There were 14 in the group including our trusty driver, Robert Kemp. The weather looked set for the day at a pleasant temperature. We arrived at the church in the village of Moreton just before 11:00 giving us time for a comfort break prior to the church visit. A quick group photograph was organised with the church in the background prior to meeting our host and guide Carol Gibbens.

St Nicholas Church
The church is set in the Moreton Estate which has been in the Frampton family since the 14th Century and even today apart from six of the residences all the houses are still owned by the estate.
The person responsible for the current church was William Charles Frampton who rebuilt the church in 1776 and was Rector for 57 years. It is a good example of early Gothic revival and was built on the earlier mediaeval foundations.
The church has 2 claims to fame as the burial place of Lawrence of Arabia and is almost certainly the only church in the world where all of its thirteen (13) windows are clear engraved and etched glass.
On 21st May 1935 T.E. Lawrence’s (“Lawrence of Arabia”) funeral service was conducted there and he was buried in the nearby churchyard. He was a cousin to the Frampton family and a frequent visitor to their home. He lived for several years nearby in a small property once owned by the family called Clouds Hill. It is now owned by the National Trust and can be visited. The funeral was attended by many elder statesmen and politicians.
On the 8th October 1940 a German bomb damaged a significant part of the church. For the next 10 years the church services were held at Moreton House or in the Estate Hall until the church was rebuilt. The church was rededicated in 1950 after restoration and the replacement new windows were of semi- opaque green glass which many of the parishioners did not like. With a War Damage Grant, suggested by a visitor, Laurence Whistler, a talented glass engraver, was commissioned to provide five (5) Apse windows with a striking design that included biblical symbols, Christmas lanterns, vines, medallions, candles, landscapes, stars, lightning, local scenes and much more. The windows were installed in 1955 and etched by Whistler. Later, in 1974 and 1975, two more windows were commissioned privately. Further additions were the Trinity Chapel Window in 1982, the Galaxy Window 1984 and the Lightning Window in the Vestry.

In the 1980’s after he had completed twelve (12) windows, Whistler offered to create and donate one last panel of Judas the 13th Apostle. The window depicted Judas hanging himself with the 30 pieces of silver falling from his hands and turning into flowers where they hit the ground. The parishioners were so appalled by the subject matter that they rejected the window which then was loaned to Dorset County Museum in Dorchester on the understanding that if ever the parish of Moreton changed their mind it should be returned. Whistler named it the “Forgiveness Window”. In 2014, after a campaign by Jacqueline Birdseye, the then rector and 20 years after Whistler’s death the panel was installed and the space was blocked on the inside by a wall monument, so the window is only visible from outside the church.
Further highlights in the church are its Font and wonderful Victorian Pugin designed floor tiles from the Minton factory. There is also a memorial tablet from 1762 to Mary Frampton, wife of James Frampton in the Trinity Chapel that is somewhat exaggerated in its description of her merits.
After a very interesting hour in the church, we all said our thanks to Carol, our guide and carrying our souvenir Christmas cards and histories of the church we proceeded a few hundred yards to the Walled Garden and the Dovecote Restaurant for lunch.
The Walled Garden is a five (5) acre landscaped formal garden with an onsite café and garden shop, and a children’s play park with a range of small animals. The garden is leased from the Moreton Estate by Employ My Ability (Ltd) which is an organisation that helps students with learning disabilities and Special Educational Needs & Disabilities (SEND) to develop skills, expertise and confidence across hospitality, horticultural and retail facilities.

After our lunches the party split into two with a number staying at the gardens to enjoy them and further explore the village whilst the rest of our group proceeded to visit nearby Dorchester to either visit one of its many museums or have a general look around the town. After returning to Moreton to pick up the members who had stayed, we returned to Andover in good time after a very pleasant day in Dorset.

Kevin Barter

On Thursday 28 July 2022, a group of 13 Questers undertook a visit to the Brooklands Museum near Weybridge. This is a museum of motoring and aviation history of Britain. “Brooklands was the cradle of British innovation and endeavour in the worlds of motorsport and aviation. Today Brooklands Museum celebrates the passion, bravery and inventiveness of the men and women who designed, built, raced and flew machines like those in our Collection, on this historic site, throughout the twentieth century.”
Transportation to the museum was provided by a minibus hired from Unity in Andover, arranged and ably driven by Robert Kemp. We had 12 Questers as well as our very able and willing Quester, Robert as driver.

After a warm welcome by two of the reception staff and being very ably helped with check in, members viewed a short introductory video show about the history and content of the museum. Next on the agenda was a short period for refreshments after the 1 ¼ hour journey which was most welcome.
We then met up with our volunteer guide, Michael Sands who would lead us on a 1-hour tour of the primary exhibits of the museum. Michael proved to be an outstanding guide who presented us with so much more information than we would otherwise have gleaned on our own. He was also wonderfully entertaining and amusing in his presentation style. Michael and the Questers so enjoyed the tour and had so many questions and answers during the tour that it lasted for just over 1 ½ hours. A wonderfully enjoyable and informative experience.
Most of the Questers then had an enjoyable light lunch at the Sunbeam Café on site. The food was good and plentiful and all staff were friendly and helpful.

After lunch Questers were free to re-visit any of the exhibits, halls or hangers that had caught their attention during the tour or to explore the few other parts of the museum that had not been visited.
It was an amazing experience to see actual motor cars, motor-cycles and aircraft directly associated with Brooklands and which had played a major role in the evolution of motoring and aviation in Britain over the last century and a quarter. Examples being the 24 litre, 12 cylinder, W engine Napier-Railton Special which holds the Brooklands track record of over 143 mph set in 1935, the Vickers Vimy which won the Daily Mail non-stop trans-Atlantic flight competition in 15 hours 57 minutes in 1919, the Harrier jump-jet which was used by the winner of the Daily Mail London Post Office Tower to Empire State building in New York record in 5 hours 57 minutes just 50 years later in 1969. And there were so many more fantastic exhibits to explore.
All those Questers who were on the outing, including the many ladies, were thrilled with the experience and felt it had been a most enjoyable outing which had been well worth while to participate in. Another successful Questers outing.

Cecil Rose

On Thursday 31 May 2022, a group of 17 Questers undertook a visit to The American Museum at Claverton Manor just outside Bath. This museum is said to be the only museum of Americana outside of the USA. It was opened to the public in 1961 and its purpose is to bring American history and cultures to the people of United Kingdom and Europe. It focuses on the period from the 14th to the 20th centuries.

Transportation to the site was provided by a minibus hired from Unity in Andover, arranged and ably driven by Robert Kemp. We had a full minibus of Robert plus 16 passengers. We even had a short waiting list of interested members who unfortunately couldn’t be accommodated this time.

After a warm welcome by the head of Reception, members had a short period to enjoy a cup of tea/coffee at their on-site Café. We then went of a 45-minute guided tour of the gardens adjacent to the manor house. The tour guide, volunteer Rosemary, gave us a most informative narrative of the background to the development of the gardens and an introduction to the many American plants and trees displayed in it. The tour was briefly interrupted by a short rain shower but fortunately we could resume the tour soon afterwards. One small part of the garden incorporates a reduced size replica of the gardens at George Washington’s home Mount Vernon. There are also a number of head-and-shoulder sculptures of famous American persons as well as Sir Winston Churchill located along one of the pathways.

Members were then free to have lunch and start their own tours of the museum in the manor house as well as the special exhibit entitled ‘Dress to Redress’ – Exploring Native American Material Culture. The on-site Garden Café offered a wide variety of snacks, light meals and hot and cold drinks at very reasonable prices. This was well supported and appreciated by our group.

The museum turned out to offer a very wide selection of artefacts and displays covering the development of the United States from its very beginning. There was a very well-illustrated history of the evolution of the country from its very early colonial days. Displays also covered the two primary conflicts during those early years of the War of Independence and the Civil War. The conflicts and sometimes poor treatment of the Native American peoples was also covered with reasonable sensitivity.

There were several rooms in the manor house that have been laid out with authentic period displays using internal panelling brought from genuine American period homes as well as appropriate furniture so that one moves into the actual room environments that reflected various types of housing common to various parts of the States. There was also on display a selection of the museum’s huge collection of American quilts.

The general reaction of most members was that the museum offered a much more varied display of the history of the USA through artifacts and information than had been expected. It was infinitely more than a display of American quilts and stitch craft items as was thought to be its main focus. The visit therefore proved to be highly informative and very enjoyable.

Cecil Rose