Reflections on a busy week-end – we were truly blessed.

A collective sigh of relief travelled round the Temple Balsall Community as the Heritage Weekend survived the Great British Weather.

Despite rain on Friday and early Saturday morning, all the attractions and stalls were ready for the grand opening, and even though quite a few visitors came before the official start time they were warmly welcomed.

The Art Exhibition was a resounding success, the activities on the main lawn and in the grounds of the Court were very popular, the School had its own attractions, the raffle was drawn, the dancers danced, the Knights paraded – and the band played on

Saturday was the encapsulation of all that is fine about Middle England, friendship, fun, mutual support and lashings of good humour , sustained by tea and cakes, and bacon rolls and hot sausage sandwiches.

When our visitors had drifted homewards little groups of helpers cleared the rubbish, made good the holes in the hallowed turf of The Lawn , dismantled as many of the tents as feasible -and finally slumped into chairs to devour the well-earned fish and chips and to toast all concerned for a job well-done.

Sunday was a day for further dismantling of marquees , the traditional teas in The Old Hall and avoiding the rain showers.

Now all we have to do is look back at the weekend , and ask ourselves what we could improve and the lessons we learned.

Thank you to all who contributed, whether from the Community or as visitors , and we give thanks for the Divine intervention that made it all possible , as we are really only those who serve….

Heritage Weekend: What’s On and When

On Saturday 14th September at 12 noon the 2013 Autumn Fair and Heritage Weekend will be declared officially open to visitors. The lawns of Temple House will then play host to a variety of events and demonstrations with the provisional timetable as follows:

1pm: Knights Hospitallers — “Arming the Knight” — Arena, Temple House Lawn

1pm: Guided Tour of historical site with Rev Kathy Lloyd Roberts — assemble in front of Old Hall

1.30pm: Board Dancers — The Court

1.45pm: Beorma Morris Dancers — Arena, Temple House Lawn

2.15pm: Birmingham Concert Band — Bandstand, Temple House Lawn

2.15pm: Guided Tour of historical site with Rev Kathy Lloyd Roberts — assemble in front of Old Hall

2.30pm: Board Dancers — The Court

3.15pm: Beorma Morris Dancers — Arena, Temple House Lawn

3.15pm: Guided Tour of historical site with Rev Kathy Lloyd Roberts — assemble in front of Old Hall

3.40pm: Knights Hospitallers — “Spear Drill for Kids” — Arena, Temple House Lawn

4pm: Raffle Prize Draw — Arena, Temple House Lawn

4.10pm: Birmingham Concert Band — Bandstand, Temple House Lawn

Teas will be served throughout the day and food will also be available. Stalls will be selling books, bric-a-brac and produce plus there will be a Tombola. In the Old Hall there will be a special exhibition of archives and historic domestic pottery. For the younger visitors there will be a Playbus plus smaller games including BogBalls.

The Art Exhibition will be open from 10.30am until 5pm in Lady Katherine Leveson’s Church of England Primary School adjacent to Temple Lawn.

On Sunday 15th September the art exhibition will open from 11.3am, closing at 4pm.

Elsewhere on the Sunday the stalls and exhibits will open from 2pm and guided tours will be held at 2.30pm and 3.30pm. At 6pm in the church of St Mary the Virgin there will be Choral Evensong led by Birmingham Cathedral Choir with a talk by Canon Michael Walls, a former Master of The Foundation of Lady Katherine Leveson.

Tea and cake, Haydn and Mozart

A little bit of what you fancy never does you harm. This maxim applies equally to our superb Sunday Afternoon Teas here at beautiful Temple Balsall. If your fancy runs to freshly baked scones or homemade cakes — such as Lemon Drizzle, Chocolate, Carrot, Fruit or Coffee — then you need to get yourself here on one of the three remaining opportunities of this summer season.

You’re sure of a warm and friendly welcome whether you are out for a Sunday afternoon drive or part of the groups of cyclists and walkers that increasingly like to use our tranquil historical setting as a watering hole on their treks around the countryside.

Next weekend (14th-15th September) is, of course, Heritage Weekend where tea and cake will play their usual central role.

The last Sunday Afternoon Teas will be served on 29th September and will coincide with our last free concert of the season. At 3pm The Middleton Hall String Quartet will play pieces by Mozart and Haydn. Let’s hope the Indian summer weather stays with us until then and the maximum number of people can enjoy their tea and cake in the sunshine before listening to timeless classical music in the historic setting of St Mary the Virgin Church here at Temple Balsall.