24 members were present. Apologies were received from Geoff. Smith and Alan Clark.
The speaker for the meeting was Margaret Cooper who talked about the historical background of Bramcote.
It was a Saxon village, mentioned in the Doomsday Book as having 4 lords in charge. The first chapel was built in 1246. Notable inhabitants through the ages were:
- William Peveril, who built the Castle,
- Henry Handley who built the Manor House,
- John Sherwin Gregory, who built Bramcote Park House,
- Frederic Chatfield Smith the banker, who built Bramcote Hall,
- Henry Enfield, a lawyer, who built the Grange, now incorporated in St. John's College,
- Laurence Hall, a starch manufacturer, who built Bramcote Grove.
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In the l7th Century the population was 80. In the 18th and 19th it was employed in farming, frame knitting and lace making. Coal was transported along Sandy Lane and Moor Lane.
A cheque for £50 from the Bramcote Hills Community Association was handed to the Treasurer. With the £200 from the Millennium Committee and £50 from our funds we now have enough to buy a brush cutter.
Participation in this year's Stapleford Carnival was discussed. Laurence argued that in 2000 we had taken part in order to generate funds and to publicize the Friends, but it taken a lot of effort and Stapleford people were unlikely to visit the Ridge. Members agreed not to participate.
John proposed that the Bird Box group should meet in the summer to build 3 more boxes. The current ones were still on site and birds were showing interest.
Sheila and others reported that garden rubbish was still being dumped on the Ridge. It was agreed that Walter should contact Tim Crawford with a view to writing a joint letter to owners of houses bordering the Ridge, describing the aim and work of the Friends and asking for cooperation not to dump rubbish.
Geoff reminded the group that the next work day was Sunday 8th April.
The Friends are always looking for extra pairs of hands to help out or to simply support their work, so...
- to find out when the next work session will take place, click here, or
- to find out about becoming a member please contact us here, or
- to discover what goes into managing the sites click here.
