Kirton in 2012

KIRTON IN 2012 – LOCAL HISTORY RECORDER’S REPORT

Despite the general air of gloom, the Village seemed to make the best of it, culminating in what seems to have been one of the most enthusiastically supported series of Jubilee celebrations for miles around. 

INNOCENCE FARM
The prospect of a 200 acre logistics park loomed large. Early in February over eighty parishioners gathered at the Pavilion for a joint presentation by Trinity College, Cambridge and the Port. The focus was on the new port being developed on the Thames – London Gateway owned by Dubai – in competition with the Port of Felixstowe owned by China. The latter’s relative disadvantage in terms of a hinterland for warehousing and logistics was the crux of the matter. The vote at the end of the meeting was unanimously to object to the proposals. Many people felt that, in the end, this would count for little and that the promise of “localism” would once again prove to be false. The story featured on the front page of the Star on 8th February. The first nail in the coffin would appear to have been the support by the Parish Council for the vacant Innocence Cottages to be afforded change of use to “Office”. In September a colour leaflet was produced by the K&F Parish Council, along with several others, to raise public awareness of the several threats – industrial, retail and housing – posed by Trinity’s development aspirations the length of the Peninsula.

FROM DROUGHT TO DELUGE
The autumn and winter of 2011 had indeed been very dry…..but it was a perverse coincidence that the rains arrived the day after the Hosepipe Ban came into force in early April…..and continued for months thereafter. The weather was so bad that the second day of the Suffolk Show had to be cancelled.

THE JUBILEE
The 50th anniversary of the Queen’s Coronation seemed to inspire the Village. A series of events was arranged with attendance surpassing wildest expectations:
Sunday 3rd June – a special service at the Church followed by a Picnic Lunch
Monday 4th – breakfast at the Methodist Chapel – over 300 were there

• a Local History Exhibition by the Recorders with excellent WI teas;
• at 10pm the lighting of the new beacon created by the Jacobs family
• followed by a barbecue at the White Horse numbers near to 400

WIND ENERGY
Turbines seemed to be popping up almost at random – in ones, twos or threes. Meanwhile plans were firming up for a new off-shore farm consisting of 325 turbines, 43.4 km out to sea. The cable would reach land at Bawdsey and from there travel underground to Bramford passing under the Deben to Falkenham Creek and on through Kirton crossing Park Lane. Open trenching will be 55m wide. The project is a joint venture between Iberdrola – a private Spanish multi-national and Vattenfall owned by the Swedish state. A copy of their preliminary document has been kept for the Archive.

STUDD, STANNARD & DARDRY FAMILIES
A lady called Mary Noel was in touch researching her ancestors in the Village. We made good progress and she kindly donated some early family portraits for the Archive.

FELIXSTOWE PORT INTERNAL COURIERS
Back in 1978 this company struck the first blow against the Post Office monopoly. Tim Meyer kindly donated several sheets of their stamps and allowed copying of a brief history.

OTHER SNIPPETS

• Woodland Pals, a new nursery for 2 to 5 year-olds was set up at the Church Hall
• An Art Sale at the Church Hall organised by Norah Phillips drew eleven artists. A plea for information on David Hockney’s time in Kirton was unsuccessful. We were one degree away from him during the year but he is known to be very reclusive.
• The Old Maltings was put up for sale at.£470,000.
• The Kirton Ploughing Society had 33 entrants at its April event at Goslings farm organised by Tom Wells.
• The Fete on 9th June organised by Maddy Rhodes & Susan Harvey had a Jubilee theme and raised nearly £4,000.
• Textile Recycling was introduced by SCDC in the summer – still no glass collection
• Hare-Coursing – Star 18th Dec. two men caught – one 70 from Hants the other 32 from Berks.
• Stamps went up – 36p to 55p for 2nd: 46p to 60p for 1st – a sign of the times was that the elderly and those on benefits could buy a limited quantity at 2011 prices.
• Kirton Light Railway had a special opening for 24 children from Chernobyl
• The Trimley St Martin School’s Robo-Team beat 720 schools in the UK finals and went on to compete in St Louis, Missouri.
• The Star went up in price to 60p – now published in the mornings & weekdays only
• John Beer was an Olympic torch-bearer.
• Central Surgery revealed plans for a new Medical Centre at the Grove as GPs at large prepared to take over full responsibility for NHS budgets in April 2013.
• Mike Todd passed away – he and Pat had been in the Star in March with their blue plaques to Felixstowe notables. Pat’s Art-on-the Prom featured in September.
• Steve Sheeran featured in the Star in April in full uniform for a performance by the Honorable Artillery Company Band.
• The big Supermarkets seemed to be keen on coming to our neck of the woods – Tesco at Walton, ASDA at the station, M&S at Martlesham, Aldi near the Port but such a shame that we have no shop in the Village and extortionate bus fares.
• Police & Crime Commissioner – 15th November saw elections for this new post.
• Christmas followed tradition – lighting-up the tree on the Green on 7th December, the Methodists’ carols and a visit by Rudolph with the Lions Club on the 19th.

Len Lanigan
Kirton Local History Recorder
01394 448568