New cards for 2023 by local artists
All cards in packs of 10 for £4.50 with Happy Christmas inside.
But from the back of the Abbey or contact Steph Forman for large quantities steph@forman.org.uk
Author Archive: dorchadmin
Dorchester Abbey Museum News
Museum opening
The museum is open on Saturday 28 October, 2-5 pm
Christmas shopping
- Saturday 2 December 10am-5pm,
- Sunday 3 December 2pm-5pm,
- Tuesday 5 December 10am-12.30pm
Alyce Chaucer – the story continues
Alyce Chaucer was Geoffrey Chaucer’s granddaughter and became Duchess of Suffolk. She lived in Ewelme for many years and is buried in a fine alabaster tomb in St Mary’s Church, Ewelme.
If you have read Christina Hardyment’s novel about Alyce, The Serpent of Division, you’ll want to know that Volume 2 of the series, entitled The Book of the Duchess, will be published on October 22, and will be available in the museum shop and from Linda Hender (lindakhender@gmail.com)
School Newsletter : October 2023
We have enjoyed a really positive start to our school year here.
All our children are working hard and learning lots. As we move towards Christmas we have lots of exciting things planned such as a visit to the panto and lots of Christmas singing.
We are really looking forward to supporting the HfT’s Christmas celebration in the Abbey where we will be singing.
Our forest school provision continues to be funded by the Hurst Water Meadow Trust. Our children really value the opportunity to learn outdoors; getting muddy and having lots of fun with our specialised forest school teacher.
The lovely folk at Wallingford Book Shop are curating a wish list for our school. If you would like to purchase a book from our list as a donation we would be very grateful and the shop will give a discount. Just pop in and tell them you would like to buy a book from our list and they will show you what’s available. Many thanks. This is in addition to our Amazon list that can be found here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/3EAI7Q6N5EB2E?ref_=wl_share
If you would like to come and see what we can offer your child, have a tour and meet the staff and governors then please come to our open morning on Thursday 9th November. There is no need to book: just turn up any time between 9.30am and 11.30am.
We would love to see you.
We run a breakfast club and an after-school club in addition to extra-curricular clubs such as a stories club, a science club, board games and hockey.
You can find out more from our website here: https://www.st-birinus-pri.oxon.sch.uk/
Jo Staples
Headteacher
Dorchester 2030 & beyond : Survey now open
Don’t miss your chance to have a say on the priorities for our community in the years ahead.
The survey is now open for anyone and everyone in Dorchester to complete.
Surveys are available in various ways:
- https://www.dorchesteronthames-pc.gov.uk/survey
- parishclerk@dorchesteronthames-pc.gov.uk
- Pick one up from the Co-op
- Scan the QR code with your smartphone camera
Deadling for your response: 31st October 2023
Dorchester Abbey Museum News : September 2023
Exciting new acquisition
The museum has just acquired a silver bodkin, found in a field in Dorchester in 2019 by a detectorist, passed to the Portable Antiquities Scheme, and then assessed at the British Museum. The bodkin is thought to be possibly from the period 1500-1700, weighs 10.83g and measures 70mmx30mm, and has the inscription SW on one side and a maker’s mark ‘D S’ within a flower on the other, a five-pointed star above and a pellet below. We can only speculate about its possible owner, and how it came to be in the middle of a field! It will be on display in the museum before the winter closure.
Database progress
We now have MODES software, a widely used system for museum collections management. The MODES database update and editing is progressing well, thanks to Candy Madeley’s excellent work in training us to use the system. A collection of old postcards of Dorchester which belonged to the late Muriel (Jane) Hill, and kindly donated by her daughter Paula Elias, has been documented on the database by Megan Parry and Denise Line, each with a description and photograph. We plan to keep adding new items as well as editing the older records on the database.
Museum opening
The museum officially closes on Sunday October 1, but will open on Saturdays in October, 2-5 pm, including the half-term weekend. Closed in November except for tours.
Christmas shopping weekend: Saturday and Sunday December 2 and 3, 2-5pm, as well as the following Tuesday morning, December 5,10am-12.30pm
Alyce Chaucer – the story continues
Alyce Chaucer was Geoffrey Chaucer’s granddaughter and later became Duchess of Suffolk. She lived in Ewelme for many years and is buried in a fine alabaster tomb in St Mary’s Church, Ewelme.
If you have read Christina Hardyment’s novel about Alyce, The Serpent of Division, you’ll want to know that Volume 2 of the series, entitled The Book of the Duchess, will be published on October 22, and will be available in the museum shop and from Linda Hender (linda.hender@gmail.com)
.