OUR CLUB AND THE WAR. 279
hour to this hospitable task. On leaving, our President voiced the sincere
thanks of the party to our host for his kindly welcome.
The church of All Saints', Great Braxted, which lies within the confines
of the park, was next visited. An original apsidal chancel of 12th century
date had been lengthened in the next century, and now exhibits a square
east end furnished with three plain lancet windows. There is a low
side window of 13th century date. Roman bricks are used as quoins.
Proceeding to Great Braxted village, a mile or more distant from the
church, tea was taken at 4 o'clock at the "Du Cane Arms" inn, after
which a short formal meeting of the Club was held, with the President
in the chair, when Miss Grace Hilbert, of 106, Wellesley Road, Ilford, was
elected a member.
A private motor coach then conveyed the party to Beeleigh Abbey,
near Maldon, where it was welcomed by Mr. R. E. Thomas, who personally
conducted us over his ancient abode, founded in or about the year 1180
as an abbey of Premonstratensian Canons and so remaining until the
Dissolution in 1536. The Early English Chapter House. 40 feet by 19
feet, and the sub-vault of the Dorter (the Warming house), 42 feet by
21 feet, each of four bays with central pillars of Purbeck marble and
groined ceiling, and the waggon-roofed Dormitory over, are still remaining
portions of the monastic buildings, and to these were added, after the
Dissolution, picturesque half-timbered Tudor additions for residential
purposes, the whole now presenting a delightful aspect and constituting
perhaps one of the finest examples to be found in the whole country of
a monastic building still in occupation as a residence. On leaving, our
President warmly thanked Mr. Thomas for his hospitable reception and
friendly conductorship.
During the ramble (somewhat shortened by reason of delays) wild
flowers were sought, and in all 141 species found. Of these, the more
interesting were Castalia alba, Chelidonium majus, Viola arvensis, Trifolium
ochroleucon, Potentilla argentea, Valeriana officinalis, and Scabiosa arvensis.
OUR CLUB AND THE WAR.
A RETROSPECT AND AN APPEAL
The outbreak of war on September 3rd, 1939, had an immediate
and prejudicial effect upon the Club's activities.
A field meeting in the Chelmsford district, already arranged for that
month, had to be abandoned: while the compulsory closing of the Stratford
Museum, in common with most London Museums, combined with the
unprecedented dispersal of many of our members, some of them in charge
of schoolchildren, others voluntary evacuees, over various counties in.
"reception areas," made it impossible to continue our autumn meetings
at the West Ham Municipal College, which was itself for a time closed
to ordinary educational work.
Attention was accordingly concentrated on removing the more precious;
objects, books and Club documents to places of greater safety in view of