Upchurch Parish Council Report - August 2013

The Parish Council met on Thursday 4^th July in the main hall of Holywell Primary School where 7 Councillors were present and 3 members of the public.

Public Time – Tree outside 21 Oak Lane – A resident asked if there was any update on this. A member of the Council will visit the resident living at this property. Paddock Project – A resident asked if the suggestion to install a lay-by on the corner of The Paddock would be followed up. It was explained that the Council do not own the land; it is leased from the Diocese. Many years ago the Council consulted the Diocese with this suggestion and it was met with a lot of resistance, delaying the renewal of the lease. Fly tipping – A resident thanked the Council for their assistance in putting pressure on Swale BC to clear dumped rubbish by the bottle banks in Oak Lane. However, he reported that more rubbish had accumulated that day. He suggested that the Council request that the bins are removed. Youths riding a motorcycle around village – A resident reported that youths were riding around the village, with motorcycles that had no number plate, and with a mask covering their faces. He had reported this to the Police and was surprised to discover that no other residents had reported it. Members noted his concerns and would follow this up with PCSO Cork. Borough Councillor Member Grant – Cllr Lewin reported that he had an allocation of between £2,000 and £2,500 to distribute to worthy causes. He requested that residents/village groups or organisations write to him with their request and he would give this due consideration.

Correspondence – School Parking for Sports Day – It was reported that following this event, a number of emails were received, complaining about parking during the day whilst it was being held. A letter was sent to the School Governors and Head Teacher raising two issues. Firstly, parking issues with the day to day running of the school and secondly, when other events are being held i.e. how long will the event take? The Head of School Governors replied to explain that they discussed opening up the school playground for parking but had been advised that the surface was not suitable for this use. It was felt that the school should have a plan in place before the event rather than once it had arrived. It was commented that the school fete was being advertised in the local newspaper where “Mister Maker” would be opening the fete. It was agreed that the Clerk raise this issue with Kent Police and Highways. Community Governance Review – This consultation will be taking place during July and August and will be an opportunity for residents to comment on whether they wish to keep a Parish Council in Upchurch. Please look out for further details. 

Planning - The following applications were considered:

 SW/13/0517 The Oast, Chaffes Lane – Lawful Development Certificate for the occupation of dwelling house without compliance with agricultural occupancy condition (existing) – No objections.

SW/13/0440 51 Chaffes Lane – Demolition of existing garage and re-construction of new extended brick built garage with pitched roof. Plus extension to existing kitchen at rear – No objections.

 SW/13/0706 Orchard View, Otterham Quay Lane – Variation of condition (i) of planning permission SW/96/0329 to allow any gypsy family to live at the site – Members requested additional information.

Other planning matters –Four Gun Field – Cllr Lewin reported that outline planning permission had been granted on this site and were waiting on a detailed planning application. In the meantime, Swale BC Environmental Officer is monitoring the site whilst work is taking place to level the land for housing. They have asked them to screen the site to avoid dust blowing everywhere. We have been advised that Swale BC is well aware of and monitoring initial ground levelling work that is happening now.

Finance –  Kent County Council’s Members Grants Scheme 2013/14 – Cllr Tucker reported that she had attended a meeting with Cllr Mike Baldock and other parishes to discuss Highways grants. A grant for resurfacing the Recreation Ground and installing bollards was considered. It was hoped that the Council would receive 50% grant funding for the total cost of these projects. Also, details of the leak on Windmill Hill had been forwarded. Another meeting has been scheduled for September where community grants would be discussed. 

Allotments and Recreation Ground – Polytunnel – It was reported that a request from an allotment holder to put up a 4 hooped only poly tunnel had been accepted. Bollards – It was agreed to install nine bollards on the far boundary of the Recreation Ground Car Park, subject to the following conditions: Firstly, grant approval from KCC Member Grants Scheme 2013/14. Secondly, if there were no significant objections from the Scout & Guide groups. Allotment Representative – It was reported that Cllr Apps had asked to stand down as Allotment Representative. Cllr Tucker had offered to take on this responsibility for the remaining year only.

Paddock – Public Drop In held on the evening of 27^th June in Village Hall – Paddock Project – A copy of the comments/suggestions made by residents had been circulated. Members were pleased to see many residents attend where they found out about the plans to open up the Paddock as a “Village Green”. Most people agreed that it would be nice to have a new play area and some ideas seemed more feasible than others. Members of the sub-group were planning to meet with Helen Blanche of Swale BC, to discuss ideas for designing new play areas. An estimate for the tree work required under the plans had also been obtained from Lindsay & Co Tree Surgeon. It was commented that the Council should be looking at submitting a planning application for the tree work as soon as possible. 

Burial Ground and Churchyard – Meeting with St Marys PCC Churchwardens – Notes from a meeting held on 19^th June had been circulated. Cllr Rossiter pointed out the list of proposals/questions and hoped to obtain some answers at a follow up meeting. Future capacity of Burial Ground – It was agreed to hold this follow up meeting on 18^th July at 2pm. The Clerk will contact the PCC Churchwardens to see if this is convenient to them and also if the meeting could be held in St Marys Church.

Environment – Co-Op garden – Cllr Steward reported that he had spoken to the Co-Op manager about the poor state of the garden. Shortly after, the grass was cut but the garden was still in a poor condition. The Clerk will contact Head Office and include details of local contractors. Dog bin – It was reported that Swale BC would empty additional dog bins at a cost of £112 per bin per year. The Clerk had asked if any discount would be offered to the Council if they had more than one bin installed. It was agreed to install at least three bins should Swale BC offer a discount. 

Highways - Public Drop In – Speeding and Parking – A copy on the ideas/suggestions for traffic calming had been circulated. Cllr Steward reported that he was waiting to hear from the Police to arrange the safety awareness training session for Speed watch. It was also hoped to arrange a meeting with Highways to follow up resident’s ideas for traffic calming. 

Next meetings – 5^th September and 3^rd October. Please note that no meeting is held in August.

Please be advised that monthly meetings are held in the hall of Holywell School, starting at 7:30pm where the public may speak during the first half an hour only.

Claire Attaway

Parish Clerk
33 Church Farm Road, Upchurch.

Tel: 01634 363906 (Mon-Thurs 9am – 12pm)

Email:  clerk@upchurchpc.kentparishes.gov.uk

Website:  www.upchurchpc.kentparishes.gov.uk

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Front Room Singers and Back Room Boys - Upchurch Festival of Music

The last concert of this years Upchurch Festival of Music takes place this Saturday the 13th of July at 8:00pm in St. Mary's Church.

A new group to our festival, Front Room Singers and Back Room Boys are a very talented choir who have taken part in national choir festivals and appeared on the popular television programme 'Last Choir Standing'.

Please support them by coming along this saturday.

Tickets £5 at the door.

A real bargain for a great evening's entertainment.

Read more about Front Room on their Website:  Here

Patricia New

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Upchurch Parish Council Drop In - Thank You

The Parish Council would like to thank all those residents who were able to support us at the Drop in Session on the 27th June.

Your comments and thoughts on both the proposed Paddock Plans and Speed Awareness Plans were duly noted and much appreciated and are invaluable in reflecting the thoughts of the village on these matters.

Our next step is to contact all those interested in the schemes to arrange a sub-committee for the fund raising needed to move the Paddock Project forward and to arrange training for the Speed Awareness project.

Again - thank you

Claire Attaway

Parish Clerk
33 Church Farm Road, Upchurch

Tel: 01634 363906 (Mon-Thurs 9am – 12pm)

Email:  clerk@upchurchpc.kentparishes.gov.uk

Website:  www.upchurchpc.kentparishes.gov.uk

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Burt Butlers Jazz Pilgrims - Upchurch Festival of Music

Burt Butlers Jazz Pilgrims play Upchurch Village Hall tonight (July the 5th) as part of the Upchurch Festival of Music.

This very popular Trad Jazz group will have your foot stamping for a great evening !

The show starts at 8:00pm. Tickets are £10 on the door.

Bring your own drink and nibbles.

Patricia New

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New Mobile Police Contact Points

Kent Police has recently launched a fleet of mobile police contact points to enhance visibility of, and access to, the police particularly in rural areas.

The fleet of 6 mobile police contact point vehicles will visit 180 locations, mostly small and rural, on a significant and systematic basis. The fleet will be operational from Wednesday through to Sunday. Over 180 locations will receive a regular visit in each two week period. 

The locations will be subject to review but will be spread all across the County. In a sense, this service offers a form of 'engagement infrastructure' which other agencies may wish to work with. The vehicles will be progressively rolled out over the next few months and the full service is expected to be operating by October. 

Full details of the routes and locations can be found on the Kent Police Website: Here

Kent Community Messaging

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Upchurch Church by David Wood

St Mary's Church from Horsham Lane taken between 1886/1895.

The dominant building in the village centre for centuries and known as ‘St Mary the Virgin’, the Church has stood on the hill since 1100 and the community has gradually developed around it. The name Upchurch means ‘Church on the hill.’ The original church was burnt and damaged but rebuilt around 1300 while the tower and sanctuary arches were constructed in 1150.

The church tower is made of flint splints with an unusual shaped octagonal spire known as a ‘candle snuffer’. The tower is believed to have been used as a navigation marker by boats sailing up the river Medway. Only several other churches in Kent have similar towers and these are not close to a river which means that the tower of Upchurch church may not have been designed as a navigation point for passing vessels on the Medway but rather chosen by the crews of the vessels. The church tower also contains a hermit’s cell which dates from medieval times and six bells, two of which originate from the reign of Charles I.

In 1187 the church was presented to the Abbey of St Mary L’Isle Dieu in Normandy until Richard II seized it as a prize of war. It remained in the king’s hands until 1417 then it was transferred to Joan of Navarre, widow of Henry IV. In 1439 Henry VI gave Upchurch church to All Souls College, Oxford as a memorial for the dead in the 100 Years War. It remained in their possession until 1921. After this it was transferred to the Diocese of Canterbury.

St Mary’s is large compared with other English country churches. The interior has a high nave with huge oak beams and pillars that have supported the roof since the 13th century. The walls were once covered in paintings about the lives of the saints but these were whitewashed over with the coming of the Reformation in the 16th century. Reverend Trew commented in his personal handwritten history of the church in 1911 that a fresco representing the murder of St Thomas A’ Beckett once adorned the wall in the south east corner of the Lady Chapel and that paintings of two knights jousting and a portrait of a bishop existed on other walls.

David Wood.

In 1839 a painting was discovered on the south aisle wall of the nave which shows scenes from the life of Saint Spiridion, the Bishop of Trimithus in fourth century Cyprus. Several scenes show incidents from the life of the saint against the backdrop of a church with a bishop at the altar and a deacon at a lectern. The odd thing about the painting is how the story of a saint in such a far off place should end up being depicted in a Kent country church during the 13th century. The most likely theory is that the story was brought back to England from the crusades and then made into a painting on the church wall but the exact reason is unknown. The painting was uncovered in 1946 when the walls were being stripped for re-painting but before being covered over again Reverend Lightburne made a drawing which is held at the Centre for Kentish Studies in Maidstone.

Other decorations include a representation of a hunchback on the encaustic tiles near the vestry door. These are the oldest tiles in the church dating back to the 15th century and are made of red earthenware.

The North Chapel was probably dedicated to St John the Baptist as he appears in the stained glass window found there. Today the organ fills the main area. On the southern wall a board outlining the old Upchurch charities for the poor had existed from the early 19th century until recently but its condition had deteriorated so badly that a new copy was produced and now hangs opposite the church entrance on the north wall.

Several stained glass windows adorn the interior of the church. The old medieval windows have a green tinge but there are several other very colourful and attractive windows with religious themes.

The window above the high altar shows the ‘Communion of the Saints.’ This is a memorial to Reverend John Woodruff and his wife, fitted in 1896. Both Victorian and Medieval glass were used in the making of this. There is also a stained glass window named ‘Soldiers at the Crucifixion’ in the Lady Chapel dedicated to those from Upchurch who died in World War One. The money for this was raised by a group of twenty lady volunteers who made and sold 7,000 pounds of jam at the rectory. Two marble memorial tablets with the names of those who perished during the two world wars exist on the right hand wall of the Lady Chapel.

To the left upon entering the church and near the font is the Millennium Window which depicts Christ’s Nativity, designed by local resident Gwen Ardley and donated by the parish council on behalf of the people of Upchurch to commemorate the Millennium. On the north east wall almost opposite is a window dedicated to former well known and popular Holywell headmaster J. H. Maltravers who played a big part in village and church affairs and who died in 1931.

A crypt exists below the church and is accessed by a staircase below a trap door in the north chancel. This once contained bones and skulls which are thought to have come from a Danish burial site or were the remains from old graves but a definite reason is unknown.

Some well off parishioners left bequests to the church in their wills and have memorials in the church. In 1517 Robert Rider requested in his will that he should be buried in front of the high altar. The area marking his tomb is now covered by a red carpet that runs the whole length of the aisle. Above the crypt is the tomb of the Woodoaks family, former Upchurch landowners. The two marble pillars each side of the chancel are adorned with carved leaves and acorns representing the family, believed to have been early benefactors of the church. Near the entrance of the vestry are several other tombs. One of these is of John Packman and family members. John Packman was an 18th century tenant farmer who was based at Parsonage Farm which later became the vicarage. Others are of Reverend John Woodruff and family members, Daniel Wessex and William Young. A small memorial on the wall behind and to the right of the eagle lectern is in memory of John Peek, an 18th century farmer from Otterham Quay who had a connection with the church.

There are two brass effigies on the north wall that were previously set in a floor slab that is now beneath the church organ. Although the identity of the subjects has not been recorded they are figures from a wealthy mid 14th century family. The only possible known candidates for these figures are Hugh Herland, King Richard II’s master carpenter who designed the roof for the palace of Westminster and his wife Joan. Hugh and Joan Herland were known to have resided in Upchurch during the second half of the 14th century before moving to Kingston in Surrey.

Before the establishment of the Church of England there were many burning lights, a high altar and side altars in Upchurch church, similar to a present day Catholic Church. With the coming of Henry VIII and his break with Rome the church was stripped of its Catholic decorations but under Mary Tudor there was an attempt to reintroduce Catholicism and Archdeacon Harpsfield ordered that the rood loft that had previously stretched across the central aisle should be put up and painted. With the coming of Elizabeth 1 the church returned to the control of the Church of England and the rood loft was removed again, only the stone staircase that once led to it remains today.

In Medieval times most parishioners had to stand or kneel on the floor at church services but if they were infirm or sick they could sit on the stone seating which still exists by the wall. Much later wooden pews were installed and more added during the mid 19th century. Three stone seats can be seen near the high altar and were for the priest, deacon and sub deacon when celebrating High Mass.

The wooden pulpit was originally positioned on the right hand side of the chancel steps and not on the left. It was moved to its present position at the end of the 19th century. The lectern in the form of a golden eagle was presented as a gift to the church by the family of former vicar Reverend Tyrwhitt in 1898 and stands to the right of the pulpit. The Woodruff family donated the alms dish in 1904 and farmer Alfred Hinge donated the high altar in 1947.

The font which dates back to 1846 is a copy of the one in the church of St Mary Magdalene in Oxford. A barrel organ was also placed in the church in 1851. This was later replaced with a pipe organ in 1891 and again in 1905.

Since the 16th century the church has been associated with the Drake family because Edmund Drake, father of famous seaman Sir Francis Drake served as vicar from 1560 to 1567. Edmund Drake is believed to have been buried in the churchyard and his will of December 1566 requests this but a marked grave does not exist. Sir Francis Drake is believed to have spent part of his teenage years in the village before becoming a famous seaman.

The Church of St Mary the Virgin is now a listed building of great historical importance and continues to dominate the central part of the village.

About David:

David Wood was born and raised in Upchurch and is able to write from personal experience about many people and aspects of the village and of changes that have taken place over the years making ‘Memories of Upchurch’ a very readable book and a detailed historical study of the village. David's book ‘Memories of Upchurch’ is available direct from David on:  david3702001@yahoo.co.uk  or from us here at Upchurch Matters.

price £12 + p+p £2.

David Wood

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