The History of Abberley Hills Preservation Society
By Angela Thompson – Former Madam Chairman of the Society
When my husband and I moved back to Abberley in the early 1980s to look after my elderly parents, my mother decided that I should take her brother, my uncle Ken, to the Committee meetings. As a retired London Foreign Sub-Editor of the Times Newspaper and now living in Stanford Bridge, he did not drive.
I agreed and at that first meeting, sat in the car outside a house for a good half hour before some guilty member invited me inside. Not knowing what to do with me, the all-male group invited me to join the Committee. Our brief was to stop the Quarry Company from taking the top off Abberley Hill. I well remember one meeting where we all decamped out into the garden where a model of Abberley Hill was formed out of a pile of builder’s sand. With glee, it was decapitated with a shovel and all decided we must re-double our Conservation efforts. They did enjoy playing sand-castles. Time passed, we won our case and Abberley Hill was saved.
The Committee enjoyed the occasional foray into the countryside in search of Abberley Castle. We never found it. When my uncle Ken died a few years later, it was decided that I should take over his job of writing the Newsletter. After all, I was related to him, so I must be able. Our Chairman changed, but meetings in the old St George’s Hall were always well attended. When Norman Carless finally decided to retire, there was no-one to take over.
“Angela will make a good Chairman,” he declared.
“No, no,” I cried, “I cannot do it!” However, there was no choice. I accepted and chose to be called “Madam Chairman” in this still male environment. With the threat to the Hill in abeyance, I decided to concentrate on the Natural Conservation of the countryside. Three groups were formed, a Local History Group, a formal Bird Survey of the Hill and a Wild Flower Group.
The History Group was later amalgamated with the Pensax Historical Society, which then became the Teme Valley Historical Society and we still have enjoyable meetings in Abberley Village Hall. The Bird Survey followed National Survey regulations where the Hill was divided into a series of sections and the results written up. The Wild Flower Group was led by the Reverend Brian Dixon and his wife Margaret. I took photos of all the wild flowers so we have a whole year’s record. The Reverend Dixon would poke at some specimen with his stick and tell us how the green side of a tree would indicate North, so we never got lost!
Abberley Hills Preservation Society, for a while in abeyance, is once again looking to the Conservation of our Historic Village. With evidence of Roman Vineyards; with two Churches, one Victorian and St Michael’s a Norman Church built on Saxon Foundations: plus the site of the Apostle’s Oak where 6h century Saint Augustine met the Welsh Bishops to decide the date of Easter, and with Abberley Castle still to be found where Owen Glendower faced the forces of Henry IV, we have much to treasure.
Our lovely village is once again under threat of extensive new building. It needs to be regulated. Although we welcome new people to join our community, our water and sewerage systems are limited, let alone Schooling and Surgery facilities. There is only so much the environment will stand. Do come and join us where new and interesting future meetings are planned. We need your support.
May 2023
