SANDFORD ON THAMES VILLAGE MAGAZINE ON LINE
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January/February 1991             Issue 36

Currently the Village Hall is running without a committee, the last committee having resigned. It is important that a new committee is formed quickly, so would anyone interested in the future of the Village Hall please attend the

CHURCH NEWS

Sandford Youth Club

All the greater importance therefore attaches to the one notable success story of the past four years - the revived Youth Club (it had excellent predecessors) run each Wednesday at the Village Hall, re-established by P.C. Carl Reynolds when he was our community policeman. We owe him a big debt of gratitude (also for his getting 'The Link' restarted and for a long time editing it) - and also to his colleagues who ran the Youth Club, especially Gina Ashburner and Linda Waterfield, and lately Wendy Akrigg. It takes a lot of commitment to make that work as well as it did, drawing members from outside the village also, so it was necessary to set a ceiling at 50 and have a waiting list.

Earlier this year Gina had to give up and last month Linda too. Parents have been providing part of the necessary voluntary help on a rota basis, but the operation has to be run by one or two leaders who can take responsibility. Carl has been doing that, but now his change of working pattern has made it impossible for him to continue. We therefore look like losing this most important village facility. The last meeting was held on December 5th, and parents were notified of the closure and subscriptions returned in the following days.

Unless a successor can be found the wind-up will take place a few days after this copy of the Link reaches you. Emergency action is needed. A meeting to elect (if possible) a new management committee and to reappoint leaders will be held at Lower Farm on January 2nd at 7.30 p.m. If you cannot came but have things to say, please write them down or phone 748848 before then. It would be good to be able to re-open on 9th January at 7.0 p.m.

Robert Morgan

R.I.P.

Born Dublin 25th March 1919. Died Sandford 26th October 1990, and buried in Sandford churchyard after a service in the parish church on 6th November, at which the vicar was assisted by Fr Armstrong from Littlemore Roman Catholic church, and his daughter Gina read the lesson from the Wisdom of Solomon. Since coming to the village in 1965, Jerry has always been one of the key local figures, always cheerful and always ready to help with church fetes and other local events. He worked with the old village hall and then became first caretaker of the new one, and it was appropriately enough there, 'on duty', that he suffered a heart attack and died.

He had left Ireland at the start of the war, married his wife Eileen in 1947 at Corpus Christi, Headington, and worked at British Leyland while his health lasted. He brought up his family in Wheatley, Bicester, Tetsworth and Sandford. The sudden death of Eileen in 1987 was hard, but living with Gina and Michael made his last years happy too. We extend warmest sympathies to them (and to his son Peter and family) in their bereavement. It is a loss which affects everyone committed to the communal life of the village - Jerry will be greatly missed.


Meeting Point
60p lunch in village hall 12.30 - 2.0 on Friday 11th January and Friday 8th February. Bring a friend. Pre-school children welcome.


Progress on Science Park
The construction of the access road from the A423 to the Oxford Science Park is now virtually completed. The road is a dual carriageway and there are now three new roundabouts. The first building on the site is now taking shape. It is an Innovation Centre which is designed to accommodate small start-up companies and provide for their development. Grass seeding and the planting of trees and shrubs is now in progress and this will soon transform the appearance of the area.

Keith Wills, Senior Bursar, Magdalen College.

Welcome into the World

Pause for Thought

The Sandford Swans

But behind this scene of family bliss a small drama was unfolding. The truth is that the male swan was not the father of the cygnets. He could not be reproached for lack of love and pride but he had to work hard, for he had another wife and young about half a mile upstream. Mostly he commuted between the two families but one warm afternoon in May in a dazzling display of arrogance he escorted his upstream family to the King's Arms and paraded both families before the patrons drinking at the water's edge.

How did it all come about? In March pairs of swans look for nesting sites and start to establish territories. The pair which finally settled on the King's Arms site let's call them Bran. and Cora won that privilege only after driving off the previous owners who were forced to move to

Cora appeared unmoved by the loss and quite at home with Greystoke. Meanwhile downstream of the lock Bran was involved in another drama, indulging in some synchronised drinking with another female while her mate stood off disconsolately. Bran lacked the charm of Greystoke; the female swam off to join her mate leaving Bran alone just below the lock, so near yet so far from Cora and Greystoke on the other side.

In the weeks that followed Bran could be seen from time to time along the Thames always alone. One day in May he was at Folly Bridge while Greystoke shared his time between Cora and Benedictine. If he spent more time with Cora I suspect it was the plentiful food from the visitors to Sandford Lock that was the real attraction. In the course of time the eggs of Cora and Benedictine hatched, they ventured from their nests with the fluffy brown cygnets. On the Friday of Eights week Greystoke finally introduced them to each other, escorting Benedictine, with her two cygnets carried securely on her back, to the King's Arms where Cora was waiting with her family of three.

There was yet one more twist to this tale. A month later Bran was back with Cora and her family and Greystoke was now devoting all his time to Benedictine. Perhaps they'd finally remembered that swans mate for life.

Swans all look alike so you may be wondering how you can follow the fortunes of the Sandford swans next spring. The secret is in the identifying bands which most swans on the Thames carry on their left legs. Bran in BHN; Cora is C49; Benedictine is BUP. Greystoke wears no band I gues she prefers to keep his identity a secret. But you'll probably find him with Benedictine looking for a territory next March.

Brian Andrews

PRIZE CROSSWORD WIN £5

A Martyr and a Ghost

When Mary I assumed the throne in 1553, a devout catholic herself, she began to repeal the legislation which forbade the Roman Catholic form of worship, and once again began to enforce the return of the old form of religion, i.e. Roman Catholicism, and Protestants were now made to suffer. It was during Mary's reign that the Bishops Latimer and Ridley, and the 67-year- old Archbishop Cranmer, were burned at the stake - in the town ditch just outside the city wall in Oxford, where now runs Broad street, a cross in the road marks the spot.

However to return to the Sandford connection, Elizabeth I became queen in 1558 and with England in a sad state and torn by religious fears and differences she began a steady return to the protestantism of her father. Oxford had become a hotbed of Jesuit priests endeavouring to again introduce the Romish faith, and was a good recruiting ground where priests passed freely between the continental seminaries until it became necessary to take severe measures to stop them. The cruel times returned and a great number of Oxford graduates were taken prisoner and duly executed, mostly at Tyburn, where their bodies were also dismembered.

Around 1530, Edward Napier (or Napper) was living at Holywell Manor. There just outside the city of Oxford he had two sons by his second wife, William and George. William married Mabel, the daughter of Edmund Powell, Lord of the Manor of Sandford and living in the Manor House there, now called Temple Farm. Both the Napier and Powell families were devout catholics. George the younger son was educated at Oxford grammar school and Corpus Christi college, and ordained priest on the continent where he was

The site is said to have been within the castle precincts. His body was dismembered and displayed on the four gates of the city, they being North gate (north end of Cornmarket street), South gate by Christchurch, Eastgate near Magdalen College and the water gate near to St Ebbe's church. The head was displayed in front of Christchurch to the great terror of the catholics who were in and near to Oxford.

Eventually parts of the dismembered body were secretly removed by relatives and brought to Powells at Sandford to be given a decent. burial in the chapel there, now a barn which lies at right angles to the present Temple farmhouse. The head they were unable to secure, and, according to legend, every Christmas Eve headless George Napier drives over in a coach as far as Temple farm to look for his head, which he is never able to find. Unfortunately any person seeing him, it is said, is sure to die within the year.

Mr Naud the farmer in the nineteen twenties is said to have seen the ghost, and certainly died within the year. Two other men I know both planned to wait and watch on Christmas Eve: both now lie peacefully in the local churchyard. Did they see the ghost, you ask? Oh no - 'they chickened out', as they say nowadays, and spend the evening safely ensconced in the warmth of the Catherine Wheel.

Kingcup

[Kingcup - more info]

Oxford United Football Club's proposed new stadium & leisure complex on the Watlington Road will cause ........

DESTRUCTION OF 74 ACRES OF GREENBELT
  approximately 40 times the size of one football pitch

the proposed building will be ........

30 METRES (100 FEET) TALL
  approximately the same height as a 10 storey block of flats

It will create .....

TRAFFIC CHAOS
  jams, parking in surrounding villages, exhaust pollution, excessive traffic volume WILL cause misery and increase accidents throughout the area

this is ........

NOT JUST A FOOTBALL STADIUM
  a night club, hotel, cinema, discotheque, tenpin bowling, venue for pop concerts, are all included

SAY NO! to the relocation of Oxford United's stadium complex on Watlington Road. To lodge your objections please write to:

Chief Planning Officer, South Oxfordshire District Council, P.O. Box 19, Council Offices, Crowmarsh, Wallingford, Oxon. OX10 8NJ

The Rt. Hon. Michael Heseltine, MP, House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA

Andrew Smith. MP, House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA

The Director of Planning and Property Services, Oxfords hire County Council, Speedwell House, Speedwell Street, Oxford OX1 1SD

Oxford Park Home Estate Residents Association News

A social evening was held on 24th of November in the Village Hall. Thanks very much to Marge and Dennis Harris and Beverly for the wonderful sit-down spread and buffet, and also for my flowers. This was a surprise for residents, which was really enjoyed by all. For those of you who could not make it through other arrangements and, sadly, illness - hopefully we will have another in the New Year. (As Mrs Agulnik was unable to attend a basket of flowers was sent to thank her for her help and advice).

We the Committee wish all the villagers of Sandford a Merry Xmas and a very Happy New Year.

Hazel Hutton, on behalf of the Committee

Protection for Mobile Home Residents

  'that this House notes the efforts of the NAPHR and of many local campaigns like the one led by Liberal Democrats in North Dorset to change serious loopholes in the Mobile Home Act 1983 in order to give mobile home owners the same rights and protection under the law enjoyed by traditional home owners; and in recognition of the importance of mobile homes in today's housing situation, calls upon the government to amend the said Act and the model standards governing mobile home sites and to ensure that local councils who issue site licence honour the conditions of the licence.

SANDFORD-ON-THAMES PARISH COUNCIL

At the meeting of the Parish Council held on Monday 8th October 1990, eight members were present

Mr Keith Willis (M Magdalen College) and Mr Grant Baird (Speyhawk) attended the meeting to discuss Phase 1.1 of the Science Park. The Proposed Alterations No. 4 to the Oxfordshire Structural Plan were circulated to be discussed in November.

It was proposed to name the new peripheral road Grenoble Road: the Parish Council objected strongly to the name, and felt that a suitable name would be that of a local scientist. Mr Willis said that Magdalen College also objected to the naming of the road.

The purchase and erection of goal posts in the recreation field at a cost of £358 plus ground sockets £52 per set was approved, and the Clerk authorised to place an order with Record Playground Equipment. Mrs Ashburner said, she would ask the Youth Club if they could help towards the cost, and Mrs Hutton will run a Youth Bingo from which some of the proceeds' would be donated. Bradley Harris will ask the youth of the village if they would raise funds.

Village Hall: information was still being collated and a date for the public meeting had not yet been set.

Income and Expenditure		£
Income:	Ms Green (mooring rent)	48.00
	Precept	3108.00
Expenditure:	Graphic Signs	62.10
	Audit Commission	61.58

At the meeting of the Parish Council held on Monday 12th November, seven members were present.

The previous minutes were amended to record that residents and councillors had raised the following points with Mr Baird (Speyhawk) regarding the Science Park development:
1. Kiln Lane is single track at the point, where it joins the new peripheral road and requires widening.
2. Traffic is at present turning right towards Henley immediately after the bridge instead of using roundabout.
3. Request that barrier is erected at bottom of footpath from mobile home site.
4. Request for pedestrian crossing.

Planning applications: No objections were made to applications for Rock Farm Lane, Templars Court, Oxford Science Park Phase II and Plot 8 and 43 Church Road. Oxford Science Park construction of periphal road leg was returned for further information. The Parish Council objected to the development of a bungalow and garage at Kiln House, to the proposed siting of the Oxford United Sports Ground, on the grounds of increased noise and traffic particularly affecting Oxford Park Homes and upper end of Henley Road, and to the proposed development at Orchard House, on the grounds of its close proximity to the old people's home and that it would destroy the open aspect of the area, with loss of amenity/green belt land.

Income and Expenditure		£
Income:	Ms Green (mooring rent)	48.00
Expenditure:	Recreation field rent	75.00
	SEB	93.08
	Clerk's salary	200.00
	Wreath	16.50
	SODC (dog notices)	18.97
	Municipal insurance	95.85

Village Hall: Mrs Shepherd gave £331.76 from the proceeds of the bingo for the Village Hall fund. £100 had been withheld to purchase crockery and cutlery for the Hall.
Mrs Shepherd and Mrs Hutton were thanked for their fund raising efforts.

CHEMISTS' ROTA SERVICE

January/February

Closest to Sandford area only

The following Chemist will be open for dispensing from 5.30 - 6.30 p.m. Mondays to Fridays, and 12 noon - 1.0 p.m. Sundays and Public Holidays, on the week commencing:

January 6th	P L. Jenner, 236/238 Cowley Road, Oxford
January 13th	Kingswood Chemists, 103/5 Pound Way, Cowley Centre
January 20th	Emerald Pharmacy, 34 Cowley Road, Littlemore
January 27th	W.H. Green (Chemists) Ltd., 8 Rose Hill Parade
February 3rd	N.J. Proctor, 252 Cowley Road, Oxford
February 10th	N.J. Proctor, 158 Oxford Road, Cowley
February 17th	P.L. Jenner, 236/8 Cowley Road, Oxford
February 24th	Kingswood Chemists, 103/5 Pound Way, Cowley Centre
March 3rd	Emerald Pharmacy, 34 Cowley Road, Littlemore

The Link magazine is published by the Link Committee
and is edited by Prue Sykes,
Lower Farm, Sandford-on-Thames.
Any article or news items for inclusion in the next issue
should be sent to Lower Farm by 15th February.

Whilst the Committee takes every effort to ensure the
accuracy of the material contained no responsibility
can be held for any action arising from this publication.