Departmental Frolics!

A long day today at work! After work there was a staff gathering for everyone with a barbecue and a short speech by the Headteacher. Then the Science staff made their way to a larger barbecue held at the house of one of our two teachers who are retiring at the end of the term. This was held to mark this occasion and was held in an outstanding garden.

A very enjoyable evening was had by all. Most of us left around 8pm after having played Rounders! I am absolutely useless at any game with a bat as I have no eye to ball to bat co-ordination!! I haven't played Rounders since 1976 so this was a historic occasion for me, but it was still great fun!

I'll end with a bit of history.... The venue is in the parish of Nuthurst and the house was built in a field that fronts a lane. The rear of the field remains as paddocks edged with thick shaws. The 1841 Tithe Map of Nuthurst numbered this field as No. 775 and was known as Great Furze Field. It was then arable and covered an area of 5 acres, 2 Rods and 1 Perch. Furze is an alternative name for Gorse and we can imagine an area of land covered in places by this plant. The field was part of Mareland Farm and owned in 1841 by Sir Percy Florence Shelley( later 3rd Baronet) with a co-occupier listed as Mary Shelley, the creator of Frankenstein and wife of the Poet Sir Percy Bysshe Shelley. The 3rd Baronet was the son and only surviving child of the couple and was born in 1819 and died in 1889. As I've said before, every field has a story!