Winchelsea

On the first Saturday in the month there is a Church Market in St Thomas’ and this is at the usual time tomorrow from 10.30am to 12pm. Ready to buy are various home-grown and home-made items as well as plants and books. In addition a fresh batch of high quality books is scheduled to be on sale too and might give ideas for Christmas shopping. If you are a regular attendee or visiting this is a good opportunity to enjoy a cup of coffee or tea in a friendly atmosphere.

This weekend don’t forget that the Winchelsea Singers presentation of the comic opera Patience by Gilbert & Sullivan is soon taking place in the New Hall. The first performance is today (Friday) at 2pm and then tomorrow at 7pm. Refreshments will be served on the Friday and there is a bar on Saturday. The tickets are £10 each and can be purchased by ringing 01797 223159 or visiting Winchelsea Post Office.

Sunday services in St Thomas’ Church for November 3rd begin with Holy Communion at 8am which will be led by Revd Dick Dengate. Then at 10.30am there will be a Sung Eucharist and Revd Paddy Buxton will be preaching. Also a reminder that with the clocks changing the church is now on the winter routine and those locking-up should ensure that the church is locked before it gets dark. So any visitors to the church will need to be away by 4pm.

The first term of school finished last Friday and was followed by a week’s break which began with a hurricane. Fortunately the school was not blown away. Just a reminder to parents that St Thomas’ Primary School will be starting term 2 this Monday November 4th.

The Bowls Club Quiz will be in the New Hall on Saturday November 9th at 6.30 for 7pm. If you are a table of six please book in advance by contacting Peter Turner on 01797 224617. The entry fee is £9 p.p. which includes two courses of refreshments and for the vegetarian option please request when booking. Also available will be wine and beer.

Winchelsea Garden Society is preparing for a second Gardeners’ Question Time following last year’s successful and happy event. This time it will be on Thursday November 28th at 7.30pm in the Lower Court Hall. The panel of local experts is Julia Cooper, John Dunk, Alice Kenyon and Chris Mears. You’ll be able to ask your questions in person, but if you’d like to write them on a piece of paper for the chairman to read out, that would be fine too. (You can be anonymous if you want). The team would be grateful to have a few questions in advance so, if you could email or ring (01797 226524) Howard Norton with a question he would be grateful. Also if you have an ailing plant please bring it along or even a bit of it and the team will attempt a diagnosis.

Winchelsea Beach

The Evening Prayer service at St Richard’s Church begins at 3pm this Sunday November 3rd and visitors are very welcome to join in.

St Richard’s Church may not be the oldest of churches to visit but it still has an interesting history. The locality began as a small seaside resort in the parish of Pett where various artists came from London to rent cottages over the summer. In 1935 a garage stood on the site where St Richard’s Church now stands which was adapted to form the first church. This church was later replaced in 1961-62 by St Richard’s Church which has been in the parish of Winchelsea since 1967. St Richard’s Church was built with a Rhenish helm spire which is a four-sided tower topped with a pyramidal roof and each of the four sides is rhomboid in form. The design is French Gothic but may be from an earlier period. The nearest comparison is St Mary’s Church in Sompting West Sussex which was constructed about 1050AD and its tower is the earliest example in England of a Rhenish helm spire.