Report U3A Monthly Meeting June 2011
The June meeting of the Bude & district U3A was held at the Gildhouse in Poundstock on the 16th. The Gildhouse is a listed building which dates back to the 15th and 16th centuries and provides a living history on our doorstep.
Chairman Hilary welcomed everyone before handing over to Sandy Dingle who, dressed in Tudor costume, gave us an interesting talk about how the Gildhouse came to be built and it’s various uses over the last 500 or more years. We learned that from the earliest times celebrations or “Church Ales” as they were called were held in the feasting hall to raise money for the church and for a long period it served as the poorhouse and also as a school. After a large scale refurbishment in 1907 it became the Parish Meeting rooms and a place for year round activities. The latest restoration work began in 2007 with local fund raising and a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and has been most sympathetically carried out. Groups of schoolchildren from Devon and Cornwall visit to bake bread, make ginger beer, dance and dress up in medieval costumes.
After the talk we had tea and cakes, supplied by very kind volunteers. On behalf of us all Hilary thanked Sandy for entertaining us. A splendid afternoon and definitely a “must visit” for both locals and tourists.
For more information about the Gildhouse, visit the website at
http://www.poundstockgildhouse.co.uk/
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