Sure, Ephemeral 80s will no doubt feature more ephemeral slices of 1980s Britain in the future, but this particular item hums with a conviction which will be hard to beat. Yes, it's a copy of the Parish of Lacock with Bowden Hill magazine which hails from September 1984. Have any other copies of this precious document survived the intervening 41 years since it was printed? I sincerely doubt it. Regardless, this tome of parish life from the mid-1980s must surely harbour a few gleaming curios to remind us of a more humdrum, simplistic and mostly forgotten time.
Nestled away in the picturesque Wiltshire countryside, Lacock is a small village with a long history. Mentioned in the Domesday Book, Lacock has steadily grown from a Medieval population of just under 200 to 1,159 at the last count in 2011. Located nearby to Lacock is Bowden Hill, an even smaller village which falls under the Lacock civil parish. And it's this civil parish which is at the heart of the Lacock Parish Magazine.
Quite how this parish magazine managed to make it through so many years is a true mystery. I remember, as a child, that my parents always used to buy our local parish magazine, but these were regularly dispensed of as, quite frankly, why would anyone hang on to them? Well, yes, to preserve social history, but no one ever thinks of that at the time. Anyway, that this artefact of the mid-80s has survived and managed to make its way onto Ebay is a true blessing.
Naturally, much of the content printed within its 20 pages relates to religious matters, so I'm not really going to cover that. This isn't an anti-religion stance, far from it, more that Ephemeral 80s is here to look at those fleeting moments of life which have long since slipped down the cracks of time - religion is more of a constant, so there's not much to glean from an ancient Eucharist. But in terms of everyday British life, this Lacock Parish Magazine is a goldmine.
For example, in the Round and About section, we discover that Mildred Potter has just celebrated her 80th birthday. Were she still alive today, Mildred would be coming up to her 124th birthday which would make her the oldest human ever to have lived. Sadly, Mildred almost certainly passed away some time ago as she would have made several headlines if she were still with us. But back in September 1984, the potential was there. Local life is also profiled here in the form of christenings, marriages and retirements for parish residents. There's also an exciting announcement that The Friends of Lacock Church raised an admirable £315.36 at the recent Village Fayre - is there anything more British?
Adverts permeate the pages of the Lacock Parish Magazine and provide a fascinating glimpse into the business landscape of the area in the mid-1980s. Accommodation is on offer from the delightful looking Old Rectory, which survives to this very day. Likewise the Sign of the Angel offers alternative accommodation and is still offering rooms all these years later. Other businesses, however, have long since ceased trading such as Graham Watling's gold and silver design service and The Pantry, a simple eatery offering coffees, cakes and light meals. Also featured are the small ads, which put forward chest freezers, tents and, in a move which would never happen today, a request for a small black and white TV.
The Britishness continues to be ramped up with news of the upcoming Church Fete which promises to deliver everything you could ever want: a vegetable stall, bric-a-brac, cakes, skittles and some intriguing sounding side shows. Held in the Vicarage guardian, I can only dream of the utter delight which transpired on that day. No doubt, it was a gloriously balmy September afternoon and Mrs Morris' cake stall has probably never been beaten for jam, cream and sponge. Also, we learn that Chris Whyte is buying a fruit tree, but there's precious little information regarding this backstory.
Lacock may be a small, sleepy village but there's clearly plenty of activity with there as the Coming Soon section informs us. Not only is there an upcoming Coffee Morning - complete with Bring and Buy Stall - in aid of the National Children's Home, but the Lacock Players are also in the process of planning their next production. Meanwhile, the WI has been busy with its Sports and Family meeting - which, in typical British village fashion, featured maypole dancing - and also welcomed Mrs J. Blaikie as a guest speaker on Canvas Work. Excitingly, Mrs K. Webb brought along her canvas covered footstool to take home first prize in the Canvas Work competition - just where is that footstool now?
So, that's it, a wonderful, wonderful jaunt back in time to an idyllic British village in summer. The good news is that, even with modern inventions such as mobile phones and the internet, life in a British village remains just as charming. Nothing beats the thrill and excitement of a village fete, the smell of a local pub, and the craftwork of the WI. But almost everything, even the aforementioned footstool, in this parish magazine will have tumbled out of people's memories. Luckily, Ephemeral 80s is on hand to preserve these snapshots of the 1980s.
And, yes, I will be travelling to Lacock at some point in the future to bask in its beauty.
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