Art & Literature
The Making of the 1016AD Millennium Banners
This series of pictures shows the four Millennium banners and the team of Hadstock villagers, led by Sonia Villiers, involved in their creation.
The Story of Hadstock’s Assandun Millennium Banners
Read the historical background to the Battle of Assandun in 1016AD and the early years of King Cnut’s reign as King of England. Rick Albrow discusses the people, events and objects which inspired the designs and the making of the four Hadstock Millennium banners in 2016. The story is also available as a booklet.
Millennium Poetry – the podcast poems in writing
Thirty three classic poems and play extracts were selected by Maggie Hartley for a special reading weekend at St Botolph’s Church during Millennium year. Because of Covid restrictions, the readings had to be cancelled but instead many were recorded in a sound podcast by Parish residents. This post presents the 17 recorded poems in their written form. The companion podcast can be found on the St Botolph’s Millennium website page.
Millennium Poetry – a podcast of 17 poems read by local people
This is the sound podcast of the reading of 17 poems by village residents to celebrate 1000 years in the life of a village. Selected by Maggie Hartley, they were recorded by Saul Woods in June 2021. A companion post on the St Botolph’s Millennium web page presents the 17 poems in their written form and lists all the 27 poems originally selected by Maggie for a special weekend of readings in St Botolph’s Church. The readings had to cancelled due to Covid restrictions.
“Hadstock through the Centuries” by Patricia Croxton-Smith
An engaging and extensive review of Parish history by local historian Patricia Croxton Smith, known to everyone as Crocky. This is a 2018 edited compilation of a series of Hadstock magazine articles published by Crocky between 2009 and 2013.
Paintings from 30 local artists to celebrate the 1020-2020AD Millennium
A series of paintings was produced to celebrate the consecration of St Botolph’s Church in 1020AD.
The paintings reflect the history of Hadstock Parish and were created by 29 local people under the supervision of local artist, Sonia Villiers, who contributed two paintings of her own.
Prize winning entries from the Millennium Poetry Writing Competition, 2020
As part of the Millennium celebrations for St Botolph’s Church, a Poetry Writing Competition was launched, organised by Maggie Hartley. This was open to all ages and the theme was linked to the church’s ancient door, which is believed to be the oldest working door in the country.
Doors can often be seen as an opening into a different world, a move from one era to another, passing from the present to the future or the present to the past. They can be a symbol of a barrier that may need to be overcome- ‘one door closes another opens’.
Four villagers kindly volunteered to be on the judging panel and they received anonymised copies of the poems that were submitted. It was a close call but the overall winner was Doors written by James A Mufty. Three other poems were highly commended and all four of these entrants received a prize.
The poems are now published and we hope you enjoy reading them.
Four banners created by Hadstock villagers to commemorate the Battle of Assandun in 1016AD
Four banners created by Hadstock villagers to commemorate the Battle of Assandun in 1016AD
Hadstock fete by Sonia Villiers
