Wootton

Historical Facts 1960-1968

1960

February
The Rector and the churchwardens called the attention of the Mayor of Newport to the appalling state of Palmer Road. Due to the closing of Church Road the council had directed traffic to use the road although part was private. The council admitted that the road was in urgent need of attention; the Borough Engineer was instructed to repair both ends of the road and at the junction with Church Road.

March
In order to save money the Rector ordered 4800 magazine covers for the parish magazine
Changes not allowed!
The rectory kitchen garden was put up for sale as a building plot for a bungalow with sea views and a 50-foot frontage to Church Road.

April
Church social & dance held at the Conservative Club [Now Bumbles].

August
Death watch beetle found in the roof at St Edmunds, timbers treated. During this work it was noticed that there had been a slight subsidence of the church in the area of the nave.

September
A petition sent in May to the Mayor of Newport, signed by 220 people, headmaster and staff of Wootton Day School asking for a footpath along Church Road has been successful and work was in hand.

November
Sale of work at the Conservative Club opened by Mrs Cave of Rafter Holiday Camp.
Church Road, having just had the sewer laid is now being dug up again to lay gas pipes.
Repair work on St Edmunds roof authorised at a cost of 200 to 300 Pounds, contractor Messrs James Ball & Sons of Cowes.

1961

January
Work to fill in the potholes in Church Road took 28 ton of material.

February
The authorised work on the roof at St Edmunds started, unfortunately the problem was greater than first though and the cost would now be in the region of 700 to 800 Pounds.
It would require 200 new roof tiles, 65ft of timber and 200ft of battens.
Note: The roof was last restored in 1906 for 284 Pounds.

June
Land bought from Holford Estates to extend the church hall for 30 Pounds plus 77 Pounds legal fees. Robert Holford gave the original land to the church in 1877 and Queen Victoria gave 10 Pounds towards the building costs.

December
Christmas & New Years Eve party held at Rafters Holiday Camp, 7.30 until 11.00 pm Price 3s. 6d, music provided by Bob Wilson Trio.
Note:- There was also an appeal for the loan of oil heaters for the night.

1962

January
Mrs Marlow appointed headmistress of Wootton School.
Wooden structure in the High Street is the new automatic telephone exchange.

March
Bell turret taken down and rehung due to worn rot, bell weight 4 1/2 cwt.
Some telephone numbers in the village were changed.

October
Harvest Supper at the Rafters Holiday Camp, permission Mr. & Mrs. Cave.
Menu: Chicken ham pie, apple pie, jelly, trifle, cheese, ices, coffee, cider & beer. Tickets 4s, children/pensioners 2s. 6d, music by Kenny Mac Trio.

1963

February
Large snowfall occurred on the Island in December and January.

March
Road opened off Station Road and named Glendale Close, currently only one house occupied.

September
Church bell apparatus given in memory of Admiral Hutton, special records used by this equipment no longer available, it has been removed and replaced by a tape recorder, the cost met by Mrs Hutton.

November
Heating installed in St Edmunds, however the church will only be heated in line with attendance.

1964

June
Two oak seats placed in the extension churchyard in memory of Mrs. de Lande Long 20 years ago are in need of replacement. Two new seats have been provided by Dr. Porteous in memory of his wife.

October
Death reported on the 19th September at Whippingham of Mr. J. H. Fulford, architect formally of the Cedars who designed the village war memorial.

November
The church hall roof in Church Road needs replacing.
St Edmunds Church secretary Mr. Renzi announces his resignation after 11 years
Lt. Col. Brannon [Tenth House New Road] resigns as treasurer after 17 years.

1965

January
Youth Club formed at Station Road Methodist, with Jeremy Dallimore as leader, heaters installed in the hall.

April
Report in the church newsletter, minimum weekly cost to maintain the church without a verger or curate 20 Pounds, average weekly collection 8 Pounds.

1966

May
Holford Road off Footways named after Robert Holford who gave land in 1866 enabling Wootton School in New Road to be built, the area at that time was called Bridge Mead. Later in 1885 he gave the land in Church Road on which the church hall is built.

July
Rev. Genower announces that he will retire in October next year.
Cost of building new church hall estimated to be 3000 Pounds excluding kitchen and toilet.
Southern Vectis Island rover bus pass, 7s. 6d daily or 29s. 6d weekly.

December
News released by the Local Education Authority, if present negotiations are successful a new primary school will be built at the High Street end of Church Road building work to start.

1967

February
Six options are being considered for the new church hall these are:

1. Extend the present hall in Church Road; permission for this has been refused by Newport Borough Council.
2. Convert St. Marks, too expensive and objections have been raised.
3. Marley building sited behind St. Marks, proposal agreed.
4. Convert day school in New Road when children move - Diocese not happy.
5. Buy more land behind St. Edmunds - no money available.
6. Re examine option 3, Marley building behind St. Marks - proposal agreed, now awaiting planning committee decision.

March [historical fact]
On 22nd September 1874 Mr. William Please proposed that Wootton Bridge District should comprise all that part of the parish, which lies north of the stream called Hurst Gutter, which empties itself into the Mill Pond and up to Beech Lane to termination of the parish boundary.

May [Reference the de Lisle family of Wootton]
A brief report on a visit to the home of Mr. de Lisle at Garendon near Loughborough, Leicester by Rev. Genower. The 7000-acre estate lies in beautiful country beyond the coalfields and is bisected by the M1 Motorway, some of the farms are sub let and others are managed by the estate; however the 500 deer are gone. Garendon Hall itself no longer exists, but it was a house of 100 bedrooms, central heating being installed in 1862 and used one ton of coal per day. During the Second World War the Army requisitioned the house and many pictures and books were stolen, some have been recovered. After the war the house was damaged by fire and is now derelict, but it is hoped to rebuild a smaller version. The de Lisle family are Catholic and the St. Bernards’s Priory on the estate was largely built by the family. In the grounds there are many statues and a large obelisk, these being designed Pugin [designer of the Houses of Parliament] and Baily [designer of Nelson’s monument]. Disraeli and Wordsworth were also guest at the house.

Note: Garendon was founded as a Cistercian Abbey in 1133, however the church was demolished on the orders of Cromwell in 1536. King Henry eighth gave the house and land to Earl of Rutland who built Garendon Hall. The hall passed to Duke of Buckingham in 1632 and in 1683 it was sold together with 420 acres to Ambrose Phillips for 28,000 Pounds. In the later half of the 18th century the estate passed to the March family, who adopted the name March Phillips by marriage and later added the name de Lisle again by marriage.

September
The existing school in New Road is church property, and leased to the Isle of Wight Council, what will happen to the school in 1968 is now a matter of much debate.
The church and the school both agree it would make a good village community centre but this would be subject to a legal agreement. A little of the school’s history is given below:
The original deeds are dated 5th November 1866 and Robert Holford M.P. gave the land to the church “for the building of a school for the education of the poorer classes and for no other purpose”. Another condition of the agreement was that all teachers employed at the school had to be member of the Church of England.

Note:- Similar clauses were imposed by the same person on the church when he gave land in 1887 for the building of the church hall.

In June 1905 the running of the school was transferred to the Local Education Authority [LEA], which was the Newport Borough Council. As time went by the council assumed that the school was their property. However in 1940 the original deeds were found in Arreton church proving that the building and land were church property. On the 1st April 1954 a new lease was negotiated between the Diocese of Portsmouth [legal owners] and the LEA in the form of Isle of Wight Council for a 21 year lease. This lease for 21 years with cancellation clauses by either side at 7 and 14 years at a rent of 70 Pounds per year. A clause in the 1905 and 1954 lease allowed the priest in charge of St. Marks to use the premises for 2 evenings per month free of charge with the council responsible for cleaning and heating.

1968

May
It is reported that Dr Kennedy had been a churchwarden for 28 years and Mr Renzi of New Road 11 years.

June [historical fact]
Old Rectory in Church Road built in 1856 and cost 1275 Pounds plus 69 Pounds 15s. architect fees Current Rectory cost 11,000 Pounds plus 697 Pounds architect fees.

August
Bridgeway, off Rectory Drive came into existence.

Source: Information supplied by Mrs Bailey