Category: PVHG Activity

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PVHG Publishes new Packington History Booklet – “Gems from the Gilwiskaw”

Packington Village History Group PVHG is delighted to welcome publication of “Gems from the Gilwiskaw”, which author Laura Cooper completed shortly before her death.

“Gems” represents a lasting tribute to Laura’s participation in Packington life, and illustrates her commitment to recording the village’s history.

Laura was born in Packington in 1931, but lived for her first four years in Ravenstone. (Laura said that her parents decided to move back to Packington so that she could attend the Packington School). She remained in Packington for the rest of her life.

In “Gems” she paints vivid pictures from her childhood in the village (and Ravenstone) in the 1930’s and 40’s. Laura completed the manuscript shortly before her death in 2016.

Copies are available from:

  • Robin Boucher tel 411638 email: randbboucher@googlemail.com
  • Yvonne Eaton tel 412269 email: yvonne.eat@outlook.com
  • at a cost of £3.50 each copy
Robin Boucher
Packington Village History Group 
August 2019
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Guided Tour – High Street History Walk – 7pm Tuesday 25th June 2019, led by PVHG

Packington Village History Group PVHG offers a FREE guided history walk of our village High Street, taking place at 7 pm on Tuesday 25th June 2019 (weather permitting!).

Meeting point: just across the road from the Bull and Lion.

The guided walk will be led by PVHG chair Robin Boucher, whose reputation as a fount of knowledge of Packington History is well -deserved.

The meeting point is the location a century ago of Packington’s Reading Room building, now the service road of Heather Lane

Robin will describe historic features of our High Street, some of which are more evident than others:

Perhaps you have seen this odd-shaped stone at the High Street entrance to Hall Lane – do you know what it is called, or what it is for?

There is a story behind many of the historic buildings and features of our High Street, and we who can walk blithely past today may never have realised the way things were in times of yore.

Do come along and join us for this informative event, (did we mention it is FREE?) which leads at its end to refreshments in our Memorial Hall Venue 35, where a display of High Street information will be available.

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The Packington Blind Horse 1755-1770

Packington Post magazine Issue 68 September 2014

The following paragraphs appeared in Packington Post Issues 67 and 68, describing a famous blind horse from our village that is believed to have effectively founded the Shire Horse breed. At the end of our extract below, you can download FREE the source text from the printed book of 1899.

Foundation Stallion for the Shire Breed

The term “Shire horse” was first used in the mid-17th century, and incomplete records begin to appear near the end of the 18th century.

The “Packington Blind Horse”, from Leicestershire, is one of the best- known horses of the era, with direct descendants being recorded from 1755 to 1832.

Continue reading “The Packington Blind Horse 1755-1770”
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Minutes of our PVHG March 2019 Meeting

At Venue 35 – the Memorial Hall Meeting Room – on Tuesday 26th March 2019 at 7:30 pm

Present: Chairman Robin Boucher, 8 members, one new member

  • The minutes of the previous meeting were approved and signed.
  • Robin welcomed David Oakley to the group as a new member.
  • Robin reported the latest regarding the Thomas Pestell film production. Wendy Freer has applied for a grant, the result of which should be known within approximately 4 weeks.
  • The June 25th PVHG High Street guided walk is on track.
  • We have not heard from Paula Dring confirming her permission to photograph the graves in her garden. Yvonne will call and ask if she is agreeable.
  • The Memorial Hall committee have invited ALL village associations and groups to an Open Evening on Friday 26th April 2019. Members agreed PVHG should attend. Sue will provide display stands. This will be an opportunity to sell ourselves, and hopefully encourage more membership. Members are to meet at 10am on Monday, 15th April to plan and prepare for the evening.

The main item of the evening was how best to record the continual changes in the village. A drone could take aerial photographs periodically, but might be too expensive. Sue suggested the National Monuments Record at Swindon may already have aerial photos of Packington, and will investigate. The Historic England Archive apparently has 4 million aerial photographs, of which 95,000 are available online at Britain From Above

Adrian proposed that a photo be taken of every house for sale in the village as new occupants invariably change the property. Members agreed photographs of each street be taken and recorded; David agreed to co-ordinate the placing of photos on the website and the following members agreed to be responsible for recording their street:-

  • David Oakley – Hall Lane
  • David Fill – Brook Close and Babelake
  • Sue / Di – Mill Street
  • Robin – Normanton Road
  • Yvonne – Ashby Road
  • Adrian – Spring Lane
  • Nev – Homecroft

The meeting closed at 9.10pm

The next meeting is Tuesday, 30th April at 7.30pm

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An Extraordinary Man – PVHG Meeting Tuesday 26th February 2019

At our February meeting in Venue 35 we will welcome Paula Dring to talk to us about Rev. Joseph Goadby, who was a leading figure in the former Baptist Chapel in the village. We will be pleased to welcome any non-members who would like to hear about him at this meeting.

Joseph Goadby labelled “dissenter” by an “intolerant aristocrat..”

So, who was Joseph Goadby? Why was he Extraordinary? Why was he labelled as “.. a Dissenter“? Perhaps the answer lies in this quote ascribed to a more modern sage:

Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.

Do come and hear about this Extraordinary Man of Packington.

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Archive Exploitation Meeting

Seven members of Packington Village History Group PVHG met on Monday 11th February 2019 at Venue 35 in our village Memorial Hall Venues.

PVHG has recently been privileged to have an offer from the Memorial Hall Venues committee of dedicated space for storage of the archive in Venue 35, and members have paid for a new lockable storage cabinet to house the materials.

Treasurer and Secretary, Yvonne Eaton, who has stored the archive contents in rooms of her home and outbuildings for two years, was able to bring in nearly all the items. After some trial-and-error attempts by Chair Robin Boucher, who is clearly good at 3-D puzzles, we were able to fit all of the archive materials into the new cabinet. and start to exploit the PVHG archive materials.

PVHG Members making an initial assessment of the village archive

Much work needs to be done to examine and rationalise the archive, much of which is paper text about Packington, either cuttings or typed copies taken from local newspapers, in particular from early editions of the Burton Chronicle, and more recently from the Ashby Times and Leicester Mercury. Here’s one such item from the Burton Chronicle:

PVHG Archive Item from 1926, about an item from 1823

PVHG seeks to publicise the archive content using this pvhg.uk website, but digitising the content is a challenging task. Please could YOU help?

Meanwhile, PVHG are keen to continue adding current information to the archive, for future generations to be able to see how THEIR village has evolved over time. There’s a new commercial site on Measham Road being built NOW. Hall Farm is being rebuilt, NOW. The Grove is being built, NOW. Century Drive was built only last year. We want to record images of how the village is now, before the depredations of HS2 start to take place, and are hoping to start this project in 2019.

Would you please help us? Please contact one of our members, or our chair Robin Boucher on tel: 411638

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PVHG January 2019 – AGM and Meeting Minutes

At Venue 35 – the Memorial Hall Meeting Room – on Tuesday 29th January 2019 at 7:30 pm

Present: Chairman Robin Boucher and 6 members.

Apologies received from:- Diane and Doug

Annual General Meeting AGM 2019

Minutes of the previous AGM meeting in January 2018 were read, approved and signed. There were no matters arising.

Chairman’s report:- 

“After the difficult year of 2017 the Group has had a more positive 2018.  New members have joined and made valued contributions. Activities have included:

  • an overview of Anglo-Saxon England with specific reference to Packington and the surrounding area
  • a meeting with Ashby Museum which led to the updating of a poster about Packington displayed there
  • discussion with a local film / drama group about a forthcoming project on a seventeenth-century vicar of Packington;  and
  • a significant contribution to the village’s centenary commemoration of the end of the First World War 
  • much debate about the future of archive material
  • a firm commitment to disseminating the information in the archive. Group members now have a much greater understanding of its size and scope.
  • At the end of the reporting period, the Group has obtained agreement to store archive material in the Memorial Hall Venue 35, which will greatly help during 2019.

The Group now has its own website at pvhg.uk

Firmer links have been made with the Packington Post, resulting in regular publicity for the Group’s activities.

However, the Group still faces a number of issues at the start of 2019. There is still a need to attract new members, particularly from younger residents of the village. This has implications for the kind of activities which the Group may plan. Development of the archive will continue to be a major focus, requiring a positive relationship with other parties such as the Memorial Hall Committee and also pursuit of financial support.

I would like to thank all members for their support to the Group over the past year. My particular thanks go to Robert for his help with information technology and for volunteering to represent the Group on the Memorial Hall Committee; and to Yvonne for her secretarial work and her reliable and steady support to me as Chair. “

Treasurer’s report:

A copy of the income and expenditure throughout 2018 was circulated. The present balance shown in the building society account is now still positive following the purchase of the archive cupboard. Members were pleased the archives will be in easy reach and available to any key holding members at any reasonable time after co-ordination with the Hall bookings clerk. Adrian pointed out that this may need to be checked before our next meeting in case the buildings insurance policy be invalidated. Members agreed that the Group needs to apply to the Parish Council Solar Fund for a grant to help with the cost of specialised archiving boxes and materials etc.

Election of Officers for 2019

Chairman: Robin Boucher, proposed by Robert and seconded by Adrian – carried.

Vice-chair: no takers, this position to be left in abeyance for 2019

Secretary/treasurer: Yvonne Eaton, proposed by Adrian, seconded by Sue – carried.

Committee; Robin, Yvonne, Diane, David and Robert.

Setting of membership fees for 2019; these to stay as 2018. £10 per single member and £15 per couple. Members agreed any new member joining later in the year to be at a reduced rate and if that is September or beyond £10 to be charged to include 2020. Proposed meeting dates for 2019 to be the last Tuesday of each month omitting July, August, November and December.

Members thanked Robin and Yvonne for their work throughout 2018. The AGM meeting closed, and was followed by an ordinary meeting.

Ordinary Meeting 29 January 2019

Robin reminded members that Paula Dring will be our speaker for the February meeting, on the subject of Joseph Goadby who brought the Baptist Chapel to Packington in the early nineteenth century. 

Robin also reported he had been in touch with Wendy Freer of Pudding Bag Productions following her visit in November.  She has approached the school, church, and Guild Hall Leicester, who are happy to be involved. Wendy has also applied for a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and is hopeful the film of the Pestells will be completed this year.  Robin suggested she be asked to come to a meeting later this year to update her progress.

Members agreed a history walk be included in our year’s programme, Robin is already working on a High Street walk, having found Peter’s notes and archive material.  The walk to include an exhibition of photographs etc of the High Street in the Venue 35 meeting room.  Sue is willing to provide display stands.  The proposed date for the walk is Tuesday, 25th June 2019.

Sue is willing to give a talk on Medieval Packington at our October meeting.   Members felt it important to note any changes within the village and parish boundary.  There was discussion as to how this can be best achieved.  Adrian proposed OS maps be obtained and boundaries compared to the Estate map, however this to be put on hold as Sue will bring her maps to the March meeting when decisions can be made on how to proceed.  

The archive material can now all be moved to the meeting room and members can then proceed with the thinning process. To this end members to meet on Monday 11th February at 10am to noon to make a start. The  meeting closed at 9.20pm

The next meeting is arranged for Tuesday, 26th February at 7.30pm.  

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PVHG News – Late 2018

At our November final PVHG meeting for 2018, we were joined by Wendy Freer of Pudding Bag Productions, a group based in Ashby which produces film and drama documentaries on historical themes.

Wendy and colleagues are working on a film project about Rev. Thomas Pestell, who succeeded his father (also named Thomas) as Vicar of Packington in 1644 during the Civil War between King Charles I and Parliament. A year or so later he was ejected by a Puritan preacher and accused of various misdemeanours, for which he appeared before Parliamentary Commissioners in Leicester. In 1651 he was present at the Battle of Worcester and narrowly avoided being hanged after Oliver Cromwell defeated the Royalist forces there. He returned as Packington’s vicar in 1662 after the restoration of King Charles II and continued until he died in 1690. Wendy told us that she hopes some of the filming will take place in Packington and there may be opportunities for local people to observe a “shoot” or to appear as an extra in the film. We will be keeping in touch with this project as it develops through 2019.

Our PVHG Annual General Meeting will take place on Tuesday 29th January at 7.30 pm in Venue 35, the Memorial Hall Meeting Room. We are keen to recruit new members, so anyone who has an interest in history, particularly concerning the village and the surrounding area, will be very welcome to join us.

After the formal part of the meeting we will have a wider discussion to plan the group’s activities for 2019.

At our February meeting (Tuesday 26th February, same time and place) we will welcome Paula Dring who will talk to us about Rev. Joseph Goadby, who was a leading figure in the former Baptist Chapel in the village. We will be pleased to welcome any non-members who would like to hear about him at this meeting.

Contact: Robin Boucher, e-mail randbboucher@googlemail.com, tel. 01530 411638

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Minutes of the PVHG October 2018 Meeting

MINUTES OF THE October 2018 MEETING OF PACKINGTON VILLAGE HISTORY GROUP PVHG

held in Venue 35 – the Memorial Hall Meeting Room – on Tuesday 30th October 2018 at 7:30 pm

Present: Chairman Robin Boucher and 7 members.

Apologies received from:- Diane and Doug

Minutes of the previous meeting were approved and signed.

Robin reported:
  • he had suitably cut the old Packington poster which used to hang in the museum,  and kept the photographs ready for archiving.
  • Paula Dring has replied favourably regarding the request for her to talk to the history group about her research on Reverend Joseph Goadby, the Baptist Minister.  It is hoped the February 2019 meeting will be agreeable to her.
  • Wendy Freer of Pudding Bag productions has agreed to attend our next November 2018 meeting, and will talk on Reverend Thomas Pestell  (the younger), Vicar of Packington from 1644, whose career was interrupted by the Civil War and the Interregnum, then resumed after the restoration of King Charles II.  There is more on her heritage group’s website,  puddingbagproductions.co.uk ; Wendy will also be outlining what she requires from our group.
Robert reported on his first meeting of the Memorial Hall Committee, where he was warmly welcomed, and said how the history group was thought well of, as many of the Memorial Hall committee members had attended the history walks and seen the exhibitions.
The important matter of storage space at Memorial Hall for the archives was thoroughly discussed by members concluding with the proposal that a suitable steel cabinet be purchased by the history group and be situated in the storage room at the memorial hall, subject to the agreement of the Memorial Hall Committee.  Robert will put this before the Memorial Hall Committee at their next meeting in November.
It was also hoped that history group members would be able to use the Venue 35 meeting room for the thinning of the archive material. This would be on several morning sessions throughout the beginning of 2019.  The question of dissemination of the archive material was further discussed.
The question of future projects was discussed.  Sue proposed that medieval Packington would be a very interesting subject to pursue.
The meeting closed at 9.20pm.
The next PVHG meeting is on Tuesday, 27th November 2018 at 7.30pm.
Yvonne Eaton, Secretary
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Can Memorial Hall host our History Group Archive? 20 November 2018

We’ve asked the Memorial Hall Committee to help with storage of, and access to, our 3500-item archive. Here’s a copy of our request to them:

Letter to Memorial Hall Committee:

Packington Village History Group PVHG

From: Robin Boucher                    13th November 2018

To:  Mr. Chris Miles, Chairman Packington Memorial Hall Committee

Dear Chris,

Storage of History Group Archive

Following our brief word at the end of the World War One commemorations, I am writing on behalf of the History Group to make a formal request about storage of the archive at the Memorial Hall.

You will remember my previous letter of six months ago on this subject: since then we have put forward Robert Dilworth as our representative on the Hall Committee. I understand that at the Hall Committee’s last meeting, it was suggested that the History Group should put forward a proposal – hence this letter, on which Robert will be able to speak further at the meeting on 20th November.

The History Group requests agreement to place a large metal lockable cabinet in a suitable location in one of the storage rooms at the Hall, for the long term. This would be used to maintain archive material in a weatherproof and secure place, central to the village. The History Group would need access to the cabinet on an “ad hoc” basis during daytimes and possibly occasional evenings, while seeking to avoid any disruption to other users of the Hall’s facilities.

The History Group’s ultimate wish is to digitise the archive material, making it readily available to residents of the village (and of course to the wider world). However, the Group needs to carry out a good deal of work to prepare for this. If the material is stored at the Hall, the Group wishes to hold a number of sessions during 2019 (probably in the daytime) to undertake this preparation work. These sessions would be in addition to the Group’s schedule of evening meetings round the year.

We are aware that the constitution of the Memorial Hall includes references to the promotion of reading and other educational activities; we believe our intended usage is wholly congruent with these aims.

Robert will attend the meeting on 20th November hoping to progress our request, bringing queries back to the next History Group meeting on 27th November if required. I do hope your committee will feel able to support us.

Yours sincerely,

Robin Boucher
Chair, Packington Village History Group