Welcome to the Chideock and Seatown Community Website. This website belongs to ‘the community’ and is all about Chideock, North Chideock and Seatown. We hope these pages will be of interest to both local residents and visitors to our village.
Chideock is an amazingly busy village with lots of groups that anyone can join and lots of entertainment and events that are happening so please take your time to look through our website – not forgetting our stunning Photo Galleries.
If you are a visitor to this beautiful part of West Dorset please check out our Accommodation Guide.
- FILM NIGHT ‘RED JOAN’ IN THE VILLAGE HALL TUESDAY 24TH SEPTEMBER Continue reading →
CHIDEOCK HALL EVENT
TUESDAY 24 SEPTEMBER 2019
7PM FOR 7.30PM
Joan Stanley is a widow living out a quiet retirement in the suburbs when, shockingly, the British Secret Service places her under arrest. The charge: providing classified scientific information – including details on the building of the atomic bomb – to the Soviet government for decades. As the interrogation gets underway, Joan relives the dramatic events that shaped her life and her beliefs.
£7.00 Non Members … £5.00 Members … Membership £2
Tea/Coffee & Popcorn. Choc Ices on sale during the interval.
Wine on sale!
- FOLK DANCE IN CHIDEOCK VILLAGE HALL. October 26th 2019 Continue reading →
- CHIDEOCK ART GROUP NEW PROGRAM Continue reading →
Extra’s!
Monday Dec 2nd – Art Day with Richard Turner and watercolour and pastel £25 per person.
Monday Dec 9th – Christmas Lunch – venue to be decided.
- CHIDEOCK NEWS – SEPTEMBER 2019 Continue reading →
- THE CHIDEOCK SOCIETY AGM FOLLOWED BY‘MY TIME WITH THE MOUNTED POLICE BRANCH OF THE METROPOLITAN POLICE’ Tuesday 8th October in the village hall. Continue reading →
THE CHIDEOCK SOCIETY AGM
And to discuss the Role of Chideock Society in the future.
Tuesday 8th October in the Village Hall. 7.15pm for 7.30pm.
FOLLOWED BY
‘MY TIME WITH THE MOUNTED POLICE BRANCH OF THE METROPOLITAN POLICE’
An illustrated talk by Steve Marsh
Retired Sergeant Steve Marsh, a member of the Metropolitan Police Mounted Branch, escorted Princess Diana’s coffin from Kensington to Westminster, along with four other policemen riding dark horses. Please come along and listen to his experiences of his life in the Mounted Police Branch and his time in London. We will recognise Steve from a past talk about his new role with the Kingscombe Centre (Dorset Wildlife Trust) near Dorchester.
Refreshments
Members: Free. Non Members £4.00. (on the door)
- THE LATE IAN DUNN’S STUDIO Continue reading →
THE LATE IAN DUNN’S STUDIO
Sadly many readers will be aware of the passing in April this year of artist Ian Dunn, from Bridport’s St. Michael’s Studios. Those who knew him will remember his humour, good nature and intelligence and also his thoughtful but strikingly colourful, often large, acrylic paintings and his drawings of a quite different nature. Previously it had been a working studio for Ian but earlier this year his studio was set up by our sons more as a gallery not only to display some of his work but as a surprise for Ian, which it was!
It has been extremely sad to lose Ian but now of course we must prepare to find suitable homes for the contents of his studio from 12B St. Michael’s – all ideas are welcome. Previously it had been his working studio tucked away, as he wanted, rather quietly in a little offshoot from Foundry Lane, in the second of the trading estate yards, at the very back of the St. Michael’s Studios building, close to the bottom of Gundry Lane.
Due to the circumstances of course we will only keep the studio for another few weeks and a new tenant has already been found to fill Ian’s place. Consequently towards the end of September we plan to take down his work.
A number of people have asked if they could visit the studio before it goes and we hope to arrange a few times to view it, possibly during the week beginning September 7th by prior arrangement, just so that it can be manned. So, if you would like to contact us, please do on dianalethbridge4@gmail.com
Meanwhile thank you again to all those who have been so supportive to us recently and particularly to Haywards of St. Michael’s Trading Estate for their great help and consideration during this time.
Diana Lethbridge
- A35 CHIDEOCK SPEED REDUCTION TRIAL Continue reading →
Hopefully, everyone will have received a letter from Highways England detailing the proposed new 30 m.p.h. limit up Chideock Hill to the West as far as Muddyford Lane. However, there was a mistake in this letter inferring that the 30 mph speed limit would start at Ruins Lane and this was open to misinterpretation so for clarity
The eastern end of the 30 mph limit HAS NOT CHANGED. The letter from Highways England is wrong but this was not picked up until after it had been sent.
Should you not have received a letter a copy can be seen on the Chideock Parish Council website.
- CLAPPS MEAD PLAYING FIELD AND PLAY AREA Continue reading →
A Very Big Thank You to all who helped at Clapp’s Mead Playing Field.
A considerable amount of maintenance and refurbishment has taken place in the
Children’s Play Area with the painting of the picket fence, refurbishment of the two
seats and general painting and decoration of the See Saw, Slide/House, Cross Bars and
the Baby Swing. Many thanks must go to Shay Divine for his work on the two seats,
Lyn Crisp, Teresa Mudford and Lee Martin for the work on the Play Equipment and
Lyn Crisp, Teresa Mudford, George Dunn and Mick Kelson for the fence painting.
Also, to Alex Daniel who popped along to help as well. Thanks also to Shay Divine
who made such a magnificent job of the Grafton Commemorative stone – the
inscription can be read very clearly for the first time in many years. A reminder –
Clapp’s Mead Playing Field was granted to the Parish Council in 1938 by the Grafton
family to be held on behalf of the village for recreation in perpetuity – it is YOUR playing field. - CHIDEOCK’S FIRST BLUE PLAQUE – CHRISSIE SQUIRE ‘THE CHIDEOCK EGG LADY’ Continue reading →
Chideock’s First Blue Plaque
Blue plaques are a nationwide symbol designed to commemorate outstanding achievements by an individual and we are delighted that Chideock now has its first blue plaque, installed to acknowledge the remarkable life of our Chideock Egg Lady, Chrissie Squire.
Chrissie Squire lived in Chideock all her life (1894 – 1976) and was a well-known and popular figure in the village. In the midst of the horrors of WW1 she found a way – by contributing fresh eggs to the National Egg Collection for wounded soldiers in France and by decorating those eggs with little paintings and messages as well as her name and address – not only to provide vital nourishment for those soldiers, but also to connect with them in a very real way and offer friendship, kindness and support. Many of the soldiers who received her decorated eggs wrote back to her, and the collection of letters shows just how much she touched their lives. More information about Chrissie’s remarkable story can be found on this website, or by contacting Chideock resident Frances Colville.
This story has been researched and written about by Frances, and has resonated with all the villagers who have heard it. In recognition of this, the Chideock Society decided to organise the installation of the blue plaque on Hollow Cottage in North Road where Chrissie spent much of her life. Many villagers contributed generously to the funding of this project and Howard and Deirdre Coates kindly gave permission for the plaque to be installed on the wall of Hollow Cottage.
On Monday 15 July, representatives of various Chideock groups, as well as the Chideock museum and the Bridport Museum, one of Chrissie Squire’s descendants and Frances met in the beautiful garden at Hollow Cottage for the unveiling of the plaque. There were speeches, tea and cake, and the chance to hear readings from some of the letters sent to the Egg Lady from soldiers who received her decorated eggs.
The Chideock Egg Lady plaque on the side of Hollow Cottage can be viewed from North Road and is well worth going to see.
Frances Colville 17/7/19
- ‘PARTY IN THE PARK’ a great success Continue reading →
PARTY IN THE PARK
To Commemorate Fields in Trust Day The Party in the Park was a great success with over £1,000 being taken by all the stalls for their different groups and charities. Over £100 was presented by way of the 10% to the Parish Council Community Fund which helps purchase new play equipment, football nets, etc., The weather was wonderful and the kids loved the egg and spoon race, sack race etc., cheered on by the crowd! Thanks to The Chideock Society for hosting this event.
- “Scentenary”, Chideock WI Centenary Diffuser Continue reading →
This is the first photograph of the Chideock WI Centenary Diffuser, taken in the kitchen where it was imagined, researched, designed, mixed and ultimately produced. It is made of natural oils carefully researched with expert advice. The fragrance which we have named “Scentenary” in celebration of 100 years of the WI in our village, was selected by WI members from three which were initially developed, and the winner was then trialled for its lasting qualities. Members submitted designs for the label to reflect Chideock’s Jurassic Coast location. The glass bottle and packaging are recyclable, with the transparent wrapping and ribbon chosen to be plastic free and therefore more environmentally friendly. This is a limited production, priced at £12 to reflect the quality of the oils and the cost of similar commercial products.
Our “Scentenary” room diffuser makes an ideal special gift or keepsake and will be on sale at the Party in the Park on Saturday 6th July. Don’t miss out
.
For further information or to purchase contact Tish Wynford-Thomas (01297 489200) or Lee Ramsden (01297 480941)
- SALISBURY DIOCESAN GUILD OF BELLRINGERS FEATURING CHIDEOCK BELLRINGERS WHO DIED IN WWI Continue reading →
Click image or see content herePUBLICATION DATE: 1 MAY 2019
This Booklet has been produced after four years of commemorations across the Guild marking the centenary of the Great War. It is fully illustrated throughout and its cover is taken from an original artwork created for the Guild by Westbury artist Helen Chester (www.helenchesterarts.co.uk).
Contents include: Guild Memorial and Cathedral Commemorations, Ringers from the Diocese who Died (biographical details and details of ringing commemorations), Towers and Branches, The ‘Ypres Bells’, Other Commemorative Ringing and Events, Armistice Centenary and Post war. The Booklet also contains wartime extracts from Guild Reports and The Ringing World.
For the first time, in this publication, you will have in one place information that previously stood separately. The impact of the whole is all the more moving. Guild members and those from beyond will value and appreciate this Booklet both now and in years to come.
An extract from the Foreword to the Booklet by Nicholas Holtam, Bishop of Salisbury and Patron of the Guild.
Lest we forget, this history reminds us of real people and costly lives–people from our communities, our predecessors committed to ringing bells in towers where we now stand. It is good to know them by name and to recognise their significance for us today.
