In 1989 a local landowner decided to dispose of the contents
of the village museum housed in one of his barns because the building had been
rendered unsafe by the great gale of October 1987. Bill Wittering, a member of
the Parish Council, met with a number of interested people, Dr Ken Joysey,
Arthur Rowe, Geoffrey Axe, David Easthope and Bill Wittering. They decided to
form a museum committee. Their first meeting was 16th June 1989 and in 1991
Richard Webber became its first secretary and Peter Speak was invited to become
the first Chairman of the newly named Thriplow Society. By the beginning of 1992
Richard Webber resigned as secretary owing to pressure of work and Shirley
Wittering took on the job. The present Chairman is Geoffrey Axe, the secretary
is Dr Anthony Cooper, Treasurer Peter Yates and the Archivist is Dr Shirley
Wittering, committee members are David Easthope, Dr Ken Joysey, Angela Rimmer,
and Dr Kevin Clarke. The subscription is £6 per year. The Thriplow Journal which
is produced three times a year is edited by Shirley Wittering and Angela Rimmer.
Thriplow Smithy in the 1930s
The aims of the Society are:- To promote interest in the Local History, the
local environment and the conservation of the Thriplow region, and to promote
the formation of a Thriplow Collection.
The Inaugural meeting was held on Monday April 27th 1992 at 8.15pm in Thriplow
Village Hall. 50 people came to the first meeting at which Peter Speak our first
chairman gave a talk entitled, 'The History of Thriplow over two Million Years'.
Needless to say Peter was a Geographer!
The Parish Council then asked the Society to care for the Smithy on the village
green and to give advice on its care and maintenance.
From 1993 the Society put on an exhibition of bygones, photographs and maps
during Daffodil Weekend in the Dovecote of the Bury, the home of Sir Patrick and
Lady Lena Browne, our first President. Sir Patrick died in 1996 and the Bury
passed to his eldest daughter who sold it. So from 1997 the Society's exhibition
was displayed in the Smithy. In 1998 a blacksmith demonstrated the art of
shoeing horses and making wrought iron objects and has continued to do so every
year.
Over the years the Society has put on several exhibitions in the Village Hall,
restored an old plough which is now on show outside a seed development company
in the village and had some very successful parties with themes such as
Victorian, Edwardian and Party of the Century (in 2000). During the summer there
have been 1920s garden parties, barn dances and outings to museums and historic
sites. It has built up an impressive collection of old photographs and produced
several small publications as well as producing three Journals a year for its
members.
On January 31st 2010 the Society produced an exhibition of its archives, old
photos, maps and documents. A steady stream of people came through the Village
Hall doors and further photos were given to the collection, some were scanned
and returned and many names put to pictures. In 2009 a successful Barn Dance
raised money to buy equipment and this was repeated in 2010. In 2010 the
exhibition in the Smithy at Daffodil Weekend will feature the CCAN website to
which we are adding our pictorial archive.
The Thriplow Society Committee 2009
List of publications:
About Thriplow, a short history of the village £1.50
Steps Back in Time by Sheila Andrews, Sheila's account of growing up
before the war £3.50
Tales of Thriplow, a Child's memories of the fifties, by Robin Cooper,
new, £5.00
• Home