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Life in Henley-in-Arden
Warwickshire, England
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Each year, Henley-in-Arden has many community events and Henley
NEWS On-line's photographers record them and produce reports and slideshows for publication in the weekly newsletter.
First Steam Train Calls at Henley - July 2007
 At
Henley station just after 11.00 am on 8th July 2007, there were many residents, including lots of children, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Shakespeare Express.
Dead on time, a faint whistle in the distance and then the immaculate ex-Great Western
Railway locomotive Rood Ashton Hall, originally built in 1929, whiffled gently into the station, tender first, pulling eight carriages.
A full report of this event appears in a
special supplement of Henley
News On-line
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Court Leet Day 2007
 The sun
smiled on Henley for a day with a difference for Henley’s Court Leet – the
combination of four traditional rituals into a single programme. The Union flag fluttered from the Guild Hall flagpole, recently restored to life by the Court's
Low Bailiff, Roger Sutton.
The day’s events started with an admonitory address from High Bailiff Ray Holding, delivered from the staircase of the old Guild Hall
and aimed at the officers of the Court Leet gathered below. He charged them to do their respective duties – Ale Tasting, Butter Weighing, Brook Looking
and Beating the Bounds.
A full report of this event appears in Edition
160 of Henley News On-line
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Civic Service 2007
 The
High Bailiff invited civic leaders from the County, District, Parish, and neighbouring towns together with the leaders of the Town`s organisations
to join the Court Leet at morning service in St. John's Church last Sunday.
A packed church heard departures from the traditional service when the Rector, who is of course also Chaplain
to the Court, interviewed the Chairman of the Parish Council and District Councillor Stephen Thirwell and the High Bailiff about their respective roles in
the Town.
Civic
Service 2007 -
Slideshow
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Court
Leet Annual General Meeting 2006
 A
full house of guests, jurors and members of the public attended the Annual General Meeting of Henley’s ancient Court Leet at the Guildhall on Wednesday
8th November. Present, and following the proceedings with keen interest, were the High Sheriff of the county, the Bailiff of Bromsgrove, the High Bailiff of
Alcester, the Bailiff of Warwick, the Mayor of Warwick, the Deputy Mayor of Stratford and their respective consorts.
The new High Bailiff Ray Holding thanked the Court, the Jurors and the town
for their confidence and promised that he and his wife Ann would work to raise the Court’s profile and to preserve the town’s traditions and ceremonies. He was particularly pleased that five new members had come forward to take part
in the year’s programme of events.
A full report of this event appears in Edition 131 of Henley News On-line
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Flood Protection Work by the Environment
Agency
On Thursday August 17th, over twenty intrepid
members of the Henley and Beaudesert Civic Society braved the adverse weather to meet at the Medical Centre. The occasion was an evening walk along the
River Alne to look at the work done by the Environment Agency to improve the river and maintain the flood protection barriers in the town.
 The walk was ably led by Steve Novak the Flood Defence Engineer responsible for the
River Alne. He explained how the Alne is home to several species of fish, including brown trout and bullheads, while the river also supports many colonies of
the native white-clawed crayfish a protected species. It was therefore important in carrying out maintenance to make sure that the impact on protected species
was kept to a minimum.
Steve explained how gravel and vegetated build-ups were removed to allow an easier flow of water. It was explained that the last time the river was realigned was
in 1981 when two flood relief channels were made together with localised flood banks. It was those banks that now needed repair and he showed us the way in which
metal baskets of stones were used to repair the erosion that had taken place.
 A feature of the work
was the modification of the three weirs to incorporate fish passes to allow easier fish movement along the river. The work on the weirs incorporated
stone work with small gaps to increase the number of hiding places for the crayfish.
Answering many questions, Steve emphasised the need to co-ordinate things with the other interested agencies that have an overriding say in how things are done;
e.g. the timing of the work so as not to interfere with periods of fish spawning. At the same time the Agency had taken into account the comments of local people
providing better access to the river side walk from Prince Harry Rd., and locating benches in desirable positions.
Steve was thanked by the Chairman, Margaret Twigg, for a most informative and enjoyable evening.
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 JAZZ
IN THE GARDEN
This annual event is one of the most popular and is now
in its tenth year.
This year's Jazz in the Garden, organised by Marijana and Duncan Bainbridge, took place in
the Guild Hall garden on Saturday 1st July 2006.
Over 100 residents and their guests picnicked on a warm evening listening to the Ad Hoc Jazz
Band.
Jazz
in the Garden - Slideshow
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 NORMANDY MARKET
Organised in partnership with Beaudesert & Henley Joint Parish Council, Le Marche de France set up their stalls along the High Street on Friday 30th June and
Saturday 1st July.
The market consisted of over twenty four genuine traders from Normandy with a truly enormous selection of French
cheeses from Normandy and many other regions of France along with wonderful sausages and salamis. Of course, there was a bread stall, with its wonderful varieties
of bread.
Normandy
Market - Slideshow
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 ANNUAL
CHURCH FETE
Over 200 people attended the ST JOHN'S CHURCH FETE on Saturday 24th June 2006 and £1,500 was raised for Church funds.
The duck race on the river Alne is always a firm favourite and the children also loved the
coconut shy, skittles and the face painting.
Everyone enjoyed tea and home made cakes and the opportunity to buy such cakes,bric-a-brac,
books and plants and to chance their luck on the raffle and tombola.
Church
Fete 2006 - Slideshow
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 HENLEY'S
HIDDEN GARDENS
Organised by the High Bailiff and the Court Leet, the Open Day took place on Sunday 18th June 2006. It was a huge success, with a constant stream of visitors
to all the gardens. Over 300 visitors came from Coventry, Leamington, Stratford, Handsworth, Sutton Coldfield and Tanworth - but mostly from Henley.
The gardens looked absolutely lovely, while the scarecrows outside each property gave Henley
a slightly dissolute look and attracted much attention. Over £2,500
was raised for the Guild Hall Garden Project.
The
Hidden Gardens of Henley - Slideshow
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