Find Shapwick News online at https://www.shapwickparishcouncil.org.uk/parish-newsletters/ Environment Day On 9th June, Dovecote school staff and students marked Environment Day by taking a walk around Shapwick, looking out for all the different trees and wildflowers we could find! The students earned themselves a pin badge for their amazing efforts. The village is lovely, and we all really enjoyed our walk, thank you for being lovely neighbours! Summer Fair We had a fantastic day welcoming families, staff and friends to Dovecote for our first fundraising event on 10th June. Amazing weather and an amazing atmosphere. We will be holding further events in the future, and it would be lovely to see you all. 6 SUMMER I S SUE | J ULY 2 0 2 3 Finding it hard because the photos a bFlack and white? Find a flourition of Shapwick News at: https://www.shapwickparishcounci l.org.uk/parish-newsletters/ History on our Doorstep: Churchill Julius, Shapwick’s High-Flying Vicar ROGER SCOTT & JOHN ANDERSON There was also a brief overview of the conflagration that destroyed much of the building in 1919, followed by an account of Mr Churchill Julius, who was vicar of Shapwick from 1875 until 1878. Churchill was undoubtedly the most famous vicar who ever presided at Shapwick, and went on to become arguably one of the most well known Churchmen of his time, rising to the position of Archbishop and Primate of New Zealand. He was an extremely clever yet humble individual who felt strongly about the plight of the poor and especially their children's education. Julius came from a privileged background and his grandfather was personal physician to King William IV. However, despite this, he was a committed socialist who believed the New Testament preached socialism. He was also very keen on engineering and could 'turn his hand' to a multitude of tasks. Julius became known as the 'Radical Bishop' and has been described as one of the most remarkable men ever to don clerical dress. He was instrumental in the building of Christchurch Cathedral in New Zealand. When it was finished, he wanted to lay the top brick in the spire. He sat in a wooden chair and was hauled, by ropes, up the side of the spire, a height of 270-290 feet, where he laid the brick. He was virtually the first man in New Zealand to own a penny-farthing, then a motorbike, then a car. He was in constant trouble with the police Find out more at: www.thekingscandlesticks.com/webs/pedigrees/5 6.html At a recent History Group meeting, Roger outlined a history of the UK census from the year 1086 onwards. This highlighted the development of a system which needed to record millions of names, ages, places of birth, etc., and the problems involved with organising such a massive national undertaking, at a time when a large percentage of the population was uneducated. This was followed by an in-depth portrayal of the vicars and families who once lived in Shapwick’s Old Vicarage, as suggested by census information from 1851-1911. Shapwick History Group is a group of friendly locals who are interested in finding out more about the past life and times of Shapwick and the surrounding area. If you’d like more info on our meetings, talks and trips, contact history@shapwick.org or check us out at www.facebook.com/groups/shapwickhistory. We have some great talks coming up: see ‘What’s on’, and p. 3 of this issue! We would love to see you there! for speeding; when he was aged 86 they refused to renew his driving licence. His exploits were reported around the world. Churchill died in Christchurch, NZ, in 1938, aged 90. Dovecote School LEAH ROBERTS Road safety and speed awareness In Life skills students are learning about road safety, road awareness and the green cross code. On 23rd May we had a visit from two local traffic officers and aim to work with them again in the future for some speed measuring of traffic that travels past the school.
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