jeffrey Eugenides (2002)

Our next novel was a complete contrast – a family saga covering three generations of a Greek family, who flee from a tiny village in Asia Minor to prohibition-era Detroit, escaping from the Turks’ brutal invasion of Smyrna.
The novel tells the story of its narrator, Calliope Stephanides who has an intersex condition known as 5-alpha reduction deficiency so that she is born a girl but is realized to be biologically male at puberty and becomes ‘Cal’. This syndrome results from a recessive genetic mutation occurring only among inbred populations and the novel uncovers the family secret that caused it.
As an omniscient narrator Cal tells the story of past generations and then her own life, spanning nearly eight decades. Partly based on Eugenides’ own family history we learn of the experiences of Graeco-Americans in turbulent times in the United States – prohibition, race riots, Malcolm X and the Islamic movement.
When he becomes a boy, Cal moves away to San Francisco, and after mishaps along the road and sleeping rough, finds work in a peep show that displays people with ambiguous gender. Eventually he returns home for his Father’s funeral where his Grandmother confesses to the incestuous relationship that led to the gene that was passed to Cal and Cal determines to live a good life, eventually moving to Berlin where he  starts a relationship with a woman
This is a dense novel which took the author 9 years to complete.  However, he writes with a light touch and the novel is both funny and poignant with a touch of magic realism. Although some of the group felt there was too much detail, the majority of us enjoyed it and felt we had learnt a lot.

Next book ‘West’ by Carys Davies

The Village Volunteer Directory

The Big Help Out event to celebrate the Coronation has now gone but volunteers are still needed nationally and locally. The Hadlow Down Facebook Group and the Hadlow Down Village Web Site will continue to support all those clubs, societies, groups etc. who would welcome volunteers by maintaining a permanent file in the Village Web Site:
Village Volunteer Directory
and the Facebook Group Page that can be accessed at any time by just clicking on
 ‘Files’ in the page menu that can be found under the header picture. and clicking on Village Volunteer Directory.
Continue reading “The Village Volunteer Directory”

Elsie Marie Henderson.

The Hadlow Down Trust have been approached by an art collector and historian from Guernsey regarding the short biography we have put on the village web site of Elsie Marie Henderson.
We would like to collaborate with the gentleman who has been doing some research into the Stations of the Cross in St. Mark’s Church and the later years of Henderson’s life and death in Hadlow Down and subsequent burial in St. Mark’s in 1967.
It is believed she may still have some relatives in the village and there may also be others still here who remember her.
Any information will be helpful to our contact and the Trust who could possibly collaborate in mounting a small exhibition of her life and work in the village at some time in the future.
Please email ECWestfield@aol.com
Please read the biography on the village web site to avoid duplication of information.

Hadlow Down Drama & Variety Club Meeting

From the chair of HDD&VC:
I am delighted to be able to give you more exciting information about our next HDD&VC meeting on the 15th. May, which is at 7.30pm in the Village Hall.
We will be showing the wonderful film ‘The History Boys’ (rated 18). The History Boys is a 2006 British comedy-drama film adapted by Alan Bennet from his play of the same name  which won the 2005 Olivier Award for Best New Play and the 2006 Tony Award for Best Play.
A select number of boys, who managed to achieve grades which merit an application to Oxford or Cambridge in their A-Levels, experience a term of revelation at their grammar school as they are tutored for the “most important exam of their lives” in history.
On the evening we will be serving Wine and Cheese for you to enjoy whilst watching the film. There will be one glass of wine for everyone to enjoy, free of charge, and a selection of cheeses to go with it.
We want to make sure we cater for everyone so please let us know if you intend to come by emailing ellis.boswell@btinternet.com or ringing 07506889724. Do feel free to bring friends and family.
We are looking forward to seeing you all in May.
All the best,
Claire

Sad News of the Passing of Ken Hansell

Walter Robert Kenneth Hansell
It is with great sadness that we learn of the passing Ken Hansell peacefully passed away on 17th March 2023 at the age of 89.
For over 20 years Ken was a resident of Hadlow Down. He helped coach St Marks School Football team and was a long time member and captain of the Hadlow Down Short Mat Bowls Club.  He loved a weekly trip to the TN22 Club at the Village Hall and learning new skills at the Village Computer Club held in the school.
He was a much loved man and will be missed so dearly.
His funeral is on Tuesday 25th April at Wealden Crematorium.
The hearse will be stopping outside the The New Inn Pub at approximately 1pm for 10 minutes so we can all pay our respects to him.