The Buchans 2014: Ringwood - Round and About

We have recently had some visitors.

Neil and Jen came for a couple of nights. Neil and I were going to do 3 bike rides in the forest averaging 20 miles each. Here is Neil mending a puncture in his ‘puncture resistant’ tyres. He had 2 punctures in 3 days! I bought some of these tyres on his recommendation!
This photo was taken near Fritham. Later on in the ride we had some excitement with the last cow of the herd not wanting to pass us on a very narrow road. There was a car ahead of us and a horse rider behind. The cow was being shooed down the road by the farmer, but the cow tried to go though a fence and nearly landed on the car bonnet. The farmer said it was our fluorescent jackets that was the problem. The horse rider thought it was his horse. The cow went back to where it came from.
We had to retire to the nearby pub to steady our nerves and try a pint of the local brew. Neil then saw the recalcitrant cow going in the correct direction.

While Neil and I were cycling Sue and Jen went to Mudeford, Christchurch and Ringwood on the other days.

A nice day for a ride. We are at Standing Hat east of Brockenhurst.

Maggie and Andy arrived shortly after Neil and Jen left. Andy had to leave very early on Sunday to catch a flight from Heathrow so we only had an evening and one day altogether (Sue and Maggie went to the shops in Ringwood on Sunday). I had a plan to go to Wimborne Minster, on Saturday, to see the chained library in the Minster, but it looked as though the library might not be open. When we arrived at the Minster the library was closed, but luckily for us the person who looks after the library arrived to do some research for himself and he agreed to show us around.

Wimborne Minster chained library was founded in 1686. It was one of the first public libraries in the country. There are about 6 chained libraries in the country.
Text from the Minster website ‘The first donation came from Revd William Stone, who had seen many religious books like his being burnt by the authorities, and wanted to ensure that part of his collection would be kept safe in Wimborne. These theological books (Church ‘Fathers and Commentaries’) were in Latin, Greek and Hebrew, and so must have been used mainly by the clergy; they were not chained. When another local donor, Roger Gillingham, gave another 90 books in 1695, he insisted that the books be chained up, but also that the Library should be opened, free, for the people of the town, providing they were ‘shopkeepers or the better class of person’.

Below – Walton’s Polyglot Bible

The library is housed in a very small room up a spiral staircase. It is thanks to ‘Frank’ Tandy’ (our guide) that all is in order today. When he first set eyes on it all the books were heaped on the floor.

To distinguish which book is which there are hand written markings on the ‘fore edge’.

Below the Oldest Printed Book – note the RED capitals on the left hand page and none on the right. Writing the capitals was very time consuming and they never managed to finish the rest of the book.

Coming down the spiral staircase

Inside the Minster

The Minster Astronomical Clock shows the earth as a dark blue ball in the centre with the sun going around it, pointing out the time on a 24-hour dial. The clock also tells the position and phase of the moon.