AGM - April 14This was held in the Church House, Areley Kings. Our last visit there had been in 2000, before refurbishment. I wasn’t sure it was the same place as it is 100% better. It’s like a Grand Designs project! The medieval building looks fantastic, and the clear tunnel joining it to the modern kitchen and toilets makes for an invisible join. You can see the garden behind and of course the tunnel itself is full of light.
It was built in 1536, the year Anne Boleyn was executed, and used as an ale house. Instead of brewing and selling ale in the church to raise funds, the brewing and selling was done in a neighbouring church house. It is jettied which is unusual in the countryside and a symbol of power.
The oak floor has sawn timbers, not planed, to match the originals. The window frames are also English oak. Carpenters have carved dates onto unseen parts of the oak repair timbers for future archaeologists. Over the years it has been a stable, barn, school, and bier house. There are only two left in the county - the other one is The Mug House at Claines, now a pub.
Half of the ground floor of Church House retains its original blue brick floor. These have been reinstated as they were found and demarcate the stalls from the time when the ground floor was used as a stable.
Val Sibley, the Treasurer, retired from the committee and was given a pot plant and Graham Turner print with our grateful thanks for all her hard work over the years. She joined the committee as Secretary in 1996, and took over the Treasurer’s job in 2007. Brenda and David Cox are joining the committee and taking over the Treasurer’s job.
Judith Sealey also retired from the committee and was given a pot plant and theatre tokens with our grateful thanks for all her hard work over the years. Judith joined the committee in 2001 as Joint Librarian, becoming sole Librarian the following year. In 2006 she took over the Chair, as well as being Librarian, and combined these two roles until 2011 when Pat Parminter became Chair. Judith relinquished her role as Librarian to Mickie O’Neill in earlier this year.
Membership stays at £7, and the charges for meetings remain unchanged at £2 and £3 if we have a speaker.
After tea and cakes in the corridor we went into St Bartholomew’s Church next door. Pat told us its history. It is mentioned in the late twelfth century poem, the Brut, which describes the history of Britain from the time of its legendary founder, Brutus. The author, Layamon, describes himself as priest of Areley, and his existence is recorded in a contemporary inscription on the base of the font, which was discovered in 1886.
There is a medieval chancel with a thirteenth century priest’s doorway. The fourteenth century tower porch houses the remains of a stoup. The restored twelfth century window in the chancel contains a figure of Layamon dated 1899.