CURRENT AND RECENT PROJECTS
Forthcoming Events
October 30: A private view from 6pm to 8pm of the Paston Country exhibition at Griffon Gallery, North Walsham, Norfolk. The exhibition itself lasts until November 20. The specially commissioned book will be on display, as will much of the original artwork and poetry.
On Saturday, October 31 from 10am to 12.30pm there will be free workshops under the title ”It’s My Story” at the Griffon Gallery:
Annette Rolston – printing using the non-toxic intaglio method
Caroline Gilfillan – poetry writing
Lin Pearman – calligraphy
Jo Berry – papermaking
On November 11 and December 2 at The Barn, Dayspring, Paston, there will be more “green printing” workshops with Annette Rolston and Lucy Care. Each session lasts from 10.30 to 3.30 and drinks will be provided. Bring a packed lunch. Places £10 (call Jan at Griffon Area Office, 01692 407509, to book a place).
On December 6 at St Margaret's Church, Paston, from 2pm to 4pm there will be a Music Workshop with Minstrels Gallery at £12 a place - limited to 12 places. Bring an instrument if you have one.
In the evening at 7.30pm celebrate Christmas with one of Norfolk's most famous families – the Pastons. “A Paston Christmas” with Minstrels Gallery will be held at St Margaret's Church. Music, songs and readings to be performed on a wide variety of Medieval and Tudor instruments. Entrance to the concert is £7 – combined workshop and concert £17.
Also on December 6 – Tour of Paston Great Barn with warden Ash Murray from Natural England. Room for a maximum of 20. Time will be given to genuine requests to view the home of eight species of bat, including the Barbastelle. Donations to Paston Heritage Society gratefully received (soup and rolls available).
Specially Protected Place
Over 450 sq km of the Norfolk Coast is nationally protected as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It’s looked after by the Norfolk Coast Partnership which brings together over 20 groups that care for the coast from local parishes to central government, from interest groups to national charities.
The wide range of partners creates understanding of the issues involved in looking after this rare and precious place, and protection for its valued qualities. The area has many facets, from unique wild habitats like saltmarsh to rural farmed landscapes and villages. It is also a much loved and visited holiday destination with a dynamic coastline which changes year by year. The challenge is to balance these facets, working together to ensure a healthy future for the environment and communities of the area.
Norfolk Coast Partnership
The Old Courthouse
Baron’s Close
Fakenham
NR21 8BE
Tel: 01328 850530
Fax: 01328 850546
norfolkcoastaonb
ARTS ALIVE IN CHURCES
As part of the Art Alive in Churches weekend on May 23-25, the Paston Heritage Society, with the help of a grant, scheduled a weekend of exciting events at Paston Church.
On the Saturday re-enactors encouraged people to have a go at papermaking and calligraphy. There was also a print workshop with Annette Rolston and an exhibition including the unique handmade book, The Pastons' Country, and its accompanying prints and poems. A new book by Lucy Care and Jack Earl, Exploring Paston Country, was launched in the evening. The book details walks from St Margaret's Church to Bromholm Ruins, Bacton, and to Mundesley. A film, Paston Country - Pathway Through Time, was also shown. On the Sunday and Monday there were more workshops and poetry walks with poet Lisa D'Onofrio. Paston Church was open from 10.30 am to 5 pm.
On Sunday there was a Service of Holy Communion in the Church at 9.30 am. Also on the Sunday and Monday a Shuttle Bus was provided free from North Walsham, Mundesley and Bacton.
Lucy Care and Jo Berry of the Paston
Heritage Society receiving Phippo
Competition Winners
The winners of the 'Design a Hippo' competition were invited to receive their prizes at Dayspring, Paston on Saturday 28th March. The competition was judged by Norfolk Artists who were involved with the making of 'The Pastons' Country'.
First prize of a £10 book token was awarded to Grace Digby who lives in Cromer and whose Grandmother is a member of the PHS and lives in Paston.
Joint second prizes were awarded to Nemi Walding who lives in Caerphilly, South Wales, Jacob Dickerson and Joshua Hall who live in Paston. Jacob and Joshua were given a medieval style sward and shield each. Unfortunately Nemi, whose Grandmother is a member of the PHS, couldn't receive her prize in person. She is being sent a medieval style quill. Jacob and Grace were able to attend and started to paint 'Phippo' with their designs. Joshua was playing football that morning.
Grace Digby winner of the Design a Hippo
Competition being presented with her prize
by Jo Berry of the Paston Heritage Society
Jacob Dickerson with his sword
and shield and Phippo
Below are two haiku's from the Poetry Walks.
Silk field smooth edge sky
Lark flies low under the wind
Three people watching
Olwen
Sunshine green wheat field
Birdsong, warm calm breeze blowing
Sea lapping on shore
Valerie
THE PASTONS' COUNTRY PROJECT
An Amazing Weekend
The "amazing weekend" forecast for the Paston exhibition turned out to be exactly that, with the sun shining brightly throughout, and medieval characters to be found enjoying the unexpected warmth of the sun in the graveyard, as well as fulfilling such functions as scrivener and paper-maker inside. In the normally cold church the atmosphere was temperate, even for the Latin Compline on the Saturday evening, when fog paid a fleeting visit outside.
The Private View on the Friday evening was a big success, with a fascinating film of the project being followed by a poetry reading, in which InPrint poets Caroline Gilfillan, Lisa D'Onofrio and Tim Lenton took part.
The handmade, leather-bound book had centre stage, with InPrint's Annette Rolston turning the pages and explaining the background (see photo below). Prints and poems from the book were on display. Small facsimiles of the book were very popular at £10 a time, and two copies of the big book were ordered during the weekend.
On the Saturday Annette and Lisa offered a workshop, and bookbinder Judith Ellis from Aylsham demonstrated her skills. There were further poetry readings from the InPrint poets and from the other Paston poets – Dot Cobley, Kay Riggs, Rob Knee and Adrian Ward. Natural England organised a couple of visits to the Great Barn, which is rarely accessible. Visitors to the exhibition were augmented by a large party of ramblers who happened by and who found the whole project fascinating, especially Annette's description of the book's contents.
Horses Brawl in rehearsal,
photo by Tim Lenton
Sunday was dominated by the visit of medieval music interpreters Horses Brawl, who rehearsed during the afternoon and put on a concert of 18 songs in the evening, interspersed by readings from the Paston Letters. One of the pieces, sung by Jennie Cassidy, was from a manuscript found in the church in the 1920s and dating back to the time of the Pastons. It was believed to be the first time it had been heard since that time, and it was beautifully sung by Jennie.
Annette Rolston showing
the book, photo by Tim Lenton.
InPrint were proud to be part of the project, which owed much of its sucess to Annette's determination to master the innovative non-toxic intaglio process and produce excellent prints. Lucy Care, from the Paston Heritage Society, had the vision for the whole thing and worked closely with Annette to bring it to fruition. Part of the exhibition will now go on show at Nottingham, and at the North Norfolk District Council offices in Cromer.
The book itself will be on display in the Millennium Library in Norwich in December, and more exhibitions are lined up for the New Year. The Eastern Daily Press recognised the importance of the project by devoting two full page threes to it – one on the Friday and one on the Monday.
The Pastons' Country Project Handmade Book
(Click the link above to see the exciting new hand-made book created by local artists and writers).
Over the last few months, as part of the Pastons' Country project, writing and printmaking workshops have been exploring the world of the Paston letters and the landscape and buildings of Paston today. Resulting in a wonderful limited edition hand-made book.
Artist and Project Coordinator
Annette Rolston, photo Tim Lenton
For further information please contact:
Paston Heritage Society
01263 833820
or email lucyecare@aol.com,
THE PASTON HERITAGE SOCIETY
Paston Heritage Society was founded in 1993 after the successful Paston Festival of that year. At the Festival we staged a community play, ‘The Inheritance’ by Nick McIvor, especially commissioned for the occasion and involving a cast of 20 adults and almost 100 children from local schools. There were also re-enactors encouraging people to try archery, traditional games and food and a special festival service in the church. Since then the Heritage society has worked persistently and quietly to preserve the heritage of the village and the area.
The Society was formed in response to the realization locally that both the church and barn were in danger of irreparable damage if money could not be found to repair them and that Paston village itself is too small to support such an inheritance from the past by itself.
The Paston family are famous because their letters and other papers have survived, one of only two collections of family letters from the 15th Century. The Paston inheritance once consisted of many large manor houses and stately homes and the letters track how this small family from a remote area of Norfolk managed to gain such wealth and influence in the turbulent period known as the ‘Wars of the Roses’.
They travelled widely and were much concerned in affairs of the time so the letters cover fashion, politics, warfare and marriage and are a great source of information for historians.
However, it is remarkable that so little of their buildings and those associated with them remain. It seemed vital to the members of the society that we act to preserve what little is still there and to bring the letters, which make delightful and interesting reading, to a wider audience – and one firmly connected to the Norfolk roots of the Paston society.
We had some success and were able to run educational projects for schools and the public, hold concerts and run art projects as well as re-enactment and historical research on the site. English Heritage agreed to re-thatch the church and the North Norfolk Historic Buildings Trust bought the barn and began the mammoth task of restoring that. We had plans for opening a visitor’s centre in a wing of the barn to continue our work.
Then an exciting discovery was made and the barn was recognized as a unique site, a habitat for rare bats. This has caused the Heritage society to re-shape plans and to hold only a few open days in recent years as the site of the church without the barn was not suitable for larger events.
However, we have been working closely with English Nature and the North Norfolk Historic buildings trust and are making progress towards achieving our original aims with the new addition of the status of the barn as
We have also been helped recently by the encouragement of the Griffon Area Partnership who launched their new name at the church last year and who take their name from the paston crest.
If you would like to become a member of the society or can offer support in any way, please contact Jack Earl or Lucy Care of the Paston Heritage Society at lucyecare@aol.com, or write for our leaflet and booking forms to Mrs L Care, Dayspring, Mundesley Road, Paston, Norfolk, NR28 9TE.