The Silchester Story

by Stephen Bibby, Lynne Jones and Dennis West

This beautiful book about the history of Silchester was published in 2023. It was printed as a limited edition.

The authors have generously donated a copy of the manuscript to the village to hold for posterity.

You can view and read the book below. Just click on the links for each chapter

 

 

Foreward by Michael Fulford

Introduction

PART ONE - THE HERE AND NOW

1.1  The Parish in 2023

1.2  Silchester Common

1.3  Previous Histories of Silchester

1.4  Florence Davidson

PART TWO - SILCHESTER THROUGH THE CENTURIES

2.1  Geological Background

2.2  The Iron Age

2.3  The Roman Era

2.4  The Post Roman Era

2.5  Confusion Over Calleva

2.6  1066 To the 16th Century  

 2.7  Lords of the Manor

2.8  The 16th to 19th Centuries

2.9  Thomas Dicker, Clockmaker

 2.10  The Richard Hyde Charity

2.11  Antiquarians

2.12  The Compton Census

2.13  The 19th Century

2.14  The First Duke of Wellington

2.15  Wellington and Silchester

2.16  Silchester Cricket Club

2.17  Silchester Football Club

 2.18  A Trio of Talent

2.19  The 20th Century

2.20  The Whistler Family

2.21  Lt Col Karslake, Amateur Archaeologist

2.21  Norman Evill, Architect

2.22  Michael Knight's Memoir

 

PART THREE - THE PAST AROUND THE PARISH

3.1  Flex Ditch

3.2  The Impstone

3.3  Silchester Common over the Years

3.4  St Mary the Virgin Church

3.5 Silchester Methodist Church

3.6  The Calleva Arms

3.7  Silchester School

3.8  Silchester War Memorial

3.9  Fallen First World War Servicemen

3.10  Fallen Second World War Servicemen

3.11  Silchester Village Hall

3.12  The Pavilion and Playing Fields

3.13  The Water Tower

3.14  Silchester Sewage Treatment Works

3.15  Culham Mill

 

PART FOUR - THE PAST IN PRIVATE HOUSES

4.1  Old Meadows

4.2  Silchester House

4.3  New Timber

4.4  The Grange

4.5  Silchester Cottage

4.6  Woodrow

4.7  The Old Manor House

4.8  Holly House and Holly Tree Cottage

4.9  Dial Cottage

4.10  The Old Stores

4.11 Vine Cottage

4.12  Culhams Farmhouse

4.13  The Old House

4.14  Silchester Hall

4.15  Macartneys

4.16  Heathercote House

4.17  The Lovegrove Gardens Area

4.18  Farms in the Parish of Silchester

4.19  Modern Housing Estates

 

EPILOGUE and ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The Silchester Association has employers' liability insurance for volunteers while helping out at events

you can view the insurance certificate here

 

 

 

CONSTITUTION OF THE SILCHESTER ASSOCIATION

1      NAME

a)     The name of the organisation shall be The Silchester Association (hereafter referred to as the Association in this document). b)     The Association shall be not-for-profit[1], non-political and non-sectarian.

2      OBJECTIVES

·      To encourage all aspects of Silchester village community life ·      To engage with other local groups ·      To foster the rural character and amenities of Silchester. ·      To raise and retain sufficient funds to deliver these objectives

3      MEMBERSHIP OF THE ASSOCIATION

a)     All residents living in the area of benefit[2]are by default ordinary members of the Association. b)     Persons who do not live within the area of benefit but who volunteer to help the Association are associate members. c)      Ordinary and associate members are eligible to vote at any General Meeting of the Association, hereafter referred to as voting members as long as they are at least 16 years of age. d)     Ordinary and associate membership shall cease immediately upon a person no longer fulfilling the condition set out in clause 3a or 3b respectively. e)     Membership shall be free of subscription. A simple majority shall decide any changes to the policy on subscription at any General Meeting of the Association. f)       If subscription charges are ever introduced then only fully paid-up subscribers shall be members and the concept of ordinary and associate membership shall cease.

4      MANAGEMENT

a)     The day-to-day management of the Association shall be in the hands of the Silchester Association Committee, otherwise known as the Committee. b)     The Committee shall make and carry out decisions in accordance with the objectives of the Association. c)      The Committee shall manage the calendar of events, funds and all necessary administration of the Association including that related to insurance and risk assessment.

5      THE COMMITTEE & EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

a)     The Committee must consist of a minimum of three voting members who must hold the posts of Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer. These three members are the Executive officers of the Committee. b)     The Committee will consist of a maximum of twelve voting members to ensure efficient and effective management of the Silchester Association. c)      No Committee member shall fill more than one Executive officer position at any one time. d)     All members of the Committee retain their voting rights to vote at any General Meeting whilst serving on the Committee. e)     Members of the Committee shall serve for 12 months and then stand for re-election at an Annual General Meeting (AGM). f)       Any voting member can stand for election to the Committee at the AGM through nomination and being seconded by another voting member of the Association. g)      Should an objection be raised to a nominated and seconded voting member standing for election, a simple majority shall decide if that voting member should be elected. h)     A paper ballot will take place to determine who shall be elected to the Committee if more than twelve voting members have been proposed, seconded and accepted for election under clause (g). i)       Elected Committee members shall decide who shall take on the responsibilities of Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer at the first Committee meeting following each AGM. j)       Should an Executive officer resign during the year substitutions can be made from within the elected Committee by voting at a Committee meeting. k)      Committee members are expected to attend Committee meetings. If a Committee member fails to attend three consecutive meetings, without due cause, then they automatically cease to be a serving Committee member. l)       The Executive officers have the power to co-opt other voting members onto the Committee as deemed necessary by them throughout the year. They also have the power to ask Committee members to stand down if that is thought to be in the best interests of the Association. m)    The Committee shall meet at least four times a year. n)     The Secretary shall record minutes at Committee meetings and the Treasurer shall present a statement of accounts at each meeting. o)     At least three Committee members must be present for any decision to be made at a Committee meeting and a simple majority shall determine any decisions reached. p)     The Committee shall keep members informed by publishing regular reports in the Silchester Magazine and on the Silchester Association website.

6      SUB-COMMITTEES

a)     The Committee can create any number of sub-committees, each dedicated to running a planned event or activity. b)     The Executive officers shall be ex-officio members of all sub-committees, but they do not have to attend sub-committee meetings. However, they should be in receipt of the agendas and minutes of meetings relating to any sub-committee. c)      Each sub-committee shall be led by a member of the Committee whose appointment shall be by agreement at a Committee meeting. d)     Leaders of sub-committees must attend Committee meetings regularly to report on and discuss financial matters and activities relating to their event(s). e)     The final decision of the Committee shall prevail in the event of disagreements regarding planned spending or activities by sub-committees. f)       Leaders of sub-committees can co-opt voting members of the Association onto their sub-committee as deemed necessary.

7      GENERAL MEETINGS OF THE ASSOCIATION

a)     The AGM shall be held in April of each year. b)     An extra-ordinary General Meeting (EGM) shall be called by the Committee in response to written requests by at least ten (10) voting members of the Association or if the Committee deems it necessary to call such a meeting. c)      Notice of AGMs and EGMs shall be published in the Silchester Magazine and on the Silchester Association website at least 7 days before either such event occurs. d)     The agenda and any documents for consultation for an AGM or EGM shall be published on the Silchester Association website 7 days before either such event occurs. e)     A record shall be kept of members attending an AGM and an EGM. f)       The record must contain the name, address with postcode and age status to ensure only eligible people vote at any general meeting of the Association. Members shall also be asked to volunteer their phone and email details. g)      At the AGM the Committee Chairperson shall provide a report of the year’s activities and the Treasurer shall provide a financial statement. h)     Any proposals to modify the Association’s constitution shall be made at the AGM or an EGM. i)       Motions require a simple majority to be carried from voting members in attendance at AGMs or EGMs. j)       A minimum of three voting members needs to be present for a quorum.

8      DISSOLUTION OF THE ASSOCIATION

a)     The Association may only be dissolved at an EGM. Such a meeting shall come about following a proposal in writing signed by a simple majority of those remaining on the Committee being submitted to the Secretary. b)     Members shall be informed of such a meeting through a notice in the Silchester Magazine and on the Silchester Association website. c)      Dissolution of the Association shall only take effect if agreed by a simple majority of the voting members present at that meeting. d)     Any assets remaining after any debts have been paid must be distributed among local charities or other community groups with similar aims to those of the Association. Beneficiaries shall be nominated at that meeting. e)     On dissolution, any documents belonging to the Association shall be disposed of in a manner agreed at that meeting.

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[1] This is to ensure compliance with the insurance. [2] Those in the “area of benefit” are defined as all residents of the parish of Silchester and that area that lies within half a mile outside the boundary of the parish of Silchester provided always that the area to the west of the parish within Pamber Heath shall be restricted to those properties on Impstone Road fronting the common and fronting Silchester Road up to the Clappsgate turning. Adopting the same principle as that applied to the governance of Silchester Village Hall and as described in the insurance policy documents.

Would you like a silchester.org email address?

This service is run for Silchester residents by Silchester Mail Ltd on a ‘not for profit’ basis.

The basic email service is provided free of charge for Silchester residents and can either be used as a full mail box system or as a forwarding address to an existing email account.

A premium service is also available for a small annual charge  (currently £15 per year and discounted to £10 for Silchester residents) which offers a larger  capacity mailbox and the ability to view your mail across different devices.

Features of the Mail System

• More secure:  secure connection between you and the mail server. Webmail will also be encrypted
• Less spam:  spam filtering provided by SpamHero to remove the majority of junk mail received by the system
• More deliverable:  digital signing of outgoing mail, meaning less chance of your mail being treated as spam
• More reliable:  uses Amazon’s infrastructure to improve reliability.

You can apply for a silchester.org email address here

Our Terms & Conditions for owning a @silchester email address.

The service is free of charge and the only condition is that having an email address confirms you are a signed up member of the association and you agree to receive emails on matters of interest to the village no more than one per month.

The email address will not be shared with any other organisations outside the village.

Silchester Association owns, maintains and pays for the Silchester.org domain.

The association is able to offer to any resident in the village a Silchester.org email address.

This can be set up as a new email account or as a forward from the silchester.org address to an existing email address – full instructions will be provided.

Availability is based on a first come first served based.

Format could be This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The service is free of charge and the only condition is that having an email address confirms you are a signed up member of the association and you agree to receive emails on matters of interest to the village no more than one per month. The email address will not be shared with any other organisations outside the village.

 Request Your @Silchester Email Address here  Please contact us by email for further information.

 AGM 2024 Notes

• SA Chairperson's Report 2024
• SA Treasurer's Report 2024
• Minutes of 2024 AGM

 

AGM 2023 Notes

• SA Chairperson's Report 2023
• SA Treasurer's Report 2023
• SA Finances 2023
• Re-worded Constitution 2023

 

AGM 2022 Notes

• SA Chairperson's Report 2022
• SA Treasurer's Report 2022
• SA Financial Statement - Income & Expenditure 2021-22

 

AGM 2021 Notes

• SA Chairperson's Report 2021
• SA Treasurer's Report 2021
• SA Financial Statement - Income & Expenditure 2020-21

AGM 2020 Notes

• SA Chairperson's Report 2020
• SA Treasurer's Report 2020
• SA Financial Statement - Income & Expenditure 2019-20

 

AGM 2019 Notes

• Minutes of the Silchester Association AGM 2019
• SA Chairman's Report 2019
• SA Treasurer's Report 2019

 

AGM 2018 Notes

• Minutes of the Silchester Association AGM 2018
• SA Chairman's Report 2018
• SA Treasurer's Report 2018

AGM 2017 Notes:

• Minutes of the Silchester Association 2017
• Proposed amendments to SA constitution
• SA Chairman's report
• SA Constitution
• Treasurer's Report

AGM 2016 Notes:

• Minutes of the Silchester Association 2016
• SA Chairman's report
• Treasurers Report

AGM 2015 Notes:

• Constitution for SA
• Minutes of the Silchester Association 2015
• Silchester Association Chairman's report
• Treasurer Report
• Appendix attached to constitution

Be Part of our Flourishing Community

We always welcome new people who would like to be involved in the village.

Please fill in your contact details and what you would be interested in helping out with and someone will contact you shortly. Thanks for your interest and we look forward to working with you.

You will be helping with various activities, such as:

• Help at the Beer Festival, Fun Run etc.
• Marshal at Bonfire Night, help build bonfire etc.
• Join a sub-committee for one of the events
• Be part of the general committee

Use the form below to get involved:

If you run an organization in the village and would like to add it to the directory please complete the following form and someone will contact you.

If your organization already has its own website we can provide a short synopsis of what you do with a link to your site.

If you do not have a site, let us know what you would like to say and provide us with a photo and we can add a page to this site for you.

Please complete the form below.

If you are part of a Silchester village organization and are organizing an event in the village, we will be happy to publicise it on the web site.

Please fill in the form below describing the event and someone will get back to you.

Fun Run Results

Be part of our flourishing community.

The Silchester Association was founded in 1972 and has been a driving force in the village ever since.

It is a non profit organization run for the benefit of the residents. When needed, and if funds allow, the Association will make donations to other organisations in the village to help them achieve their aims.

Today our main focus is on the social side and we have a team who organise a lively programme of events throughout the year.

Typical events include:

Everyone who lives in the village and the immediate neighbourhood is automatically a member of the association and is always very welcome at the events.

The Silchester Association has employers' liability insurance for volunteers while helping out at events. 

Here's our list of past events that have taken place in and around Silchester.

Here's our list of upcoming events that are happening in and around Silchester, make sure you're there!

Email:

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

Contact us by filling in and sending the form below: