Recent photos of the interior of St Michael’s Church in Great Gidding.
Photos: Paul Crank, Catalyst Video Services
Recent photos of interior details in St Michael’s Church, Great Gidding
Stone carvings
Stained glass
Jubilee Wood, Great Gidding 16 June 2019
(agg) = aggregate species – not identified down to precise species
cf = compare with – identity not absolutely confirmed
sp = species – not identified down to species
Trees & Shrubs
- Acer campestre – Field Maple
- Aesculus hippocastanum – Horse Chestnut
- Cornus sanguinea – Dogwood
- Corylus avellana – Hazel
- Crataegus monogyna – Hawthorn
- Fraxinus excelsior – Ash
- Juglans regia – Walnut
- Malus sp – Apple
- Prunus spinosa – Blackthorn
- Prunus sp – Cherry
- Pyrus sp – Pear
- Quercus robur – Pedunculate Oak
- Rosa arvensis – Field Rose
- Rosa canina – Dog Rose
- Rubus fruticosus (agg) – Bramble / Blackberry
- Salix sp – Willow
- Tilia cordata – Small-leaved Lime
- Ulmus sp – Elm
Grasses & Rushes
Alopecurus pratensis – Meadow Foxtail
Arhenatherum elatius – False Oat-grass
Cynosurus cristatus – Crested Dog’s-tail
Dactylis glomerata – Cock’s foot
Festuca arundinacea – Tall Fescue
Holcus lanatus – Yorkshire Fog
Hordeum secalinum – Meadow Barley
Juncus cf articulatus – Jointed Rush
Juncus inflexus – Hard Rush
Lolium perenne – Perennial Ryegrass
Phleum pratense – Timothy
Poa annuaAnnual – Meadow Grass
Trisetum flavescens – Yellow Oat-grass
Typha latifolia – Reed mace (often incorrectly called ‘Bulrush’)
Flowering Plants
Alisma plantago-aquatica – Water Plantain
Bellis perennis – Daisy
Cerastium fontanum – Common Mouse-ear
Cirsium arvense – Creeping Thistle
Cirsium vulgare – Spear thistle
Convolvulus arvensis – Hedge Bindweed
Dactylorhiza fuchsia – Common Spotted Orchid
Epilobium cf lanceolatuma -Willowherb,possibly Spear-leaved Willowherb
Galium aparine – Common Cleavers (aka ‘Goose-grass’ or ‘Scratch-grass’)
Galium verum – Lady’s Bedstraw
Geranium dissectum – Cut-leaved Cranesbill
Glechoma hederacea – Ground Ivy
Hedera helix – Ivy
Heracleum sphondylium – Hogweed
Hypochoeris radicata – Common Cat’s-ear
Lamium album – White Dead-nettle
Leucanthemum vulgare – White Daisy
Lotus corniculatus – Bird’s foot Trefoil
Medicago lupulina – Black medick
Odontites verna – Red Bartsia
Picris echioides – Bristly Ox-tongue
Plantago lanceolatum – Ribwort Plantain
Potentilla reptans – Creeping Cinquefoil
Prunella vulgaris – Self heal
Pulicaria dysenterica – Common fleabane
Ranunculus acris – Meadow Buttercup
Ranunculus flammulla – Lesser Spearwort
Ranunculus repens – Creeping Buttercup
Rumex crispus – Curled Dock
Rumex obtusifolius – Broad leaved Dock
Senecio erucifolius – Hoary Ragwort
Senecio jacobaea – Common Ragwort
Torylis japonica – Upright Hedge Parsley
Trifolium campestre – Hop Trefoil
Trifoliium dubium – Lesser Trefoil
Trifolium pratense – Red Clover
Trifolium repens – White Clover
Urtica dioica – Nettle
Vicia hirsuta – Hairy Tare
Vicia sativa (agg)Common Vetch
Other Insects
Broad-bodied Chaser (dragonfly)
The days are rapidly getting shorter and the sun is moving lower in the sky as September comes to an end. As I write this on the twenty-third of September, I’m reminded that it is the Autumn equinox when day and night are of equal length. To make up for the gloom that some people can feel at this time of year, it is also thankfully a time of spectacular display in terms of nuts and berries, seeds and fungi, and the sight of flocks of migratory birds coming and going.
The hedgerows in the wood are full of blackberries and sloes, elderberries and haws, all ready for thrushes and blackberries to pick off their branches and for voles, hedgehogs and squirrels to harvest off the ground. The unusual episodes of hot weather we’ve had this summer seem to be abating and the sun is finally tolerable with a little more promise of rain in the air. The water level in the pond had become very low but, as always, regular observers will know that it will rise with the winter rain and will soon be back up to bank level.
Nature’s larder
As the days get shorter and the nights get colder, the wood is gradually transforming as green leaves become yellow with bursts of red or purple. Berries and hips of all colours are providing a shiny display and the hazel nuts in the far corner of the wood are no doubt tempting squirrels and all sorts of mice and voles. They are high protein energy sources and are just as attractive to humans once they are brown and ripened. As one of the first foods picked by humans, they still haven’t lost that appeal as sales of a certain nut spread and individually wrapped chocolates confirm. Thanks to thoughtful planting by organisers and volunteers, Jubilee Wood is a larder of free food for all of us as well as a feast for the eyes. Soon the autumn colours will be dispersed by the October gales that seem to be becoming a regular occurrence so why not take a wander round before the next stage of the seasonal circle is centre stage?
The Wood Wanderer
Don’t forget to send in your sightings to specieslist@thegiddings.org.uk
September at St Michael’s Church
September sees us welcoming our new Associate Priest, the Revd Canon Fiona Brampton
The North Leightonstone Benefice (the group of parishes which includes the Giddings) has been enlarged. Revd Mandy Flaherty has been appointed Benefice Rector (i.e. senior priest), and has been joined by the Revd Canon Fiona Brampton as Associate Priest. Fiona has also been appointed Chaplain to Little Gidding. Fiona will have the care of the parishes of Hamerton, the Giddings and Winwick.
Sunday 15th September at 11am
We celebrate our Harvest Festival, and this will be the first service taken by Fiona. The service will be at 11am, and will be a service of readings and all the favourite hymns. After the service, there will be a buffet lunch at Churchside House, which will give everyone the chance of meeting Fiona and vice versa !
Everyone is very welcome to come to that lunch. However to help with the numbers for catering, it would be helpful if you could let Jane Edwards know if you are coming [tel: 293555]. There will be no charge for the lunch.
Sunday, 22nd September at 4pm
There will be a service of Evensong at St Michael’s. At this service, there will be the formal licensing of Fiona as Associate Priest and Chaplain to Little Gidding by the Archdeacon of Huntingdon & Wisbech. The service takes place at 4pm, and will be followed by tea at Ferrar House, Little Gidding.
Saturday 28th September at 4pm
There will be a Choral Evensong on the eve of St Michael’s Day; the day when we celebrate the dedication of our church.
The service starts at 4pm. As last year, the music will be led by the St Peter’s Singers, directed by Jeremy Jepson. We are delighted to be welcoming back the Revd Mary Jepp as our preacher for this service. After the service here will be refreshments.
Come along to the Harvest Festival Service at 11am at St Michael’s Church, Great Gidding on Sunday 15th September
followed by
Lunch at Churchside House
Come and welcome our new Vicar, Revd Canon Fiona Brampton
Everyone very welcome !
August had been disappointingly cold and quite wet until the scorching bank holiday weekend, when butterflies fluttered around the edges of the wood and swallows flew high to find food… when swallows fly high, the weather will be dry.
Of course there is a practical reason for that rather than our avian friends having oracular powers, as on fine days insects are swept up high on warm thermal currents rising from the ground and that’s what the swallows feed on. No doubt we’ll all remember August as being hot and balmy which made it difficult to sleep at night but it was actually only a few days, followed by that spectacular thunder and rain which caught a few of us out as we forgot to close all the windows or was it only me?
Art from Nature event
One Sunday early on in the month, several of us ventured down to the wood to try our hand at being artistic. Thanks go to Julie Trolove for providing us with greenery and grasses to get us started and for making a large weaving frame out of hazel and string. All started well with the sun shining and enthusiastic helpers having a go but as the building clouds darkened and the first spots of rain fell, we gatherers ended up searching for cover under the trees rather than material for weaving! Unfortunately it wasn’t going to be a short shower that day, but more of a prolonged and heavy downpour, so drenched but still smiling, we decided that this was an activity for another, drier day!
Bird talk
Many of us are still lucky enough to hear some birdsong in our gardens at this time of year but might be disappointed not to see and hear them in the wood. The reason for their lack of appearance is very likely due to their seasonal moult. They are keeping out of sight in dense vegetation because they are moulting their feathers and are more susceptible to predators. Moulting is costly in terms of energy for birds so usually takes place when conditions are favourable for them, such as after breeding when there is an abundance of food and cover. A little research revealed some interesting facts about the time different species take to moult: a Blue Tit takes about 6 weeks, a Herring Gull can take 6 months and a Buzzard may take several years for a complete change of flight feathers. Keratin needed to make feathers is less abundant in vegetation than in insects, so seed eating birds like Chaffinches usually take a couple of weeks longer to moult than insect eating birds like Robins and Dunnocks. It would be good to know how long it takes the Red Kites who constantly soar over the wood to moult, but even they seem to have been less noisy this month. The dawn chorus is also much quieter, if heard at all, as summer draws on and most birds have attracted their mates and raised their chicks so have less need to sing and protect their territory. Some families of birds such as blue or long tailed tits can occasionally be sighted as they forage for food in and out of the trees and long grasses but others such as the swifts and swallows are already gathering together to fly back to Africa.
Swifts are one of the first species to migrate and will moult back in Africa but the swallows can be seen lining up on the telephone lines chittering away to each other in preparation for their long flight back. You can see them dip down for water as they glide over the Jubilee Wood pond (which is now at quite a low level) if you are lucky enough. W.H.Davies’ poem, Leisure, often comes to mind when watching them, ‘…A poor life this, if full of care, We have no time to stand and stare.’ We don’t even have to stand thanks to the lovely arbour we have by the pond!
Jubilee Wood species catalogue – send us your sightings!
The start of colder temperatures and the passing of the months is a reminder that there will soon be different migrants arriving at our shores as others leave us. This ever changing landscape has encouraged some of us to think about keeping a record of what species of flora, fauna and fungi can be found in the Jubilee Wood throughout the year.
If anyone is interested in helping with this task, please let us know by emailing: specieslist@thegiddings.org.uk.
No experience is necessary to send in sightings, via specieslist@thegiddings.org.uk, of things you’ve found in the wood. There will be fliers coming around for those who don’t have access to or like using a computer to explain the details but all that’s needed is your name, the name of the species seen, the date and time, and what part of the wood it was seen in. Contact details would be helpful and if two of you can verify the sighting that’s even better. Please send a message if you want further information about this but it’s very much an amateur attempt at record keeping which will hopefully involve as many of the community as possible and provide an interesting snapshot of the wood for the future. We’ll attempt to respond to any messages as soon as possible, but please be patient if you have to wait a Wandererday or two.
Hoping the weather stays favourable for many a wander in the Jubilee Wood as we head into Autumn…
The Wood Wanderer
There will be two services on Sunday 22nd September 2019 to welcome The Revd Canon Fiona Brampton as Associate Priest & Chaplain to Little Gidding.
The first is at St. Bartholomew, Church Road, Great Stukeley PE28 4AL lead by the Bishop of Huntingdon The Rt. Revd. Dagmar Winter and will include Holy Communion.
The Licensing will take place during 4.00pm Evensong at St Michaels, Main Street, Great Gidding PE28 5NX by The Archdeacon of Huntingdon and Wisbech, the Venerable Hugh Kyle McCurdy.
All are welcome to both services.
Gidding Den has just opened in the shop opposite the pub and is selling equestrian items, country clothing and gifts. Ideal for birthday presents!
We stock…
Joules, HKM, Champion, Equine America, NAF, Rhinogold, Bengle, Allan & Page, Baillie Haylage and more.
Gidding Den opening hours
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 9-5pm, and Saturday 9-1pm. Closed Wednesdays and Sundays.
Contact
Somersby House, Main Street, Great Gidding PE28 5NU
Tel: 01832 293426 or mobile/whatsapp 07787 867625
It’s been a month of very varied weather from windy and wet days interspersed with blisteringly hot ones including the hottest temperature officially recorded in the UK at the Cambridge Botanic Garden of 38.7C. It looks like it’s going to be the second hottest year ever recorded on Earth although it’s still too early to be sure about that prediction, but experiencing a week of sweltering days and nights here in our part of the world makes me inclined to believe it.
Benefits of planting trees
At least we are lucky enough to have access to nature’s air conditioning system, a wood. There are multiple practical benefits to trees as well as the obvious ones of being able to appreciate their beauty and changing form throughout the year. People in cities have been really struggling to cope with the heat wave and city authorities throughout the world are realising the benefits of planting trees which shade the streets and cool the air as water evaporates from their leaves. This process, called transpiration, helps cool the tree and also pumps water and minerals up tiny capillaries from the roots to the leaves for photosynthesis to occur. Fortunately for us, we feel the cooling effect this produces as we walk under their canopy whether we’re in the city or the countryside. Jubilee Wood is a wonderful place to go when it’s hot and we need to cool down, the maturing trees providing cool shade and air along the winding pathways that lead to the central area.
A perfect space
Following the cutting of the grass along the rides and this central area early in the month by hard working volunteers, the wonderful smell of hay drifted round the wood before it was quickly baled up whilst this unpredictable weather held warm and sunny. The summer picnic could then be enjoyed on shorter grass, and the Pop up Knowledge Share which this month was ‘Nature and Well Being – a journey through the senses ‘, took place just before the picnic. It is a perfect space for encouraging us all to be aware of our surroundings and to enjoy the opportunity of socialising together.
Lady’s bedstraw
Plants such as Galium verum, or Lady’s bedstraw are growing in the wood, and it is much more evident generally in hedgerows and edges of fields this year so conditions must have been just right for it to spread. The yellow flowers have a sweet, honey like smell and are very attractive to pollinators, especially moths. It’s probably the reason why it was used as a stuffing for beds and as a floor covering, but it was also used as dyes for butter, cheese, hair and textiles. It’s also sometimes called Cheese Rennet because it can curdle milk and was used in cheese making, a convenient vegetarian replacement for rennet!. As well as all these attributes it has a long history of use as a herbal medicine so it is an extremely useful plant as well as a lovely one to look at.
Cinnabar Moth
Finally, it’s been a fantastic year for Cinnabar Moth caterpillars which can be found on the tall yellow daisy known as Ragwort, Senecio jacobaea or on Groundsel, Senecio vulgaris, which are their two food sources. The toxins within Ragwort make it so bitter that it’s usually avoided but cinnabar caterpillars actually benefit from it as they become toxic themselves and their colourful yellow and black stripes warn predators that it wouldn’t be a good idea to eat them. When fully grown they then leave the plants and pupate just beneath the surface of the soil for the winter. Keep an eye out for them as you wander round the wood and look forward to seeing the flashes of red and black moths early next summer…..
The Wood Wanderer