admin

Programme of Walks 2024-2025

Whilst retaining some of the popular walks John has also introduced some new ones for this year.

Thanks to John for his ongoing enthusiasm and for allowing Sandra and Mariella to experiment with recording them, so that we can make them available for those unable to join the walks to listen to and follow the trail on a map of Ampthill.

PLEASE email membership@adps.org.uk to reserve your place and get more joining information as numbers are always limited.

Tuesday 29th 0ctober 2024

Ghost Walk: John’s Ghost Walks continue to attract many Ghosthunters. A town the age of Ampthill seems to have more than its fair share of ghost stories, with more coming to light all the time. Come and hear these stories together with other historical facts about the town

Tuesday 21st January 2025

Ghost Walk:  A repeat of John’s ever-popular Ghost Walk from October (Please don’t book both!)

 Saturday 26th April 2025

John’s Pub Crawl:    Over the years, there have been at least 22 hostelries in Ampthill. These inns and alehouses have been the mainstay of quenching the thirst of residents and visitors for centuries. Although the Morris Brewery was the main producer of ale for about 130 years, there were many other small brewers in the town. This tour around Ampthill will point out where the hostelries were and how they fitted into the local community. 

Saturday 17th May 2025

Secret Ampthill: With any town of the age of Ampthill there are going to be those interesting little features that you probably walk past every day and never notice. This walk explores the town and highlights the hidden gems and why they are there, including the various graveyards in the town.

 

Saturday 21st June 2025

Vintage Ventures -Discovering Ampthill’s Bygone Shops: In years gone by many tell us that you could buy all that you needed in Ampthill, No need to venture further. Join us to explore and visit the sites of various old shops and find out what pre-dates some of the current ones.

 

Saturday 19th July 2025

Graveyard Tour For its size, Ampthill has one of the largest graveyards in the county. There are some fascinating characters buried there with interesting stories to be told.  The tour covers some sad stories together with memorials and graves of the Lords and Ladies with fascinating stories to tell.

Saturday 6th September 2025

Ampthill’s Origins through the Park Ampthill Park has had an enormous influence on the town, from prehistoric times to the present day. This walk around the park will highlight a whole range of historical features and why they are there, as well as piecing together how various historical events have contributed to the nation’s historical past.

 

Saturday 8th November 2025

Ampthill in Wartime The Civil War and both World Wars have had a marked influence on the development of the town. We look at why Ampthill has four war memorials, as well as visiting important buildings in the town that were used for wartime activities

Posted by admin, 0 comments

Ampthill Past Memories – Latest

Ampthill Past Memories are pleased to announce that they now have 25 podcasts loaded and available worldwide, and more than 1500 people have already listened to at least one of the podcasts from as far away as America, Denmark, Spain and South Africa.

There are many more to be finalised and loaded and more interviews already booked.

The project continues to go from strength to strength and Ampthill Past Memories have been successful with their application to the Rookery South Community Trust Fund, and the project has been approved a grant of £1,721.00. It will enable them to buy 2 sets of equipment, laptops software, etc including an annual transcription software license for the next phase of the project.

More volunteers are now required, and the next stage is to enrol interested volunteers to check the interviews already run through the transcribing software, so that a transcript can be made available for those who wish to read the memories in this way.

Having accumulated a vast quantity of books, leaflets, articles and more about Ampthill and the locality, a suitable location is being sought, to enable storage of all this information and of course to add to it. This would enable others to access and view/research the documents etc. If anyone knows anywhere, please get in contact.

We would be very pleased to hear from anyone willing to help in whatever way they feel able. Please email ampthillpastmemories@gmail.com

Click on here from IOS or Android devices https://podfollow.com/ampthillpastmemories

Or go to https://open.spotify.com/show/6yPws8oBOsXf9Udpw4tZXv

Posted by admin

Wrest Park Summer Visits

Following the interesting and enjoyable talk given by Richard Luscombe on The History of Wrest Park covering its 800-year History and Stories, we have been able to arrange Summer visits to Wrest Park, for a tour of the Wallpaper Rooms and a Below Stairs/ Behind the scenes tour.

When:  Monday 10th June,  Tuesday 11th June,  Sunday 8th September 2024

The ‘below the stairs’ tours can only accommodate 7 people at a time due to confined space and so, we have arranged three dates to allow for 14 people per visit,

The format of each day will be as follows:

  • 10:30 a.m.    Arrive at Wrest Park
  • 11:00 a.m.    All 14 members of the group will have the Wallpaper Rooms tour
  • 1:00p.m.       1st group of 7 will take the Below the Stairs/Behind the scenes tour
  • 2:00p.m.       2nd group of 7 will take the Below the Stairs/Behind the scenes tour

There is plenty to see and do at Wrest Park, both in the house and around the lovely gardens and other buildings and so it should be a very enjoyable day.

COST for the Visit:

English Heritage Members – you will use your membership for entry, and we ask for a £5 donation towards the Wrest Park Community Fund payable to ADPS.

NON-English Heritage members – will have to buy a day entry ticket either online beforehand or at the gate on the day. Also we ask for the £5 donation towards the Wrest Park Community Fund  payable to ADPS.

Advance online ticket for a concession without a donation is £12.70 but, at the gate, it will be more.

No charge for car parking.

WALLPAPER TOURS.

Join us for a unique peek inside the mansion house at Wrest Park as we explore rooms rarely open to visitors – the amazing wallpaper rooms.

See the stunning ‘Eldarado’ papers in the French Room and the intricate hand-painted papers in the Chinese Room as our knowledgeable volunteer guides explain the history of these rooms and the family’s use of them.

Below the Stairs/Behind The Scenes  Tour

A tour of the basement and talks about the history of the house from various perspectives, servants, coal cellars, the institute.

Please email membership@adps.org.uk   with your preferred dates and number of places required.

Many thanks

ADPS Committee

Posted by admin

Agenda for AGM on Tuesday 7th May 2024

The Annual General Meeting

 Tuesday 7 May 2024 at 7.30pm

 Chapter House, St Andrew’s Church, Ampthill

AGENDA

          1. Apologies for Absence
          2. Minutes of AGM held on 10 May 2023
          3. Matters Arising
          4. Annual report: – Chairman
          5. Statement of Accounts: – Treasurer
          6. Appointment of Auditor
          7. Election of Officers
          8. Any other business

Constitution Amendment proposals:

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the Society shall be:
        1. To encourage the protection and conservation of local historical architecture and environmental heritage in and around the town of Ampthill;
Proposal to replace with

The objectives of the Society shall be:
        1. To encourage the protection and conservation of local historical architecture and all aspects of environmental heritage in and around the town of Ampthill;
MEETINGS
        1. Executive Committee meetings shall normally be held at approximately six-week intervals. A notice calling each meeting shall be distributed in the preceding week, accompanied by the agenda and unapproved minutes of the previous meeting. The quorum shall be four, including at least two Officers
Proposal to replace with 
        1. a) Executive Committee meetings shall normally be held a minimum of four times per year. . A notice calling each meeting shall be distributed in the preceding week, accompanied by the agenda and unapproved minutes of the previous meeting. The quorum shall be four, including at least two Officers

Current Committee Members – 2024

Chairperson:                                                      Sarah Wright

Vice-Chairman                                                   Mr A Sewell**

Secretary:                                                            Mrs Sandra Read

Treasurer and Membership Secretary:               Mr James Gibb

Planning and Countryside officer:                     Co-opted Mr Kelvin Horton  23-24

Programme Secretary:                                       Mrs Mariella Cook resigning this post

Alameda and Park Officer:                                 Mr John Mower

Communication and Social Media                    Mrs Mariella Cook***

Webmaster and Technical Support                   Mr John Leary

Member:                                                           Mrs Valerie Therkildsen

Member:                                                           Mrs Jo Leary***

Member:                                                           Vacant

** Up for election

*** up for election and willing to stand/serve.

Planning and Countryside officer: Kelvin Horton – Proposed by Sandra Read, Seconded by Mariella Cook

Committee Member: Ian Wright Proposed by Mariella Cook, Seconded by John Mower

Committee Volunteer Members would be most welcome. Meetings are convivial and held every 6-8 weeks, so the commitment is not onerous. If you would like to join us, please speak to any of the committee members or email membership@adps.org.uk

Posted by admin

Ampthill Past Memories Project

The First Eight Months!

The Ampthill Past Memories Project takes us on a stroll down memory lane with recordings of Ampthill residents sharing their stories.

It’s a unique peek into the heart and soul of our town’s history.  The memories allow us to explore Ampthill’s past through the personal tales and cherished memories of its residents.,

The project was born out of discussion between Mariella Cook and Sandra Read who had both participated in the Greensand Country Landscape Oral History and recognising that Ampthill was a rich source of more recent history that as yet, was not recorded centrally.  We explored the methodology, and we needed equipment, help and advice.

Terry Lee, Senior Tutor in Radio & Audio at the University of  Bedfordshire and Chair of the Community Media Association, came to our rescue with much help and advice. Our thanks are extended to Terry for the help and assistance he has given to us over the past few months.

Initially Ampthill & District Preservation Society funded podcast equipment and we explored funding opportunities to purchase a dedicated laptop and software. The CBC Inspiring Volunteering fund awarded a grant of £500, followed by £500 from the Ampthill Town Council Community Grant Fund for which we are very grateful.

We already have eleven recordings “in the can”, and these will be edited and uploaded soon. Many more interviews are scheduled, with a list of potential interviewers

Next stages include transcribing the interviews, lodging copies with the British Library Sound Archive and more. Some of Terry’s University students will now become involved with helping to edit the interviews and create the podcasts.

The project could not have run without the residents that have already allowed us to record their precious memories,  We extend our appreciation and thanks to all those that have already completed interviews and all those that will do so in the future.  Also a huge thank you to those  who have come forward to join the interview team.

The Project has been set up as Podcasts which can be accessed via the Ampthill & District Preservation Society website ADPS.org.uk, or by scanning the QR code which appears on the logo of the project.

We are pleased to be able to include  a trailer of the project here – please clink on the link.

https://open.spotify.com/show/6yPws8oBOsXf9Udpw4tZXv

There are always more memories out there waiting to be found. If you would like to share your memories with us and are happy to have them included in the Ampthill Past Memories Project, please do contact us by email on ampthillpastmemories@gmail.com.

We will undoubtedly need more funding in the future but we are rightly proud of what we have achieved so far on such a small budget(<£1300) and with so many hours given in kind by volunteers.

More

Posted by admin

Christmas Tree Festival

Ampthill and District Preservation Society are exhibiting “A Tudor Christmas” in St. Andrews Christmas Tree Festival which is happening on 2nd and 3rd December 2023.

Imagine you have found yourself back in Tudor times. It is December 1526, and the small town of Ampthill is situated on the edge of one of Henry VIII’s favourite hunting lodges. As in years past, the residents are preparing for this special time. However, while some parts of the Tudor celebrations would be recognised today, others would not.


Christmas trees were not a tradition adopted by the Tudors.

A Tudor Christmas saw homes decorated on Christmas Eve with mistletoe, holly, ivy, yew and laurel, such as in the kissing bough shown above, and carols were sung.

Notice the pomegranate hung in pride of place in the centre of the bough in honour of the Queen, Katherine of Aragon. The pomegranate is her favourite heraldic badge.


Christmas was also about rest for the Tudors and was a time when work on the land stopped and women stopped spinning.

Flowers were put on the spinning wheels to stop their use.

As a nod to Henry VIII, we have created our Tudor Rose flowers from recycled books rather than real flowers


The day before Christmas, Tudor families would also have chosen a large log then decorated it with ribbons to be laid on the hearth. It was then kept alight throughout the twelve days of Christmas (25 December to 5 January).


As in Tudor times, the log and greenery used in this display have been gathered with permission from Ampthill Great Park, and we are grateful to Phil for all his help with this.

So come to the Tree Festival this weekend, see our entry amongst over 40 ‘Trees’ (and maybe cast your vote for ours!) Full details and a link, below:

Posted by admin in News

Programme of Walks 2023-24

Whilst retaining some of the popular walks, John Hele has introduced some new walks for this year.

PLEASE email membership@adps.org.uk to reserve your place and get more joining information as numbers are always limited.

Tuesday 31st October 2023

Ghost Walk  A town the age of Ampthill seems to have more than its fair share of ghost stories, with more coming to light all the time. Come and hear these stories together with other historical facts about the town


Saturday 11th November 2023

Ampthill in Wartime. The Civil War and both World Wars have had a marked influence on the development of the town. We look at why Ampthill has four war memorials, as well as visiting important buildings in the town that were used for wartime activities.

Please note that this will be a 2 hour walk and we will be walking for approximately 3 miles.


Tuesday 16th January 2024

Ghost Walk.   A town the age of Ampthill seems to have more than its fair share of ghost stories, with more coming to light all the time. Come and hear these stories together with other historical facts about the town


Saturday 20th April 2024

John’s Pub Crawl!  Over the years, there have been at least 22 hostelries in Ampthill. These inns and alehouses have been the mainstay of quenching the thirst of residents and visitors for centuries. Although the Morris Brewery was the main producer of ale for about 130 years, there were many other small brewers in the town. This tour around Ampthill will point out where the hostelries were and how they fitted into the local community. 


Saturday 11th May 2024

St Andrews Church.   The church as it stands today is almost certainly the oldest building in the town, being over 500 years old. Much of Ampthill’s history is contained within its walls and roof. This walk around the church will point out many of these historical features, together with some amusing stories concerning the clashes between Ampthill’s nobility!


Saturday 15th June 2024  

Secret Ampthill.   With any town of the age of Ampthill there are going to be those interesting little features that you probably walk past every day and never notice. This walk explores the town and highlights the hidden gems and why they are there, including the various graveyards in the town


Saturday 20th July 2024

Graveyard Tour.    For its size, Ampthill has one of the largest graveyards in the county. There are some fascinating characters buried there with interesting stories to be told. The tour covers some sad stories together with memorials and graves of the Lords and Ladies with fascinating stories to tell. 


Saturday 7th September 2024

Ampthill’s Origins through the ParkAmpthill Park has had an enormous influence on the town, from prehistoric times to the present day. This walk around the park will highlight a whole range of historical features and why they are there, as well as piecing together how various historical events have contributed to the nation’s historical past

Posted by admin in News, Walks

Ampthill Past Memories Project is awarded an Ampthill Town Council Community Grant

We are pleased to announce that our application for a £500 grant to Ampthill Town Council Community Grant Fund, towards purchase of equipment for the Ampthill Memories Project has been successful subject to the ATC Community Engagement Committee agreeing with our plans for archiving the memories recorded.
Grateful thanks is conveyed to The Ampthill Town Councillors.
Posted by admin in News