DR Michael Rhodes has been welcomed at The Friends of The Museum of Somerset March (FOTMOS) Zoom session. Michael is the former chairman of the Devon Museums’ Group and gave an intriguing talk on Devon’s Torre Abbey.

Michael’s talk discussed the history of the Abbey which was founded in 1196.

The history is rich at the Abby and when Richard the Lionheart had been imprisoned in France on his way back from the Crusades, a deal was struck which released Richard, but that deal required land to be given for a monastery at Torre. That was founded by the Premonstratensians. This became the only Torre in the region, and the religious order of the canons (not monks) were very devout.

Taken from the area were Tithes, as the end approached for the Dissolution of Monasteries, the wealthiest of all the Premonstratensians houses in England was Torre Abbey.

Lauraine Newcombe said: “The Dissolution resulted in the destruction of the church and thus the end of monastic life there. It was maintained as a defensive site because of its situation on the bay.

“Two of the former ranges were adapted for use as a private house, and from 1662 this became the home of the Cary family who lived there for nearly 300 years before selling it to the local council in 1930. That was when it was adapted for use as an art gallery. During the Second World War, the building was in fact used by the Royal Air Force.

“The church remains a ruin. The tithe barn is known as the Spanish Barn because it was used to hold prisoners of war from the Spanish Armada in 1588. Two sides of the cloisters remain, the chapel, the medieval undercrofts and one of the four gatehouses. Around 1740, the buildings were remodelled in the Georgian fashion.”

He went on to explain: “By 1992, the roof of the house was leaking badly and a National Lottery application to repair it was prepared, but first research had to be undertaken so as to understand how best to restore it. The seeds were held at the Devon Record Office, but had never been catalogued, so it took some years for the architects to go through these, but at last grants of £6.5 million enabled the Abbey to reopen in July 2008. It is now used once more as an art gallery.”

The Friends of The Museum of Somerset will be next meeting for a talk on Tuesday, April 16, and sees the return of FOTMOS to the Great Hall. The topic up for discussion is ‘Roman Life in Somerset’ and a talk will be given by John Smith

Tickets for the even cost just £10 and it will be held Great Hall of the Museum on Tuesday, April 23, at 7:30pm. Tickets are already selling fast so people interested in attending should be sure to book as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

During this annual event, the speaker is Professor Simon Haslett, who will be talking about The Somerset Tsunami in 1607 which saw devastating floods bordering the Bristol Channel which caused the worst natural disaster to occur on British soil.

Tickets can be obtained from this website, https://swheritage.org.uk/events/1607-tsunami/

Previous and new guests are always welcome and for details, please email [email protected].

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People of all ages are invited to come along and celebrate Easter Day (Sunday, March 31) at the Holy Cross Church in Sampford in Arundel this weekend.

Everyone in the community is welcome to the service which will be led by Rev Dr Maria Hearl and this will be followed by coffee and conversations.

To find out more information about the service please contact Jenny Sparks by email on [email protected]

The service will commence from 11:00am

Thank you

Jenny Sparks SAPCC Member

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The children at Langford Budville Church of England Primary School have been raising money which will enable them to purchase outdoor weather suits which they intend to use in the Forest School sessions.

Parents and friends groups worked alongside the school to organise the sponsored walk, which took the children walking for an entire afternoon through the countryside and surrounding villages.

The total amount raised for the outdoor weather suits currently stands at a total of £349.50.

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Get ready to celebrate the Easter weekend on Good Friday this week (today, March 29), with the annual Wellington Wheelers Cycling Club Easter Egg hunt.

Taking place on this coming Good Friday, it is a family focused day which sees riders presented with a 12-mile route around Wellington to hunt for Easter Eggs!

As people make their journeys around Wellington and surrounding areas, they will discover clues as they make their way through the hunt and discover where the chicken has laid eggs.

The event organiser encourages all abilities to join in with the Easter Egg Hunt.

The event is free and starts at 10:00am at Asda on Longforth Road and finishing at Bunny HQ on Station Road, Friday, March 29.

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Tony Award-winning Broadway musical inspired by the Oscar winning Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM) film, tells the impassioned story of discovering love in the City of Light. Jerry Mulligan is an American GI striving to make it as a painter in a city suddenly bursting with hope and possibility. 

Following a chance encounter with a beautiful young dancer named Lise, the streets of Paris become the backdrop to a sensuous, modern romance of art, friendship, and love in the aftermath of war.

Featuring the music and lyrics of George and Ira Gershwin (including the classic hits Wonderful and I Got Rhythm), stunning designs, and show-stopping choreography, this incredible production received a record-setting twrnty-eight five-star reviews from the critics.

Runtime: 155 minutes. April 18 2024.

Directors: Christopher Wheeldon, Ross MacGibbo

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Out hunting, Prince Siegfried chances upon a flock of swans. One among them transforms into the beautiful human Odette and he is immediately enamoured.

But Odette is bound by a spell which keeps her captive as a swan during the day. Can Siegfried free her? Tchaikovsky’s sensational score combines with the evocative imagination of choreographer Liam Scarlett and designer John Macfarlane to heighten the dramatic pathos of Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov’s quintessential ballet classic.

Swan Lake remains to this day one of the best-loved works in the classical ballet canon.

The ballet lasts approximately 210 minutes, including two intervals.

Choreographers: Liam Scarlett, Frederick Ashton

Runtime: 210 minutes. April 24 2024.

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Every Saturday Tony puts on his wide collared shirt, flared trousers and platform shoes and heads out to the only place where he's seen as a god rather than some young punk - his local disco.

Away from the strobe lights and glitter ball though, Tony's story as a Brooklyn paint store clerk becomes one of tragic disillusionment, violence and heartbreak.

Director: John Badham Writer: Norman Wexler

Runtime: 119 minutes. April 21 2024. Admission for adults £6.

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In Steven Spielberg's massive blockbuster, palaeontologists Alan Grant (Sam Neill) and Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) and mathematician Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) are among a select group chosen to tour an island theme park populated by dinosaurs created from prehistoric DNA.

While the park's mastermind, billionaire John Hammond (Richard Attenborough), assures everyone that the facility is safe, they find out otherwise when various ferocious predators break free and go on the hunt

Director: Steven Spielberg

Runtime: 127 minutes. April 20 2024