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

This was another very successful sell-out visit for the Questers Group, who once again enjoyed hearing our Blue Badge Guide David Richards share some of his comprehensive knowledge about the city he so clearly loves. This new tour was entitled ‘Wizards, Witches and Wiltshire Folklore’ and explored the history of each of these subjects, commencing from the very start of the city construction around 1220, with the cathedral following on a year later utilising stone originating from the old Norman building at Old Sarum.

The Bishops had complete control within the confines of the new city, and it was no surprise to learn that severity of life varied over the years according to which Bishop held office. There was common belief in the supernatural combined with sorcery and witchcraft which culminated during the 16th and 17th centuries with the hanging of 5 so called witches. Many lesser sentences were handed out at the same period with up to 3 days in the pillory, which was a far more unpleasant experience than many imagine, and often resulting in broken bones from heavy stoning. The courts also issued many lashing sentences. We passed by some of the places where the ‘witches’ lived and the sites of long gone courts.

Because perceived medical wisdom was limited to activities which were painful, ineffective and expensive; local knowledge of herbal remedies became increasingly valuable and if a person lived long enough, they gained more knowledge of these remedies. Therefore it is not surprising that the church sometimes felt threatened by these practitioners and did nothing to prevent their persecution.

Some old and often incredible beliefs and wise sayings were explained which gave us some idea of the darker side of medieval life and which forms the basis for some folklore, no doubt still repeated in the more remote areas of the county. There are many ley lines in the area, and close to the cathedral we passed over one. To prove it, David produced a couple of dowsing rods and we watched them twitch and converge at the line. Having watched him, we were given the opportunity of trying a little dowsing for ourselves, and most of us succeeded! David Rogers was in his usual sparkling form and he provided a most entertaining and informative illustrated walk. The visit ended with an enjoyable snack at a nearby pub.
Norma Bryan