Sibford Scene Archive

Sibford Scene 377 November 2015

Click on the cover image to download the complete edition

Field of poppies

Sibford grapevine

THANK YOU to Ian Warden who reminds us of this poem about living in the Sibfords, written by the late Sheila Walsh in 2000:

To an Oxfordshire Village

I left my old familiar place and friendships far behind,
And came to unaccustomed land not knowing what to find.
I saw the widespread landscape, the springing flowers, the sky,
The beauty all-surrounding that took and held my eye.
Though all these things enchantment gave, they are the lesser part,
The welcome from the people – ah! the people took my heart.

The original Village Hall

The original Village Hall, which served the village from 1919 until the late 1930s, was a wooden hut owned by Frank Lascelles. It was situated behind the Wykham Arms and was approached from Main Street opposite the Old Co-op. When Lascelles died, his estate including the hut was heavily mortgaged and was lost to the village. The Sibfords were without a community meeting place, although the old gymnasium at Sibford School was converted for social activities. Many fundraising activities were held to raise money for a new Village Hall fund and in 1954 grant applications were successful. The present hall, opened in 1957, was built by local volunteer labour and, with its recent additions and improvements, continues to be used by local groups to the present day thanks to the energies, enthusiasm and commitment of the Village Hall Committee.

Above, you may see one or two items of historical interest from this edition. To see the whole edition, click on the front-page image to download it as a pdf.